The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released new data on global warming that, again, the data supports the over-whelming view of scientists that climate change is a dire reality. The world has experienced record-breaking hot weather every month in 2015 and the year is all but guaranteed to be the hottest on record.
Category: Society
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
After a internal affairs investigation of several alleged actions of a Seattle Police Officer, Chief Kathleen O’Toole terminated the employment of Officer Cynthia Whitlatch following the detention and arrest of a citizens for Obstructing a Law Enforcement officer stemming from a claim, later ruled to be false, that the citizen swung a golf club at her. The termination, according to SPD, did not rely solely on this incident but was resulting from similar incidents involving citizen contacts and allegations of racially inappropriate statements during the internal affairs investigation.
The incident should serve as a reminder to those in similar positions of Ms. Whitlatch of the importance of proper discretion and of accepting one’s faults and not blaming everyone else for mistakes. Nevertheless the incident elicited an apology to the citizenry and the accused person for an incident that should never have occurred.
Continue reading “Seattle Police Officer Sacked After Questionable Arrest Of Man Carrying Golf Club”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The BBC presented an engaging and informative report concerning how the unprecedented demand for rare earth elements is leading to environmental degradation, especially in developing countries. It proposes that one of the ironic tragedies of manufacturing green technologies is that it is leading to concentrations of pollution in specific areas. This also brings forth the importance of having a conversation about advanced, consumer societies needing to engage in much self reflection on the causes of the insatiable appetites consumers have for top of the line electronics. Of which are designed with quick obsolescence as a business model.
Continue reading “Rare Earths Mining And Processing Leading To Much Pollution In The East”
We have previously discussed how anti-discrimination laws sometime collide with businesses that strive to maintain a certain look in its employees from newscasters to shop clerks to waitresses. This includes the recent judgment against Abercombie over an employee seeking to wear an Islamic cover over her hair. Now a business has prevailed in New Jersey in claiming the right to enforce appearance standards, including weight limitations, for its waitresses. Twenty-one servers sued Borgata Casino in claiming that they were objectified and demeaned by the casino in being forced to maintain slim figures in their role as “Borgata Babes.” A state appellate court ruled that the casino could impose the requirement so long as it is down fairly and equally. It remanded the case to determine however if there were otherwise acts that constitutes a hostile work place. The appellate opinion is available below.
We have been discussing the controversy over a man from Qatar who went on a dangerous high-speed chase in a yellow Ferrari and then both threatened a reporter and claimed diplomatic immunity. He informed the reporter that he could kill him with utter immunity from prosecution and topped off that threat by saying “F*** America.” It is now confirmed that this disgraceful thug is a member of Qatar’s ruling family: Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar’s ruling family. Al-Thani claimed immunity but does not actually have it. However, by some incredible sequence of events, Al-Thani was allowed to flee the country to avoid any accountability.
Continue reading “Qatar Prince Who Claimed Immunity In High-Speed Chase Flees The Country”
When the case of the shooting of a Chicago police officer in 2012 came to the chambers of Cook County Circuit Judge Thaddeus Wilson, the court saw something that it said was obvious to anyone who has done any practice in the criminal law: the statement of the mother of the suspect Paris Sadler was free of any corrections or edits. Since the mother Talaina Cureton said that she had edited and corrected the statement prepared by Assistant Cook County state’s attorney Joseph Lattanzio, it was a curious fact. However, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, long criticized for her policies such as prosecuting citizens who dare to video police in public, fought to block any effort to reexamine the statement and denied that her office omitted critical information. Now, it appears that one of those videotapes that Alvarez hates, existed showing Cureton editing the statement. Lattanzio has been fired. However, once again, without the videotape, Alvarez’s office would have likely succeeded in blocking the challenge and protecting the prosecutorial misconduct.
A University of Kentucky law student, Peyton Wilson, 24, has been charged with wanton endangerment after allegedly flying a drone at Commonwealth Stadium just before the season opener game against Louisiana-Lafayette. It is the latest such case of drones harassing or endangering people on beaches, streets, or stadiums.
