Category: International

Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion

Tunisia Rejects Sharia As Basis For New Constitution

Over the years, I have not hidden my opposition to Sharia-based legal systems and the types of grotesque forms of justice that they mete out to their citizens. There is little good news from this area of the world as revolutions in Libya and Egypt go careening toward Islamic states. However, this week we have a modicum of good news. Tunisia’s governing Islamist party has decided to oppose a move to make sharia law the main source of legislation in a new constitution. They appear to be doing better than our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan who are increasingly applying harsh Islamic principles.

Continue reading “Tunisia Rejects Sharia As Basis For New Constitution” →

International, Society, Travel Blog

Day 1-2: Montreal

I am traveling on business this week in Canada and Vermont. I decided to bring the family and, as in the past, I thought I would share some of what we saw and experienced from any of our blog regulars traveling in this direction. We began the journey by driving up to Montreal from Virginia (11 hours). While this is a working trip for me, we are packing in a lot of sight-seeing and, when I am working, Leslie and the kids are out and about with their iPhones at the ready.

Continue reading “Day 1-2: Montreal” →

Bizarre, International

Pinch Me: First Truck Spills Millions of Coins All Over Highway, Second Truck Covers The Money In Candy . . . Men Wait Anxiously For Moosehead Beer Truck

Talk about an attractive nuisance. This week a currency truck spilled Canadian “loonies and toonies” all over a highway. The accident then caused a candy truck to crash and spill candy on top of the money. I can just picture two Canadian guys saying “Give it a second, eh, there has got to be a Moosehead Beer truck coming along.”
Continue reading “Pinch Me: First Truck Spills Millions of Coins All Over Highway, Second Truck Covers The Money In Candy . . . Men Wait Anxiously For Moosehead Beer Truck” →

International, Military, Society

Sgt. Dennis Weichel, American Hero

Sgt. Dennis Weichel, 29, gave the world a measure of the bravery and humanity of our soldiers serving abroad this week. Weichel, a father of three from Rhode Island, gave his life to save an Afghan girl from being run over by a 16-ton armored fighting vehicle this week. While Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called all Americans “Demons” , Weichel did not hesitate to give his life for a little girl in danger.

Continue reading “Sgt. Dennis Weichel, American Hero” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Military, Politics

U.S. Troops Given “Guarding Angels” To Protect Them In Afghanistan . . . From Our Allies

While our troops are being gunned down by Afghan allies and the President of Afghanistan is calling Americans “demons,” the Administration remains committed to spending billions in that country and keeping U.S. troops in harm’s way. The solution? Have U.S. troops serve as “Guardian Angels” to protect other U.S. troops so our allies do not kill them while they sleep.

Continue reading “U.S. Troops Given “Guarding Angels” To Protect Them In Afghanistan . . . From Our Allies” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Society

How-To Beat Your Wife: Book Details The Need and Method For a Proper Beating Of A Muslim Wife

Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi has a blockbuster on his hands. The Islamic writer has a book that has sold out in many bookstores in India. The book lays out in detail how Muslim husbands should beat their wives.
Continue reading “How-To Beat Your Wife: Book Details The Need and Method For a Proper Beating Of A Muslim Wife” →

Bizarre, International, Politics

Punch Drunk: Danish Television Captures the President Delivering The Same Back-Handed Compliment To A Series Of “Little Countries”

This foreign news segment has gone viral and frankly it is pretty embarrassing. If you wonder why other countries view us as insincere and artificial, just listen to these clips of President Obama complimenting a series of “little countries” for “punching above their weight.” It is insulting on so many levels but Obama appears entirely clueless.

Continue reading “Punch Drunk: Danish Television Captures the President Delivering The Same Back-Handed Compliment To A Series Of “Little Countries”” →

Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Sarkozy Proposes To Arrest People Who Visit “Terrorist” Websites

We have previously discusses alarming moves in France to limit or deny speech through blasphemy prosecutions to hate speech to barring “antihistorical” speech. Now, in the wake of the recent killings by a Muslim extremist, the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy is proposing a new law that would jail repeat visitors to extremist web sites. It is a measure that strips away core free speech rights of citizens and gives the government a new ambiguous power to arrest people for the things that they read.

