Category: Politics

Military, Politics, Society

Panetta: Iraq Really Was A Response To 9-11

For years, the Bush Administration was denounced for the false statements and intelligence that led to the Iraq invasion. Even after it was shown that there were no weapons of mass destruction, many Americans continued to believe that Iraq was being invaded as a response to the 9-11 attacks. Now, in the latest morphing of the Bush and Obama Administration, our new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wasted no time in re-casting Iraq in the same flawed image. In a public appearance, Panetta told troops that they were in Iraq because of the attack on 9-11.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Putinodox Faith: Russian Official Proclaims That Putin Was Sent By God

It appears that Vladimir Putin is not just an action hero but an actual gift of God. First deputy administration chief Vladislav Surkov set a new standard for sycophants and lickspittles everywhere by announcing that Putin was sent here by God to lead the Russian people. Wow, I thought he was just sent by Marvel.

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Bizarre, Congress, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Military, Politics, Society

McConnell: Casey Anthony Verdict Shows Terrorist Suspects Should Not Receive Real Trials

Many have objected that the Casey Anthony trial and verdict has displaced attention to every thing from three wars to a growing economic crisis. Now, however, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested that the impact of the Anthony verdict may extend to national security trials and serve as an excuse to deny terrorism defendants a federal trial. McConnell stated that the verdict shows that we cannot trust our court system in trying terrorism suspects. The clear import is that we should use the widely ridiculed military tribunal system because we cannot risk defendants actually prevailing in court.

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Criminal law, Free Speech, Politics, Society

Rage Against The Machine

Submitted By Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Has the Emperor of Gotcha' Been Got?

Britain’s largest weekly tabloid, News of the World,  closes today, but not from lack of advertisers or readers. Instead, the Rupert Murdoch led tabloid succumbed to its own excesses amid shocking allegations of  interceptions of cellphone voice mails of the families of a murdered 13-year-old girl, servicemen and women slain in Afghanistan, and victims of  the 2005 London terrorist bombings.  Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for News of the World,  is accused of the electronic hacking.

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Politics, Science

Tomahawks Over Telescopes: Congress Moves To Scrap Hubble Successor To Save Money

We have often marveled at the extraordinary discoveries and pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. However, a panel of the House Appropriations Committee Science has moved to cut the successor to Hubble — the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It is part of a $1.6 billion cut into NASA — an agency already slashed deeply in prior budgets.

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Bizarre, Environment, Politics, Society

Tomahawks Over Turtles: Congress and Obama Administration Move To Slash NOAA Budget

Wondering where the money is coming from for our three wars, including the over $1 billion for the latest war in Libya? Well, as we spend billions on the wars (including one for an oil-rich nation which has refused to re-pay any of the costs), the White House is slashing domestic programs. A good comparison is that the cost to date of the Libyan war is basically what Congress is about to cut from the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Bizarre, Criminal law, International, Politics, Society

Lone Star State: Perry Refuses To Stop Execution Of Mexican Citizen Despite Treaty Violation

Many people thought it was a bit odd when Governor Rick Perry indicated that he might run for President of the United States after previously suggesting that Texas may want to secede from the United States. Perry seems not only want to be the John C. Calhoun of presidential aspirants, but he has also decided to add the violation of international law and treaties as a resume booster. Over the objections of President Obama and a host of leading international figures, Perry has refused to stop the execution of of Humberto Leal Garcia — a Mexican national denied his rights under the Vienna Convention.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Religion, Society

Ohio Family-Values Politician Arrested Full of Alcohol and Viagra In Car With Stripper

Ohio Rep. Robert Mecklenborg is a Republican legislator and former prosecutor who has made his career on family values legislation, including his opposition to abortion rights. The Roman Catholic legislator seemed to have strayed a bit after he was arrested in a car with temporary Kentucky plates in Indiana with a young stripper. Tests found he was loaded with not just alcohol but Viagra.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society, Torts

New York Man Rides in Protest of Helmet Law and Dies After Crashing Motorcycle Without Helmet

This week, Philip Contos, 55, joined a group of motorcyclists to protest New York’s helmet law by riding bareheaded. He became a symbol of a different kind when he crashed and died after hitting his head on the roadway.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, International, Politics, Society

India Health Minister Denounces Homosexuality as “Unnatural Disease” At AIDS Conference

Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad shocked the world community at an AIDS conference by describing homosexuality as an “unnatural disease” spreading around the world at an alarming rate. In the world’s least surprising revelation, Azad informed the crowd “There is a substantial number of men having sex with men in our country.”
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Florida Officer Faces Suspension For Warning Father About His Daughter Hanging Around Dangerous Area

In St. Petersburg, Florida, Officer Thad “Stu” Crisco is under investigation after a supervisor learned that he told the father of a robbery victim that one part of town was a bit dangerous for his 16-year-old daughter to be hanging around after she was robbed. Crisco has an unblemished record, but he is being hammered for the well-intentioned advice. In his comments in the article below,

Mayor Bill Foster does not appear to be concerned about an officer being disciplined for simply informing a parent about a rough area. He stated “I always want to know my officers are representing this city in a very positive light.” Well, how about a positive statement like “hey, you know this area excels in robberies and is second to none in homicides.”
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Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Jesus Envy: How Big Is Your Savior?

A war of giant Jesuses has entered a new phase. A 36 meter (or 118 feet) Christ was unveiled in Poland last year. Now, President Alan Garcia has responded with Cristo del Pacifico (Christ of the Pacific), on a hill in Lima — standing 37 metres (122 feet). That’s right, four feet more than the Polish Jesus — not doubt now to be known as Jesusito (“little Jesus”) in Peru.
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Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Government Leaks Evidence To Undermine Whitey Bulger Trial — Judge Asks for “Plan” From Justice To End Unethical Disclosures

One of the longest standing complaints among criminal defense attorneys is that the government often goes ballistic when a defense attorney makes public statements in support of his or her client. Judges often hammer private counsel under increasingly harsh gag orders. Yet, the government routinely influences cases by leaking information that could only come from the prosecutors or investigators on the case. This problem is even more acute in high-profile cases like that of Richard Jewell and my former client Dr. Thomas Butler, where leaks were used to target innocent men to try to force them to plead. Now, like clockwork, the Justice Department has again started the leak war in the case of alleged mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. However, the judge has simply asked the Justice Department for a “plan” on how to stop the leaks. If this were a private firm, there would be a contempt hearing.

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