Continue reading “University of Kentucky Student Arrested After Crashing Drone At Football Game”
There is a curious case out of Georgetown, Texas, where Williamson County District Judge Rick Kennon has ruled that Williamson County District Attorney Jana Duty intentionally withheld evidence in the murder trial of Crispin Harmel. However, Kennon refused a defense motion to bar a second trial under the double jeopardy clause. There is no indication of any punishment for Ms. Duty for this case. She continues to serve as a lawyer and a prosecutor in Texas. She has however racked up an impressive number of allegations of misconduct and was sent to jail in August for contempt. However, it is odd not to see a direct referral by the court. I can understand the ruling, though the Texas Court of Appeals recently extended double jeopardy protections to a case where prosecutors intentionally forced a mistrial to avoid an acquittal. However, at a minimum, one would expect a court to deal separately with the violation of her core obligations to the court and the bar.
I have been highly critical of the environmental policies of Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott who has led the world in rolling back efforts to deal with climate change and reducing pollution while opening up pristine areas of mining and other industries. In a move that is likely to be celebrated by environmentalists around the world, Abbott is Prime Minister no more. In a remarkable change, ruling conservatives ousted Abbott (right) as party leader in favor of former party leader and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull (left).
Continue reading “Tony Abbott Dumped As Australian Prime Minister”
There are some cases that produce truly Earth shaking ironies. The prosecution of Pennsylvania attorney general Kathleen Kane is one such case. We previously discussed the case where Kane is accused of leaking grand jury information and lying about it to a grand jury. She is accused of using the leaks to attack her opponents or critics. Her team is now objecting to the damage to her case after a leak that confirmed that bar authorities in Pennsylvania are seeking to suspend her law license. They insist that such leaks are clearly designed to hurt Kane.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Kentucky was faced with another case of drama and failure to perform statutory duties and the federal courts. The Casey County Clerk announced that he would refuse to issue marriage licenses to couples who’s marriage he objects to.
The clerk, in a bit of irony, is named Casey Davis.
Davis insists that he has a duty to himself to violate state law but oddly he feels the Commonwealth should pay for an attorney to represent him.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
There truly is no honor among thieves, and this was definitively demonstrated in Corbett, Oregon the evening of September Seventh when a burglar broke into the residence of a deceased Navy SEAL’s father and stole several medals and challenge coins, including his Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Jeff Lucas was killed in combat operations in Afghanistan on June 28th, 2005. He died along with several of his fellow SEALS during a helicopter operation during a heavy firefight. He was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery. A stadium was constructed in his honor at the high school he attended–Corbett High School.
With the loss of his son, now his father lost to thieves a few of the honors he earned.
Continue reading “Valor Stolen: Burglar Steals Deceased SEAL’s Medals From Father’s Home”
There is a truly bizarre case out of Australia where a 20-year-old has been arrested after posting bomb making instructions and encouraging fellow Islamic State supporters to engage in terrorism. Unfortunately, there is nothing particularly new about that story except that the “Australi Witness” is Joshua Ryne Goldberg, a Jewish man living with his parents in Florida.
City Council member Daniel Dromm, chairman of the education committee, will reportedly push an investigation into Jewish schools after reports of shockingly sub-standard educations at the 39 hasidic yeshivas in the city. The schools have been accused of spending little relative time on basic education in favor of religious studies — to the point that they have produced graduates who cannot read or write English or do basic math.
Continue reading “Hasidic Schools Accused Of Sub-Standard Educational Standards”
There is a controversy in the United Kingdom where Alexander Carter-Silk, 57, the head of Brown Rudnick’s intellectual property group in Europe, has been accused from scores of critics of being a sexist, misogynistic monster. His offense? Carter-Silk had received a LinkedIn contact for Charlotte Proudman, 27. He responded by writing that he thought her photo was “stunning.” That led Proudman, a human-rights lawyer, to denounce his “unacceptable and misogynistic behavior” for complimenting the picture.