Month: September 2012

Criminal law, International, Politics

Karzai’s Intelligence Chief Nominee Accused of Torture and Drug-Trafficking

We have often discussed the rampant corruption in the government of Hamid Karzai with billions in U.S. aid just disappearing — reportedly going to his brothers and associates. Now, the man Karzai selected as the next intelligence chief — Asadullah Khalid — has been accused of drug trafficking and torture. Khalid operates various torture chambers, including what a Canadian diplomat described as a “dungeon in his guest house.” That would certainly be a good resume for Karzai given the rest of his government.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

Red Bull Heir Kills Policeman With His Ferrari And Then Tries To Have Servant Take The Fall

A breathtaking example of the power of the wealthy in Thailand emerged this week after the 27-year-old heir to the world-famous Red Bull energy drink empire ran over a police officer with his Ferrari and then continued on his way to his mansion — dragging the dead body 200 meters. In response, police initially tried to cover up the crime and even charged a scapegoat to protect Vorayuth Yoovidhya, grandson of Red Bull creator Chaleo Yoovidhya. It appears that the family driver was ready to take the fall for the family — a disgraceful act by the family and Vorayuth Yoovidhya.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Religion, Society

“One Should Not Beat Out of Anger”: Egyptian Cleric Explains The Proper Islamic Approach To Wife Beating

We have previously seen Muslim clerics instruct men on how to beat their wives in an Islamically correct way. Egyptian cleric Abd Al-Rahman gave the latest installment on Al-Nas television — affirming the need for men to beat their wives as did Mohammad.

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Academia, Courts, Supreme Court

YOLO: California Man Sends Tweets About Driving Drunk Shortly Before Crash Killing Five

Right before five people in a car ran a red light and crashed into a wall in Ontario, California, one of the occupants sent a tweet reading: “Drunk (expletive) going 120 drifting corners.” He followed it up at 1:20 a with “Driving tweeting sipping the cup (expletive) yolo I’m turning it up.” YOLO means “You Only Live Once. A few minutes later, all five were dead in the 2005 Nissan that crashed into the backyard of a house. The tweet was sent by @ink2flashyy belonging to Ervin McKinness, 21 (shown left).

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Uncategorized

Clean Slate: Holder Ends Last Torture Investigation Without Charges

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced late last week that the Administration had finally fulfilled the promise of President Barack Obama when, soon after taking office, he promised CIA employees that no one would be charged with torture despite his acknowledgement that water boarding is clearly torture under domestic and international law. Holder announced that the final investigation into deaths of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002 and 2003 respectively would not result in a single charge of any kind. Recently, John Cusack published an interview with me where we discussed the abandonment of core civil liberties principles as well as the expansion of unilateral executive power under President Obama. Now, just before the uncontested Democratic nomination convention, the Administration is reminding civil libertarians that it stands firmly on blocking the prosecution of what is widely viewed as war crimes by the U.S. After the creation of a comprehensive and premeditated torture program, not a single person will be charged despite acknowledged waterboarding and deaths of detainees. The Department did say that it was uncertain of the “propriety of the examined conduct.” War crimes is now a matter of uncertain “propriety.”

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Constitutional Law, Politics, Religion, Society

Church Construction Ignites Widespread Protests in Bahrain

We have another example of religious intolerance from one of our closest Gulf allies, Bahrain. Christians in that country were hoping to build a large church — something they are prohibited from doing in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom had agreed to the construction in what was widely viewed as a major advance for religious freedom. That has now led to widespread protests and the statement from a prominent cleric, Sheik Adel Hassan al-Hamad, who proclaimed in a sermon that all further construction on any church should end in the country since “anyone who believes that a church is a true place of worship is someone who has broken in their faith in God.” The protests have led the monarchy of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to isolate al-Hamad.

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International, Society, Uncategorized

Pistorius Challenges Blades of Opponent After Losing Paralympic Race

Oscar Pistorius has apologized for an outburst after losing the 200m final in the Paralympic Games last week — accusing Brazil’s Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira of securing an advantage by “blades” that were slightly longer and more springy. It is a controversy that reignited questions of whether Pistorius should have been allowed to run in the Olympics.

