There is a transcript from executives at the American International Group (AIG) that is likely to infuriate many Americans, still smarting over the $165 million in bonuses paid to executives after the huge federal bailout. Statements from a conference call reveal executives who express contempt for the public and bravado in their own business abilities. These include statements from employees hoping that the public loses a trillion dollars and blaming the problems on Congress, and the public rather than their own business decisions.
Category: Politics
It appears that the late Pope John Paul II may be short one miracle. Supporters of an expedited process for sainthood for John Paul suffered a blow this month with the news that accounts of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre’s recovery from Parkinson’s disease may have been premature. Three years ago, the sister explained how she regained her health after a night of prayer to John Paul. That miracle was the basis for the call for rapid canonization.
The New York Times has a striking account today of Scientologists who allegedly faced threats and coercion in seeking to leave the church. Christie King Collbran and her husband, Chris, gave a detailed account of they were effectively raised to serve the ultra-secret Sea Organization, or Sea Org in the Church. After signing a “billion year contract,” they say that they were faced with fines and forced confessions in seeking to break free from the Church.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has not wasted time carrying out his conservative social agenda. He has sent a letter to the state’s public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation — advising them that they have no authority to ban such discrimination.
Continue reading “Virginia Is For [Straight] Lovers: Virginia Attorney General Orders Colleges and Universities To Lift Ban on Discrimination Against Gays and Lesbians”
Angelo Balducci, “Gentleman of His Holiness” Pope Benedict, has been fired after reportedly being caught by Italian police arranging for male prostitutes to be brought to him. The young men reportedly include one who is studying for the priesthood.
Gaza’s Islamic Hamas government has banned men from working in women’s hair salons as part of its move to impose strict Islamic law and traditions on Gaza’s 1.5 million people.
Continue reading “Hamas Bans Male Hairdressers From Women’s Hair Salons”
We have another story out of the worker’s paradise in North Korea. A North Korean factory worker named Chong was executed by firing squad for passing along information on rice and living conditions to a friend who defected to South Korea.
Continue reading “North Korea Executes Man For Passing Along the Price of Rice to Friend in South Korea”
State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.) is known as a fierce opponent of gay rights. It was, therefore, more than a bit curious when he was arrested for drunk driving after reportedly leaving a gay bar with an unidentified man in the passenger seat.
Sawsan Salim went to court to file harassment complaints against her local government in 2007. Her papers were in order but she was missing one detail. She had ventured out without a male family escort. For that crime she has been sentenced to 300 lashes and 18 months in jail.
Bishop Denis Brennan (Bishop of Ferns in Ireland) is being criticized for asking parishioners to help to pay for compensation claims linked to sexual abuse damages. The diocese has already paid 8 million euros to settle 48 civil actions arising from decades of sexual abuse by priests. An additional 13 actions are pending.
The National Enquirer is reporting that a federal grand jury is close to indicting two-time presidential candidate John Edwards for the misuse of campaign funds. ABC News reported earlier that Edwards’ mistress (with whom he recently admitted having a child after months of denial) had spoken to the grand jury, here. In the meantime, there is an equally interesting report that Elizabeth Edwards may be preparing to sue her husband’s longtime aide Andrew Young for alienation of affection (here).
In yet another morphing of George Bush and Barack Obama, the Administration has indicated that it will include “tort reform” in the new and smaller health care bill — provisions that the CBO has said could cost 4,800 lives a year. While an estimated roughly 100,000 people die each year from malpractice, the Administration is about to make it more difficult to sue doctors and hospitals.
Continue reading “Obama To Cave On Tort Reform — Adding Provisions to Health Bill That Could Kill 4,800 a Year”
While Christopher Sheehan is being prosecuted in Florida in a case involving his iron garden, here, Quan and Angelina Ha are being prosecuted in California for their wood chip garden. The Has sought to conserve water in the drought-plagued City of Orange by replacing their lawn with eco-friendly plants and chips. They have now been charged with a misdemeanor and told that they must have a water-consuming lawn.
Today, the Supreme Court will take up the potentially historic case of McDonald v. Chicago on gun rights. There is more at stake than just the application of the Second Amendment to the states, as I discussed in today’s column in Roll Call below:
Continue reading “Gunning for Slaughterhouse? Supreme Court Hears Arguments in McDonald Gun Case”
There is an interesting controversy brewing in Atlanta where an all-white Zeta Tau Alpha team from the University of Arkansas won this year’s step competition — a traditionally black competition. The victory unleashed a torrent of criticism from fans who felt that white teams should be barred. The controversy then grew when Sprite suddenly announced that unexplained “scoring discrepancies” resulted in a black team being elevated to a tie with Arkansas and given a co-first place standing. This is a video of “The Matrix” performance of the Arkansas team