Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Dutch Cabinet Backs Partial Burqa Ban

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

170px-Burqa_Afghanistan_01The Dutch Cabinet voted to draft a bill to enforce a ban on wearing the Islamic burqa in various government buildings and institution. Citing what were described as security concerns, the government in a statement declared “Face-covering clothing will in [the] future not be accepted in education and healthcare institutions, government buildings and on public transport.”

Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated to journalists: “The bill does not have any religious background.”

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Gay Marriage Referendum Passes In Ireland. Unresolved Issues Will Remain

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Flag_of_Ireland_svgWith all constituencies reporting, the Irish citizenry approved a constitutional amendment recognizing gay marriage: Yes 1,201,607; No 734,300.

The Constitution of Ireland permits amendment only by popular vote. A vote of the people for such amendments can provide more legitimacy and acceptance by the public and judging by the margin gay marriage will probably gain acceptance more readily. Nevertheless it does not necessarily engender full acceptance of such partnerships as over seven hundred thousand voters chose otherwise. Some institutions in Irish society will struggle to come to terms with the new direction Ireland is pursuing.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Five People Arrested With Wint Released Without Charge?

image0071432175830I am going to intrude upon our weekend bloggers to post a story on the aftermath of the arrest of Daron Dylon Wint, 47, for the savage murder of f Savvas Savopoulos, 46, his wife Amy Savopoulos, 47, their 10-year-old son, Philip, and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57 in the family’s Northwest Washington home. According to CBS News, the five people arrested with Wint in two vehicles have been released without charge. Come again? Five people are found to be traveling with a fugitive sought by a dozen different police agencies and are found to have $10,000 cash in one of the vehicles. And they are released?

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Animals, Bizarre

911 Called Over Stuffed Toy Tiger

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

tiger-yawningIn another bizarre example of what people will call 911 over, Camas Washington Police responded to an “animal problem” call of an SUV driving around with a tiger atop its roof. For reference purposes, tigers are not native to Western Washington.

Surely to the surprise of the caller and other tiger/bigfoot chasers of Washington the tiger was actually a stuffed toy.

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Constitutional Law, Free Speech, International, Media, Politics, Religion, Society

Irish Voters Abroad Returning Home To Vote On Same-Sex Marriage Referendum

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

100px-Coat_of_arms_of_Ireland.svgOn Friday Irish Citizens went to the polls to vote by referendum on a constitutional amendment allowing same-sex marriage. If passed Ireland will join nineteen other nation states who have legalized such marriages and will be the first to enact the petition by popular referendum.

The topic of the referendum garnered such strong interest it is expected that a large percentage of Ireland’s 3.2 million registered voters will go to  the polls. In fact, reportedly, unexpectedly high numbers returned home at their personal expense to cast votes.

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Bizarre, Justice

NYC Vendor In Hot Water Over Selling $30 Hot Dogs–Grilled By Media Then Fired By Boss

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Hot Dog with MustardOur host wrote earlier of the row over a WTC hotdog vendor accused of fleecing unsuspecting tourists by charging up to thirty dollars per hot dog. Now, the vendor has been terminated by his employer.

It is believed he took advantage of foreign tourists unfamiliar with the exchange rates of U.S. currency by failing to post actual prices then naming a price that was up to ten times the actual market rate.

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Academia, Free Speech, Politics, Society

New Calls For Termination of Saidi Grundy After Disclosure of Prior Criminal Impersonation Of Another Woman

GrundyPic-150x150Boston_University_seal.svgThere are new calls for the termination of incoming Boston University sociology professor Saida Grundy after disclosure that she has a criminal record from Michigan. Grundy has become the best known academic at BU before even starting her academic career at the institution . . . for all the worst reasons. However, at the risk of being called an apologist, I again believe that this is not grounds for termination and that BU should allow Grundy to assume her teaching post.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Free Speech, International, Politics, Society

Saudi Arabia Moves To Take Over Top Spot On The U.N.’s Human Rights Council

200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Saudi_Arabia.svgMembership of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (HRC) has always been a rogue’s gallery of some of the world’s most oppressive nations trying to obstruct its work or artificially rehabilitate their images. Now to add insult to countless human rights injuries, Saudi Arabia wants to head the HRC. That’s right. The country that will not allow any other religion to build a simple church or place of worship in the Kingdom. The country that executes people for apostasy for simply praying to the God of their choice. The country that imprisons and flogs women for driving, adultery, or people accused of sorcery. The country that is the greatest exporter of the extreme Sharia values that are stripping away rights in various countries. The country that cuts off the hands of thieves. The country that denies free speech and executes people in intersections for things like drug dealing. That country.

