Category: Society

Virginia Legislator Attributes Birth Defects To God’s Punishment for Women Who Have Had Abortion

Prince William Del. Bob Marshall, R-13th, has offered his own rather dark explanation for birth defects and child disabilities: divine retribution for women who have had abortions. Marshall told a crowd that the Bible says that the first born is a gift to God, resulting in “special punishment” for those who have abortions.

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Almost 90 Percent of People Believe the Government Is Broken

We have yet another poll showing virtually unanimous dissatisfaction with our political system. A CNN poll shows an impressive 86 percent who say that the government is broken. What is fascinating is how the two parties are now moving to join the chorus — to control the debate and prevent serious reforms.

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Felonious Verses: Louisville Man Charged With Threatening The President In a Poem

An alleged neo-Nazi in Louisville is pushing the constitutional envelope with a poem that resulted in a criminal charge as a threat to kill the President. Johnny Logan Spencer Jr. is charged with threatening the life of the President with his poem that refers to killing a black president but not Obama by name.
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Newspaper: British Passports Were Copied By Airport Official in Tel Aviv For Hit in Dubai

The Sunday Telegraph has published a report that the false passports used in the assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in Dubai were copied by airport officials from the originals in Tel Aviv. The allegation would add evidence of a government plan to steal the identities of the British citizens living in Israel.
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Russian Dancers Accused of Cultural Insult and Disrespect Over Outfits

Olympic skater outfits continue to trigger protests. First there was the controversy over U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir’s wearing real fur as part of his outfit, here. Now aboriginal advocates in Australia are protesting the costumes of Russian ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maksim Shabalin. While I thought Weir’s costume was the ugliest that I had seen, that was before I saw the Russian costumes. I am not sure if it is a case of “cultural offense” but it is certainly offensive to the eye. The costume is shown in the linked articles below.
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Dolphin May Possess Cure For Diabetes

While dolphins continue to be slaughtered in Japan (here and here), those same humans may have their lives saved by a new discovery that dolphins can turn on and off diabetes. Scientists believe that humans may have once had this ability and that dolphins could lead to a breakthrough treatment for humans.
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Britain Denies Report That It Knew of Use of False British Passports in Dubai Assassination

Britain has denied the story in the Daily Mail that British officials knew about the use of false British passports (and reportedly stolen identities) for the hit on Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai (here).
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Pennsylvania School Accused of Equipping Computer with Surveillance Devices and Spying on Students At Home

A Pennsylvania school is accused of a remarkably abusive intrusion into the lives of its students. Papers in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, state that the laptops given to high-school students were equipped with webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools’ administrators. The lawsuit claims that officials not only activated the surveillance capability but disciplined young Robbins for “improper behavior in his home.” The Vice Principal reportedly used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence.

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Poll: One-Third of Texans Believe Men Once Co-Existed With Dinosaurs and Over One-Third Believe That Man Was Created by God 10,000 Years Ago Without Evolution

A University of Texas and Texas Tribune poll has found that roughly one in three Texans believe that humans and dinosaurs walked the Earth at the same time and more than half reject the theory of evolution. According to the poll, 38 percent agreed with the statement “God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago.”
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Amy Bishop’s Lawyer Expresses Regret For Calling His Client “A Wacko”

The defense lawyer for professor Amy Bishop has been under fire from lawyers for surprising statements made shortly after his appointment to represent her. Roy Miller told the press that Bishop was a “wacko” — a statement that he now says “went overboard.”

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Justice Department Declines Punishment for Bush Officials for “Poor Judgment”

The Obama Administration continued the tradition of the “Friday night dump” by just releasing the Justice Department report on former Justice officials John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury. The report is linked below. The Justice Department confirmed that the investigation originally found professional misconduct by Yoo and Bybee, but an unnamed high-ranking official at the Office of Professional Responsibility overruled the finding to avoid any professional action against them. I discussed the story on this segment of Countdown.

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