Following Entry Posted 5/31/2006 11:15:00 AM

Teacher Lina Sinha - Nasty in Manhattan

(New York City) The convoluted story of Lina Sinha, Manhattan Montessori school teacher and director, was exposed last October when she was charged with sodomy and rape of a student.

Sinha was accused of having a long-term sexual relationship with a student, starting when the boy was 13 years old and lasting until he was 17. She was arraigned and freed on her own recognizance, however, she was instructed to surrender her passport to prevent flight to India where she has relatives.

Since that last court appearance, more trouble has visited Sinha. Yesterday, additional charges were filed.

From NYPost.com:

The female director of an East Side Montessori school was a little-boy-crazy "predator," Manhattan prosecutors charged yesterday, as they accused her of bedding two of the school's students - often on school property, and starting when they were only 12 and 13 years old.

The disgraced administrator, Lina Sinha, 40, who has worked for almost 20 years at the East 55th Street school founded and still owned by her parents, was also charged with trying to cover her tracks through lies and bribes of sneakers, cellphones and cash.

In all, Sinha faces 81 charges of rape, sodomy, bribing a witness and tampering with a witness and evidence.

"It is the people's position that this defendant is a predator," lead prosecutor Florence Chapin told a judge in Manhattan Supreme Court, after Sinha pleaded not guilty.

The most serious charges in the shocking indictment are for first-degree rape - for allegedly having sexual intercourse with the 12-year-old for a year, beginning in February 2001.

Whoa! Hose her down!

Two boys and 81 criminal counts related to illegal sexual behavior at a school -- for years! -- and nobody noticed? Come on! I don't believe it. Many people associated with the school had to be looking the other way, intentionally.

In the meantime, Sinha allegedly has been impeding investigators while trying to frame the first victim, who is now an adult and an NYPD officer, with fabricated assertions that he was a rapist.

Sinha's bail was set at $50,000 by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman and it was promptly posted. The next court appearance is scheduled for August 16. If convicted of the rape and sodomy charges, Sinha faces a possible 25 years in prison.

Companion post at The Jawa Report. Trackback to Basil's Picnic and Wizbang COTT.


[Update 09/06/06]

Sinha offered plea deal.


[Update 10/20/06]

Sinha rejects offer, going to trial.


[Update 02/27/07]

Sinha trial underway.


[Update 03/30/07]

Lina Sinha convicted. Sentencing scheduled for April 19th.


[Update 04/19/07]

Sinha sentenced to prison.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2006 08:45:00 AM

How Do I Love Thee?

Ooh-baby, ooh-baby, let me show you my love. Ooh-baby, it hurts so bad.

From SFGate.com:

A man who apparently severed his penis in an attempt to convince his wife that he was faithful to her was recovering after surgery to reattach the organ at a northern Malaysian hospital, a news report said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old man, who was not identified, got into an argument last Friday with his wife, who found a text message on his mobile phone from another woman. The man was heard by his son shouting that he wanted to prove he was not having an affair, the New Straits Times reported.

Loud screams and lots of blood are reported to have resulted.

Frankly, he would have been smarter to buy her some jewelry. Sure, cutting off his pleasure wand will assure that he doesn't stray to the arms of another woman, but it also means his lady at home likely won't experience any magic moments. Idiot.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2006 07:42:00 AM

New Terror Group Member Trained by Al Qaeda

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) As a followup to the previous post reporting that a new terror group is operating in Southeast Asia, Malaysian investigators found that at least one member is al-Qaeda-trained.

From TheStar.com.my:

One of the 12 members of the new terror group Darul Islam arrested by the Malaysian police was trained by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda movement in Afghanistan, investigations revealed.

The Indonesian, who was trained to handle arms and make bombs, is said to have conducted similar training for members of the group in Indonesia and in the southern Philippines.

Regional intelligence sources, who described the radical group as dangerous, said the man had been a strong source of influence on the rest of the other Darul Islam members.

