For years, I have been struck by the trend in schools for recognizing everyone or no one in awards ceremonies. Last year, I watched an award ceremony where everyone not given any award for academic excellence was given an award at our public school. The same logic appears to be motivating Principal David Fabrizio of Ipswich Middle School in Massachusetts. Fabrizio has ended a long standing tradition of “Honors Night” because the failure to be part of it could be “devastating” to the students not receiving honors. He noted that some children do not have parents who are supportive at night and do not make honors due to poor home conditions.
Month: March 2013
Come on now. It’s Thursday, you have a ton of stuff to do, but the least you can do is smile.
This weekend, Caleb Gordley, 16, was shot and killed in a home that he mistook for his own after sneaking out for a party. The homeowner confronted Gordley on the stairs inside the home and said that the teenager ignored a warning shot. The shooting occurred after the failure of a “Castle Doctrine” law in Virginia’s General Assembly — a law that we have discussed previously on this blog that gives homeowners protections in the use of lethal force with anyone illegally entering their domicile. Ironically, the bill was shot down by gun groups that felt that the common law offered more protection.
Continue reading “Homeowner Shoots and Kills Teen Who Entered Wrong Home After Party”
Shawn Moore is a certified firearms instructor for the National Rifle Association and a New Jersey hunter education instructor. He was proud of his son for recently passing his hunter’s permit course and posted this picture of his boy in camouflage holding his .22 rifle. A Facebook “friend” saw the picture and reported him to the New Jersey police and Dept. of Children and Families for child endangerment. Moore says that his home was raided, searched, and he was threatened with the loss of custody in response to the complaint.
Lindsey Lohan appears to be practicing method acting for the role of the Butcher in Henry VI who proclaimed “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Lohan was captured by TMZ muttering to her lawyer to shut up and badgering him while he tried to defend the serial celebrity defendant. She punctuated her court commentary with “Oh my god, I’m going to kill you.”
Continue reading “Lindsay Lohan Plays Henry VI: First Thing I’ll Do Is Kill My Lawyer”
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has pulled prosecutors out of all traffic court and domestic violence cases after her office laid off 22 prosecutors due to budget cuts. Now, with Detroit cutting its police force to a dangerous level, the chances of getting caught in a crime is much lower in the city and, if that does occur, the case may be dismissed due to a lack of a prosecutor. Defendants are finding themselves cleared without even having to raise a defense. It is not clear whether police will continue to make arrests in these areas if Worthy is not going to prosecute. Detroit has not only been hit with a falling population and the loss of the auto industry but a political system that has retained incompetent and corrupt politicians — many of whom have been under criminal investigation. As for Worthy, we have previously discussed her controversial prosecutorial decisions and her own scandal over a foreclosed home. I presume that among the cases that will not be prosecuted is Worthy’s prior controversial demand to prosecute parents who miss teacher-parent meetings at public schools.
California State Senator Lou Correa appears to view the low DUI thresholds for drivers as insufficient. Correa has introduced what many are calling a “sober driver” law where a citizen can be arrested for having any detectable level of drugs in their system, even if they are functionally sober. This includes cannabinoids which can stay in your system for weeks. The law seems to move beyond prosecuting people who are actually impaired in driving.
Continue reading “California Legislature Considers “Sober Driving” Law”
We have another case of police arresting a citizen because he filmed them in public. This one however is with a twist (and a flip).
Continue reading “Florida Police Arrest Prankster Not For Prank But Filming Prank”
An Adjunct Law Professor from the University of Oregon has been removed from teaching responsibilities after a confrontation with students that was partially filmed. James Olmsted had a confrontation with students protesting immigration policies on March 14th in which he and students exchange foul language and at one point Olmsted advises them to “start a war, get a gun, shoot me first.”
We have yet another tell-all book from an ex-Scientology member recounting many of the same abuses of forced labor, cruel conditions, and slavish service for scientology celebrities. This book however is written by the niece of church leader David Miscavige. Miscavige has previously been accused of physically beating followers and requiring virtual slavish service to the Church’s celebrities from Tom Cruise to John Travolta to Fox News’ Greta Van Susteran. Continue reading “Niece of Scientology Head Publishes Book Detailing Alleged Abuses By Church”
We have been discussing the epidemic of rape in India, including the grotesque recent gang rape of a woman on a bus who died from internal injuries. The attitude of Indian officials has ranged from the disgusting to the bizarre. Now we can add the rape of a Swiss 39-year-old woman who was gang raped and her husband beaten up after camping near a Hindu temple. A spokesman for Madhya Pradesh police department promptly said that the woman and her husband brought on the rape by camping in the wrong spot. This week a British woman fractured both legs and suffered head injuries after jumping from her hotel window to escape being raped by the owner.
Continue reading “India Police Spokesman Blames Swiss Couple In Gang Rape”
Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder left no question about the Administration’s support of the abusive treatment of Aaron Swartz by US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Deputy US Attorney Stephen Heymann. Heymann was previously linked to a suicide in another prosecution. We have discussed the abusive prosecution earlier and Swartz’s suicide after months of unrelenting threats and coercion. Holder heralded the treatment of Swartz as an example of the “good use of prosecutorial discretion.” Swartz’s girlfriend has come forward to denounce Holder and the Obama Administration for its misrepresentations in the case.
Continue reading “Holder Defends Swartz Abuse As Example Of Good Prosecutorial Discretion”
AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis is the latest celebrity to embrace that “I’m a moron” defense in the wake of a scandal. In celebration of a goal against Veria last week, Katidis did a Nazi salute. It would be an outrage in any country but the Germans in World War II killed as many as 800,000 of his countrymen — though the precise number has been recently debated. He has now been banned from the national team.
Continue reading “Greek Soccer Star Banned Over Nazi Salute”
Just when you thought that blasphemy laws could not get any worse, the Muslim Brotherhood has come up with a new idea: citizen arrests of tourists for blasphemy. The Middle East is replete with cases of mobs killing people accused of the slightest offense toward Islam. Now, according to Internet reporting, the Egyptian prosecutor general for the Muslim Brotherhood has pushed through a new law permitting ordinary Egyptians to arrest those who offend Islamic law.
Continue reading “Egypt’s Government Moves Toward Blasphemy Citizen Arrests”
We have another story showing the moral decline of pandas. Chinese officials are showing five-year-old Ke Lin and her partner Yongyong long panda pornography movies to try to get them in the amorous mood. Ke Lin had been shunning her mater. However, in a direct clinical confirmation of the impact of porn on the young mind, Ke Lin watched the movies now she is a character right out of the movie “Boogie Nights.”
Continue reading “Panda Porn: Chinese Researchers Produce Bear “Boogie Nights” For Timid Couples”