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Academia, Bizarre, Criminal law

Marquette University Center Director Dumped After Creation of Mural to Assata Shakur

shakur3Marquette University has apparently dumped Susannah Bartlow, the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center director after the center celebrated the completion of a mural featuring convicted Assata Shakur who was convicted of an execution style killing of a New Jersey trooper in 1973. The mural was joint project of the Center and the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

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Criminal law, Society

Police Issue Arrest Warrant in Gruesome Murder Of D.C. Family After Linking Suspect Through Leftover Pizza Crusts

image0071432175830Police have identified and have an arrest warrant for the man suspected in the gruesome murder of a family and their housekeeper in Washington, D.C. Police are seeking Daron Dylon Wint, 34, in the murder of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, his wife Amy Savopoulos, 47, their 10-year-old son, Philip, and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57 in the family’s Northwest Washington home. What is most striking about the story is that the lead came from the crust of a pizza ordered to the house during the family’s long ordeal in captivity before they were beaten to death. The DNA reportedly matched Wint who have a long criminal history.

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Bizarre, International

Who Gets Baby? Wealthy Couple Fights Over Custody Of Piano In New York Apartment

28A0285600000578-3080014-image-m-38_1431530837784img-thingAttorney Richard Fields his estranged wife Ekaterina may represent the worst of stereotypes that people have of the top 1 percent and their distinct problems. The couple has been in an intense battle of who gets a $100,000 baby grand piano in the couple’s former New York apartment. Neither is actually a pianist but Fields, who is managing director of Juridica Asset Management, insists that he already lost another baby grand in an earlier divorce from another wife. Indeed, both of these people make a Tom Wolfe novel look like Little Home on the Prairie.

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Criminal law, Things That Tick Me Off

Things That Tick Me Off: Vendors Who Rip Off Tourists At Ground Zero

200px-NCI_Visuals_Food_Hot_DogYes, it is time for another installment of “Things that Tick Me Off,” the category where I allow myself that chance to vent about something that is so annoying that I must vent to retain my sanity. One of the things highest on my list are vendors who fleece tourists as they try to enjoy their cities. Vendors know that many foreign tourists are unfamiliar with the exchange and the currency as well as the prices. One of those appears to be this lowlife Ahmed Mohammed who not only failed to post his prices (as required under municipal law) at this stand near Ground Zero but was charging some people $30 for a single hot dog. That is, until a local reporter caught up with him.

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Bizarre, Media

Toronto Man Fired By Employer After Being Shown Insulting Female Reporter With Obscene Expression

Screen Shot 2015-05-20 at 8.20.44 AMWe have another case of a man fired for obnoxious conduct outside of his workplace. While we recently discussed this issue with regard to academics, it is increasing common for private employers to fire people who make themselves notorious with thuggish or insulting conduct in public. The latest is Shawn Simoes, who appears to have the mentality of a three year old and taunted a female report with a disgusting sexually explicit heckle on television. He was an engineer with Hydro One, which fired him after the scene was posted outside of BMO Field.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, International

Saudi Arabia Posts Ad For Swordsmen To Handle Increased Beheadings . . . No Experience Required

220px-Traditional_Ethiopian_picture170px-Ministry_of_Interior_Saudi_Arabia.svgWe have previously discussed Saudi Arabia’s infamous “Chop Chop” square where the country’s medieval Sharia law is carried out for everything from apostasy to drug dealing to murder. The Kingdom has had a bumper crop of executions this year with as many beheadings already this year (85) than the entire 2014 period (87). The work appears to be exhausting their executioners so the Kingdom is hiring eight new executioners. While the Saudis insist that this is a humane form of execution approved by the Koran, the fine print on the advertisement is notable: no experience is needed for those who want to cut the heads off people in Chop Chop square or handle amputations under Sharia law.

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Animals, Bizarre, Criminal law

Grandchildren Fail To Clean Rooms . . . So Grandmother Kills Their Cat and Four Kittens With Hammer

josephine-bellThere is a deeply disturbing case of Illinois where Josephine Bell, 71, is accused of killing her granddaughter’s cat and four kittens with a hammer to teach her grand kids a lesson for not cleaning their rooms. The case again raises the question of the proper punishment for cruelty to animals separate from the obvious abuse of this 13-year-old child.

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