Category: Politics

Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Politics, Religion, Society

Nun Excommunicated After Supporting Abortion To Protect Life of Mother

While the Catholic Church may be criticized for covering up crimes by priests and resisting efforts to discipline offenders, it seems to waste to time with errant nuns. Sister Margaret McBride has been excommunicated for the offense of approving an abortion to protect the life of a mother as a senior administrator of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. There does not even appear to be any room for mitigating circumstances in such a case. Bishop Thomas Olmstead (left) immediately excommunicated McBride.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Israel Arrests Activists Yelling Insults at Rahm Emanuel

Two Israeli activists were arrested for shouting insults at White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Israel this week. The activists spotted Emanuel in Jerusalem’s Old City with his family and shouted “Jerusalem is not for sale.” Heck, Rahm Emanuel is known to say worse stuff in a shower, here. That would be protected speech in the United States, but it appears that you can be arrested for shouting at celebrities and high-ranking officials in Israel.
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International, Military, Politics, Society

Amnesty International Issues Report Accusing Israel of War Crimes

Amnesty International (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize) has issued a 430-page report accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes. While few have any illusions about Hamas and its violation of international law, the accusations against Israel are quite damaging and join those of the United Nations investigation by the Goldstone Commission.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Sharia Police in Indonesia To Issue Islamic Skirts To “Offending Women” on Street

AFP is reporting that Sharia police in Indonesia’s Aceh province have been armed with 20,000 skirts in its battle against unIslamic figure-hugging or short outfits on women. Women will be told to put on the skirts to adhere to Islamic values.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Senate Rejects Two Proposals To Allow Importation of Low-Cost Drugs

The United States Senate yielded again to demands from the powerful pharmaceutical lobby and killed two separate proposals that would have allowed citizens to obtain cheaper drugs in the United States. Both the White House and Congress have been killing such proposals despite the fact that soaring drug costs are crippling many families. The vote was 51-48 on the first bill by Sen. Byron Dorgan (with 25 sponsors).
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Academia, Bizarre, Politics, Society

Hooked on History: Hayworth Becomes The Latest Casualty of World War II

Arizona Senatorial candidate and conservative commentator J.D. Hayworth may have some explaining to do to the “greatest generation” and his high school history professor. Hayworth has insisted that the United States never declared war on Germany in World War II — leading to this video. (I must say that with the Frog video on immigration (here), this Arizona election is becoming quite entertaining). As Thomas Jefferson said, “History, in general, only informs us what bad government is.”

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Bizarre, Congress, Politics, Society

Washington Post Details Stock Holdings and Trades of Moran

The Washington Post has an interesting article today on the stock trades of Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.). I have been a long critic of members playing the stock market (here) given the dangers posed by insider information and advantage. With considerable resources tied up in particular areas, members can influence the markets through legislation or anticipate market shifts due to forthcoming changes.

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Academia, Bizarre, Politics, Society

High School Football Coach Removed After Allegedly Sending Explicit Pictures To His 20-Year-Old Girlfriend

Jason Robinson, 32, has been removed as head football coach for the Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida after allegedly sending inappropriate pictures to his 20-year-old girlfriend. The age of the girlfriend makes this story rather interesting since two adults sharing such pictures should not normally be a matter for discipline let alone removal.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Media, Politics, Society

Illinois School Scraps Girl Varsity Basketball Team’s Visit To Arizona

There is a growing controversy in Illinois where School District 113 has blocked the Township High School ‘s Girls Varsity Basketball Team from traveling to Arizona in December due to the passage of that state’s controversial immigration law. I was asked to consider the argument of the District that it was compelled to bar such travel as a constitutional matter. While I respect (and share) the concerns of the Board over this law, I do not believe the trip is barred as a matter of constitutional law. Given the hard work of these girls in achieving such a honor, I believe the board should reconsider its decision if they make the championship. While there remain legitimate objections to the law, I do not believe that this bar on travel is compelled as a legal matter.

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Bizarre, Politics

Polling Poultry: Nevada Bans Chicken Costumes During Upcoming Election

It appears that officials will not allow free range chickens to roam on election day in Nevada. Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden has been ridiculed for her comment about how people used to barter for medical care. Critics have suggested that she was looking back fondly on the way “our grandparents would bring a chicken to the doctor.” Now, officials have banned chicken suits at polling places to stop critics from ridiculing Lowden.
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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

School’s Out: Gaza Gunmen Burn Girl’s U.N. School for Teaching “Dancing and Immorality”

While religious police in Saudi Arabia are herding Emo girls (here), gunmen in the Gaza Strip have burned down a U.N.-run summer camp for children for educating girls and playing hip hop music.
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Criminal law, International, Media, Politics

England To Shield Identities of Alleged Rapists

Rape shield laws have always been controversial with defense counsel and some civil libertarians because they shield the identity of the alleged victim but not the alleged attacker. Now, the coalition government in England appears ready to address that controversy by banning the identification of both alleged victims and criminal defendants in rape cases.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society, Torts

Hopping Mad: Politics in Arizona Goes To The Frogs

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has turned to humor and an amphibian advocate to make her case to Arizona voters — making fun at critics who have been denouncing the Arizona law without reading it. The video has become a hit and pushed Brewer ahead of her Democratic opponent in the race, Terry Goddard.

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