After pushing the country into the disastrous Iraq war and then being forced out as head of the World Bank in scandal, Paul Wolfowitz has been given yet another chance to serve his country in his signature fashion as the head a high-level advisory panel on arms control and disarmament. At the same time, another made man Steven G. Bradbury has also been renominated for his position despite (or because of) his endorsement of torture Continue reading “A Made Man Returns: Wolfowitz Gets Another Government Job”
Category: Bizarre
The criminal trial of Wesley Snipes for tax evasion was already something of a curiosity with its focus on Section 861 tax movement described by experts as a virtual “cult.” Now, the government has revealed unhinged letters where Snipes claims nonresident alien status and appears to threaten the government with “collateral damage” if they pursue his case. Continue reading “Making a Bad Situation Worse: Wesley Snipes Sends Bizarre Letters to IRS Claiming to Be Alien and Threatening “Collateral Damage””
Just as the media is looking back at the ten-year anniversary of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff are facing accusations of lying under oath in a very similar case. The evidence under uncovered by the Free Press appears quite credible and damning for both Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff Christine Beatty. Continue reading “Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Accused of Perjury — Could Face Criminal and Bar Charges”
When two emotionally disturbed teenagers at the the Judge Rotenberg Education Center in Boston were given extreme shock treatments after a prank call, seven staff members were fired. It now appears that that was too small of a purge. This week, it was revealed at officials at the Center ordered the destruction of the videotapes of the two boys being abused — despite direct demands that they preserve the tapes. The Center’s defense is virtually identical to that of the Bush Administration in destroying the CIA torture tapes: it was necessary to avoid the inadvertent release of the image to the public and the harm such release would produce. In doing so, the Center may have committed crimes by destroying evidence of its own potential guilt. Continue reading “School Destroys Tapes of Harmful Shock Treatments Given to Two Students in Hoax Case”
There is another interesting turn of events in the ongoing scandal over the alleged arson by Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife. While state Judge Jim Wallace agreed to the prosecutor’s demand to toss out the indictments, he strongly criticized both the decision and the competence of the prosecutors — voicing obvious questions over why prosecutors would seek an indictment over months only to quash those indictments when they are handed down by a grand jury. Continue reading “Judge Questions Decision to Quash Indictments of Texas Supreme Court Justice and Wife; Criticizes Actions of Prosecutors as Premature and Careless”
It seems that many Texas judges are spending more time in court or before investigators these days — as either defendants or targets. From sexual assault to arson to corruption to abuse, Texas jurists are facing a bumper crop of allegations with additional judicial scandals brewing in neighbor states of Louisiana and Mississippi. For the Fifth Circuit covering all three states, 2008 could be a black year. Continue reading “The Mess in Texas: State and Federal Judges Accused of Everything from Arson to Corruption to Sexual Assault”
The scandal over alleged arson by Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina has gotten even more controversial. First, Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal refused to prosecute Medina after a grand jury issued indictments. Now, two of the grand jurors who voted to indict are having a public fight with Medina counsel, Terry Yates. Yates in turn has called for their punishment in allegedly violating grand jury secrecy. For many, it raises the same images of the ongoing Rocky Flats grand jury controversy. Continue reading “Indictment Against Texas Supreme Court Justice is Quashed by Prosecutor While Jurors Publicly Allege Cover-up”
Today, Dr. Phil (as expected) redefined his role in the Britany Spears controversy, insisting that he visited the pop star as a pop friend, not a pop psychologist. It is a critical distinction that could determine whether Dr. Phil McGraw is charged with a felony. Continue reading “The Dr. Phil Defense: If It Was Friendly, It Was Not Felonious”
Texas Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez and her twin sister have been indicted in bizarre alleged crimes. At the center of the legal storm is a Shih Tzu named Puddles — a canine vixen who places humans under an apparent Voldemort-like trance. Continue reading “The Shih Tzu Hits the Fan: Indictments Issue for Texas Mayor Over Theft and Alleged Cover-Up Alleged Over Dog Named Puddles”
Historically, executioners were hooded or masked to prevent retaliation for their service or to convey the image of non-personal justice. Now, five death row inmates are suing to learn the identities of their executioners. With recent disclosures of executioners with criminal records, the lawsuits could create some interesting precedent. Continue reading “Behind the Black Hood: Death Row Inmates Seek Identity of their Future Executioners”
In the last few years, the Supreme Court and lower courts have been considering claims of virtual child pornography — where the images look real but are actually computer generated. It creates a difficult legal question. However, Marshal Zidel presented an equally difficult question for the New Hampshire Supreme Court: Is it child pornography when the camp photographer took the faces of children at the camp and superimposed them on the bodies of adults? The state supreme court ruled that it is not. What is most disturbing is not Zibel’s perverse conduct is not unique. Continue reading “Court Rules that Children’s Faces Put on Adult Bodies Does Not Constitute Child Porn”
It appears that the tiger attack in the San Francisco Zoo may boil down to a case over plaintiffs’ conduct. New reports indicate that the two brothers mauled in the attack may have taunted the tiger, stood on the railings, and at least one may have been drunk at the time of the attack. Continue reading “San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack Case May Come Down to Plaintiffs’ Conduct Questions”
Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina and his wife Fran Medina have been indicted by a Houston grand jury in connection to the alleged arson in June at their home. Justice Medina is charged with the arson and his wife with tampering of evidence. What is remarkable is that, despite the indictments, Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal indicated that he may not prosecuted due to insufficiency of evidence – a claim that will likely raise concerns over special treatment by the jurist. Continue reading “Texas Supreme Court Justice Charged with Wife in Connection with Arson”
In the latest Taser-related death, Mark C. Backlund died after officers hit him with a Taser for being “uncooperative” after a traffic accident in Minnesota. The death comes after a study showing the increased use and lethality of Tasers across the country. Continue reading “Man Tasered to Death After Traffic Accident Bender as Report Shows Fatalities Rising From Tasers Across the Country”
Much like our own embarrassment over faux television judges, it appears that psychologists are not happy with Dr. Phil’s conversion of their field into a form of entertainment. A complaint has been filed that Dr. Phillip C. McGraw’s (his real name) rush to interject himself into the Britney Spears controversy constitutes practicing without a license. It could present an interesting question for both medical and legal personalities on television. Continue reading “Dr. Phil Charged With Practicing Without A License in Britney Spears Stunt”