They said the regional intelligence agencies had been keeping tabs on the group, particularly its link with the Abu Sayyaf, a small violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines.

Several of its leaders had reportedly fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet war and were students and proponents of radical Islamic teaching.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has instructed Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar, to issue a full report on the arrest and investigation of the 12 Darul Islam members.

The fact that al-Qaeda is involved, even minimally so, with Darul Islam should come as no surprise to prudent observers. All the terrorist groups seem to work together in a shadowy web of brotherly support.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/31/2006 02:25:00 AM

Illegal Allegedly Impregnates 10-Year-Old Half-Sister

(Pharr, Texas) A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a 21-year-old illegal alien, Pedro Guzman Munoz, for the alleged rape of his 10-year-old half-sister who is now three months pregnant.

From Team4News.com:

"He had sexual relations with one of his relatives who's ten years old, and as a result of that, she's three months pregnant," said Lt. Lupe Salinas, a spokesman for Pharr Police.

[ ... ]

"Possibly since she was 9 years old," Salinas said.

More shocking is that the parents may have known and did nothing about it. In fact investigators only found out when a doctor at a San Juan clinic reported the crime.

Now the parents could also be in trouble.

"CPS (Child Protective Services) is looking into the fact that if there was any type of negligence or if they knew that this was going on they can take some sort of action."

Munoz is believed to have fled to Mexico, his home.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2006 11:34:00 PM

Lewd Teacher Gets No Jail

(Hudson Falls, New York) A little over a year ago, a 31-year-old teacher's aide at Hudson Falls High School, Karlie Hall, was arrested and charged with child endangerment and public lewdness for exchanging sexually explicit emails with a 14-year-old student. She also exposed herself to him and bought cigarettes for him. Subsequently, Hall was released on $2,000 bail.

Today, in Hudson Falls Village Court, Hall pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child. She was sentenced to three years probation and instructed to have no contact with the victim.

In a related development, the mother of the victim, Kristine M. Fernandez, filed a $500,000 lawsuit last Friday on behalf of her (now) 15-year-old son. It's not clear what injury is to be claimed. Nonetheless, Fernandez and son seek damages from the school district, Hudson Falls Senior High School, and Karlie M. Hall on the grounds that no adequate background check was conducted prior to hiring Hall.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2006 08:36:00 PM

Teacher, 25, Rubby Rubby, Student, 18

(Las Vegas, Nevada) A 25-year-old teacher at Cheyenne High School, Heidi Tolman, has been suspended with pay while the school district investigates an allegation that she engaged in sex with an 18-year-old male student.

Tolman's lawyer, Vincent Consul, stated that no crime is involved since the student was not a minor. According to the school district, however, a teacher may be fired for having sex with a student despite the student's age.

I see Tolman's situation as a case of ethics rather than legalities.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2006 01:45:00 PM

Barry Bonds' Home Run Ball

Andrew Morbitzer, the guy who caught Barry Bonds' 715th home run ball (which broke Babe Ruth's record), was just interviewed on the FoxNews Channel.

Interestingly, Morbitzer pointed out that the ball has already been authenticated by Major League Baseball officials. It seems that there is some type of secret coding protocol on each ball and the officials verified that Morbitzer's ball was the one Bonds hit. Okay, fine.

However, does anyone else think it's ironic that the U.S. can keep track of individual baseballs but has no clue on tens of millions of illegal aliens? And, the same question could be asked regarding the millions of cows being tracked in order to intercept those infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow).

Illegal baseballs and infected cows can be found in the U.S. with ease while illegal aliens, in everyday plain view, can hide with impunity.

What a country!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2006 04:25:00 AM

New Terror Group Busted

(Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia) The Darul Islam is being characterized as a new terrorist organization when, in reality, the group was suppressed for decades and just recently became re-energized.

From TheStar.com.my:

A new terrorist group suspected of planning attacks on several neighbouring countries has been uncovered following the arrest of 12 men.

