“A dingo took my baby” stands as one of the most famous lines from any criminal case in history — made so by the movie “A Cry in the Dark” starring Meryl Streep. Now, a coroner in Australia has reopened the case after a couple of proven dingo attacks on children.
Continue reading “A Dingo May Have Eaten Her Baby After All: Coroner Reopens Case of Famous Baby Murder Case”
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
Newt Gingrich made statements this weekend that leave little doubt he would drag the already overreaching Office of the President over the threshold of dictatorship. First, let us be clear about what a dictatorship is: a dictatorship is autocratic rule, control, or leadership; a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique; a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated. Second, let us be clear that such a concentration of power in a single branch of government is clearly unconstitutional under the Separation of Powers doctrine.
Continue reading “Newt Gingrich Channels His Inner Dictator”
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Nomi Prins, a former investment banker who once worked for Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns, recently appeared on Democracy Now! Amy Goodman questioned Prins about the collapse of MF Global and John Corzine’s testimony before Congress.
Corzine has claimed that he never directed anyone at MF Global to misuse investors’ funds. A witness named Terry Duffy, however, has testified that “Corzine was aware of loans that may have used customer money.” Duffy is chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
In her interview with Amy Goodman, Prins spoke about a clip of Corzine’s testimony that she and Goodman watched: “We’re listening to someone try and dodge his way out of responsibility and accountability, which is very much what all of the CEOs on Wall Street have done through the subprime crisis and through past crises.” Prins added, “And for him to sit there in front of Congress and talk about ‘not intending’ and ‘I didn’t know’ and ‘I didn’t instruct’ and ‘I didn’t misuse’ and all these sort of legal maneuvers around this issue really is deplorable.”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Sometimes a story comes around that writes itself and merely needs highlighting of certain facts to make its points. This link below will provide concrete data on why this country has become a corrupted corporatist state, along with why the federal budget deficit is so high. Its title is “For Hire: Lobbyists or the 99%? How Corporations Pay More for Lobbyists Than in Taxes”
http://publicampaign.org/sites/default/files/ReportTaxDodgerLobbyingDec6.pdf
What this document clearly shows, with highly readable charts is that 30 of the top US Corporations not only pay more for lobbying than in taxes, but in fact that they receive huge tax credits, although being highly profitable. Over a three year period 2008-2010 these companies had combined profits of $163.691 billion, received tax credits of $10.602 billion and spent $475.67 million on lobbying. Only one of these companies, FedEx, actually paid taxes. They paid $37 million in taxes, on a profit of $4.247 billion and spent $50.81 million for lobbying. As you might guess the most glaring example was General Electric whose profits were $10.460 billion, received tax credits of $4.737 billion and who spent $84.35 million in lobbying.
I could certainly provide you with commentary on this report, but the starkly written manner of the report and the easily read charts do a far better job of explanation, than would my rhetoric. The next time someone comments on the “theft” that is taxes and the need to defend the 1% and their corporations from government intrusion show them this. If they defend the inequity shown here then you will know they are either part of the 1%, brain-washed or brain dead. It isn’t of course that many of us haven’t known the state of things, or these facts, we have discussed them here repeatedly. Nevertheless, each time the message of the destruction of our Constitution, our America and our people in the service of greed and ego is shown to me, my blood boils. Please check out the link and share your thoughts.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
The McKinlay family of Yelm, Washington, are celebrating more than a holiday this Christmas. Their 8-month-old Yorkshire Terrier-Shih Tzu mix, Scamp, bolted from their yard and was struck by a car. When the McKinlay’s arrived the dog was bleeding, his eyes were fixed, and he wasn’t breathing. They carried their lifeless pet from the scene and placed him under a wheel barrow intent on burial the next day. Heart-broken, the grandparents of six-year-old twins, were wondering how they would tell the pet-adoring kids about what had happened. They finally settled on just telling them that Scamp had gone to heaven. Tearfully, the two young girls accepted the dog’s fate. “It was real sad to watch them crying over their dog and drawing pictures. We were trying not to cry,” Ms. McKinlay told the local TV News Channel, KOMO4.
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
A man in Portland, Oregon, may hold the answer to indiscriminate use of Tasers by police in his hands. Seems the 33-year-old was shopping at Toys-R-Us, when he seized a toy light saber and began swinging the “weapon” at shoppers and mumbling incoherent statements. Police responded and the man met them in the parking lot seised for battle. A few swings later and the police whipped out their Tasers. Simultaneously, feeling and then opposing “The Force,” our Skywalker wannabe apparently mentally disabled the first taser when it failed to work. He then manually disabled the second with a well-placed blow of the plastic sabre breaking one of its wires. Sheer numbers ultimately led to the man’s capture. None of the shoppers in Toys-R-Us were harmed in the making of this episode. The cosmic lesson seems to be that if you’re anticipating an encounter with Taser-wielding police, arm yourself with 1977 toys and sally forth!
Source: Yahoo News
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Maclovio Bautista, a legal resident of Washington state and the U.S. for more than twenty years, is under threat of deportation because he was caught giving a ride to an illegal alien. While on their way to see a mechanic, they were pulled over by a Border Patrol agent. Bautista’s companion fled only to be apprehended later. Bautista was held for three days at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.
