Category: International

Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Bangladesh Moves Against Atheist Bloggers In Blasphemy Crackdown

stoningIn recent weeks, Muslims in Bangladesh have marched on the capital demanding death for atheists who have simply openly blogged about their their beliefs. Islamic groups have denounced the blogs as an insult to Mohammad and Islam and demanded arrests. In the meantime, they have attacked atheists and engaged in violent attacks in the name of Islam. They have killed eight people as part of their moral crusade. Rather than arresting the culprits, the government has moved against the bloggers.

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Bizarre, International, Politics

Oligarchs Of The World Unite! Medvedev Quotes Lenin . . . And Leaves World Confused

220px-Dmitry_Medvedev’s_interview_with_CNN_(2013-01-27)UnknownRussians are very upset with the EU bailout of Cyprus which involved tapping larger bank accounts to pony up the money needed to secure the loan. Russians use banks on the island and could lose billions. I happen to agree that the plan is grossly unfair and penalizes those who have saved their money in a responsible fashion. Yet, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev seems to be channeling not just Lenin but Joe Biden in a recent bizarre public statement that in Cyprus “the stealing of what has already been stolen continues.” The comment left many scratching their heads on precisely what the Russian leader was saying about wealthy Russians.

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Criminal law, International, Society

English Thug Who Burned To Death Gay Autistic Teen Will Receive Only 21 Months In Jail

Page17_02_1696173aPage17_03_1696172aWe have previously discussed the lower criminal sentences handed down in England in comparison to the United States. Some such cases truly shock the conscience as in the case of Jordan Sheard (left). Sheard had long bullied Steven Simpson (right) for being gay as well as for his speech impairment and epilepsy. Sheard got Simpson to strip to his underwear and wrote gay slurs over his body which was covered with tanning oil. He then lit him on fire at his birthday party.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

All Balls, No Brains: British Businessman Charged With Selling Useless Golf Ball Detectors As Bomb Detectors

white-golf-ballBritish businessman Jim McCormick is accused of a dangerous and despicable con. He is charged with making slight modification to cheap golf ball detectors and then selling them as bomb detectors at a “handsome but unwarranted profit.” McCornick allegedly would charge various governments up to £27,000 for the devices that were entirely useless. The ball finders can be purchased for just $20 in the states.

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Animals, Criminal law, Environment, International, Politics

16,000 and Counting: Chinese Continue To Pull Out Dead Pigs From River Used By Shanghai Residents

Flag_of_the_People's_Republic_of_ChinaWe previously discussed how the number of dead pigs in Chinese rivers leading to Shanghai has increased from a few hundred to just under 1000. The number is now 16,000 and counting. Yet, Chinese officials insist they have no idea who dumped over 16,000 pigs into the water but that the rivers, used for drinking water, is completely safe.
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Constitutional Law, Courts, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

French Jewish Students Demand Millions In Damages Against Twitter Over Anti-Semitic Tweets

150px-Twitter_2012_logoWe have been following (here and here and here and here and here) the worsening situation in England concerning free speech. As noted in a recent column, free speech appears to be dying in the West with the increasing criminalization of speech under discrimination, hate, and blasphemy laws. Now, a French Jewish student group is adding its name to the movement to curtail free speech rights. The Union of Jewish Students (UEJF) is demanding 38.5 million euros after Twitter has declined to turn over the identity of people responsible for comments deemed anti-Semitic by the group. The students appear to have no concept or at least concern for the loss of anonymity in free speech. Like others, they are focused only on their insular grievance with no appreciation for the harm caused by such court orders.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion

Saudi Clerics Order Destruction Of Centuries Old Areas of Mecca, Including Ancient Columns, In Expansion Project

220px-Makkah-1910It appears that, while Saudi Arabia will kill citizens for blasphemy, they do not appear to have much respect for Islamic history or preservation.  Photos snuck out of Mecca show wholesale destruction of ancient sections of holy sites as part of an expansion project.  What is astonishing is the lack of any effort of preservation due to . . . you guessed it, Wahabi clerics who declared that the sections are better destroyed in the name of Islamic principles. It is ironic that, as a non-Muslim, I am outraged by the loss of such historical areas. Photos of the destruction were published here by The Independent.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

India Police Spokesman Blames Swiss Couple In Gang Rape

India flagWe have been discussing the epidemic of rape in India, including the grotesque recent gang rape of a woman on a bus who died from internal injuries. The attitude of Indian officials has ranged from the disgusting to the bizarre. Now we can add the rape of a Swiss 39-year-old woman who was gang raped and her husband beaten up after camping near a Hindu temple. A spokesman for Madhya Pradesh police department promptly said that the woman and her husband brought on the rape by camping in the wrong spot. This week a British woman fractured both legs and suffered head injuries after jumping from her hotel window to escape being raped by the owner.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Society

Greek Soccer Star Banned Over Nazi Salute

AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis is the latest celebrity to embrace that “I’m a moron” defense in the wake of a scandal. In celebration of a goal against Veria last week, Katidis did a Nazi salute. It would be an outrage in any country but the Germans in World War II killed as many as 800,000 of his countrymen — though the precise number has been recently debated. He has now been banned from the national team.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion

Egypt’s Government Moves Toward Blasphemy Citizen Arrests

stoningJust when you thought that blasphemy laws could not get any worse, the Muslim Brotherhood has come up with a new idea: citizen arrests of tourists for blasphemy. The Middle East is replete with cases of mobs killing people accused of the slightest offense toward Islam. Now, according to Internet reporting, the Egyptian prosecutor general for the Muslim Brotherhood has pushed through a new law permitting ordinary Egyptians to arrest those who offend Islamic law.

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Academia, Animals, International, Science

Panda Porn: Chinese Researchers Produce Bear “Boogie Nights” For Timid Couples

250px-Grosser_Panda200px-La_grande_Epidemie_de_PORNOGRAPHIEWe have another story showing the moral decline of pandas.  Chinese officials are showing five-year-old Ke Lin and her partner Yongyong long panda pornography movies to try to get them in the amorous mood.  Ke Lin had been shunning her mater.  However, in a direct clinical confirmation of the impact of porn on the young mind, Ke Lin watched the movies now she is a character right out of the movie “Boogie Nights.”

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International, Society

Hartley’s Violin: Now “Nearer, My God, To Thee”!

15.1N015.titanic3--300x30015.1N015.titanic1--300x300Ok, I am not asking for it but, if anyone is looking for something for my upcoming birthday in May, this would be a great idea. In every movie of the Titanic, the signature moment is the ship band playing as the ship sinks in the cold Atlantic seas. The head of the band was Wallace Hartley leading his seven other band members. Now, Hartley’s violin is being auctioned off. That’s right, the very same violin that Harley took into the water on that April night in 1912.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

Utah Legislators Object To Domestic Violence Law Out Of Concern For Abusers Just “Testing The Limits” and Same-Sex Protections

Utah flagWhat was expected to be a simple correction of its domestic violence statute in Utah to include non-married couples, triggered a disturbing outburst of homophobic and extremist views. The bill was opposed by the Gun Owners of America.

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Criminal law, International

Australian Police Abuse Man Filming An Alleged Case of Racial Profiling

We have continued to chronicle the arrest and prosecution of citizens for merely filming police in public. Some prosecutors like Anita Alvarez in Chicago have fought hard to send citizens to jail for videotaping police in public, though courts have continued to support the obvious right to such filming. This video shows that police in other countries like Australia are showing the carrying out the same abusive measures.

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