France Facing Crisis After Discovery That Tens of Thousands of Women May Have Been Given Industrial Silicone In Breast Implants

France is experiencing a massive tort scandal after it was discovered thousands of women were given breast implants containing industrial silicone rather than medical silicone. We have seen <a href="In Vassallo v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 696 N.E.2d 909 (Mass.1998), a court looked at the liability of one such company under an implied warranty of merchantability for failure to warn or provide instructions about risks. The appellate court Defendant did have actual or constructive knowledge.”>such cases in the United States of faux doctors using industrial silicone purchased from auto and home repair stores. Nothing, however, comes close to the French scandal. Over 30,000 women in France (as well as some in Spain and the UK) may have had the defective products from Poly Implant Prosthesis (PIP).
Continue reading “France Facing Crisis After Discovery That Tens of Thousands of Women May Have Been Given Industrial Silicone In Breast Implants”

Shock Video: Police Arrest Tennessee Man Who Allegedly Tried To Kill Friend By Driving Truck Into Convenience Store

This would be a bad start to a criminal defense case. Police in Nashville, Tennessee have arrested Erik Whitaker, 40, after he drove his truck through the front of a market in pursuit of friend Laquisha Dansby, 37. He is then captured on film stealing a Dodge Durango and crashing it into a delivery truck. That pretty much covers most of the criminal code with the exception of endangered species violations (they may want to look under the truck).

Continue reading “Shock Video: Police Arrest Tennessee Man Who Allegedly Tried To Kill Friend By Driving Truck Into Convenience Store”

Happy Birthday, Bill [of Rights]: Obama Breaks Promise To Veto Bill Allowing Indefinite Detention of Americans

There was a brief moment when civil libertarians were stunned to see President Barack Obama actually take a stand in favor of civil liberties after years to rolling back on basic rights of citizens and moving beyond the Bush Administration in building up the security state. Obama said that he would veto the defense bill that contained a horrific provision for the indefinite detention of American citizens. While many predicted it, Obama has now again betrayed the civil liberties community and lifted the threat of the veto. Americans will now be subject to indefinite detention without trial in federal courts in a measure supported by both Democrats and Republicans. It is a curious way to celebrate the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.
Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Bill [of Rights]: Obama Breaks Promise To Veto Bill Allowing Indefinite Detention of Americans”

Police In Indonesia Capture Dozens of “Punks” For “Spiritual Cleansing” In The Name Of Islam

My last column discussed how the Obama Administration is continuing its dangerous effort to appease Muslim allies in establishing limitations on free speech to combat “intolerance” for religion. Yesterday, there was an interesting article from Indonesia where police raided punk parties and took kids into custody to be “spiritually cleansed” in the name of Sharia law. Police insisted that the shaving of their heads and other abuses were perfectly consistent with human rights law because it was benefiting the subjects.

Continue reading “Police In Indonesia Capture Dozens of “Punks” For “Spiritual Cleansing” In The Name Of Islam”

Sandusky Attorney Inadvertently Sends Reporters To Gay-Sex Line

Attorney Joe Amendola, the lawyer for former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, has been criticized for his going on television with his client for interviews that appeared to not only harden the public’s view against Sandusky and, as to Sandusky’s call in statements, could be used at trial. He has also been criticized as a controversial choice in a sex-scandal case when he was accused of impregnating a 16-year-old client (who he later married). Now, an innocent quip has landed him again in controversy when he told reporters to call 1-800-Reality, which turns out to be a real number featuring gay-sex.

Continue reading “Sandusky Attorney Inadvertently Sends Reporters To Gay-Sex Line”

Religious Groups in Santa Monica Call For Changes After Atheists Win Majority of Places Set Aside For Holiday Scenes

Religious folk in California are outraged after learning that atheists won the right to 14 out of 21 spaces for holiday scenes. The city has a lottery system and, while God may not have favored them, fate did in selecting two atheists with claims to over two dozen spaces.
Continue reading “Religious Groups in Santa Monica Call For Changes After Atheists Win Majority of Places Set Aside For Holiday Scenes”

China Arrests Two Bloggers For The Crime Of Spreading Rumors

The Chinese government is obsessed with suppressing free speech on the Internet — legitimately fearful that citizens speaking with each other could bring an end to its regime. The recent protests in Russia likely reinforced those fears for the Chinese. Thus, it should come as no surprise that when two men told people online about a huge police presence supporting a wedding, the Chinese government had them arrested.
Continue reading “China Arrests Two Bloggers For The Crime Of Spreading Rumors”

Saudi Kingdom Executes “Sorceress”

The Saudi Kingdom has now executed yet another “sorcerer” — part of a continuing trend in Muslim countries in arrested suspecting Genies and sorcerers in the name of Allah. In this case, the Saudis appear to have arrested a garden-variety carnival healer — a woman saying that she could heal illness for $800 per session.
Continue reading “Saudi Kingdom Executes “Sorceress””

Police Reportedly Take Two Hunters Into Custody In Texas School Shooting

We have followed a long line of hunting accidents and buck fever cases which are becoming more and more common as housing areas expand into rural areas (here and here). Now in Edinburg, Texas, police have taken two hunters into custody on suspicion of firing the stray bullets that cut down two middle school students at Harwell Middle School.
Continue reading “Police Reportedly Take Two Hunters Into Custody In Texas School Shooting”

From The Mouths of Babes: Study Finds That Babies Copy The Most “Reliable” Adults

Ever marvel at how your baby mimicked your spouse? Now you know that the baby was not just copying your spouse but rejecting you as “unreliable.” A new study of behavior in babies found that they sized up parents and adults before choosing who to copy — rejecting some as not credible or reliable.
Continue reading “From The Mouths of Babes: Study Finds That Babies Copy The Most “Reliable” Adults”

Criminalizing Intolerance: Obama Administration Moves Forward On United Nations Resolution Targeting Anti-Religious Speech

Below is my column today in The Los Angeles Times on the conference this week in Washington on religious speech. I have previously written about the Obama Administration’s break with past policies to support Muslim countries in cracking down on speech deemed “defamatory” to religion. While the latest resolution does not repeat the defamation language, the purpose remains unchanged and the dangers for free speech are obvious. The non-binding resolution was passed in March, largely in response to the assassinations of two Pakistani officials who had spoken out against the nation’s blasphemy law. Ironically, however, the resolution will likely reinforce the right of countries to criminalize anti-religious speech and blasphemy laws.

Continue reading “Criminalizing Intolerance: Obama Administration Moves Forward On United Nations Resolution Targeting Anti-Religious Speech”