In an act of self-condemnation, the Arab League has denounced the genocide charges and defended Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir. Many of these 22 countries engage in rampant abuses and torture. While they expressed fears of danger to national sovereignty, there is no doubt a fair measure of concern over their own acts of abuses.
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In an important decision for both environmentalists and free speech advocates, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has overturned the conviction of Robert J. Stevens of Virginia who was convicted of selling videos (including so-called “crush videos”) showing dogfighting and other acts of animal cruelty. Stevens, who not surprisingly lives in a place called of Pittsville, had been sentenced to three years in prison.
In 2002, the Administration was telling the public that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay were the “worst of the worst” and that federal courts had to be barred from access because we could not risk a single detainee being independently reviewed, let alone released. Critics cited violations of international and domestic law but the administration assured the public that these detainees were killers and terrorists. Now, it turns out that the Administration was warned by a CIA analyst that one-third of those detainees were innocent. If anything, he was too conservative. Over fifty percent were later found not to be enemy combatants. The analyst was told that, while he had completed interviews and review of each case, the President had determined that they were all guilty and therefore they were.
Continue reading “Book: CIA Found that One-Third of Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Were Not Enemy Combatants in 2002”
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy has stopped the controversial hunt for gray wolves in Montana, granting a preliminary injunction restoring the wolves to the endangered list. Given the need to show a likelihood to prevail on the merits, it is an important ruling for environmentalists. The planned hunt was endorsed by the ironically named Ed Bangs, a federal biologist who declared the decision to delist wolves as “a very biologically sound package.” Obviously, a neutral federal judge disagreed with Bangs’ view.
Pakistani Judge Mian Muhammad Naeem has reportedly ruled that two Christian girls who were kidnapped and then converted to Islam cannot be returned to their family, including Saba Younas, aged 13, who was forced to marry the son of one of the kidnappers. Naeem ruled that the girls “have converted in a legitimate manner to Islam” and therefore cannot be “restored to their family of origin”.
Amber Arpaio, 26, was a “Girl Gone Wild” and apparently didn’t know it. She has sued Ashley Dupre, the former call girl to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, for stealing her identity. As shocking as it may seem that a high-priced prostitute might also be an identity thief, Arpaio says its true. For her part, Dupre, who recently dropped a lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild, is saying nothing at all.
Continue reading “Girl Interrupted: Woman Accuses Spitzer Call Girl of Stealing Her Identity to Appear on Girls Gone Wild”
Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart is facing a tough election, so he has taken a page out of one of the oldest books of politics: he has demonized his opponents as “liberal good ol’ boys,” gays and tools of Satan. In this case, however, the book is a juvenile comic book that Rinehart has written and illustrated. He intends to send the comic book to voters depicting his opponents as Satan-following, Gay-loving liberals terrified of . . . you guessed it . . . Brent Rinehart.
Continue reading “Sooner v. Satan: Oklahoma Commissioner Reduces Campaign to a Homophobic Comic”
Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, accepted damages and an apology this week from World Entertainment News Network for a report that he would not speak with women due to his orthodox Muslim views.
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Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Naikzad has released a videotape of the kidnapping and execution of two women, shown below, for their alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. The video is graphic and the viewer can hear that at least one woman screaming. It is another example of the barbarism still carried out by the Taliban under Sharia law. It is also more evidence of the return of the Taliban in a surge of its own in Afghanistan.
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In Riverside, California, Mattel has won an impressive victory over the makers of the Bratz doll line. A federal jury has found that MGA Entertainment was guilty of copyright infringement of the maker of the Barbie series.
Continue reading “You Go Girl: Barbie Prevails Over the Bratz Girls in Copyright Infringement Case”
Congressional hearings have revealed that John Yoo was the favored candidate to lead the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department based on a single resume item: his tolerance and support of torture. Alberto Gonzales and Cheney aide David S. Addington fought former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who submitted five names for the position that conspicuously omitted Yoo’s name.
Those gifted storytellers at Hamas television are at it again. Previously, we saw their popular television program for children feature killer puppets and an anti-Israeli Mickey Mouse. Now, the popular Hamas children’s television program shows a giant bunny character who steals money and then has the child host sentence him to having his paw cut off. The letter of the day, it appears, is A for amputation.
Every lawyer’s mother told them to wear clean underwear as they left the house in case they end up in an ambulance (presumably that they were chasing). In a rather curious moment, David Remes, a partner with Covington & Burling, showed the importance of this age-old maternal advice when he dropped his pants in front of an audience in Yemen to make a point about the mistreatment of detainees. It is not clear how the barrister burlesque went over in Yemen.
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With the Democratic leadership continuing to block any impeachment effort or any serious effort to hold officials liable for the U.S. torture program, Congress was free to hold another bizarre hearing today to calmly discussed our use of torture. Even though current Attorney General continues to evade the question, former Attorney General acknowledged and defended water boarding.
Daytona Lt. Major Garvin appears not concerned about the stereotype of cops and donut shops. When a Starbucks cut off free coffee, Garvin allegedly threatened the manager that he might also cut off prompt service. He is now under internal investigation after flunking a polygraph examination.
Continue reading “Don’t Tazerberry Me, Bro: Cop Threatens Starbucks For Cutting Off Free Coffee”