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Criminal law, International, Society

Abused Woman Posts Video of Beating By Boyfriend

This is a disturbing video put on the Internet by a woman who identifies herself Amanda Fong Kim, 19, who says that she was being beaten by a man named Calven Chik Foo Keong — the father of the baby that she says she is carrying. What is most chilling is how this beating occurs next to a door to the street and pedestrians.

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Animals, Bizarre, Society

Research Links Widespread Infections From Cats and Links To Schizophrenia and Suicide

No this was not a study paid for by the National Canine Association. New research is raising some startling findings about the transmission of serious illnesses from cats, including links to schizophrenia and other psychotic disturbances. This is a lot more dangerous that “cat scratch fever.” In Britain alone, roughly 350,000 people a year are believed to be infected each year with toxoplasma. There is also a link to higher rates of suicide among cat owners.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

“Season Ticket on a One-Way Ride”: New Hampshire Woman Arrested Four Times In 36 Hours

Joyce Coffey really really likes AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses (I am assuming “Ought Ta Get Me” was playing at some point in this revolving door with police). Coffey was arrested four times in 36 hours — three times for playing “Highway To Hell” and other songs too loudly. Coffey would no sooner make bail then she would be back blasting the music and eventually succeeded in finding that “season ticket on a one-way ride” – police on the fourth arrest held her for psychiatric evaluation.

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Academia, Society

Texas Professor Supported By University in Controversial Same-Sex Family Study

In a strong defense of academic freedom, the University of Texas-Austin has issued a report supporting sociology Professor Mark Regnerus who is being attacked for a study (How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships?) that found children of same-sex parents have a higher rate of depression and welfare participation than kids raised by heterosexual couples. The support, however, only came after a formal inquiry that appeared triggered by a New York blogger who denounced the study.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

My Interview With John Cusack on Civil Liberties and Obama

On Huffington Post this week, John Cusack has published an interview with me on the record of the Obama Administration. For full disclosure, John and I grew up together in Chicago and our families have been very close since childhood. With John, I was part of the Piven Theater company with Anne and Joan Cusack (also with Aidan Quinn, Jeremy Piven, Bill Macey, and others involved with the company). John and I continue to discuss politics and philosophy – a regular past time over the holidays for decades over kitchen tables in Evanston and Chicago. In this interview, we shared some of our mutual sense of betrayal by President Obama of core civil liberties in the United States. I have previously written (See e.g., here and here and here) about the harm caused to civil liberties by Obama as well as the harm he has caused to the civil liberties movement. This is also a debate that we have had on this blog over the dilemma facing many civil libertarians voting in this election.

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Courts, Criminal law, Politics, Society, Torts

Massachusetts Judge Denied Disability Pension For Hate Mail

Former Superior Court Judge Ernest B. Murphy will not be receiving disability payments in addition to his multimillion dollar libel award against the Boston Herald. Murphy filed for disability pension based on a claim of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression linked to receiving hate mail and death threats due to his ruling in a rape case. The Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts found unanimously that the Contributory Retirement Appeal Board was correct in denying Murphy the disability pension.

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Things That Tick Me Off, Travel Blog

Things That Tick Me Off: Busch Gardens

It is time for another addition to my list of “Things That Tick Me Off” — an occasional ranting about something I encounter that drives me to distraction or dismay in everyday life. This week’s cathartic event was a trip on Sunday to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia to celebrate the birthday of one of my kids. Around four, the park experienced bad weather. The rejection of the park however proved as unpredictable as the storm.

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Uncategorized

Joan Marie Appleton, R.N. (1948-2012)

By Mike Appleton, Guest Blogger

My sister Joan died two weeks ago, but we don’t know precisely when.  She lived by herself in an apartment in St. Paul, and her death was discovered when a close friend, unable to reach her for two days, contacted the apartment manager.  Joan was 64.

Our Catholic parents practiced the rhythm method in 4/4 time, four pregnancies in four years, but with five births; Joan was a twin.  She was strong and daring and feisty from the beginning.  My earliest memory of her is an unfortunate incident involving a broom, a beehive and copious amounts of calamine lotion.  A year later she fell out of the family car.  I recall turning to watch her small body receding in the distance, followed immediately by our mother’s terrified, “Oh, my God!”  She was fine except for the gravel burns. Continue reading “Joan Marie Appleton, R.N. (1948-2012)” →