I am rather perplexed by a ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman to order not just four more years of community service for filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza but continuation of psychological counseling despite the countervailing findings of two experts in the case. Judge Berman was on solid ground in much of his opinion on the conditions of the prior sentencing order. While tough, the defense was trying to curtail key aspects of the order. However, the counseling component does concern me.
There is an interesting twist in the messy divorce of Congressman Alan Grayson (D, Florida) this week after his lawyers pulled off a challenge that you usually see in movies: the secured an order dismissing any division of marital assets with his wife Lolita because she was found to have been previously married. Since his marriage was invalid on bigamy grounds, there was no marriage and thus no marital assets. That is a considerable blow for Lolita who sought part of Grayson’s $30 million estate. She has four minor children with Rep. Grayson.
The Chinese government is carrying out another infamous sweep of human rights lawyers and activists with over 100 people arrested nationwide. The authoritarian communist regime has offered preposterous excuses for the arrests but the message is clear: human rights will not be tolerated in the worker’s paradise that is China. Indeed, with pollution and corruption choking the life out of the public, the communist rulers still view human rights lawyers as the priority danger for the country.
Continue reading “China Arrests Over 100 Lawyers and Activists In Latest Crackdown on Human Rights”
It is now commonplace to read about Chinese products pulled from foreign markets for impurities or harmful chemicals due to the corruption and lack of consumer protections in that country. The most frightening such cases however involve products for children like the latest story involving the discovery of asbestos in crayons and toy crime lab kits. It appears that the first fun task in using Chinese crime lab kits is to locate the deadly carcinogen in your toy.
Continue reading “China Unveils The Latest Crayon Color: Asbestos”
We have been discussing the national debate over hate crime laws and the standard for investigating particular cases but not others as in the recent case out of Cincinnati. A new controversy has erupted in Chicago where a woman, Susan Pedersen, says that she was attacked in her car with her children in a black neighborhood by a mob yelling that she did not belong in the neighborhood. She is white. However, two alleged attackers were charged only with misdemeanor criminal damage to property. While the case has received relatively little attention and more details would be helpful, critics have charged that a black driver surrounded by a white mob in such a circumstance would have resulted in both a state and federal hate crime investigation. There is also a question of how the police and prosecutors have charged this case generally as a property damage case even without the alleged racist motivation of the mob.
There is an interesting story out of Chad where the country has outlawed the wearing of Islamic veils over the face of women. The country took the step after a suicide bombing by the Muslim group Boko Haram used a burka-wearing man. France has been criticized for outlawing full veils or burkas so the move by a country with a majority of Muslims is surprising.
We have previously discussed the crackdown on free speech in Russia, including examples of quasi-blasphemy prosecutions by the country. While we often see such prosecutions in Muslim countries, there is a growing trend in the West against free speech, particularly when deemed anti-religious or insulting to particular groups. The unholy alliance of Vladimir Putin with the Russian Orthodox Church has accelerated this trend as shown in the move to shutdown a popular atheist social networking page of “There is no God” on VKontakte. The site’s 26,000 followers woke up to notice that the site was shutdown after a ruling from a count in the Muslim North Caucasus region of Chechnya under the control of strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, a key Putin ally.
We have been discussing the intolerance shown by countries in the Middle East for free speech, particularly those Muslim countries applying the medieval Sharia law system. Abu Dhabi has again stepped forward to reaffirm its rejection of fundamental principles of free speech. Our Middle Eastern ally has jailed an Australian woman, Jodi Magi, 39, for merely posting a photo on Facebook of a car parked across two disabled parking spaces. She even blurred out the license plate (which most people would not do) in showing the rude conduct of some driver. The driver called police and Magi was arrested for on the truly moronic charge of “writing bad words on social media.” In bringing the charge, the prosecutors in Abu Dhabi confirmed that they are maintaining a faux legal system that recognizes neither basic rights nor basic logic.
Israeli police have reportedly made arrests in the burning of the Church of the Multiplication, in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee, is where Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5,000 of his followers. The church houses the block of limestone that is venerated as the stone on which the meal created by Jesus was laid. The reported arrest of Jewish religious students reminds everyone that such destructive extremism is not confined to Islam. While the world condemns ISIS for destroying ancient churches and sites, these Jewish students have actively sought to put their own religion in the same disgraceful company. The fire was set on June 18 and destroyed much of the interior of the monastery and the roof. The attackers left graffiti scrawled in red Hebrew lettering on a wall outside the Roman Catholic church read, “Idols will have their heads cut off.”
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (left) is moving forward with a controversial plan to decriminalize such offenses as urinating in public — part of an effort to rollback on criminal offenses used by police to stop and detain suspects under the “broken windows” approach of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. Critics have charged that the murder rate and other crimes are already up under Mayor Bill de Blasio due to the tensions with police and new policies against stop and frisk maneuvers.
European countries continue to put the rest of the world (including the United States) to shame in amazing reductions of their use of carbon footprints and the use of clean energy. Last week saw a particularly impressive achievement for Denmark which managed to produce 140 per cent of the country’s electricity needs. In the meantime, the vehemently anti-environmental Administration of Tony Abbott in Australia cracked down on wind power to prevent further investments by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
It is sometimes difficult to find counsel for people for various reasons: limited means, specialized cases etc. Guido Amsel has a particularly difficult circumstance: he is accused for trying to blow up the last lawyers that he dealt with. The accused bomber told a court in Winnipeg that he cannot secure a lawyer after he was arrested for setting off an explosive device went off in a Winnipeg law firm, severely injuring 38-year-old Maria Mitousis. Mitousis represented his ex-wife.
Continue reading “Alleged Law Office Bomber Tells Court He Is Having Trouble Finding A Lawyer”
The video below shows a driver committing one of the most dangerous and bone-headed stunts captured on tape: driving an Audi in reverse down Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Hollywood. The man did the dangerous maneuver with a woman in the passenger seat.
Continue reading “Police Hunt For Driver Caught on Video Driving Backwards For Miles In Hollywood”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The 5 Point Café, a popular and landmark café near the Space Needle in Seattle wishes to add a new spice to their selection—marijuana.
Restaurant owner David Meinert hopes to cash in on the recent legalization of weed to add a new edge and definition to high quality dining.
Continue reading “Seattle Restaurant Hopes To Serve Marijuana Seasoned Cuisine”
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Scores of Russian Soldiers are facing trial for desertion after reportedly failing to “volunteer” for military action in The Ukraine.
Gazeta.ru states in a Saturday article that the defendant troops claim to have been pressured to volunteer after first receiving bribes and other benefits from soldiers in uniform, but lacking identifying insignia, to join the action on Ukrainian territory.