Constitutional Law, Justice, Politics, Religion

Divorced From Logic

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

Michael LaBossiere, a philosophy professor at Florida A&M University, has written a short Kindle book entitled For Better or Worse Reasoning: A Philosophical Look at Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage. In this book, LaBossiere reviews the “arguments” against same-sex marriage and points out the fallacious reasoning behind them. I would like to highlight a couple of the fallacious arguments, but for a complete treatment I suggest you download his book which is only $0.99.

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Criminal law, Society

New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Undermines Prosecution’s Case on Second Degree Murder Charge

The evidence continues to roll in on the Zimmerman case. While the new evidence is not entirely bad for the prosecution, it does contain some evidence that will likely bolster the defense of George Zimmerman in the second degree murder trial over the killing of Trayvon Martin. Regardless of the ultimate impact, the evidence again shows (in my opinion) that prosecutor Angela Corey over-charged the case in Florida.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Federal Trial Of Officers Accused Of Shooting Family Dog In Unlawful Search

We have been following the continuing line of cases of police officers shooting pets during raids or investigations. The latest is in Hartford where two police officers shot a family dog in front of a 12-year-old girl after entering the residence of the Harris family without a warrant. They claim the St. Bernard named Seven snarled and charged at them when the entered the yard. Officers John O’Hare and Anthony Pia are defendants in the trial.

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Bizarre, Criminal law

Say It Ain’t So “Zo”: Florida Police Officer Charged With Witness Tampering

Broward County Detective Anthony “Zo” Costanzo, 42, has been arrested in a remarkable case involving alleged police misconduct, including witness tampering. Known as “Zo,” Costanzo is accused of harassing a woman who brought charges against other officers in a false imprisonment case. Costanzo was previously featured on the Fox program, “COPS.”

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Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Politics

New York Judge Admits To Using Medical Marijuana To Relieve Pain From Cancer

Judge Gustin Reichbach of Brooklyn has written an extraordinary op-ed in the New York Times where he admits to breaking the law by using marijuana to relieve his suffering from Stage 3 pancreatic cancer. New York does not allow such use of marijuana and the Obama Administration has been cracking down with raids and arrests over the use of medical marijuana. Reichbach details how, with cancer treatment, “Nausea and pain are constant companions. ” As a result, “I did not foresee that after having dedicated myself for 40 years to a life of the law, including more than two decades as a New York State judge, my quest for ameliorative and palliative care would lead me to marijuana.” But his admits that he came to rely on the drug and has added his voice to thousands who defend the use of medical marijuana. He is a justice of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn.

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Constitutional Law, Military, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

Democracy Without Dissent: Obama Issues Draconian Executive Order To Silence Opponents Of Yemen’s Leader

President Obama has issued an alarming executive order that would allow the government to crackdown of U.S. citizens and other individuals who “indirectly” oppose U.S.-backed Yemeni President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Hadi was the right-hand man to the prior  dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh and won an “election” composed only of himself.  We, of course, immediately embraced Hadi and the Obama Administration is now threatening anyone who opposes him, including our own citizens. The Administration appears delighted that, while opponents are not welcomed in the country, American drones are.

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Academia, Bizarre, Science, Society

Getting An Extra Shot On Life: Drinking Coffee Found To Lengthen Life In Major Study

Go ahead and have a second cup of Joe this morning . . . you might live longer. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that both men and women lived longer on average if they drank two or three cups of coffee a day. No, the study was not funded by Starbucks.

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Bizarre, International, Politics, Society, Torts

Meet Dr. Sharad Shripadrao Pandit, The Love Doctor

Dr. Sharad Shripadrao Pandit in Birmingham, England was accused in Coroner’s Court this week in an extraordinary case of alleged malpractice. The parents of Alina Sarag reportedly called the GP more than 50 times about her ailing over four-and-a-half months. They testified that Pandit accused them of mollycoddling the girl and said that her symptoms were the result of being “lovesick.” She then died for tuberculosis.

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Academia, Society

Two-Thirds of Florida Students Fail Writing Tests This Year . . . Board of Education Solves Problem By Lowing Passing Scores

The Florida Board of Education has a curious way to combat poor passage rates for students on writing exams — they lowered the passing scores to engineer success. Two-thirds of students in Florida failed to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test exam — a sharp drop from the prior year. This was an effort to force high performance but it backfired with widespread failures.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

The Frenemy Defense: New York Man Insists He Shot His Friend Because The Victim Wanted To See What Being Shot Felt Like

There is an interesting criminal case out of Stockholm, New York where Shawn Mossow, 25, is charged with shooting a man. Nothing remarkable there, but the victim admits that he begged Mossow to shoot him in the leg to see what it feels like to be shot. That is perfectly legal. Shooting your friend with a .22 caliber rifle is not.

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Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Medical Report On Zimmerman Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations, and Back Injury

The evidence for the trial of George Zimmerman is slowly taking form. Yesterday, a medical report was disclosed by the family physician of George Zimmerman where the doctor found a “closed fracture” of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Trayvon Martin. While this is the family physician, it would still constitute important evidence in claiming self-defense, particularly when combined with accounts from the paramedics that found injuries to Zimmerman. An autopsy report released today also revealed bruises on Martin’s knuckles, consistent with a fight (though they could be bruises sustained in self-defense). In the meantime, the Justice Department has indicated that it may bring hate crime charges against Zimmerman — charges that would be questionable on the current evidence that has been made public in the case.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Virginia Blocks Gay Prosecutor From State Court

Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland appears to have been successful in every aspect of his life: as a Navy fighter-pilot, a top prosecutor, and the father to two twin children. With bipartisan support he would have appeared a shoe in for a state judgeship. However, he was denied in a vote of 33-31 by the Virginia House of Delegates because of one other fact — Thorne-Begland is gay. For gays and lesbians, the state seal (which is my favorite among the states) now has a more sinister meaning.

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Bizarre, International, Politics

The Gods Are Angry: Merkel Insists Lightning Strike on Hollande’s Plan Was A “Good Omen”

I was intrigued by the meeting of France’s new president Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a meeting where they discussed their sharp differences over austerity programs for European nations like Greece. On his flight to the meeting, Hollande’s plane was struck by lightning and he had to take another plane. After hearing of the divine act, Merket insisted that the lightning strike was “maybe a good omen for our co-operation.” Now that is a spin and got me to thinking about other omens. I wonder if Merkel used the same line as Mrs. Baylock in the movie The Omen when meeting Hollande: “Have no fear, little one… I am here to protect thee. ”

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