Continue reading “Border Patrol: It’s A Crime To Give A Ride To An Illegal Alien”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Although it may look Photoshopped, it’s not. It’s a landing at runway 10 at Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten, in the Netherlands Antilles. The runway is short, 7546 feet, and large, heavy aircraft need every inch, and so touch down as soon as possible. This makes for some hair raising plane spotting for those on the beach.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Christopher Hitchens died on 16 Dec. of pneumonia, a complication of his esophageal cancer. With eloquence and reason, sprinkled generously with wit and wisdom, his talks were a joy to listen to. His unique insights into religion will resonate long after his voice has been silenced.
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” – The Mourning Bride, Act III, Sc. VIII, by William Congreve
“The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins.” – Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
Your rights end where the rights of others begin is a maxim that posits you are free to exercise your rights until such exercise infringes upon the rights of others. It seems like a straight forward proposition, but like many seemingly straight forward propositions, sorting out the primacy of rights when they are equally valid yet conflicting is the basis of many a lawsuit. An interesting case from Minnesota provides an example that illustrates the balancing act between competing individual rights. The decision also provides a solution that while it may address the problem at bar may also be overreaching and a threat to the rights of all.
Submitted by Mike Spindell, guest blogger
“Ian Fletcher is Senior Economist of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, nationwide grass-roots organization dedicated to fixing America’s trade policies and comprising representatives from business, agriculture, and labor.” http://www.prosperousamerica.org/2011/02/23/ian_fletcher/
Mr. Fletcher wrote an article in HuffPost this week titled ” Why Is the American Left So Ineffective in Economics?” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-fletcher/why-is-the-american-left-_b_1142615.html?ref=politics&ir=Politics . On my first reading of this article, I sped through it cursorily, with general agreement and approval, book marking the link for further reference. As the day went on the article remained stuck in the back of my mind, for there was something about it that disturbed me, but I couldn’t quite figure out why. I looked up Mr. Fletcher’s credentials and they seemed good and certainly not one of being a Corporatist economist. The Coalition for a Prosperous America appears a worthwhile middle-of-road organization, whose supporters include labor unions, as well as medium and small businesses. They look askance at current US trade policies and that is a view with which I agree. Mr. Fletcher has a book titled: “Free Trade Doesn’t Work” http://www.freetradedoesntwork.com/ which people I respect like Fritz Hollings and Thom Hartmann have praised. In it he discusses how there is a free-trade hegemony of both Democrats and Republicans representing the Washington establishment and marginalizing all the voices who disagree with free trade policies. This hegemony is what I describe as the Feudalist Corporatocracy. This is a man with who I’m in general agreement, why then my discomfort with his thesis in this article?
This article opens up with the following paragraph: “Anyone who’s still in a state of denial about the thesis implied by the title of this article can stop reading right here. I’ll just assume it’s obvious enough that we can take it as a given.” He’s right, the thesis implied in the title is indisputable. The Left has been ineffective in combatting the economic policies started by Ronald Reagan’s election and has been in constant retreat from the onslaught of right-wing economic policies. This has been true to such an extent that Bill Clinton reaffirmed Alan Greenspan as the head of The Federal Reserve and Barack Obama reaffirmed G.W. Bush’s choice of Ben Bernake. Both of these men are little more than philosophical minions/co-dependents of Wall Street and the Big Banks. Where I take issue with Mr. Fletcher is in why he believes the Left’s economic weakness has come about. To me his view of the origins of this Left Wing retreat is shortsighted and ignores the 800 pound gorilla in the room. If we don’t understand the causes of problems we face, then no matter how prescient the analysis of their nature, we are almost powerless to combat them. Since the article in question is rather brief, I’m going to dispute it point by point. Continue reading “Is the American Left Ineffective in Economics?”
As if things were not bad enough for Bears’ fans with the loss of Jay Cutler and other mishaps, Bears wide received Samuel Hurd, 26, has been arrested and charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine. Hurd looks like he was sacked in a pretty damning sting operations where he not only is caught arranging delivery of coke and pot but actually accepts a sample (the latter move should have been a tip off of a sting operation).
Continue reading “Thinning The Hurd: Bears Wide Receiver Arrested in Drug Sting”
Today I will be appearing in federal court in Salt Lake City, Utah to argue for standing in our challenge to the Utah statute criminalizing bigamy and cohabitation. I have previously written about the constitutional issues raised by the action. This hearing, however, concerns the effort of the state to avoid review of the law by claiming that the family lacks standing, even though the state has declared their family to be a criminal association and prosecutors have declared them to be guilty under the law.
Continue reading “Federal Court Considers Standing in Sister Wives Case”
A Massachusetts restaurant has made news this week by requiring waivers before people eat its hot food. The waivers are being handed out at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge.
Continue reading “Tort or Torte? Restaurant Requires Waivers Before Customers Try Hot Food”
The lawsuit in Kentucky is working its way through the legal system contesting a 2006 state law requiring state homeland security material to recognize the necessity of faith in God for true security. State Rep. Tom Riner, an ordained Baptist minister, has defended the law out of his belief that “the safety and security of the state cannot be achieved apart from recognizing our dependence upon God.”
Continue reading “In God We Trust: Kentucky Defends Law Requiring State Homeland Security Officers To Proclaim God’s Greatness”