Category: Bizarre

Shocking Video Shows U.S. Soldier Throwing Puppy Off Cliff

Animal rights advocates (and virtually every other human being) are in shock over this video showing U.S. soldiers showing a puppy off a cliff for fun. Bloggers have allegedly identified the culprit as a David Motari, but this has not been confirmed by the military and there remains the identity of the other soldiers. It is also not the first such video of animal cruelty by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
.abc_marine_throw_puppy_off_cliff_080303_mn.jpg Continue reading “Shocking Video Shows U.S. Soldier Throwing Puppy Off Cliff”

Federal Court Orders Geoffrey Fieger to Pull Anti-Bush Administration Ads from TV

In a remarkable ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Borman has ordered firebrand attorney Geoffrey Fieger to pull TV commercials critical of the Bush Administration. Borman ruled that such ads threatened to influence the jury pool in Fieger’s upcoming trial for making illegal contributions to the John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign. It is an extremely rare ruling that pits judicial administration against the first amendment. Continue reading “Federal Court Orders Geoffrey Fieger to Pull Anti-Bush Administration Ads from TV”

Getting Entangled in Church-State Relations: Faith-Based Politics Causes Problems for the Leading Presidential Candidates

All of the major candidates – including Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Huckabee – have made plays for the religious vote by voicing positions on faith and seeking the endorsement of religious leaders. However, they are also discovering that mixing politics and religion is a risky business. This week, both McCain and Obama face some serious baggage that came with religious allies. Continue reading “Getting Entangled in Church-State Relations: Faith-Based Politics Causes Problems for the Leading Presidential Candidates”

Blogger Uncovers Plagiarism by Senior Bush Official

Tim Goeglein, special assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison, admitted this week that he has published plagiarized work. His undoing was at the hands of a blogger, Nancy Nall, who found that one column was lifted from the writings of a former Columbia and Dartmouth professor, Jeffery Hart. Nall and others now claim that there were other columns. Late Friday, reports indicated that  Goeglein has resigned. Continue reading “Blogger Uncovers Plagiarism by Senior Bush Official”

O Panama, We Stand On Guard For Thee

To say the least, I am getting a bit of flack for suggesting that John McCain could have a constitutional problem under Article II’s eligibility provision. In the interest in lightening up the discussion, I offer the following as a possible rallying song for Panamanian and Panamanian-born friends alike. It appears that with a little tweaking and the indulgence of our Canadian neighbors, O Canada seems remarkably apropos. Continue reading “O Panama, We Stand On Guard For Thee”

No Special Compensation for Widow of Worked-To-Death Judge

The Connecticut Supreme Court has issued an interesting ruling that bars the widow of a judge from suing under a law designed to benefit her alone. It is like a reverse bill of attainder ruling: barring selective special benefits as opposed to punishment in legislation. Continue reading “No Special Compensation for Widow of Worked-To-Death Judge”

Food Not Included: AFS Exchange Student Starved in Eygpt and Hospitalized Upon His Return

The American Field Service (AFS) is facing a possible lawsuit in a shocking case of alleged abuse and negligence. Maine teenager
Jonathan McCullum lost 60 pounds while placed with a family in Egypt. When he returned he was so weak that he had difficulty carrying his luggage and had to be hospitalized . AFS has refused to comment and referred inquiries to a lawyer who has also refused to comment. This could present some novel tort issues, but it appears that AFS has much to answer for. Continue reading “Food Not Included: AFS Exchange Student Starved in Eygpt and Hospitalized Upon His Return”

Sacrebleu! The French Win Before European Court in Ban on Red Bull

It appears that the French believe that caffeine should only be delivered to tourists in small espresso cups in large numbers on the Champs-Elysées. The French government has banned Red Bull as dangerous to public health and the European Court of Justice said that it could do so. However, the Court ordered France to lift the ban until it could prove those dangers. Continue reading “Sacrebleu! The French Win Before European Court in Ban on Red Bull”

South Carolina Moves Against Successful Jail House Lawyer While Allowing Unsuccessful Bar Applicants to Become Lawyers

Michael Ray, a federal inmate, could rightfully claim some confusion. A “jailhouse lawyer,” Ray convinced the United States Supreme Court to accept an important prisoner case this term — an achievement unmatched by the vast majority of practicing lawyers. Now, however, the South Carolina State Attorney General is reportedly investigating Ray for possible charges of practicing without a license. What is particularly curious is that this is the same state that recently admitted well-connected applicants for the bar after they flunked the exam. South Carolina appears to have entered some parallel universe where success in the law is failure while failure in the law is success. Continue reading “South Carolina Moves Against Successful Jail House Lawyer While Allowing Unsuccessful Bar Applicants to Become Lawyers”

China Solves Lake Pollution: Feed Pollution to Fish Then Eat the Fish

Those brilliant environmentalists in the Chinese regime that brought us the Three Gorges Dam and cancer villages have come up with another breakthrough idea. Faced with soaring pollution in lakes like Chau Hu (Lake Chao), the Chinese government is introducing silver carp to eat the toxic algae chocking the lake. It will then feed the toxic-algae fed fish to Chinese citizens as food. Continue reading “China Solves Lake Pollution: Feed Pollution to Fish Then Eat the Fish”

Saudi Coffee Police Strike Again: Professor Sentenced to Prison and 180 Lashes for Having Coffee With Student

Only recently, the Saudi police arrested an American businesswoman who sat down at a Starbucks next to a man who was not a family member. Now, a university professor has been sentenced to eight months in jail and 180 lashes for having coffee with a female student in Saudi Arabia. He was arrested by the religious police for being in a state of khulwa – seclusion – with an unrelated female. Continue reading “Saudi Coffee Police Strike Again: Professor Sentenced to Prison and 180 Lashes for Having Coffee With Student”

California Court Jails Woman Who Made False Rape Claim

Karyn Galila, 24, has been given a 90 day jail sentence for her false report of being raped at gun point by five men in San Mateo, California. What is most striking about this story is the lack of consistency in the treatment of such false accounts, particularly the refusal of prosecutors to pursue charges against the two women behind the false rape charges in the Duke Lacrosse case. Continue reading “California Court Jails Woman Who Made False Rape Claim”

Where the Antelope and Super Trains Do Not Play: Chinese Admit to Doctoring Award-Winning Photograph

The Chinese government has been heralding its “train to the roof of the world,” the $4 billion Qinghai-Xizang railway to the Tibetan plains that is the latest flash point with environmentalists. Environmentalists objected on various grounds to the project, including its destruction of pristine areas and specific threat to the struggling Chinese antelope. The concerns for both were quickly extinguished with a remarkable picture of antelope gingerly running under the elevated tracks of the train in an otherwise perfect nature scene. The only problem is that Liu Weiqing’s photograph (which won various awards) is a fake. Continue reading “Where the Antelope and Super Trains Do Not Play: Chinese Admit to Doctoring Award-Winning Photograph”