The recent capture of members of the Indonesian radical group, Darul Islam, was the Malaysian police's biggest success against terrorism since their crackdown five years ago on Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (KMM) which had links with the Jemaah Islamiah terror network.

The Darul Islam group, comprising mainly Indonesians, had at least two locals.

The 12 detained were nabbed off the coasts of Sandakan and Tawau following months of police surveillance.

The police had learnt that several members of the group would be in "transit" in Malaysia while on their way to neighbouring countries, sources said.

There are several potential target countries which border the South China Sea and I believe that all the major terror groups in the region work with each other in creating havoc. In addition to Darul Islam, there's also al Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf, and Jemaah Islamiah.

Police are investigating if Darul Islam had links with the Abu Sayyaf terror group based in the southern Philippines and the al-Qaeda movement led by Osama bin Laden who orchestrated the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The Star learnt that at least 11 members of Darul Islam are being held at the Kamunting detention centre in Perak. They have been issued two-year detention orders under the Internal Security Act.

Police seized several weapons and documents, including bomb-making instructions from the Darul Islam members who likely operate out of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on Borneo island and centrally located between Indonesia, the Philippines, and mainland Malaysia.

One final thought. Since the Darul Islam was dormant for a number of years and recently became operational again, it's probably safe to assume that it had an infusion of resources. I'd guess that it was al Qaeda sending Darul Islam a few key people and money.

Companion post at In The Bullpen.


[Update 05/31/06]

I was at least partially correct. Another report indicates that one member of Darul Islam was trained at a bin Laden al Qaeda facility in Afghanistan.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/30/2006 02:19:00 AM

Zarqawi Aide Captured by Iraqis

(Baghdad) Labeled as one of Iraq's most-wanted al-Qaeda terrorists, Kassim al-Ani was captured by Iraqi army security forces in Baghdad Sunday night. Kassim al-Ani, a/k/a Qasim Al-Aani, is a senior aide to the Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

From KUNA.net.kw:

Chief of the 3rd Brigades in the Iraqi Army Jawad Roomi Al-Daini told KUNA Al-Aani is a leader of an insurgent group and is behind many attacks in several Iraqi districts.

He said Al-Aani was involved in the assassination of the son of Chief Justice of Iraqi Supreme Court, Judge Madhat Al-Mahmoud, pointing out that the killer's brother, who is a member in the terrorist group, was also arrested.

In total, three al Qaeda terrorists were grabbed, senior aide Al-Aani, his brother and one other unnamed individual.

Notably, two weeks ago it was reported that Salah Hussain Abdul Razak (a/k/a Salah Hussein Abdelrazzaq), also a senior aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was captured in Ramadi.

From AINA.org:

The relevant Interior Ministry statement said "terrorist Salah Hussein Abdelrazzaq was arrested Sunday evening" in Al-Ramadi and had in his possession a mobile telephone storing photos showing him and Al-Zarqawi.

But wait, there's more. About one week ago, it was reported that another senior al Qaeda in Iraq member was captured by Jordanian Intelligence. Iraqi citizen Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly (a/k/a Ziad al-Karbouli and Abu Houthiyfah) was arrested after being lured into Jordan. Al-Karbouly (right) worked as a customs agent on the Iraq-Jordan border.

On Jordanian state-run television, al-Karbouly described the kidnapping and killing of a Jordanian driver in Iraq. He also seized two Moroccans who worked at their country's embassy and admitted to killing Iraqis.

Taken all together, I'd say that al Qaeda in Iraq seems to have had a miserable two weeks. In total, three senior aides to Zarqawi have been captured in three separate operations. And I seem to recall others from earlier. In fact, over the last year, it's likely that Zarqawi lost at least a dozen senior aides. So, what's up? Just how many senior aides can a guy have? And how many can he lose and still be effective?


[Update 05/31/06]

Rusty Shackleford reports that another senior al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist, Ahmed Hussein Dabash Samir al-Batawi, has been captured. Al-Batawi was notorious for beheading "hundreds of innocent Iraqis."

