Corruption and abuse are common in the highest ranks of Chinese officials who benefit from one-party rule and a suppressed media. However, it remains important not to take advantages on tape. This lesson was learned by Lin Jiaxiang, party secretary of the Shenzhen maritime bureau in southern China’s Guangdong province, after he first grabbed an 11-year-old girl at a restaurant’s bathroom and then offered to simply pay off the irate father for the use of his daughter. The video is below.
Continue reading “Worker’s Paradise: High-Ranking Chinese Official Under Investigation Before Being Caught on Tape Grabbing 11-Year-Old Girl”
Arkansas voters decided yesterday that it was better to have children remain unadopted than to place them with gay parents. In the meantime, Michigan voted to allow medical marijuana use while Massachusetts decriminalized marijuana use and ban dog racing.
Last night, I helped cover the election with BBC. During the evening, I got into a sharp argument with the editor of Human Events magazine about Sarah Palin. I noted that her selection may have been one of the biggest political blunders of a campaign in my lifetime. Now, exit polls indicate that, if anything, her negative impact on the ticket was underestimated. McCain aides appear to be now lining up to dump on Palin – disclosing more damaging information about everything from her shopping sprees to shocking lack of basic world knowledge.
Continue reading “Exit Polls: Palin Hurt Ticket with Large Number of Voters”
Alaska’s Senate race has Stevens leading with 48 percent of the vote compared with 47 percent for Democrat Mark Begich, with 96 percent of precincts reporting. There more than 40,000 absentee ballots to be counted within 10 days of the election — many of which probably preceded his corruption conviction.
Continue reading “Alaska is Pro-Family and Pro-Felon: Alaskans Decide that Earmarks Are More Important Than Ethics”
While the votes are still being counted, the landslide for Barack Obama did not put a few candidates (like Al Franken in Minnesota) or causes like California’s Proposition 8 over the top. With 63 per cent of the state’s voting district results in, the measure was leading by 52.4 to 47.6 per cent. As of Wednesday at 10:15 am, CBS was still calling the outcome uncertain, however.
Continue reading “California’s Proposition 8 Appears to Have Passed in a Bad Night for Same-Sex Couples”
Obama’s win in Minnesota helped pushed Al Franken close to victory on Tuesday, but perhaps not close enough. Coleman remains 2000 votes ahead and now both candidates must face a recount, which is automatic for any race with a margin of one percent or less in Minnesota.
There now appears to be some serious problems and patterns emerging in key states like Virginia and Pennsylvania. Heavy democratic areas have been polling places shutdown and thousands of voters turned away. Provisional ballots have been given inappropriately to many voters.
Continue reading “Serious Voting Problems Begin to Emerge In Key States”
St. Olaf in Northfield, Minnesota Professor Philip Busse has resigned under pressure after he recounted in an article on Huffington Post how he tore down a McCain campaign sign. He is now only only out of a job but he is charged with misdemeanor theft.
Continue reading “Minnesota Professor Ousted After Tearing Down McCain Sign”
And we thought hanging chads were a problem in 2000. The nudist community in Land O’ Lakes, Florida has formally requested a “clothing optional” polling site. The Caliente Resorts note that nothing in state law requires clothing.
Continue reading “Raw Politics: Nudist Colony Demands “Clothing Optional” Voting”
Actor Keanu Reeves had a most excellent day in court. A jury only took three hours to reject the torts claims of Alison Silva, a paparazzo who claimed that Reeves injured his left wrist by hitting him with his Porsche. He sought $711,974, which includes medical bills, lost wages and punitive damages.
In an example of judges overcoming personal and public outrage to rule dispassionately on the law, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Missouri officials should be barred from enforcing a law that bars protests at or near funerals. The law is highly suspect on constitutional grounds and the court found that there was sufficient likelihood that Westboro would prevail in the action.
Continue reading “Westboro Baptist Church Wins Stay of Law Barring Protests of Military Funerals”
Scientists have made a remarkable breakthrough in the cloning of a mouse that was dead and frozen for 16 years. The successful discovery could lead to a Jurassic Park type program where extinct animals are brought back to life. Finally, Sarah Palin could be proven correct: men will walk with dinosaurs.
Continue reading “Frankenmouse: Scientists Clone Dead Mouse That Was Frozen for 16 Years”
In 2000 and 2004, GOP activists misled voters with fake fliers that told democrats that they would vote on Wednesday rather than Tuesday. The fliers have appeared throughout Virginia and the culprit has been identified. However, the state officials have decided not to charge the person responsible.
Continue reading “Laugh Test: Virginia Decides Not to Name or Charge Person Responsible for Voter Suppression Flyer”
Texas businessman Jeff Hawn has pleaded guilty in one of the largest illegal slaughters of bison in decades. Hawn, who is the CEO of Seattle-based software company Attachmate, admitted that he allowed hunters on his land to shoot 32 bison belonging to his neighbor. He will be sentenced appropriately enough in Fairplay, Colorado.
Continue reading “The Lesson of Fairplay: Texas Businessman Pleads Guilty to Bison Massacre”
In Eloit, Wisconsin, two perfectly suited men found each other. Two drunk drivers spared other drivers and ran head on into each other. A 17-year-old driver struck Joshua Krueger, 35, who was also driving drunk at the time. This is only one of a number of bizarre recent drunk driving cases.
Continue reading “Drunk Drivers Find Each Other on Wisconsin Highway”