McKenna May, 4, is a little girl at the center of a controversy. McKenna has suffered from leukemia and was put through a long treatment that has thankfully proven successful. During her illness, she had two wishes: to be rid of cancer and to go to Disneyland. However, getting the first wish and led to the loss of the second wish. While Make-A-Wish Foundation granted the trip to Disney, her father William May of Toledo has forbidden her to go on the trip because she is no longer dying. While the mother, Whitney Hughs, has given her consent, both parents must sign for such a trip.
They always win. This picture however does raise a question that I have never been able to answer conclusively . . .
Continue reading “Never Do The Blinking Contest With A Husky”
When the the Star Spangled Banner is sung at Tropicana Field before the Rays take on the Cleveland Indians tonight, you might want to look more closely at the singer. William Dillon, 52, was released from prison to make the gig after serving 27 years for a murder that he did not commit. His story is not simply an inspiring account of one man’s struggle to prove his innocence, but illustrative of the problems in our criminal justice system.
Continue reading “National Anthem To Be Sung Tonight in Florida By Wrongly Convicted Man”
Dan Cathy, the president of the fast food chain Chic-fil-A, has come out swinging against his critics who have charged that he has run his company with an anti-gay, religious based agenda. Cathy stated that he is “guilty as charged” and double downed on the issue — promising to continue to run the company according to “Biblical” dictates. I guess you just think of the Last Supper and think how Jesus would prepare your Chick-fil-a deluxe. [Update: The restaurant is now trying to dampen the rising outcry from gay rights groups while not denying any of the statements made by its chief operating officer.]
There is a fascinating case out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that asks what a whistleblower claim is: a type of capital gain, sale of property, capital asset or just income? James Alderson, a former chief financial officer for a Montana hospital, wanted to pay a lower level of taxes on the $27 million payment that he received by blowing the whistle on his former employer’s accounting fraud. The IRS, however, insisted that such recovery should be treated as simple income and that 9th Circuit agreed.
Giovanni Verdelli, 60, was arrested after allegedly groping a Jersey City woman on a PATH train. Women in the area were rightfully shocked to learn that this is the 169th arrest of Verdelli — often for sexual molestation and misconduct of women and girls. He is a serial groper and it is not clear if 169 will be the charm to put him away.
Many of us have been highly critical of the decision of President Obama to allow our involvement in the Iraq and Afghan wars to continue. We continue to lose men and women in these countries and spend billions of badly needed revenue in countries where we are increasing despised. Indeed, Iraq is now becoming one of Iran’s closest allies and supporting that country in conflicts with the United States. While accepting hundreds of billions, Karzai has called the U.S. the enemy and said that he wished that he was fighting with the Taliban. We have been comparing the costs bankruptcies of cities and closing of programs with the billions spent or simply lost to corruption in these countries, particularly Afghanistan where the Karzai government has reportedly allowed billions to be stolen by Karzai family and associates. Now our postal system is facing default and its future is again in doubt. While Congress is unsure of whether to save this basic service for citizens, it has done little as many billions of dollars are stolen or wasted in countries like Afghanistan. It is perfectly insane.
This is a picture of what German Scientists say is the lightest material in the world. It is a network of porous carbon tubes that is interwoven at the nano and micro level to make the lightest material in the world. The substance weighs just 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter. It is 75 times lighter than Styrofoam (Thank God, because those Styrofoam cups are exhausting to lift). Scientists of Kiel University (KU) and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) named their joint creation aerographite.
Continue reading “Introducing Aerographite, The World Lightest Material”
The Human Rights Watch has issued a damning report on the loss of freedoms and civil liberties under Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. HRW found a comprehensive rollback of core political and legal rights for journalists, dissidents, and the courts. As I have noted before, I am astonished how many in the liberal community in the United States have been muted in their opposition to Chávez who has modeled his government on that of Castro in Cuba while establishing alliances with some of the worst dictators in the world.
Continue reading “Human Rights Watch Issues Report On Loss Of Civil Liberties Under Chávez”
Robert Bell is fighting for a quintessential expression of free speech in New York and New Jersey — he was arrested for flipping the bird at police officers. We have seen such cases in other states where officers have arrested citizens for this vulgar but protected form of speech. After Bell was charged with disorderly conduct for making an “obscene gesture” and causing public alarm and annoyance, the charges were dropped. He then sued. As in so many other cases of abusive arrests, there is no record of any discipline taken against the officers who made the groundless arrest. The lack of discipline allows some officers to carry out baseless arrests with the knowledge that the citizen will be punished by the inconvenience of going to jail or to court or both — with the added need of securing an attorney.
Continue reading “New Jersey Man Sues Over Arrest For Flipping The Bird At Police Officers”
I have heard about some bad interview experiences from law students but few could top Cody Slaughter, 22, who interviewed for a job with the border patrol. Slaughter was a bit more forthcoming than usual in answering questions by revealing that he had molested a 2-year-old girl, had sexual relations with a dog, horse and pig, and had a history of drug abuse. He didn’t get the job but he is working with law enforcement after his arrest.
A Minnesota appellate court has rejected the free speech claims of former nurse William Melchert-Dinkel, 48, who encouraged people to commit suicide online. As with other civil libertarians, I have expressed concern over the implications of the case in convicting Melchert-Dinkel for sharing information on suicide and encouraging third parties to end their lives.
There is an interesting decision out of Washington this month where U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has ruled that Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus can proceed with a racketeering lawsuit against a coalition of animal rights groups. The lawsuit was brought by corporate parent Feld Entertainment Inc., under the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act based on the alleged payment of a former Ringling Brothers trainer Tom Rider by the animal right groups. The trainer later became a plaintiff in an action against the Circus for animal cruelty. The case is Feld Entertainment Inc. v. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 07-1532 EGS, D.D.C.
The French city of Angers in Loire Valley has made an interesting demand for restitution. Angers has demanded that England turn over the Royal Jewels for the murder of Edward Plantagenet in the Tower of London in 1499. The town values the termination of the Plantagenet line of kings at billions of dollars, but the city will accept the Crown Jewels in exchange for ending its string of 14 English kings, including Richard the Lionheart and Henry V.
It has been a rough year for my hometown from thugs in limos to random beat downs. Now, Delfino Mora, 62, a father of 12, has been beaten to death by teens who filmed the murder and posted it on a gang members Facebook site. Three teens — Malik Jones, 16, Nicholas Ayala, 17, (shown left) and Anthony Malcolm (shown right), 18 — have been arrested. The beating is what is called “happy slapping” where thugs will beat people at random and then post it on Facebook or YouTube.