Keep on nabbing, guys.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2006 11:59:00 PM

Memorial Day 2006


Celebrate Those Who Fought


Remember the Fallen
Take a moment today to honor the Forces of Freedom.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2006 08:09:00 PM

British MI5 Swamped with 20 Terror Investigations

Attesting to 20 Islamist terror plots, surely MI5 has its hands full. Nonetheless, victims of the London bombings want security forces to be diverted toward public inquiries.

From TimesOnline.co.uk:

Twenty "major conspiracies" by Islamist terrorists in Britain have been uncovered by the security services, John Reid, the home secretary, has disclosed.

Reid said that the existence of so many plots means that the police and MI5 are fully stretched and cannot divert their precious counter-terrorism resources to a lengthy public inquiry into last year's London suicide bombings.

Reid revealed the existence of the plots -- far more than have previously been reported -- at a meeting with some of the victims' relatives and survivors of the attacks last week.

He failed to give further details but the claim appears to fit in with briefings by MI5 which suggest that as many as 1,200 potential terrorist suspects may now be in the UK.

The revelation of the work load of MI5 came in a meeting where the victims of the London suicide bombings were seeking investigative help in bolstering their cases for compensation. Reid did not appear to be complaining, rather, he seemed to just matter-of-factly say that MI5 already has a full plate and could not afford to devote resources to any endeavor other than chasing terrorists. In summary, MI5 is handling a full work load and they won't farm out resources to shore up victims' compensation claims.

Personally, I'd be interested in knowing the quantity of terror plots the FBI is chasing. No details, mind you, just a general ballpark idea. I'd speculate that hundreds of people, or maybe more, are under surveillance.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/29/2006 12:03:00 PM

CBS Crew Bombed in Iraq

(Baghdad) A roadside improvised explosive device exploded today and killed two crew members and injured a correspondent who were in a convoy on patrol with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

From WAPO:

A cameraman and soundman for CBS were killed and a CBS correspondent was seriously injured Monday after their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb, the network said.

Veteran cameraman Paul Douglas, 48, and soundman James Brolan, 42, were killed, CBS reported on its Web site. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier, 39, was in critical condition at a U.S. military hospital in Baghdad after undergoing surgery.

Condolences to the families.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2006 11:32:00 PM

Bloggers Get Sunday Times to Retract Story

A hoax has been exposed. Check out the whole episode at The Jawa Report.

This proves once again that there are jobs that Americans not only will do but must do.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2006 10:07:00 PM

Woman Jailed for Molesting Children

Here's another alleged female molester. They seem to be everywhere.

From AltoonaMirror.com:

(Everett, Pennsylvania) An Everett woman has confessed to sexually assaulting two boys and a girl at their great-grandmother's home, her attorney said.

Leasa Ann Fleming, 36, was charged this week with one count each of aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault and three counts of corruption of minors for molesting the siblings in November 2004, state police said.

And, here's a slightly different report from Post-Gazette.com:

A Bedford County woman was being held in jail on charges that she molested an 8-year-old girl and offered to perform a sex act on a 13-year-old boy, state police said.

Leasa A. Fleming, 37, of East Providence, is charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors.

Although these two reports differ, I believe they discuss the same woman, Leasa Fleming. She is presumably in jail with bail set at $25,000 or $170,000, depending on which report you read.


[Update 10/17/06]

Fleming guilty.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2006 05:23:00 PM

Teacher Jailed for Sex Assault of Boy

(Canon City, Colorado) A 33-year-old sixth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, Jennie Overstreet, was arrested after surrendering to Canon City Police Friday for alleged sexual assault of a boy.

Overstreet has been charged with sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust, pattern of sexual abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and enticement of a child.

