There is a fascinating case in Minneapolis that raises some important free speech issues in an assisted suicide case. William Melchert-Dinkel, 47, was charged with two felony counts of aiding suicide under a Minnesota law that criminalizes even verbal encouragement of suicide. Adding to the novelty is the fact that state prosecutors are charging Melchert-Dinkel in deaths that occurred not only outside the state but outside the country.
Continue reading “Prosecutors Charge Former Nurse With Encouraging Suicide”
Category: Society
While a Saudi lawyer is suing in England over the Danish cartoon controversy (here), Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris has declared May 20th “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.” Norris took the action after the shameful decision of Comedy Central to censor an episode of South Park after Muslims threatened to kill the creators of South Park for showing Mohammed in a bear suit.
Continue reading “Seattle Cartoonist Declares May 20th as “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day””
Muslim lawyers are continuing their campaign against Danish newspapers over those Mohammed cartoons, even after one newspaper, Politiken, apologized to Muslims. Now, in England, they have filed a lawsuit on behalf of 95,000 direct descendants of Mohammad over the cartoons filed in Denmark.
Continue reading “Saudi Lawyer To Sue In England Over Danish Cartoons on Behalf of the Descendants of Mohammed”
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed that state’s new immigration bill despite widespread questions over its constitutionality. Shortly before Brewer announced the signing, President Barack Obama ordered the Justice Department to monitor possible civil rights violations, here.
Continue reading “Governor Signs Controversial Immigration Law Amid Promises of Legal Challenges”
The story of how an Apple employee left a prototype phone at a bar has been out this week after Gizmodo bought the phone, took it apart, and featured it on its site. What I find interesting is that someone found the phone at a bar and proceeded to take it and sell it to Gizmodo for $5000. Putting aside the dishonesty of this act, Gizmodo may have bought stolen property. This was clearly not abandoned or discarded property, as both the “source” and Gizmodo were aware. Moreover, Gizmodo knew its true owner — Apple.
It is now being reported that police are investigating the alleged theft, here. They have ample reason to investigate.
Continue reading “Rotten Apple: Police Investigating After Gizmodo Pays “Source” $5000 For Prototype Apple Phone”
Another high-ranking Catholic priest has resigned in the wake of the child abuse scandal. In Belgium, the highest-ranking bishop Roger Vangheluwe, 73, the Bishop of Bruges, has resigned after admitting that he also engaged in child abuse.
Continue reading “Belgium Bishop Admits To Prior Child Abuse and Resigns”
Fordham’s Brian Kownacki shows why the best baseball is not always found in major league parks.
Henry Nguyen, 18, of Oakland, and Josue Melendez, 19, are accused of a bizarre crime: torturing two hamsters and posting the video on Facebook and YouTube.
Pennsylvania Rep. Babette Josephs (D., Phila.) has outed her opponent, Gregg Kravitz, in a bruising campaign in Philadelphia. While politicians often face allegations of being a closeted homosexual, Josephs is accusing Kravitz of being a closet heterosexual in the liberal district.
Continue reading “Pennsylvania Representative “Outs” Opponent For Being a Faux Bisexual”
Pope Benedict XVI is named in a new lawsuit on child abuse in a case that will test the claims of diplomatic immunity claimed by the Vatican’s lawyers, here. The claims stem from the alleged cover-up of abuse by a priest at a Catholic school in Wisconsin, Father Lawrence Murphy. The lawsuit seeks the names of potentially thousands of similar priests facing “credible allegations of sexual misconduct” against them.
Continue reading “Pope on a Rope: Benedict XVI Named in New Abuse Lawsuit”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strongly suggests that you go before taking to the New Jersey non-toll roads. As another example of how states are selling or reducing basic services in this economic crisis, Christie will close the last two restrooms to save $270,000.
We previously posted on the death threats levied against South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, here. 
The extremists appear to have succeeded. Comedy Central confirmed that they blocked out mention of Mohammad’s name and image in the later episode.
Continue reading “Not Funny: Comedy Central Accused of Self-Censorship of South Park”
This video of a person named William Gheen shows more than any other how this country is descending into bigoted and shrill demagoguery. Gheen not only accuses Sen. Lindsey Graham of being gay but suggests that he is being blackmailed by mysterious forces in Washington.
Continue reading “The Politics of Hate”
President Barack Obama chastised liberal protesters who interrupted his speech this week in support of Senator Barbara Boxer by asking why they think they need to holler to be heard. In the meantime, back in Washington, the White House was clearing Lafayette Park of media who were unable to hear protesters who handcuffed themselves to the fence. They apparently needed to holler but it did little good.
Continue reading “Obama to Gay Rights Protesters: You Don’t Have To Holler”
In what could be a female version of the Matthew Shepard case, three high school girls from Kentucky are accused of beating a friend and trying to throw her off a cliff because she is a lesbian. Corinne Schwab and Ashley Sams, both 18, and an unnamed 17-year-old girl have been arrested in the case.
Continue reading “Three Kentucky Teens Arrested For Allegedly Beating Lesbian High School Student and Trying to Throw Her Off a Cliff”