Democratic members have raised a novel argument under the Fourteenth Amendment that the refusal to raise the debt ceiling is unconstitutional. For full disclosure, I was asked about this argument weeks ago by members who believe that forcing the country to default would be not just catastrophic but unconstitutional. I will be discussing this topic today on CNN and tonight on Countdown.
Continue reading “Democrats Raise Constitutional Argument In Favor Of Raising Debt Limit”
A French woman has brought charges against the controversial and secretive Catholic society Opus Dei, alleging that she was brainwashed into working as a domestic servant with virtually no pay. This would have been the story line if Silas had simply sued Bishop Aringarosa in The Da Vinci Code.
Continue reading “Opus Dei in Court”
In Maine, Dr. William Phillips was giving a lecture on heart attacks at the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston when he had to respond to a man in the audience having . . . you guessed it . . . a heart attack.
We previously thought that we saw a unique breast milk assault case, but we were wrong. The Delaware County sheriff’s office this weekend arrested Stephanie Robinette, 30, at a wedding banquet hall and charged her with attacking deputies with her breast milk. Robinette is an elementary school teacher at Summit Academy, a school that specializes in dealing with children with autism, ADHD and other disorders.
Continue reading “Got Milk? Delaware Woman Charged With Breast Milk Assault”
The second happiest place on Earth is cutting rationed food to as low as 150 grams (5.3 ounces) a day. That is roughly 375 calories a day for North Koreans in the worker’s paradise.
Continue reading “North Korea Slashes Rations To As Little As 375 Calories a Day”
For years, we have followed the painful display of Barack Obama trying to deal with same-sex marriage by finding the best political position for himself. Principle has never been part of the equation, of course. The decision whether to stop discrimination against homosexuals is clearly based on what would be the most useful to the President. The result has been rather ugly with Jay Carney prompting laughs with the recent position that the President has been clear that his position is unclear. Now the President has adopted another position tailored for the election.
Continue reading “Obama: I’ve Made A Decision To Leave The Decision To States On Gay Marriage”
A Houston driver appears to have an instant solution to satisfying HOV requirements — after hitting a stranded motorist, the driver allegedly continued to drive with the dead victim in the passenger seat next to him.
One of my colleagues sent me this incredible story. This is judge Douglas Gummo, 42, who was arrested after allegedly appearing naked in a bed sheet at a female judge’s hotel room door and demanding to be let in. The Huntingdon County District Magistrate has been charged with public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and harassment.
Hani Khan, a former stockroom worker for Abercrombie & Fitch Co., has sued the clothing retailer for allegedly firing her for refusing to remove her Muslim headscarf or hijab while on the job.
The late Senator Ted Stevens was once mocked for the “bridge to nowhere” — a massive construction project that would have connected the town of Ketchikan, Alaska with Gravina Island — with 50 residents. Now, during an economic crisis and painful cutbacks, Rep. John L. Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is pushing through a $1.2 billion rail line that is expected to serve just 2,150 commuters a day.
The SunRail project has been widely denounced as a giveaway to Mica’s campaign donor, CSX, which will receive hundreds of millions for its rail line and upgrades. When confronted over the CSX windfall, Mica responded “Everybody has different vested interests. But you look at what is being proposed on paper, and it just make sense.” The problem is that a wide array of Republicans and Democrats have looked at the project (as well as federal officials) and found it to be wasteful.
Yet, even at this time of tremendous budget cutbacks and suffering, our Congress is still incapable of blocking such pet projects. If you recall, the solution to Stevens’ absurd bridge showed how out of touch our leaders have become. In proclaiming the end of the bridge to nowhere and congratulating themselves on actually stopping a single wasteful project, Democratic and Republican leaders promised to let Alaska keep the money. Problem solved.
Source: NY Times
Egyptian telecom businessman Naguib Sawiris is being sued in various lawsuits for “religious contempt” because of a simple cartoon showing Mickey Mouse with a beard and Minnie Mouse with a veil. Sawiris is a Christian secularist and was making a joke. However, an Islamic group called the Salafis has led a campaign against him for insulting Islam and demands for prosecution.
I have to admit that I have never been a fan of former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin who appeared to be the very symbol of dysfunctional incompetence during the Katrina catastrophe. He was universally criticized for doing relatively little during the crisis from his hotel room overlooking the disaster. His reelection left many less sympathetic with the city and, as a former New Orleans resident myself, I was appalled by Nagin’s utter failure to act (let alone lead) during the disaster. Nagin has now written a book that seems intent on showing that he is not really incompetent . . . just completely delusional.
Continue reading “Ok, Nagin’s Crazy”
In a major victory for the first amendment, the Supreme Court ruled that a California law regulating the sale of violent video games is unconstitutional. It was a strong 7-2 vote with only Justice Clarence Thomas and and Stepen Breyer dissenting — an odd couple to be sure from both ends of the ideological spectrum. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion.
Continue reading “Supreme Court Upholds Free Speech in the Violent Video Game Case”
It appears that same-sex marriage is being groomed for a major issue in this election. With Jay Carney insisting that President Obama remains clear that his views are unclear, Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann stepped forward this weekend to put the issue front and center in their campaigns. Gingrich this weekend announced that he will lead the fight against same-sex marriage to stop the nation from “drifting toward a terrible muddle.” He said that he would be looking for ways to “defend that view as legitimately and effectively as possible.”
Continue reading “Gingrich and Bachmann Call For Campaign Against Same-Sex Marriage”
Attorney Brian Kammer has called for the suspension of further lethal injections in Georgia after he said the execution of his client, Roy Blankenship, was botched with the use of an untested animal tranquilizer.
Continue reading “Attorney Calls For Cessation Of Lethal Injection After Use of Animal Tranquilizer Allegedly Lead To Botched Execution”