Category: Bizarre

Bizarre, Military, Politics, Society

Gibbs Refuses to Answer Torture Question in Public

With Dick Cheney boasting on national television of his support for waterboarding and torture (here), the Obama White House is continuing its policy of ignoring the credible claims of war crimes to avoid the politically difficult decision to prosecute Bush, Cheney and others for the U.S. torture program. This was evident this week when White House spokesman Robert Gibbs refused to answer a basic question on the torture of a recently captured Taliban leader– offering only to discuss the matter off the record.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Harrisburg Mayor in Showdown With Controller Over Gag Order

Harrisburg, Pa. Mayor Linda Thompson and Harrisburg City Controller Dan Miller are in a remarkable confrontation that could virtually shutdown the city. Thompson issued an order to city workers that bar them from speaking directly to the city controller’s office, city council members and the media. Miller responded by giving her an ultimatum: rescind the gag order or he will rescind his payroll signature stamp.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Guns-O-Plenty: Virginia Passes 20 Gun Bills

The Virginia legislature passed a flurry of bills stripping away limitations on gun possession in the state. After intense lobbying from the National Rifle Association and over $1 million in NRA campaign contributions, the lawmakers passed 20 gun bills expanding possession and ownership rights in the state.

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Bizarre, Religion, Society

Crossing the Jordan: Father Faces Jail for Baptism of Daughter

Joseph Reyes may be unique in the annals of criminal law: he is facing potential jail time for baptizing his daughter. His ex-wife Rebecca Reyes is Jewish and was awarded custody of the girl. The mother is raising her in the Jewish faith. Hon. Edward R. Jordan has issued an order barring Reyes from “exposing his daughter to any other religion than the Jewish religion. …” Now Reyes faces the ultimate baptism under fire.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Close Enough For Police Work? Denver Police Arrest Mother on Way to Pick Up Daughter At School — Despite the Fact that She Looks Nothing Like Suspect

Christina FourHorn is suing the Denver police department in a bizarre mistaken identity case that led to her jailing — and an alleged refusal of police to listen to repeated efforts to show that they had the wrong person. It is only the latest in such mistaken identity arrest cases.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Prosecutor Refuses to Charge Police Officer Who Allegedly Commits Hit-and-Run, Lies About Accident, and Then Defends His Actions As “Impaired By Alcohol”

Redondo Beach City Prosecutor Brenda Wells is receiving considerable heat over her decision not to charge Torrance Police Sgt. Michael Mastick, who was involved in an off-duty hit-and-run collision. He admitted that he fled the scene because “judgment was impaired by alcohol.” A novel defense to be sure but it seems to have worked.
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Bizarre, International, Society

I Watanabe Drug Tested: Snowboarder Offers Curious Description of Olympic Experience

Somebody drug test this man. U.S. snowboarder Graham Watanabe was asked what it was like to compete in his second Winter Olympics. He responded it was like “Pegasus mating with a unicorn and the creature that they birth I somehow tame it and ride it to the sky and clouds and sunshine and rainbows.”

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Father Faces 10 Years After Altercation With Pennsylvania Officers at Scene of Son’s Car Crash

We have another case of officers arresting a distraught family members at the scene of an accident. This one involves James Rourke of Doylesburg, Pa., who had rushed to the scene after he learned that his 19-year-old son Freddy was in a serious car accident with a friend and still trapped in the car. The photos from the scene are horrific. If he thought things could not get much worse, Rourke was wrong. The arrival of two officers lmer Hertzog and James Erme would result in Rourke’s arrest and charges with a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Boise Police Officers Taser Man on Buttocks, Threaten to Rape Him With Taser, and Then Claim No Fault in Modest Settlement

We previously followed the case of Gerald Amidon, who sued the Boise police department for allegedly threatening to sodomize him with a taser and using excessive force in his arrest, including tasering him on the buttocks. He has now settled for only $150,000 and, despite a highly disturbing tape of the incident, the police department is able to claim no fault as part of the settlement.
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Bizarre, Science, Society

The Right Chemistry: Loving Doctor Isolates Physiological Causes for Love

Ever wondered why your heart raced at the first sight of your wife or husband. Dr. Loving has the answer. Dr. Timothy Loving explains that it is literally having the right chemistry. To be accurate, chemists generally send Valentines reading “Baby, You Make My Adrenaline and Epinephrine Soar.” Above is an appropriate Valentine for chemists.
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Bizarre, International, Society

School Confiscates Valentine Cards After Head Teacher Finds Kids Are Not Emotionally Mature Enough to Handle The Tradition

Head Teacher Peter Turner at Ashcombe Primary School in England announced that all Valentine cards would be confiscated because children are not emotionally mature enough to deal with the tradition.

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