Reports indicate that Attorney General Eric Holder is close to naming a prosecutor to look into interrogation abuse, but that he is going to structure the investigation to protect high-ranking officials from investigation for war crimes. While Holder admits that waterboarding is torture, he is reportedly going to allow only the investigation into whether some interrogations went beyond the torture guidelines set by the Justice Department — which allowed for waterboarding.
Continue reading “Holder Plans Whitewash of War Crimes Allegations”
Category: Society
Bernard Baran was 19 when he was accused of abusing children at a day care center — one of a spasm of such prosecutions in the 1980s. Baran was convicted on the testimony of the children despite the fact that videotapes showed children denying that he touched them and other referring to “prizes” promised for their confirming abuse.
Continue reading “Massachusetts Man Freed After 21 Years With Discovery of Withheld Exculpatory Evidence”
The Iranian government has arrested the chief of Kahrizak jail as news accounts have documented numerous cases of the torture and killing of protesters arrested in the recent post-presidential protests. These deaths include the alleged killing of seven lawyers.
Continue reading “Iran Arrests Chief of Notorious Jail As Accounts of the Torture and Killing of Protesters Mount”
The continuing decline of basic comfort and civility in air travel has been a source of continued complaint on this blog and other sites. Many have complained about how they book a flight with a major airline only to be shoved on to some small puddle jumper run by an unknown carrier. Then there are the horror stories of being held for hours on planes on the tarmac. A new story involving Continental Airlines Flight 2816 combines all of these problems into a nightmare where passengers were left on a plane with malfunctioning toilets overnight after being diverted from their intended airport. They were held overnight because the flight crew was over their limit for flying and the security staff at the airport had gone home for the night.
Continue reading “Flight 2816: Continental Takes Passengers For a Ride”
There is an extremely disturbing story out of Iran this morning that seven lawyers in Tabriz and Mashhad have been killed. These brave attorneys were reportedly representing Iranian detainees in the post-presidential protests.
Continue reading “Seven Lawyers Representing Detainees in Iran Reportedly Killed”
This week we saw how Keith Griffin argued that he was framed by his cat, which downloaded over 1000 pornographic images on his computer. Now, with this picture, you people may wake up to the menace of feline computer fraud.
Continue reading “THE SECRET LIFE OF CATS”
After weeks of criticism for its appropriation of almost $200 million to buy new luxury jets for members to fly around the world on thinly disguised vacations, Congress has finally reacted to the objections of this blog and others: it has more than doubled the amount to $550 million to buy eight jets.
Continue reading “Air Congress: Members Increase the Appropriation for New Planes to Over Half a Billion Dollars”
There is an interesting entanglement case filed in Atlanta, Georgia where Rabbi Shalom Lewis has challenged Georgia’s Kosher Food Labeling Act (OCGA Sec. 26-2-330 ff.) on the ground that it codifies the definition of kosher by the orthodox rabbis.
Continue reading “Kosher Complaint: Conservative Rabbi Challenges Georgia’s Definition of Kosher”
Next time some parents carries on about how smarter their toddler is, throw the little boy a ball and tell him to roll over. A recent student has shown that dogs are actually as smart or smarter than most 2 1/2 year old toddlers. I was told about the study after my speech at the American Psychological Association in Toronto this week.
Continue reading “My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student — Really”
Bryant Gerley Munoz, 19, is far from the ideal criminal defense client. Munoz was in court for a drug charge in Houston, Texas when he decided to take pictures up the skirt of a legal assistant — in front of a deputy sheriff.
Continue reading “Defendant Arrested in Courthouse After Taking Pictures Up Skirt of Legal Assistant In Front of Deputy Sheriff”
First there was the Death Star menacing humanity. Now, there is “the Death Panel.” Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called President Barack Obama’s health plan “downright evil” on her Facebook page and warned American of Obama’s “death panel” that will hold the power of life or death over average Americans. Indeed, the Obama Death Panel appears to have their sights on little Trig. Presumably, the chair will be Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious), the Dark Lord of the Sith.
I have been warning our readers for years about the evil designs and secret lives of cats. 
Now, Keith Griffin of Jensen Beach, Florida is in jail because of a frame up by his kitty. Griffin was arrested on 10 counts of possession of child pornography after he says his cat downloaded over 1000 images of porn by jumping on the computer.
Continue reading “The Cat Did It: Man Framed By Pet in Porn Sting”
Retired State Supreme Court Justice Ronald H. Tills, 74, has been sentenced today to 18 months in prison for transporting prostitutes across state lines. Tills reportedly was arrested as part of a probe into the weekends jaunts of the Royal Order of Jesters. Other “jesters” sentenced with Tills were John Trowbridge, 62, a former Lockport Police captain, and Michael Stebick, 61, Tills’ former law clerk.
We have another accused Facebook felon. Elizabeth Carlisle, 20, is a Petland employee in Akron, Ohio who decided to drown two injured rabbits at the store and then show the pictures on her Facebook page while smiling. She has been charged with animal cruelty.
Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by a vote of 68-31. I discussed the confirmation on this segment of Rachel Maddow. Notably, Senator Mel Martinez (R, Fl) was one of nine Republicans to vote in favor despite a campaign against Sotomayor. Today, he announced that he would not run for reelection. Sen. Kit Bond (R., Mo.) is also on his way out after this term.