The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations that an officer shot a woman through a window who was 39-weeks pregnant and then pulled her through a bedroom window into the street.
Continue reading “Report: Police Officer Allegedly Shoots Pregnant Woman and Pulls Her Through Bedroom Window”
Category: Society
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer would normally feel honored that the Pentagon was so interested in his memoir “Operation Dark Heart” that it purchased thousands of copies. The problem is that the Pentagon bought the books to burn them. Now that must set a new low for a bad review.
Continue reading “Operation Book Burn: Pentagon Buys Thousands of New Book To Destroy Them”
Google and its chief executive Eric Schmidt have been convicted of defamation in France in a decision that, in my view, defies logic and legal principles. The company was convicted due to the results of its “suggest” function which lists words commonly used by users. In this case, the plaintiffs’ name produced automatic suggested words of “rapist” and “satanist.”
Continue reading “French Court Convicts Google and Schmidt of Defamation”
There is an interesting defamation case coming out of a race in North Carolina. GOP candidate Eldon “Buck” Newton is claiming that Sen. A.B. Swindell (shown left) and the Democratic Party knowingly made misleading statements about him in a campaign mailer in the race for the 11th Senate District.
Continue reading “North Carolina Race Leads To Defamation Lawsuit”
Why is toilet paper so high on the list of budget cuts for states? We previously noted how states moved immediately against toilet paper after tightening their belts. Now, we can add California as places that are announcing BYOTP (Bring Your Own Toilet Paper) for tourists in some state parks.
Continue reading “In California, It’s BYOTP”
This week Congress held hearings on the controversial decision by the Obama Administration to drop charges against Black Panther members for voter intimidation in Philadelphia in 2008. I have previously criticized the decision since I fail to see how these pictures did not show intimidation and the Obama Administration has created a dangerous precedent (if not an invitation) for other groups to engage in the same practices at polling places. In the hearing, Christopher Coates, former voting chief for the department’s Civil Rights Division, called the decision a “travesty of justice” and deepened the controversy over the policies and practices in that division.
Continue reading “DOJ Official: Black Panther Decision a “Travesty of Justice””
This video is making the rounds of a preacher who “installs” a new hip for this woman with the magic words “bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.”
Continue reading “Who Needs Surgery? Bam, Bam, Bam, You Have A New Hip”
A 49-year-old man in Michigan has been arrested following a novel alleged crime: a man-on-parrot fight. Police say that the man was seen shaking and punching his pet parrot.
Continue reading “Polly Want a Crack? Michigan Man Arrested in Fight With Parrot”
Civil libertarians enjoyed a major victory yesterday against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) with the ruling in the case of Maj. Margaret Witt — ordering her reinstatement despite the fact that she is a lesbian. This important victory, however, was tempered by the news that the Obama Administration is seeking to limit the earlier blockbuster ruling that found DADT unconstitutional. The Administration had the option of not seeking such a change (an option taken by Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Brown in the Proposition 8 case) but decided to try to gut the national impact of the court’s order.
Continue reading “Judge Orders Lesbian Nurse Reinstated While Obama Administration Fights To Limit Earlier Ruling Finding DADT Unconstitutional”
It appears that, before the Queen asked the government to take over responsibility for the finances of her palace, she had asked for the government to use energy-saving grants for low income families to heat the palace.
Continue reading “We Are Not Amused: Queen Sought Low-Income Funds To Heat Palace”
With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I was asked in this cover story for the Civil War Magazine to explore the rivaling constitutional claims that were made at the start of that bloody conflict. As a military history buff, I have occasionally written for these history magazines but I found this assignment particularly intriguing.
Continue reading “Uncivil Action: Was Lincoln Wrong on Secession?”
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was given only a one-week suspension without pay after he fired nine rounds at a vehicle that bumped his cruiser. In the incident caught on this videotape, Trooper Timothy E. Nichols was responding to a call about a man suspected of stealing two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches from a Palm Harbor gas station. However, an investigation showed that (as indicated on the video) the driver was innocently backing up his SUV when the bumping of the cruiser occurred — triggering Nichols’ shower of bullets.
Continue reading “Florida Trooper Fires Nine Rounds in Retirement Center Area After His Car Is Innocently Bumped — But Is Given Only One Week Suspension”
The Washington Post is reporting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to extend a freeze on new settlements in exchange for the release of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. It is an astonishing offer, if true, since the settlements have long been a major barrier to peace negotiations but under this deal would be frozen in exchange for a spy’s release. It would seem to undermine the substantive arguments in favor of such settlements.
Continue reading “Report: Israel Offers To Extend Freeze on Settlements in Return for The Release of Convicted Spy Jonathan Pollard”
In Pennsylvania, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala (shown here)has made a controversial decision not to charge a Kennedy Township police officer with leaving the scene of a crime after he allegedly drove drunk and hit a man — leaving him critically injured. Zappala announced that, because Frank Caliguiri eventually came back, he will not be charged with leaving the scene. What is astonishing is that this is not the only such case recently against an officer in this area.
Continue reading “Pennsylvania Police Officer Charged With DUI Accident While Not Be Charged With Leaving Scene of Accident”
It has become almost a mantra in contemporary news articles: a minister who preached against homosexuality accused of hidden homosexual relationships. In the case of Atlanta-based megachurch pastor Eddie Long (shown here in a past sermon), he is by last count accused in three lawsuits by young men who claim that they came to him for spiritual help and were used for his sexual pleasures.
Continue reading “Three Former Male Church Members Sue Megachurch Pastor Eddie Long For Sexual Harassment”