I had a fleeting sensation of hope yesterday when a poll of 1,000 Egyptians by the Pew Research Center found that 59% percent said that their preferred form of government is democracy. Then a little below the poll found that 82% feel adulterers should be stoned and 84% believe that apostates from Islam should face the death penalty.
Continue reading “Poll: Egyptians Want Democracy . . . and Stonings”
My home town of Chicago continues to be plagued by gang violence. Children are often the victim of drive by shootings and gang gun fights. However, the intentional killing this week of 9-year-old Antonio Smith Jr., known as “Fat Baby” and “Hamburger,” has shocked many in the city. The four men are reportedly members of the Sircon City faction of the Gangster Disciples street gang and murdered Smith because they thought he had warned their intended victims, rival members of the Pocket Town gang.
If their indictments are true, Joey Betrail Garron, 28, Robert Carl Johnson, 23, and Ketorie Glover, 23, represent some of the most depraved of a highly depraved class of criminals. The three men in Columbus, Georgia challenged a woman to a hip hop rap battle at a house party. When the woman won, the three were so outraged that they allegedly kidnapped the woman at gun point, took her to a parking, and gang raped her. They then beat her and doused her with gasoline and set her on fire, according to police. She survived and the three were arrested.
Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
After a backlash from the general public and lack of support, the Florida city of Ocala repealed its ban against wearing saggy pants on public property.
During a city council meeting members voted 4-1 to repeal ordinance 2014-44 “Clothing requirements on public property” that called for a punishment of up to 60 days in jail and a $500.00 fine.
Among the public were representatives of the NAACP who voiced concern the law would target African-American youth.
The lone dissenter to the repeal, Councilwoman Mary Rich who authored the original ordinance, argued that she believes the types of people who wear saggy pants also don’t have jobs.
“And when you don’t have money to feed your family, what do you do? Steal,” Rich said. “I don’t think we’re violating their First Amendment rights.” Her words caused a stir in the audience.
Continue reading “City Drops Controversial Saggy Pants Ordinance”
Iran has supplied the world with another outrage from the application of its medieval Sharia law system. An Iranian court sentenced seven young adults to be flogged plus prison time for the offense of shooting a video of themselves dancing to the American pop hit “Happy.” Another court issued a death sentence for a blogger accused of simply insulting Prophet Muhammad.
There is a bizarre case out of Boise, Idaho where a group of five teenagers were injured when a SUV crashed. The cause of the accident was a 16-year-old boy who reportedly decided it would be funny to light the armpit hair of the driver, 18-year-old Tristian Myers, on fire. Two of the girls, 15 and 16 years of age, were thrown from the Ford Bronco.
There is another disturbing case involving police tasering a suspect who ended up with a serious, life-threatening injury after a traffic stop. Bryce Masters was put into a medically induced coma due to injuries to his brain after an encounter with an Independence (Mo.) police officer. The brain damage was due to either hitting his head on the concrete or losing oxygen for a long period of time.
Continue reading “Seventeen Year Old Missouri Teen in Coma After Being Tasered By Police”
A Little Rock courtroom was the scene of a truly sad fall from grace as former Arkansas Judge Bob Sam Castleman was given 40 years for methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution conspiracy. Some ten years ago, Castleman and his son were sent to jail after they mailed a live poisonous snake to a man with whom they had a dispute. There was a real Breaking Bad quality to the trial that included a demand for life in prison after prosecutors were allowed to argue that Castleman killed a witness in the drug case even though he was never criminally charged in the case. The defense had a compelling argument that it was improper to put the death of the witness, Travis Perkins, (who was also a codefendant) into the trial. Perkins was found shot to death in an apartment in Pocahontas, Arkansas just days before he was set to testify against Castleman.
Continue reading “Former Judge Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison As Meth Manufacturer and Dealer”
There is now a lawsuit filed seeking damages in the beating of Kollin Truss by Baltimore police, as shown vividly by the video below released by this attorney. The video is highly disturbing and shows Officer Vincent E. Cosom striking Truss without any apparent provocation and then followed by other officers.
Continue reading “Baltimore Man Sues Police After Videotape Shows An Unprovoked Attack By Officer”
Saudi Arabia has long been one of the most vocal countries to object to any insult or restriction impacting Islam in other countries. However, it continues to deny the free exercise of religion to non-Muslims. That oppressive record was on full display this week with the report of another series of arrests of Christians who were merely trying to pray. The infamous Morality Police (Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) raided the prayer meeting and arrested everyone for the crime of praying to another God.
Continue reading “Saudi Police Reportedly Raid and Arrest 28 Christians Praying At Home”
This is truly one of the more disturbing and bizarre criminal cases of the year. Kathy Rowe, 53, was shouldering a huge load with a severely disabled daughter and ill husband. She not only worked full time but slept in a chair in her daughter’s room every night. She was such an extraordinary mother that, in 2006, was picked as one of San Diego’s 50 best moms and mother of the year in 2007. She is now looking at jail time for how she decided to get a house that she felt was meant for her family.
As we previously discussed, the criminal charges against former Bush White House lawyer John Michael Farren for the attempted murder of his then-wife Mary Margaret Farren, a former partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He has now been convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Continue reading “Former Bush Lawyer John Farren Sentenced In Attempted Murder Of His Wife”
Washington state prosecutor Marriya Wright has resigned from her $83,000-a-year job after a photograph of her in a bikini was found in the cell of Matthew Baumrucker, a prisoner who supports a forehead tattoo reading “criminal.” Officials later found that she had texted or called Baumrucker over 1,200 times during a period of a little over one month.
Continue reading “Washington Prosecutor Resigns After Photo In Bikini Found In Prisoner’s Cell”
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor
In light of the recently observed 13th anniversary of the events on 9/11/01, I read an article this week that caught my eye. According to reports, there is a 28 page section of the 9/11 Commission report that has never been released publicly and remains secret to this day. Indeed, Congressmen must go through numerous security reviews before they can read the document in a secure room in Washington, D.C.
What kind of secret and clandestine information can be found in such a guarded document? Since it is top-secret, we can only go by the reviews of people who have read the report. What is found in that report may surprise you in light of its level of secrecy. Continue reading “9/11 and the Saudis and State Secrecy”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
We previously reported HERE an almost Onion like story of a man charged with impersonating a police officer by driving a black and white colored Maserati painted in a Transformer cartoon livery. The car was painted with white doors on a black body and included on the door a logo and the words Decepticons, Punish and Enslave to suggest the car was the Decepticons character Barricade. The driver was later charged with impersonating a police officer.
The driver’s attorney, provided us with the results of that hearing.