In a search of Overstreet's home, meaningful evidence was found, including notes, pornographic materials and drug paraphernalia. Canon City Police continue to investigate and more charges may be filed. Note that Overstreet is accused of sexual assault of an elementary school boy, probably no more than 12-years-old. It's also hinted that there may be more victims.

Overstreet was jailed with bond set at $50,000.

Tipped by Don Morgenstern.


[Update 06/08/06]

New victims identified in Overstreet case.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2006 03:58:00 PM

Forget About Privacy in Japan

The Japanese are primed to start fingerprinting and photographing all foreigners entering the country beginning in November 2007. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi says he is just modeling the new program after the United States in its war on terrorism. I think he's fibbing.

Meanwhile, check out this development from those rising sons of brassy arrogance.

Japan's public television arm has called on the United States to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The panel said the U.S. should "cease to detain any person at Guantanamo Bay and close this detention facility, permit access by the detainees to the judicial process or release them as soon as possible." This from a a country that still will not allow the Red Cross to inspect their inquisition-style prisons and is now consuming human liberties faster than salmon at an all-you-can eat sushi bar.

My foreign language consultant tells me that the appropriate Japanese response to the panel's recommendation is "kuso wo tabete." It means something like "We'll take it under advisement."

Of course, my language consultant is a student so the translation might not be exact.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/28/2006 11:06:00 AM

Marching Gays Corked in Moscow

(Moscow, Russia) In 1993, homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia but it was still considered to be a mental illness as late as 1999. As such, anti-homosexual feelings remain deeply buried throughout the citizenry.

Nevertheless, activists applied for a permit to hold a gay pride parade in Moscow, the only major world capital not to have one. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov denied the permit.

From MOSNEWS.com:

In denying the parade permit Luzhkov said he was concerned about potential violence. But on Russian Radio on Friday he cited moral reasons for the ban. "I believe that such a parade is inadmissible in our country above all for moral considerations. People should not make public their deviations," he said.

Luzhkov also said that there would be no gay parades as long as he was mayor. Others joined in opposition.

Conservatives and Russian Orthodox and Moslem leaders have led a pressure campaign against the march. Russian Patriarch Alexy II has denounced the planned festival and parade, and the leader of Russia's Muslims has called for a "violent mass protest" if gay leaders go ahead with pride celebrations.

By ignoring the ban, the activists got results as promised, chaotic and violent, with more than 1,000 police officers put on full alert.

From WAPO:

Riot police broke up an attempt by gays and lesbians to stage Moscow's first gay pride parade Saturday. Gay activists who attempted to lay flowers near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall and then assemble across from city hall were heckled and assaulted by skinheads, Orthodox Christians and radical nationalists.

Police said they had arrested about 120 people, both supporters and opponents of the parade. Gay activists were dragged away by riot police when they began speaking to reporters, but opponents of the parade, including a nationalist member of parliament, were allowed to speak and chant, "Moscow is not Sodom."

Taken into custody was the leader of the march, 26-year-old Nikolai Alexeyev, who exuberantly claimed the event "an absolute victory."

If Alexeyev is referring to media coverage, yes, the parade was a success. Scores of major media outlets worldwide are carrying the story. However, I'd speculate that the event has pissed off many not-so-law-abiding citizens eager to be sparked into aggressively demonstrating their visceral opposition to homosexuality. This is in an environment where police reportedly look the other way. An absolute victory? Maybe not.

Another thing worth mentioning is the disparity among media outlets on reporting who comprised the opposition to the march. Check this out.

MOSNEWS.com - Conservatives, Russian Orthodox, Moslem leaders

WAPO - skinheads, Orthodox Christians, radical nationalists

CTV - Russian police, neo-fascists, Orthodox Christians

LATimes - right-wing protesters

GayNZ - skinheads and militant Orthodox Christians

San Francisco Chronicle - neo-fascist protesters, skinheads, Russian nationalists, Orthodox Christian fundamentalists

PinkNews.co.uk - fascist thugs and religious fanatics (note: eyewitness account)

Radio Free Europe - Police, Russian Orthodox believers, ultra-nationalists

Now, I would have imagined that somebody actually documented precisely who was there (i.e. Observed were 20 skinheads, 30 Orthodox Christians, etc.), but apparently not.

