Category: Society

International, Military, Politics, Society

Biting The Hand: Afghan Government To Tax United States Aid

The Washington Post is reporting that the Afghan government is moving to tax U.S. aid to his country — notifying U.S. contractors that the government wants a piece of the aid given . . . to them. The Karzai government is taking this action over the objections of the Administration and conflicting U.S. law. It is also taking this action after Karzai has shutdown corruption investigations against his government. The Karzai family has been denounced as a virtual criminal enterprise with his brothers stealing anything that they can lay their hands on.

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Criminal law, International, Society

English Woman Sentenced To Two Years For Accusing Four Men of Raping Her

Under pressure from women’s groups, English officials recently backed down in giving the same anonymity protections to men accused of rape as they do to their alleged victims. Emma Blunden, 21, of Reading, Berkshire should give them second thoughts. Blunden received two years after repeatedly accusing men of raping her.

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Constitutional Law, Courts, International, Religion, Society

Irish Justice Orders Baby Saved Over Objections of Religious Parents

Justice Gerard Hogan of Ireland’s High Court held a novel hearing on December 27th in his own home. Hogan ordered that the government give a lie-saving blood transfusion to a baby boy born in August 2010. His parents are both Jehovah Witnesses and had refused the procedure to save their son.

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

Cheney: Obama Has Adopted Bush Policies on Torture and Gitmo

As many of us expected, President Obama’s decision to block any investigation or prosecution of war crimes has led Republicans to rehabilitate George Bush’s legacy.  The latest claim came from former Vice President Dick Cheney who previously boasted about the torture program in public — unconcerned about any prosecution from Attorney General Eric Holder.  Now, Cheney is boasting that Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society, Torts

College Student Goes to School Officials To Complain About a Hidden Camera in Her Apartment . . . And Is Committed To Mental Hospital (Before Camera is Found)

This is an amazing story. Brooklyn College student Chinemerem Eze, a Nigerian national, was convinced that her landlord had hidden a camera in her apartment. She complained to school officials, who proceeded to arrange for her being committed to a psychiatric ward . . . Then later she found the camera.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, International, Justice, Military, Politics, Society

Their Rights As Englishmen: A Brief History of the Second Amendment-Part I

Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Few words have sparked as much emotion on the blog –and may have even cost it a victory lap in the ABA blog voting this year — as the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Seems the history of the Amendment was just as jumbled and ferociously fought, or so contends Law Professor David E. Vandercoy, in his short history of the Second Amendment.

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Academia, Bizarre, Justice, Society, Things That Tick Me Off

Tacoma Student Sent Home For Wearing Wrong Jersey: Bears Gain New Fan

Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

Only on rare occasion do I disagree with our host on interpretations of law. On football, well that’s another matter. An unabashed Steeler and AFC fan, I run head long in Professor Turley’s (shall I say it?), obsession with those “Monsters of the Midway,” the Chicago Bears. Today, all that changed.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

The Lesser of Two Weevils: Ohio School Finds Weevils in Noodles, Removes Them, Serves Kids The Noodles

Ohio lunch workers know the values of choosing the lesser of two weevils. They found boll weevil beetles in dry noodles, removed those they could see, and then served the noodles. They did, however, remove the big ones that they could find.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Cook County Treasurer Found To Have Driver Paid $94,000 a Year and a Cleaning Lady Paid $57,000 a Year

My former neighbor in Chicago BS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman has an amazing story this week. Zekman found that Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has a county-supplied driver who makes $94,000 a year and a cleaning lady making $57,000 a year.
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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Emergency Room Waits Now Average Six Hours

A new study has confirmed what most of us already know: we have a crisis in emergency rooms where sick individuals customarily have to wait for hours before being seen. We have seen the horrible consequences of these delays in past postings (here and here). Now, researchers from Press Ganey Associates, a group that works with health care organizations to improve clinical outcomes, finds that in 2009, patients admitted to hospitals waited on average six hours in emergency rooms. Nearly 400,000 patients waited 24 hours or more.
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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law, Politics, Society

Cut the Line, Do The Time: Texas Schools Increasingly Using Criminal Citations Against Unruly Children

We have been following the general trend toward criminalizing conduct in America and particularly the use of criminal penalties in our schools (here and here). Now, a study by Texas Appleseed shows Texas schools routinely using criminal misdemeanors against unruly students.

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Academia, Bizarre, Society

What’s Your Sign? Guess Again

Remember striking out in the 70s with the line what’s your sign when the girl turned out to be a Virgo and you are a Gemini? Now, you can go back and try again if she is still available. Astronomers have announced that most people have been using the wrong astrological sign due to a mistake in the zodiac chart. They have recalculated the dates that correspond with each sign to accommodate millennia of subtle shifts in the Earth’s axis. I have been informed that after years of living as a Taurus (the bull), I am now considered an Aries (the ram).
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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Palin: Attacks on Conservatives Over Tucson Massacre Constitute “Blood Libel”

I was struck by today’s response of Sarah Palin to criticism that her rhetoric and “targeting” of Rep. Gifford’s district may have added to the recent massacre in Tucson. In fairness to Palin, the family stated today that Jared Loughner did not watch news or listen to talk radio. However, I was most interested in her claim that the attacks against her and conservative commentators amounted to a “blood libel.”
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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Stolen Hearts or Stolen Valor? New York Man Steals Image of Dead Ranger To Lure Women

We have been following “stolen valor” cases and the constitutional controversies raised by faux warriors. There is now a disturbing case out of New York which could present the next context for such prosecution. This picture is of a true American hero: Sgt. Roberto Sanchez, 24, a US Army Ranger killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2009 after five tours of duty. It was reportedly stolen by a man named “Dylan Sorvino” to claim to be a special forces soldier to attract women and praise for his service on Facebook.

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