Steven G. Bradbury, the acting chief of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, offered one of the most detailed defenses of waterboarding by the Administration to date. In a bizarre twist, he insisted that the Administration was less like the Spanish Inquisition and more like the Khmer Rouge in its particularly version of the torture technique. Of course, his distinction would be lost on all but torture affectionados and, of course, Democrat and Republican members desperately trying to avoid a criminal investigation. Continue reading “Latest Defense of Bush Torture Program: Not As Bad as Spanish Inquisition; More Like Khmer Rouge”
Category: Bizarre
In West Virginia, coal is king and many are suggesting that its reach extends into the very chambers of the state’s highest court. An interesting fight is brewing in state and federal courts over allegations of bias for and against a leading coal company, Massey Coal. Supreme Court Justice Larry Starcher has already recused himself under demands from Massey while he has accused other justices of having far greater bias in favor of the company and its executives. Continue reading “Mining for Justice(s): West Virginia Scandal Erupts Over Mining Company Influence”
A recent survey in Chicago shows that only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms contained in the first amendment. Only one in a thousand could name all of the freedoms. However, more than half can name at least two members of the Simpson family. Doh! Of course, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and the rest of the characters are not devoid of constitutional significance, as discussed below. Continue reading “Freedom of Speech . . . and Freedom from Knowledge: Only One in 1000 Americans Polled Could Name the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment”
Officer Todd Greeves appears to take traffic very seriously. so, when fire fighters were trying to move an injured driver, he demanded that they move their truck. When they refused, he arrested the fire captain. He will now have to pay $18,000 for the incident on in May of 2003. For the video, click here
Detroit seems to be entering some parallel universe of politics. With the on-going sordid mess over the possible perjury of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick still in the news, an aide to Kilpatrick has filed a formal criminal complaint against Monica Conyers, the City Council president pro tem and wife of U.S. Rep. (and House Judiciary Chairman) John Conyers, for allegedly threatened to get a gun and shoot him. Her spokesman insisted that she was the one wronged in the encounter with aide DeDan Milton. Continue reading “Detroit Mayoral Aide Accuses Monica Conyers — City Council President Pro Tem and Wife of Rep. John Conyers — with Criminal Threats”
The attorney for Brian McNamee, Richard Emery, started a firestorm over his suggestion that Roger Clemens could receive a pardon from President Bush if accused of lying about his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. It is possible for the president to grant such a pardon in anticipation of a criminal charge, though it would be an facial abuse of authority. Continue reading “Washington Buzzing About A Presidential Pardon for Roger Clemens”
Former Circuit Judge Alex Ferrer is again in the news after a recent (and unpromising) appeal to the Supreme Court over a contract dispute. The Florida Supreme Court has heavily criticized the television faux jurist “Judge Alex” for his testimony in a case involving a man who once appeared before him. Judge Alex’s role is related to the case of Noel Doorbal, 36, who received two death sentences from Ferrer for the torture-slayings of a wealthy South Florida couple in 1995. The actual testimony related the prosecution of one of Doorbal’s victims, Marcello Schiller. Continue reading “Florida Supreme Court Spanks Television Faux-Jurist “Judge Alex””
When the Saudi justice system is not flogging rape victims, it is trying women as witches. It turns out that witchcraft is treated as a catch-all charge for an offense against Islam. She could be executed. Continue reading “Saudi Woman Convicted of Witchcraft in Latest Horror from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “Justice” System”
After a criminal plea, national ridicule, and a failed political career, Senator Larry Craig is probably not quaking after receiving a “letter of admonition” from the Senate Ethics Committee. It was a pathetic effort of his colleagues to appear to be doing something about the scandal despite the fact that there was precious little that involved any official matter. Continue reading “Craig Admonished for Bathroom Incident by Senate Ethics Committee”
Justice Antonin Scalia has long been criticized for his habit of discussing pending issues before the Court and abandoning a long tradition of restraint by justices in their public appearances. His most recent defense of torture in a BBC interview has caused yet another controversy over Scalia’s disturbing lack of self-restraint. Continue reading “Scalia Holds Forth on the Proper Use of Torture — As Experts Debate the Propriety of Such Public Statements”
An investigation has begun into this disturbing video of a Florida deputy dumping a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair while he is being booked on Jan. 29. Deputy Charlotte Marshall Jones is shown on the video as she cruelly tosses the man, Brian Sterner, 32, out of his wheelchair and on the floor. Continue reading “Video: Florida Deputy Shown Dumping Quadriplegic Man On to Floor”
Florida judges are in the grips of an expanding scandal involving accusations of perjury, physical threats, and ethical violations. One judge, District Court Judge Michael E. Allen, is facing possible perjury charges and other, Judge Charles J. Kahn is accused of serious breaches of ethics as well as being unstable and injudicious in his personal conduct. Continue reading “Court Fight: Florida Judges Trade Accusations of Perjury, Threats, and Lies”
This video shows a disturbing moment where a Baltimore police officer goes ballistic after confronting teenagers on the skateboards. He gets increasingly angry and then physical over a lack of respect. Continue reading “Video: Baltimore Cop Abuses Teenager Verbally and Physically for Not Showing Enough Respect”
While you may not be tall enough to ride all of the roller coasters at Disneyland, you may soon be able to take a high-powered rifle into the forest and bang away at animals in South Dakota. The legislature is concerned about a drop in hunting, so it is considering dropping the age for hunters to 10. If this trend continues, South Dakota toddlers may soon be able to lock-and-load with specialized Tickle-Me-Elmo-22 rifles. Continue reading “South Dakota Legislators Propose Lowering the Age of Hunters to 10”
British citizens and wallpaper designers can now walk with the heads high after roughly 200 years of scurrilous claims that they caused the death of Napoleon. The Italians have published results that show that Napoleon did indeed die from stomach cancer and not arsenic poisoning. Continue reading “Italians Confirm Napoleon Died of Stomach Cancer — A Cover-up for Wallpaper Conspirators?”