Notably, one report indicated that Muslims called for a "violent mass protest," yet there is no mention of Muslims protesting. Also notable is that the LATimes simply painted everyone in opposition as "right-wing protesters" when there doesn't seem to be evidence to support that blanket assertion. In fact, it's contrary to the statement that "anti-gay feelings still run deep in the country" which, presumably, would indicate that the opposition includes people other than right-wingers.

My best estimate of the total numbers of people involved is that there were about 50 homosexuals attempting to march, or maybe a few more, and probably no more than 200 protesters of all stripes. I suspect that the media people gathered yesterday in Moscow to cover the spectacle outnumbered the gays and lesbians.

In summary, the banned Moscow gay parade resulted in some skirmishes in the streets involving a few hundred people. Reports vary but it appears that about 100 people, homosexuals and protesters alike, were detained by police and most were later let go. Only minor injuries have been reported. In scale, the whole episode pales when compared to the all-too-frequent soccer riots reported from Europe. Nonetheless, the media is playing it up.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2006 08:25:00 PM

Big Win for Online Journalism

Remember when Apple Computer got its shorts in a wad after some employees leaked insider information and it showed up on the Internet? Well, blah, blah, blah and, finally, the issue went before the Superior Court of Santa Clara County. Apple lost the case. BizzyBlog has a good write-up on the story and here's an abridged version of the court's decision (PDF file).

Apple Computer brought this action alleging that persons unknown caused the wrongful publication on the Internet of Apple's secret plans to release a device that would facilitate the creation of digital live sound recordings on Apple computers.

In an effort to identify the source of the disclosures, Apple sought and obtained authority to issue civil subpoenas to the publishers of the Web sites where the information appeared and to the email service provider for one of the publishers. The publishers moved for a protective order to prevent any such discovery.

The trial court denied the motion on the ground that the publishers had involved themselves in the unlawful misappropriation of a trade secret. We hold that this was error because (1) the subpoena to the email service provider cannot be enforced consistent with the plain terms of the federal Stored Communications Act; (2) any subpoenas seeking unpublished information from petitioners would be unenforceable through contempt proceedings in light of the California reporter's shield; and (3) discovery of petitioners' sources is also barred on this record by the conditional constitutional privilege against compulsory disclosure of confidential sources.

Accordingly, we will issue a writ of mandate directing the trial court to grant the motion for a protective order.

Simply put, online journalists, including us lowly bloggers, can protect their sources. Obviously, Apple isn't thrilled and may opt to have the California Supremes look at the ruling. The decision, however, is loaded with logic and should pass muster.

Interestingly, all the buzz I've heard of Apple indicates the company prides itself as being a conclave of free-spirited, liberal entrepreneurial nonconformists and, apparently, at least one of them was too free-spirited. Therefore, Apple, in a sort of 21st-Century way, hoisted itself on its own petard! Meanwhile, the court case followed out of a desire to force journalistic sources to disclose private information so Apple could find the leaker and administer the ax.

Obviously, this is good news for bloggers and I'm going to get a piece of apple pie and celebrate.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/27/2006 10:22:00 AM

Ahmadinejad's Addiction

It's reasonable to assume that there are always backchannel methods of communicating and negotiating with the enemy. In the case of Iran and the U.S., this report says it's Greece.

Iran has turned to Greece to convey messages to the United States regarding its contentious nuclear program and other disputes, officials said Friday.

[ ... ]

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Wednesday confirmed the existence of "ad-hoc channels ... going back over the past year" that allow Washington and Teheran to speak through third parties. He did not go into specifics.