Continue reading “Sarkozy Proposes To Arrest People Who Visit “Terrorist” Websites” →

Bizarre, International, Society, Things That Tick Me Off

Things That Tick Me Off: Excessive Celebration

It is time again for me to vent and add another item to my “Things That Tick Me Off” list. Today’s gripe is excessive celebration. I started thinking about this recently as the father to two fencers. In attending fencing competitions, I have been shocked by the practice of some to scream after scoring a point. I will return to that practice is a second. Then I saw this click of Pete Weber winning his fifth PBA U.S. open title — screaming at the crowd. I realize that this is (hopefully) an unguarded moment of someone caught in the euphoria of his win. However, it raised again for me the concept of excessive celebration in football (my favorite sport) and the need for such a rule in fencing (below). I believe all sports should have rules like the NFL’s, but fencing (with so many young players) should make it a priority to establish a rule against screaming celebrations as shown below.

Continue reading “Things That Tick Me Off: Excessive Celebration” →

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Society

The Rubens Regulation: Knesset Tells Skinny Models To Eat Or Starve

The Israeli Knesset became the latest legislative body to ban skinny models. The new law prohibits both Israeli and foreign ads with “underweight” models and requires disclosure of when pictures have been manipulated to make the model look thinner.

Continue reading “The Rubens Regulation: Knesset Tells Skinny Models To Eat Or Starve” →

Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Russian Court Bans Scientology Books As “Extremist”

A court in Moscow has upheld a lower court decision declaring books on Scientology to be extremist literature and banning publication or distribution of such books. This decision follows moves by other countries against Scientology as a criminal or fraudulent enterprise as well as testimony against the church by former high-ranking church members.

Continue reading “Russian Court Bans Scientology Books As “Extremist”” →

Bizarre, International, Media, Military, Politics, Religion, Society

Karzai: Americans Are “Demons”

We have previously discussed Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated inclinations toward the Taliban and harsh treatment of women. Then there was Karzai’s recent position that women are worth less than men — presumably even those American women keeping Karzai and his corrupt family and friends in power. This week Karzai has added that Americans are “demons” and no better than the Taliban. Karzai then called for divine intervention to defeat the Americans and the Taliban — a dangerous call in a nation known for religious fanaticism: “Let’s pray for God to rescue us from these two demons. There are two demons in our country now.”

Continue reading “Karzai: Americans Are “Demons”” →

Academia, Criminal law, International, Society

Unexplained Phenomenon: Leading North Carolina Physics Professor Arrested In Argentina For Allegedly Smuggling Cocaine

Professor Paul Frampton of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is not in his classroom his week because he is sitting in Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires for allegedly smuggling cocaine in his luggage. Frampton insists that he is innocent and that he will return to his research into “phenomenology” at the physics department. Frampton is an accomplished physicist and an adviser to the National Republican party, including drafting the science portion of the Republican platform for the 1988 Convention.

Continue reading “Unexplained Phenomenon: Leading North Carolina Physics Professor Arrested In Argentina For Allegedly Smuggling Cocaine” →

Academia, International, Science

Meet The Red Deer Cave People: A New Hominid Species Found In China

Scientists have released pictures of a fossil that may be a previously unknown type of human that existed only between 11,500 and 14,500 years ago. The “Red Deer Cave People” may represent a new hominid species. [Creationist Warning: Many people, and some presidential candidates, believe that the Earth is only 5,000 – 6,000 years old. Thus, according to Biblically based science, this is story is a bunch of Satan-inspired or secular-inspired hooey].

Continue reading “Meet The Red Deer Cave People: A New Hominid Species Found In China” →