The Arizona Senate has overwhelmingly passed the so-called “wrongful birth” bill — a piece of legislation that not only strips citizens of core torts protections but is based on a legal mythology of abusive litigation. The law would prevent lawsuits against doctors who withhold information on health problems of a fetus — even withholding the information intentionally.
Category: Bizarre
This is a video from this week in the Brazilian Congress. This is reported to be a congresswoman who has an extraordinary voice. As much as I loved the performance, it is worth noting that this is a religious song where members express their faith — a practice that raised concerns with those in Brazil who believe strongly in the separation of church and state.
Continue reading “The Opening Legislative Prayer — Brazilian-Style”
We have been following a trend toward firing or disciplining public employees for their activities in their private lives, including statements made on Facebook or associations with unpopular groups. One group of employees are teachers and school employees who previously worked in the pornography industry (here and here). Shawn Loftis, 36, faced the same barrier to teaching due to his work as a gay porn actor as well as the director and owner of his own company, World of Men. After a campaign against him and a decision to bar him from teaching, Loftis secured a ruling that he could in fact return to teaching last Friday. He holds a master’s degree in public administration.
Continue reading “Former Gay Porn Star Secures Right To Pursue Florida Teaching Certificate”
It is not quite Boys From Brazil, but the discovery of a long-forgotten diary of an English soldier has led to a rekindling of the theory that Adolf Hitler fathered a child . . . and the little Führer was French. The diary adds support to claims that Jean-Marie Loret was the son of Hitler — conceived when Hitler lived in France as a corporal in World War I.
Continue reading “English Soldier’s Long Lost Diary Supports Claim Of Hitler Child”
We have yet another tragedy in the Arab world where a 16 year old Moroccan girl committed suicide in Morocco after being forced to marry her rapist — a man ten years her senior. The girl’s parents filed charges against the man but the court ruled that rather than punishing the man, he should marry his rape victim.
In the last week, we have had one dad who blinded a goalie with a laser in a girl’s hockey game and another dad who bit off part of the ear of an opposing coaches ear after his son lost a basketball game. Now comes Shelly S. Miller, 37, who is charged with felony battery after allegedly punching an assistant basketball coach at St. Stanislaus School to the point of his losing consciousness.
This week, it was announced that budget cuts would now include canceling the Mars missions. However, Rep. Cliff Steans (R-FL) wants to go further. In a recent speech, Steans called for the selling off of national park lands. We have previously seen states sell off park lands, government buildings and other property — even as we burned hundreds of billions in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ok, maybe not eternal. A Guatemalan court sentenced former special forces soldier Pedro Pimentel, 55, to 6,060 years in prison for his role in a 1982 massacre of 201 people. The Las Dos Erres massacre was carried out by a group of some 20 soldiers in December 1982.
An assistant basketball coach at a basketball game of sixth graders is accused of biting off part of another coach’s ear at a Catholic Youth Organization game in Springfield, Massachusetts. Timothy Lee Forbes is reportedly the father of one of the players on his team that lost the game at Holy Name School in the Catholic Youth Organization final. He is charged with first punching the opposing coach and then going Mike Tyson on his ear. Jesus
I recently wrote a column on how the West is curtailing free speech under blasphemy, hate speech, and anti-discrimination laws. As if on cue, lawyer Gloria Allred has called for the criminal prosecution of Rush Limbaugh for calling law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and “prostitute.” I previously wrote that I believe Limbaugh’s comments were protected speech under the first amendment and constitute opinion for the purposes of any libel action. Such a prosecution would threaten core free speech principles and the law cited by Allred would appear not only inimical to free speech but overtly sexist.
Ok, you may need a cup of coffee to follow this one so pay attention. According to police, Texas personal injury attorney Jeffrey Stern (left) was having an affair with Michele Cabrera Gaiser (right below) and wanted to get rid of his wife, Yvonne Stern. So Stern and Gaiser allegedly solicited Nhut Nguyen to shoot Yvonne. Yvonne was shot in the stomach on May 5, 2010 but survived and filed for divorce — citing adultery. Later, however, Yvonne reconciled with Jeffrey Stern, who is currently charged with soliciting her murder and she is now suing Gaiser in tort. Got that?
As our allies in Afghanistan have embraced a new edict declaring women worth less than men, militias in Iraq have reintroduced gruesome executions of anyone viewed as “gay” because of their haircuts or dress. So called “Emo killings” are on the rise with gays being beaten to death with cement blocks with little investigation or apparent concern from local police. Roughly 60 people have been murdered in the last six months alone in such killings
Steven Mulhall, 21, appears to have a wealth of bad ideas. According to police, his first bad idea was a series of thefts leading to being put on probation. His really bad idea was to pry the nameplate of a Broward Circuit Judge Michael Orlando off his door while visiting the courthouse. His really really bad idea was to take a picture of himself with the nameplate. His really really really bad idea was to post the picture on his girlfriend’s Facebook site.
A pastor in Ghana learned something that vaudeville performers have known for years: know your audience and know your limits. The pastor of the Seventh Day Revival Judaism of Yahweh church promised villagers that he would turn a walking stick into a snake in the town square. People assembled hours in advance to see Pastor Yaw Saul, 49, perform the miracle last done before an audience of Egyptians by Moses. They soon discovered the pastor was no Moses and the stick was . . . well . . . a stick. The pastor, however, was able to turn a crowd of the faithful into a murderous mob.
As a law professor, I am often called into disputes over the original intent of the Framers — most recently in testimony over the recess appointment clause in the House Judiciary Committee. In the Florida House of Representatives, however, this dispute became particularly intense as Rep. Alan B. Williams and Speaker Dean Cannon disagreed on the specific words and intent behind that legal paragon Jay-Z:
Continue reading “The Original Intent Debate Turns To James Madison . . . Jay-Z”