That's all fine but, frankly, what's there to talk about? Iran is developing a nuclear weapon and threatening to destroy the U.S. and Israel. The only rational response is to take the threat seriously and just say no. Now, for exercise and appearances, the parties can always go back and forth. So, Mahmoud says:

"We will wipe you off the map!"

"No, you won't."

"We will bomb your cities."

"No, you won't."

"We will unleash the power of Allah and slit the throats of all the women and children!"

"No, you won't do that either."

"We will behead all the men!"

"Not a chance, Mahmoud. As President of Iran, you need to get a clue."

In a nutshell, I've covered all the dialogue, communications, and negotiations that are reasonably achievable. Unless Iran comes off its belligerent position, there's really nothing to talk about.

The current regime in Iran isn't rational. They are promising a conflagration resulting in the annihilation of the U.S. and Israel. It's not going to happen. Agreed, Iran could make a major mess globally but, ultimately, its destruction is guaranteed. Think about it, Mahmoud. Iran may be a big country geographically but it's not nearly as big as the former Soviet Union. And the Soviets failed to match the U.S.

Imagine a sports analogy, Mahmoud. You've challenged the championship team to a winner-take-all contest. Mahmoud's All Stars are no serious match for the professional, experienced, highly-trained, technologically-advanced champions. You shout insults. You throw eggs. You put stink bombs in the champion's locker room. The sports writers (MSM) eat this stuff up and show a strong bias for the underdog. Mahmoud's All Stars become fortified. And it's all for naught because your team can't match the capabilities of the championship team. You will lose on the field of play.

Mahmoud, you have an addiction. It's an addiction to a radical belief system that the world will be ruled by Islam and all non-Muslims will become converts or be killed. So, you plant your hopes that a thousand-year-old carcass will emerge from a well and do something. In the process, everybody dies except for you and Allah's warriors (or something like that). Forget it. It will never happen.

There are over six billion people on Earth and the overwhelming majority are not on your side despite what the mainstream media would like you and everyone else to believe. The majority of humanity has heard of the concepts of freedom and equality and free speech. The bell has been rung and populations around the globe like the sound. Therefore, despite the trouble you start, Mahmoud, you won't finish it. Your enemies are not the United States nor Israel. Your enemies are freedom and equality and free speech. Those elements of mankind won't be killed by you or anyone else. The bell has been rung and it can't be unrung.

Here's another cliche for you, Mahmoud. Your addiction is leading you into a gunfight with a knife. A sure loser at the get-go. However, there is hope. A twelve-step program is needed to cure your addiction. Start by reciting the following:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Mr. President, your addiction blinds you to the fact that you cannot change the lure of liberty. That's your real enemy and it will endure despite what you and the nation of Iran do.

By the way, Mahmoud, I'm not naive enough to think that you're pulling the strings. Anyone with a pissant's mentality knows that the ayatollahs control your playpen. You're just their mouthpiece, an addict that can be manipulated. The ayatollahs also have an addiction but it's not radical Islam. They are addicted to power, in my opinion, and they seek absolute power. Like Hitler, they will fail.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2006 09:07:00 PM

Robber Shot and Killed in Stick Up

(Falfurrias, Texas) A convenience store owner shoots and kills a 20-year-old man attempting to rob his store. "Alfredo Sanchez was shot while trying to rob the Saddle Horn Market Saturday night. Police said the owner of the store shot Sanchez after he pulled a gun on the sales clerk."

Sanchez ran from the store. His body was found Sunday morning in a field across the street from the store.

No charges have been filed nor, in my opinion, should they even be considered. The shooting was in self defense, a legal and appropriate use of a firearm.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2006 10:41:00 AM

ACLU Proposes Code of Silence

Everybody has seen The Godfather, the movie, or read the book by Mario Puzo. Therefore, it's safe to assume everybody knows that the mafia only functions when its members observe Omerta, the Sicilian code of honor which forbids members from informing about the activities of the family. When the code of silence is broken, the wrongdoings of the organization are exposed.

With all that in mind, how should one view this proposed mandate from the ACLU?

