Category: International

Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, International, Justice, Politics, Religion

Sudanese Woman Formerly Sentenced To Death For Apostasy Has Taken Refuge In U.S. Embassy

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

meriam-yehya-ibrahim-apostasy-sharia-law-sudanWe have discussed the plight of Meriam Ibrahim who endured a trial and subsequent death sentence imposed in a Sudan sharia court alleging apostasy and adultery. A Christian woman, she was considered formerly to be Muslim by virtue of her father’s religion though raised by her mother in an Orthodox faith. Having married her husband, a Christian man with American citizenship, triggered the charges. Previous discussion can be read HERE and HERE.

After an international outrage over her arrest and conviction, an appeals court struck down the convictions and released her, and a child born to her while in prison.

As she was preparing to leave Sudan, Meriam again faced the authorities at an airport alleging she had false documentation allowing her departure from Sudan. Once again arrested, she has since been released and has taken refuge in the American Embassy in Khartoum. Yet it seems her ordeal will not be over.

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Congress, International, Military, Politics, Science

White House Seeks Half A Billion Dollars To Train Syrian Rebels

FSA_FighterPresident_Barack_ObamaAs both Iraq and Afghanistan meltdown after spending $4 trillion and losing thousands of lives, the Obama Administration wants to pour $500 million into training and equipping the Syrian rebels. Ignore the fact that the Syrian rebels have been accused of human rights violations and atrocities (as has the regime). The government insists that U.S. weapons and money will go to the “right” forces — just ignore all those pictures of ISIS rebels driving around with U.S. equipment in Iraq.
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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Saudi Justice Minister: Criticism Of Sharia Law Will Be Treated As An Attack On The Kingdom Itself

200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg300px-Dira_SquareJustice Minister Mohammed Al-Eissa gave the world a chilling lesson on the blind faith that underlies the medieval Sharia system imposed by Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries. Al-Eissa warned that questioning the Sharia system was akin to questioning God and “Any attack on the judiciary will be considered an attack on the Kingdom’s sovereignty.” That certainly simplifies things. Most people harbor a notion that they can criticize their legal system and call for reforms but Al-Eissa pointed out that their legal system comes from God and is therefore not subject to change on its most controversial parts. “Justice” will continue to be meted out in “Chop Chop Square” (Deera Square, right) in the name of Islam.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Society

Bad Review: North Korea Threatens War If Movie Is Released

kim-jong-unMV5BNTE3NjkzNDQzMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTA4MDk5MTE@._V1_SX214_AL_There are bad reviews and then there are bad reviews that push a nation to the brink of war. North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un clearly does not like “The Interview.” The movie about a talk show host and his producer killing Kim Jong-un seemed a bit too counterrevolutionary so the government has declared its release to be an act of war and threatened a “merciless” response.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, International

Federal Court Rules Government’s No-Fly List Is Unconstitutional

FAA logogavel2There is a major decision out of Oregon where U.S. District Judge Anna Brown has ruled that the government’s no-fly list is unconstitutional since there is no meaningful way to contest inclusion of the list barring you from commercial flights. Brown issued a 65 page ruling with the holding that the “inclusion on the no-fly list constitutes a significant deprivation of their liberty interests in international travel.” It is a refreshing opinion from the federal courts which tend to be highly deferential to the government in this area.

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International, Religion, Society

Atheist Declared Mentally Ill And Involuntarily Committed For Saying That He Does Not Believe In God

220px-R212F1Mubarak Bala, 29, has been institutionalized against his wishes for mental illness. Bala’s nightmare began when he admitted to relatives in the mainly Muslim state of Kano, Nigeria that he did not believe in God. His Muslim relatives took him to a doctor who explained that he was just fine. They went ahead and forcibly medicated him and found a second doctor to say that his atheism is part of deep mental illness.

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Environment, International, Politics, Science

Study: Neurotoxic Pesticides Causing Catastrophic Decline of Bees, Butterflies, and Other Species

250px-Charaxes_brutus_natalensis220px-Apis_mellifera_TanzaniaThere is new research showing that neurotoxic pesticides are not just responsible for the catastrophic decline in the world’s bee collapse but are also devastating the world’s population of butterflies, worms, fish and birds. The four-year assessment was carried out by The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, which advises the International Union for Conservation of Nature has found that neonics are “imperilling the pollinators, habitat engineers and natural pest controllers at the heart of a functioning ecosystem.” It is simply beyond belief that these pesticides have caused such worldwide damage but, due to the powerful pesticide and agribusiness lobby, there has been no serious regulation to curtail the use of these products.

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Courts, International, Military

Judge Who Sentenced Saddam Hussein To Death Is Reportedly Killed In Retaliation By ISIS Rebels

800px-SaddamHussein_in_court_2004July01_DF-SD-05-03944There are reports this week that Judge Raouf Abdul Rahman, who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to death by hanging in 2006, has been killed by rebels in retaliation for the execution. It is the nightmare of judges who could find themselves called to account for prior rulings by a mob. In this case, Rahman could see the steady territorial gains of the Sunni ISIS militants and must have known that he was at great risk.

