Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers has been repeatedly the subject of scathing media articles regarding physical and verbal attacks on her critics, here and here and here. She is now facing a corruption probe after being identified as the alleged “Council Member A” in a federal investigation who accepted more than $6000 for a vote on a sludge contract.
Continue reading “Report: Monica Conyers is “Council Member A” In Federal Bribery Investigation”
Category: Politics
Columnist Bonnie Erbe said last week that “it ought to be against the law” for people to call George Tiller “a murderer” and “anyone who [says such things] it ought to be prosecuted as an accessory to murder, as well as for partaking in domestic terrorism.” Others have also demanded that we treat such crimes as “domestic terrorism.” Below is today’s column on defining terrorism.
Continue reading “Defining Terrorism: We Can Call People Murderers Without Diminishing Their Crimes”
In Oklahoma, David Harold Earls, 64, has received a one-year jail sentence after raping a 4-year-old girl. The sentence has caused an outcry across the country and moves in the legislature to recall District Judge Thomas Bartheld, who gave Earls a twenty-year sentence with nineteen years suspended under a plea agreement between the prosecutors and defense counsel. He also fined Earls $1,000.
Continue reading “Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Raping 4-Year-Old Child and Gets One Year in Jail”
Sen. Dick Durbin, the second most senior democrat in the Senate, cashed out his stock the day after meeting with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Durbin took the money and invested much of the $115,000 in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Continue reading “Senatorial Privilege? Sen. Dick Durbin Cashed Out His Stocks and Shares After Meeting With Paulson and Bernanke on Economic Crisis”
State prosecutor Maud Coujard has recommended that a Paris court dissolve the French branch of the Church of Scientology. Scientology has been accused of being little more than a criminal enterprise in France and other countries that uses escalating courses or levels to bilk individuals of thousands of dollars.
Continue reading “Prosecutor to Seek Dissolution of Scientology in France”
Civil libertarians have been outraged by President Barack Obama’s adoption of extreme Bush policies on secrecy and executive privilege, including his effort to dismiss public interest lawsuits and his Administration’s refusal to investigate war crimes committed by the Bush Administration. Now, Obama has filed to dismiss the case of Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer, who are challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which blocks same-sex couples from securing Social Security spousal benefits, filing joint taxes and enjoying other federal rights of marriage.
In a bizarre case, Bridgeville Borough resident has been convicted for repeatedly writing and calling his elected officials to complain about their lack of effort to relieve a local nuisance. If you count copies sent to some officers, Marshall Pappert sent around 350 and was arrested for criminal harassment. It is a good thing that Bridgeville prosecutors and courts did not exist when Thomas Paine was doing his incessant complaining about his government.
Continue reading “From Paine to Pappert: Citizen Arrested for Complaining Too Often to City Officials”
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has renew his threats against one of the few remaining networks that voice opposition to his government. Chavez told executives at Globovision “to reflect” upon its criticism of him and change its tone or it “won’t be on the airwaves much longer.”
Continue reading “Chavez Continues Crackdown on Journalists and Free Speech”
In Ramallah, West Bank, Palestinian police say that a family hanged a 15-year-old boy because they believed that he might be a collaborator with Israel. The police doubt that he was a collaborator due to his young age.
Continue reading “Palestinian Family Hangs 15-Year-Old Boy Due To Suspicion of Collaboration with Israel”
France’s highest court, the Constitutional Council, has ruled that access to the Internet is a basic human right in a decision striking down a key component of the a new internet piracy law by the Sarkozy administration.
Continue reading “French Court: Access to Internet is Basic Human Right”
Ultra-Orthodox Jews are threatening widespread protests to prevent what they insist is a grave insult to their faith: a parking lot. The activists insist that no parking lot should be open on the Sabbath despite the fact that many Jews and non-Jews do not share their religious beliefs on driving. Protests last week turned violent.
Continue reading “Car Kvetsh: Orthodox Jews United Against Parking Lots in Jerusalem”
Civil libertarians have been complaining that many liberals are ignoring that Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been viewed as hostile to core liberal values and has a fairly conservative voting record in many areas, including free speech, student rights, and criminal procedure. For a review of her cases, click here. Another case has come to light that shows little of the empathy cited by the White House. While Vice President Joe Biden has emphasized the Sotomayor “watches the back of police” in cases (which is supported in some of her more controversial rulings), she has shown little empathy for those challenging police or convictions. The case of Jeffrey Deskovic is being cited as one such case.
Continue reading “Meaning of Empathy: Sotomayor Refused to Consider Appeal of Man Based on Technicality — Man Later Found Innocent Based on DNA”
Colleges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have a novel way to protecting women from sexual harassment. Officials announced that any female students wearing jeans, shorts, minishirts, or tight blouses will be expelled because men are harassing them. This falls into the category of destroying a village to save it. Rather than expelled men who harass women, the schools are cracking down on the victims.
Continue reading “Indian Colleges to Expel Any Women Wearing Jeans or Shorts — In Order to Protect Them”
The New York Times reports that Judge Sonia Sotomayor once described herself as “a product of affirmative action” and that she was admitted to both Princeton and Yale with “subpar” scores due to affirmative action. The comments have heightened criticism of her vote in the New Haven firefighters case where she supported the throwing out of promotion results because whites and Hispanics scored better than blacks.
Continue reading “New York Times: Sotomayor Called Herself an “Affirmative Action Baby””
Rev. Jeremiah Wright is back with a vengeance. In an interview, Wright says that he has not spoken to President Obama since the campaign despite their prior close relationship. He blames the Jews saying
“them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me.”
Continue reading “Wright: “Them Jews Aren’t Going To Let [Obama] Talk To Me””