A lawsuit against the Church of Scientology has now pulled in two unlikely litigants: a state and a federal judge. Pinellas Florida Judge Robert E. Beach has filed a motion in federal court contesting an order from U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday enjoining him from imposing planned sanctions on lawyer Ken Dandar, who is suing the Church. The motion raises some interesting questions of jurisdiction and ethics.
Category: Society
Phoenix police Officer Richard Chrisman has been arrested after he first tasered and then shot Danny Frank Rodriquez, 29. He also shot the family dog. Another officer reported that neither he nor Chrisman were being threatened at the time.
Continue reading “Phoenix Police Officer Arrested After Tasering and Shooting Unarmed Man”
Italy is dealing with a shocking murder after Ahmad Khan Butt, a 53-year-old construction worker and owner of a local mosque in Modena, beat his wife to death with a brick after she opposed an arranged marriage for her daughter. While Ahmad Butt beat his wife, his son, Umair, severely beat his sister Nosheen Butt, 20, with a stick — resulting in her hospitalization for a broken arm and head injuries. The husband and deceased wife, Beghm Shnez, are Muslim and both originally came from Pakistan.
Continue reading “Father Beats Wife To Death For Opposing Arranged Marriage of Her Daughter”
While the Obama Administration has announced an appeal in Massachusetts to reverse the victory with regard to same sex marriage, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, California has upped the ante by imposing a nationwide injunction on the policy of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell– a move also opposed by the Obama Administration. The Administration is now likely to move to reverse this victory in California — further angering those “lethargic” liberals that the Administration has been pushing to work for the Democrats.
Continue reading “Federal Judge Imposes Nationwide Injunction of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
The Obama administration will appeal the Massachusetts ruling in favor of same sex marriage. The Justice Department will defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. This action will further alienate civil libertarians and liberals — particularly at a time when the Administration is trying to preserve the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in a California case. Now on both coasts, the Obama Administration is fighting to continue discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Announces Appeal To Reverse Same Sex Marriage Victory”
The Nobel Committee may think a lot about MIT economist Peter Diamond, but he is currently blocked as a nominee for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. Sen. Richard Shelby has objected that Diamond is not qualified for the Board because his specialty is not in monetary policy.
Continue reading “Fed Nominee Blocked By GOP Senator As Unqualified Just Received The Nobel Prize”
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has again shown his preference for supporting totalitarian regimes over human rights in his latest outrageous statement: supporting China in denouncing the Nobel Prize given to dissident Liu Xiaobo.
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Prime Minister David Cameron told the public this week that British aid worker Linda Norgrove may have been accidentally killed by U.S. forces during a rescue mission in Afghanistan. He attributed the death to the possible use of a grenade by U.S. forces in the rescue effort.
Continue reading “English Prime Minister Suggests U.S. Military May Have Killed Linda Norgrove”
There is a horrific story out of Michigan where a couple, Scott and Jennifer Petkov, are accused of a cruel campaign targeting a seven-year-old girl, Kathleen Edwards who is dying from Huntington’s disease. The Petkov’s allegedly posted pictures showing Kathleen’s mother (Laura Edwards, who died of the disease last year at the age of 24) in the arms of the grim reaper and photo shopped a picture of Kathleen with her face above a set of crossed bones. The story (which has gone viral internationally) raises questions over the possible civil and criminal liability for such actions.
Continue reading “Can The Petkovs Be Charged or Sued in Their Alleged Harassment of a Dying Seven-Year-Old Girl?”
What is it about public officials and Nazi uniforms these days. We just saw a Portland police officer accused wearing a Nazi uniform and building a memorial to fallen German soldiers including a SS officer and a war criminal. Now, Rich Iott, Ohio Republican nominee for Ohio’s Ninth District (second from the right) has been shown in his World War II German uniform.
Continue reading “The Reich Man For the Job? Ohio GOP Candidate Shown in Nazi Uniform”
Caitlin Sanchez, 14, has filed a lawsuit against Nickelodeon alleging that the network denied her full compensation as the voice for “Dora the Explorer.” The New Jersey team says that she (and her parents) were taken advantage of by network lawyers who convinced them to sign an unfair and ambiguous contract.
Continue reading “Dora Explores Liability: Voice of Cartoon Character Sues Nickelodeon”
We have been following cases where public employees have been disciplined or fired for activities in their private lives from teachers to coaches to lunch ladies (and here and here) to prison guards to city officials to police officers. There have also been such cases involving private employers as well as international cases (here). Now, Portland police Capt. Mark Kruger has been disciplined for his actions celebrating the exploits of German soldiers — actions that have labeled him a “Nazi sympathizer.”
Continue reading “Oregon Police Officer Disciplined as “Nazi Sympathizer””
There is a fascinating case in Canada on the legal status of babies carried by surrogates. We have seen various rulings in surrogate cases, including surrogates awarded custody and surrogates fighting for such rights. The couple who (upon learning that the baby carried by their surrogate had Down’s Syndrome) wanted to abort the baby. However, the surrogate refused and wanted to complete the pregnancy.
We have previously discussed how the Obama Administration played down the environmental damage caused by the BP oil spill, including public statements by people like Carol Browner that the oil (which was later found) had miraculously disappeared. Now, documents have been disclosed suggesting that the Obama Administration blocked efforts by federal scientists to tell the public of how bad the oil spill was. Once again, there is relatively little attention to this story. The Bush Administration was accused of the same type of manipulation of scientific reports and was generally (and rightfully) savaged in the press.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Accused of Blocking Report on Potential Seriousness of BP Spill”