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International, Politics, Religion

Presbyterians To Divest In Israel

Presbyterian_Church_(U.S.A.)Emblem_of_Israel.svgWe previously discussed the growing boycott of Israel by various academic, political, and business groups. On Friday, another major organization joined the movement. The Presbyterian Church voted — by a razor thin margin of 310-303 — to join the boycott. The Church only has about $21 million in investment capital so this is not a significant financial hit for the Israeli government but the vote carried obviously considerable symbolic value for the boycott movement and could further damage tourism for Israel.

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Congress, International, Military, Politics, Science

Forty Billion Dollar Failure

170px-MDA_interceptor_on_launch_pad_ift107

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor

Forty Billion Dollars is a heck of a lot of money.  It seems like an even larger number when you realize that just one defense program spent that large sum, and it has arguably been a disaster.  I am talking about the highly political missile defense system program.  You have probably heard about that program.  It is supposed to stop any wild-eyed dictators from successfully sending any ICBM’s into our air space.  It may just be an amazingly expensive pipe dream! Continue reading “Forty Billion Dollar Failure” →

Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Justice, Religion, Society

The Risk of Reforming God’s Bank

By Mark Esposito, Weekend Guy

Logo_IOROvershadowed by Pope Francis’ announcement Thursday that the mob is now persona non grata in Roman Catholic Churches (“RCC”) throughout the world is the very real –and related –struggle behind the scenes at the Vatican Bank. Officially known as the Istituto per le Opere di Religione or Institute for the Works of Religion, the bank has been at the center of RCC-Mafia relations for years. The bank itself is ostensibly independent but situates itself squarely on sovereign territory owned and controlled by the Pope and its Board of Superintendence answers directly to the Curia and the Pope.

Founded in 1942 by papal decree, the bank has had a tumultuous history. Unlike other financial institutions, the assets of the bank are not loaned to borrowers who pay back with interest. Rather the bank functions more like a holding company for assets which are intended to be distributed for charitable functions of the RCC. In this role as repository for the billions of dollars in assets and cash, the bank has been subjected to considerable criticism both for its haphazard administration and the customer it attracts. Customers, who Italian prosecutors say, have ties to organized crime. Continue reading “The Risk of Reforming God’s Bank” →

Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

Pope Francis: Mafia Members Will Be Excommunicated

Unknown120px-Pope_Francis_in_March_2013_(cropped)I have previously expressed my admiration for Pope Francis and his extraordinary reforms of the Catholic Church. As someone of Sicilian descent, that admiration has grown even further today after reading the Pope decision to excommunicate Italian Mafia members. On Saturday, the Pope declared “Those who in their life have gone along the evil ways, as in the case of the Mafia, they are not with God, they are excommunicated.”

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

Edinburgh Couple Sentenced For Defacing Mosque By Wrapping Bacon On Door Handles

220px-NCI_baconThere is a bizarre case out of Edinburgh where Chelsea Lambie, 18, and Douglas Cruikshank, were arrested for defacing a mosque by wrapping bacon around door handles and, last year, throwing strips of bacon inside. It was a stupid and hateful act. What is interesting is the length of the sentences, which were a year and nine months. We have previously discussed how sentences tend to be lower in England but these are pretty stiff.

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Congress, Constitutional Law, International, Military, Politics

Obama: I Need No Congressional Approval To Go Back To War In Iraq

President_Barack_Obama220px-B-2_spirit_bombingWe have been discussing the growing concerns over President Barack Obama’s series of unilateral actions in ordering agencies not to enforce law, effectively rewriting laws, and moving hundreds of millions of dollars from appropriated purposes to areas of his choosing. One of the greatest concerns has been his unchecked authority asserted in the national security area. I previously represented members of Congress in challenging Obama’s intervention in the Libyan civil war without a declaration from Congress. In the case, President Obama insisted that he alone determines what is a war and therefore when he needs a declaration. Since the court would not recognize standing to challenge the war, it left Obama free to engage in war operations in any country of his choosing. As with his approach in Libya, Syria and other combat operations, President Obama declared this week that he does not need any approval or even consultation with Congress if he decides to commit us again to war again in Iraq.
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Bizarre, International, Media, Military

North Korean Dictator Shows Off Pride Of His Submarine Fleet: A Romeo Class Sub From The 1950s

Kim_Jong-il_Portrait300px-Romeo_clsss_submarineNorth Korea remains a fascinating, if disturbing, preoccupation in the world like a country that “time forgot” out of a 1950s film. That image was on display this week when Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un visited the pride of his submarine force — a Romeo class submarine that was abandoned over 50 years ago. As someone who like to follow military history and technology, the sight of a leader on a Romeo class sub is like President Obama riding on Civil War spotter balloon as a demonstration of our continued surveillance capabilities. What is also bizarre is that, after last week giving instructions the North Korean meteorologists on how to make more accurate predictions, the Supreme Leader reportedly taught submariners “new tactics.”

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