Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has turned to humor and an amphibian advocate to make her case to Arizona voters — making fun at critics who have been denouncing the Arizona law without reading it. The video has become a hit and pushed Brewer ahead of her Democratic opponent in the race, Terry Goddard.
Continue reading “Hopping Mad: Politics in Arizona Goes To The Frogs”
The Obama Administration appears close to doing what many thought was unthinkable from a political standpoint: opposing the enforcement of federal law for any illegal immigrants caught in Arizona. That appears to be the suggestion of John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an interview this week.
Now this would make for an interesting foreseeable misuse case. Federal authorities are reporting a toy pellet gun is being converted into a semi-automatic weapon for gang members.
Continue reading “Federal Agents Seize Toy Gun That Can Be Converted Into Semi-Automatic Weapon”
These guys seems to have transcended both the NBA rules and physics to play basketball the way that football fans would want it played.
Continue reading “Air Ball: Basketball The Way God Intended It To Be Played”
We often chronicle the standouts in criminal law, but none quite match to the villainy this week of thieves in Philadelphia who stole not just the wheelchair of a disabled man in Philadelphia but his pet dog, Bengie.
Continue reading “Thieves in Philadelphia Steal Disabled Man’s Wheelchair and Dog”
A JetBlue pilot was taken off a flight at Logan Airport this week after he allegedly threatened to kill himself “in spectacular fashion” in an email to his girlfriend.
Continue reading “JetBlue Pilot Taken Off Flight After Allegedly Promising to Die “In Spectacular Fashion””
Some of us have long complained that confirmation hearings have become a rather bad joke (here) — carefully choreographed events devoid of substance. While many of us thought it could not positively become more content-free, it has. The director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum has announced that the library cannot possibly turn over the prior writings of nominee Elena Kagan from her prior government service in time for the June 28, 2010 hearings. Rather than move the date, the Senate Judiciary Committee and White House appear intent on holding a hearing without the burden of knowledge of Kagan’s prior writings. Given her wafer-thin record of writing as an academic, that will guarantee a confirmation hearing that makes Dancing With the Stars looks like a tenure review meeting.
Douglas Gardner, 54, appears to have been waiting a long time for a good drink and drive. After being incarcerated for 20 years after a prior fatal DUI accident, Gardner has been arrested for his 9th DUI arrest in Saint Albans, Vermont.
Mafia boss Salvatore “Vito” Vitale has been released early from prison in Italy due to depression. It appears that Vitale has found jail emotionally hard — more so than his role in murdering a 13-year-old boy and then dissolving him in acid before his incarceration.
Continue reading “The Soprano Defense: Mafia Boss Released Early Due to Depression”
The controversy over Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal’s claim of service in the Vietnam War continues. After the New York Times was accused of leaving out exculpatory statements made by Blumenthal on one such occasion, the newspaper insists that the earlier comment does not alter the misleading representations, here. Moreover, newly disclosed statements like “I wore the uniform in Vietnam and many came back to all kinds of disrespect” undermine his defense. Below is my column today on the New York Times blog discussing the scandal.
Continue reading “Blumenthal: Politics’ Unlikely Walter Mitty”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has subpoenas to learn the identity of two critics on Twitter who chastised Corbett for his “Bonusgate” investigation of legislative corruption. The tweets objected to Corbett’s handling of the trials of 25 former and current state lawmakers charged with using taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labor for holding a private wedding ceremony. The Malawi court found that such a ceremony and relationship constitutes gross indecency and involves unnatural acts. Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa stated he wanted to protect the public “from people like you.”
Arizona Corporation Commission member Gary Pierce has threatened that the state may cut off power to Los Angeles if that city goes forward with a boycott of his state over its controversial immigration law. The city gets 25 percent of its power from Arizona.
Continue reading “Power Play: Arizona Utility Commissioner Threatens To Cut Off Power to Los Angeles If City Boycotts State”
We have seen a rash of census workers accused of wrongdoing this month. In Indiana, Daniel Miller, 39, (left) is accused of raping a 21-year-old disabled woman after forcing his way into her home during a Census visit, here. In New Jersey, Frank J. Kuni was arrested after a woman recognized him as a sex offender. In St. Louis, a citizen was bitten in the stomach by a Census worker’s dog.
Continue reading “Census-less Crimes: Census Workers Accused of Wrongdoing”
In South Carolina, Sandra Powell, 72, really wanted to get to that hair appointment. She was clocked at over 100 mph and, when finally caught, explained that she was late for her hair appointment.
Continue reading “Bad Hair Day: Woman Arrested After Driving 102 MPH To Salon Appointment”