A family and animal shelter in Wisconsin is raising questions about the response of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to a fawn being dropped off at the shelter. An Illinois family found the fawn and brought it to the the Society of St. Francis shelter a couple weeks ago. The shelter planned to take the fawn named Giggles to a wildlife shelter. However, the DNR learned of the plan and, according to the shelter, raided the facility and killed the fawn.
It is now confirmed that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and has left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International airport. The United States continues to threaten any country that grants Snowden asylum and has been successful in pressuring U.S. media never to refer to him as a whistleblower. While MSNBC hosts mock Snowden and express disbelief why he doesn’t just trust that Obama will give him a fair trial, there is little reason for Snowden to trust those assurances when a president is claiming the right to kill citizens without trial, send some people to military tribunals, and routinely uses classification laws to force the dismissal of public interest lawsuits. What’s not to trust?
Continue reading “Snowden Granted Temporary Asylum In Russia”
This morning we have yet another article detailing a warrantless surveillance program by the National Security Agency that contradicts representations made by President Barack Obama and members of Congress. You may recall how Obama has tried to get citizens to embrace a new surveillance-friendly model of privacy after the disclosure of massive surveillance of citizens, including programs acquiring every call made by citizens. Various Democratic members came forward to admit that they knew of such programs and not to be afraid . . . they have our backs. Yet every story that has surfaced has contradicted claims that such programs are limited and do not involve the content of communications in emails and messages. The latest program being reported is called XKeyscore and is described as scouring emails, chat rooms, and browsing histories . . . all without a warrant. In the meantime, citizens in polls are saying that they are more concerned with the threat of their own government to their privacy than the threat of terrorism. Once again, citizens learned of this program not from their representative or their media but largely from the foreign press and the disclosures of Edward Snowden.
Last week, there was a bizarre and tragic accident killing Amy Stiner, 37, and Melissa Moyer, 38. The two women were hiking in Maine when they became lost. They were rescued only to get into their car and drive of a boat ramp and drown. Adding to the tragedy, Stiner was four months pregnant. Moyer left behind a 12 year old son.
Continue reading “Two Women Are Rescued On Hike Only To Die After Driving Off Pier In Maine”
This dog owner had to pause when he saw what paper his dog decided to chew apart.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has continued his public persona as the Captain Ahab of great big sugary drinks. The state Supreme Court Appellate Division has issued a second opinion that Bloomberg’s ban on large soft drinks in New York City is unconstitutional. Yet, Bloomberg has pledged to fight on with more appeals to defend a law that is not only paternalistic but utterly unconstitutional.
Continue reading “Appellate Panel Votes Unanimously Against Bloomberg Soda Ban”
Russian Lawmaker Vitaly Milonov is promising to arrest Olympic athletes found to be in violation of the country’s new abusive anti-gay law. The “gay propaganda” law has led many to call for the games to be shifted from Russia since the host country would arrest athletes who are openly gay. In the meantime, a boycott of Russian vodka has picked up steam around the world in protest of the crackdown on gays and lesbians.
Continue reading “Russian Legislator Promises To Arrest Gay Olympic Athletes Under New Anti-Gay Law”
Raif Badawi, who started the ‘Free Saudi Liberals’ website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, has been sentenced to a Saudi “court” to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for his engaging in free speech. It is the latest outrage from our closest Arab ally. Yet, we continue to treat Iran as part of the axis of evil while our allies deny basic rights and enforce draconian Medieval laws against dissidents and non-believers.
Continue reading “Saudi Court Sentences Blogger To Seven Years And 600 Lashes Under Sharia Law”
We have seen the reaction of police in the United States to being videotaped by citizens in arrests and destruction of equipment. It may therefore be instructive to see how police in other countries respond to such videotaping like this officer in Sweden.
Continue reading “Videotaping Police Is Not Always A Crime . . .”
After years of abuse in confinement from denying him a charge to denying him counsel, Pfc. Bradley Manning finally had a trial on the most serious charge against him: aiding the enemy. He was convicted on lesser charges. The verdict should again focus attention on the mistreatment of Manning by the Obama Administration for leaking classified reports and diplomatic cables. Many of these documents showed that the U.S. government was lying to the public and to its allies.
Continue reading “Manning Acquitted Of Aiding The Enemy in Wikileaks Case”
Brian Cisneros, 34, is accusing the Los Angeles Police Department of assaulting him without provocation last week. Cisneros says that he was riding his bike when officers allegedly jumped out of a cruiser and beat him severely. He was charged with “for no lights after hours of darkness.” He has charged the officers with police abuse in a complaint.
There is a tragedy in California that has led to a particularly challenging question of proximate causation. It appears well established that Arman Samsonian, 19, was driving recklessly when he slammed his SUV into a utility pole and a fire hydrant. It was a bad combination. When two individuals ran over to help, they were both electrocuted to death by the electrified water from the hydrant in contact with a fallen wire. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Karen Nudell last week approved charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the deaths of good Samaritans, Irma Zamora (right) and Stacey Schreiber (left). The defense insists these were unforeseeable intervening acts that should not be the basis for criminal charges.
The great thing about a feline crew is that they are good for nine lives and work for fish and kibble.
In his embarrassing quest to become something of a Russian action figure, Vladimir Putin has been featured a race car driver, great white hunter, jet pilot, oceanologist, martial artist and Hell’s Angel. During one such stunt Putin was shown as a scuba diver where he retrieved perfectly preserved ancient jars from the Ocean floor. His aides swore to a skeptical public that nothing was staged. Of course, it was shown later that the whole thing was staged. Now, aides are wondering why no one seems to believe them that Putin caught a record-setting pike. Professional fisherman cried foul at the latest Putin fish story.
Continue reading “Putin’s Pike: Vlad’s Latest Fish Story Leaves Russians Laughing”
Ok, after seeing these high resolution pictures of narcissism on parade, I have decided that Anthony Weiner and Sydney Leathers are made for each other. Leathers is now reportedly considering a porn career. In the meantime, there appears one group that remains enthusiastic about Weiner. Believe it or not, it is women aged 18-36 which give him a 78 percent favorable rating according to a poll by a dating site. Putting aside the skewed population for the poll, it is still pretty disheartening.
Continue reading “Just When You Thought The Weiner Scandal Could Not Get Creepier . . .”