The Taliban appear to have been responsible for the killing of 38 — mainly Navy Seals — this weekend in taking down a CH-47 Chinook. Our stalwart ally Afghan President Hamid Karzai — who previously expressed a lingering desire to fight with the Taliban — expressed regrets for the deaths.
Continue reading “Taliban Kills 30 Navy Seals and Seven Afghans in Operation in Afghanistan”
Jessalyn Stierwalt, 21, really really did not want to make her probation appointment. Stierwalt had been drinking and came up with a plan: to have two friends stab her in the stomach. That way the probation officer would not find out she had been drinking.
Seventeenth Century pirate Captain Henry Morgan is a fascination for many history buffs. That is likely to increase with the discovery of the Satisfaction, his flagship with tantalizing unopened crates. The maker of Captain Morgan rum, which helped finance the search, is hoping that the crate contain some bottles of rum. The discovery occurred just short of the anniversary of Morgan’s death.
Continue reading “Satisfaction: Captain Morgan’s Ship Located In Panama”
With one last stop at at Ladurée we are finally ready to return to the states. We are sorry to leave France — even after three weeks. I wish every American could come to visit this country and see the trimuph of man in the arts, food, and culture. When you are getting depressed about our species, these cities and sites remind you of what were are capable of being.
Continue reading “Au Revoir France: Some Parting Pieces of Advice”
After leaving Normandy after a wonderful time from Honfleur to Omaha Beach, we drove to Paris. We are staying with friends who have a home in Colombes, a suburb of Paris. We have spent roughly a week in Paris. This is the first time for the kids and they were awestruck. The sheer beauty and deep history of the city is overwhelming and a perfect culmination of our three-week tour in France.
Continue reading “Americans in Paris: The Turleys Descend Upon The City of Lights”
Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger
After the news over the past few months about the global uprisings against tyrannical and non-responsive governments, I have pondered why the United States has not had more people in the street protesting the economic inequality that we are facing here at home? Continue reading “Is An Economic Revolution Possible in the United States?”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
According to a Wall Street Journal article, Richard Fisher, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, found that since June 2009 37% of all net new jobs in America were created in Texas. Even though Texas is an energy state benefitting from high oil and natural gas prices, Fisher touts Texas’ business friendly environment, its right-to-work laws, and its “tort reform”– a $250,000 cap on punitive damages.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
An article in the June 2011 issue of Health & Wellness magazine, entitled The Different Genetic Code of Men and Women, and written by the magazine’s editor, Angela S. Hoover, is embarrassingly wrong.
I will focus on one of her statements, you can read the rest of her cluelessness in the links below.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
After hitting the landing sites from June 5, 1944, we proceeded to another highlight of our trip through France: Omaha beach. While the American cemetery closed just as we were walking up, we went to the beach near Vierville-sur-Mer. We were clearly in the areas code named Charlie and Dog Green. It was spectacular.
Continue reading “The Turleys Land At Normandy: Omaha Beach”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
“People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?” Rodney King 5/1/92
The arguments and divisions politically here and throughout this country are rampant and destructive. Anger and hatred of others of differing opinions rises at times to fever pitch and I admit that I am part of the problem as much as anyone else is. This is a somewhat different piece in that I am going to present some national problems, as I see them and elicit your comments on them, in an attempt to discover whether there is some common ground agreement, on some things plaguing our society. While I am more interested in whether or not people agree that these are indeed problems for us all to consider and work to solve, it is certainly apropos for people to comment on what they believe the solutions to be.
This is an experiment on the viability of people agreeing on the premise that a problem exists in a given area. We cannot begin to resolve issues, unless we first agree that they are issues to be contemplated by the entire body politic. My hope is to engender real, civil discussion and perhaps at the end reach something like consensus. This is not a plea for Bi-Partisanship because to me that is a fantasy, whoever may utter it. To be “partisan” is to hold strong opinions and srong opinions do not resolve themselves into agreement. The resolution reached by “partisans” is always one of compromise, without either side changing their core beliefs, but agreeing to take part of the loaf. I am “experimenting” to see if many of the diverse viewpoints represented here can at least agree that a specific issue is indeed a problem, or if it is indeed an issue. Beyond writing this, I will not take part in the ensuing discussion, since the formulation itself indicates my views on whether these are indeed problems. I will limit my questions to legal issues, with no particular order of importance intended.
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
A star danced,
And under that
was I born.
~ William Shakespeare
Continue reading “A Star Danced and My Granddaughter Was Born!”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
A sad chapter on Hurricane Katrina closed yesterday with convictions by a federal jury of five New Orleans police officers stationed on the now infamous Danziger Bridge. The five were accused of killing two unarmed civilians and wounding four others and then engaging in a brazen five year coverup. However the jury did not find that the deaths of teenager James Bissette and mentally challeneged Ronald Madison constituted murder. Rather the killings were found to be a deprivation of civil rights.
Since I was a little boy, I have had a dream of visiting Sainte-Mère-Église. First known to me through the great World War II movie The Longest Day, I became even more fascinated with the city as I read more and more military history. Finally, at 50, I had my chance and visited the lovely town with my family — jabbering non-stop about dates, times, and people in the battle. It was everything that I wanted it to be. The locals love Americans and they have left a life-sized mannequin hanging from the church where John Steele once dangled.
Continue reading “The Turleys Land At Normandy: Sainte-Mère-Église”
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
Police in Renton, Washington are seeking an unknown cartoonist for cyberstalking. To that end, officials have obtained a search warrant from a local judge to discover the identity of the anonymous cartoonist. The alleged crime this cartoonist committed? Posting cartoons online parodying the Renton Police Department and referring to real life internal affairs incidents at the Renton PD in the dialog. It is important to note that neither is the Renton Police Department named nor are the real names of any people attached to the Renton Police Department are used in the cartoons linked posted by KIRO TV. The videos are not in a format that can be embedded in WordPress, but the Jail Parody and the Locker Room Parody can both be seen at KIRO TV’s website.
Parody is protected free speech in many cases, but the case law is unclear in providing bright line definitions of what does and what doesn’t qualify as parody. This often leads to detailed case by case examination of claims. When the parody involves copyrighted materials, there are guidelines and tests to apply in determining if the parody is legitimate. Generally speaking, there are two lines of defense involving parody: the free speech defense based in Constitutional law and the fair use defense based in copyright law. As these parodies do not involve copyrighted materials, the fair use defense is not relevant here. The free speech defense is another matter. As a matter of Constitutional law, parody is protected free speech. Is the Renton Police Department attempting to use a criminal statute to persecute a critic engaging in critical parody and repress the cartoonist’s 1st Amendment Free Speech rights? Some think that’s exactly what they are doing.
Continue reading “Police Seek To Prosecute Persecute Unknown Cartoonist”