"Where an individual director disagrees with a board position on matters of civil liberties policy, the director should refrain from publicly highlighting the fact of such disagreement."

Apparently, there ain't no sunshine in the ACLU. Granted, they're polite, but their message is a strong STFU about the ACLU. It's not omerta, per se, but it's suppression of dissent. And this is from an organization that ostensibly wants to make public every single iota of sensitive U.S. national security information.

There are many organizations that operate with a wrapper of secrecy but, even so, it surely is odd that the American Civil Liberties Union, putative proponents of free and open speech, desires to be one of them. Logically, one must wonder what the ACLU is doing behind the scenes that needs to be kept secret.

This is a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join, please email Jay@stoptheaclu.com or GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to the mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs are already on-board.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2006 09:03:00 AM

Sara Carter Wins Award for Immigration Reporting

The Center for Immigration Studies has named Sara Carter of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, Calif., as the recipient of this year's Eugene Katz Award For Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration.

From CIS.org:

Traveling frequently from California to Arizona and Texas and Mexico, Ms. Carter broke story after story related to the dangerous conditions all along America's southern border. Rare has been the week in the past six months that Ms. Carter hasn't appeared on a cable news program discussing her latest scoop.

It was Ms. Carter who broke the story that our government was alerting Mexico City to the locations and membership and other details of the Minuteman Project civilian border-watch group.

She also first brought word of bounties being placed on the heads of sheriffs' deputies along the Texas border by Mexican cartels.

The body of her reporting over the past year is an important example of how the public interest can be served when even a relatively small media outlet devotes appropriate resources to coverage of our nation's immigration crisis.

I've followed Sara Carter's finger-on-the-pulse reporting and she deserves the recognition.

Congratulations!

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/26/2006 07:35:00 AM

LGF Death Threat via Reuters

A jihadi posted a death threat to Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs and, through some research, it was found to have originated in London using a Reuters account hosted in Sweden. The prime suspect, who signed as zionistpig@hotmail.com, is believed to be Inayat Bunglawala, media secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The story continues to develop and is a bit confusing. So far, it's been determined that media secretary Bunglawala displays the attitude of a Muslim fanatic and, as such, it's not clear how anyone could apply much credibility to the Muslim Council of Britain. Bunglawala also apparently doesn't know very much about how the Internet works. And, for some unknown reason, it appears that the Muslim Council of Britain has use of Reuters email accounts. Just how closely tied to Islamic fanaticism is Reuters?

I expect there will be more on this story. Follow the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 10:05:00 PM

Woman - Sex - Boy - Videotape

(Kansas City, Missouri) A 22-year-old former Jackson County Family Court worker, Nichole L. Webb, was arrested for engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy. Police say the sex was recorded on videotape and both were aware that they were being taped.

Webb was arraigned in Jackson County Court and was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and second-degree statutory rape. It's believed Webb met the boy when he was in the custody of the Family Court.

It has also been reported that Webb may be linked to the death of a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the neck on May 9. The videotape of Webb and the 16-year-old having sex was allegedly taped in the same apartment where the 14-year-old was shot.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 09:11:00 PM

Duck Eats Alien

(Cordelia, California) Looking closely, one can see the alien peeking from the duck. It's an alien-peeking duck.

From MercuryNews.com:

An X-ray of the stomach of a wounded duck that died at the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia contains the uncanny image of an alien's face.

So, obviously the duck ate an alien. Right? Well, part of an alien anyway. In fact, it looks like the duck just bit off the alien's head and swallowed it whole. And then the duck "died quickly, quietly and peacefully after the X-rays were taken." My question? Where's the rest of the alien?

Interestingly, the staff noted that the International Bird Rescue Research Center is located near an area where crop circles have been found and wondered if the alien came to communicate with the people on Earth before being eaten by the duck. It was also noted that the alien was possibly a juvenile and it "has an intense grimace as if it were in anguish after being eaten."

Demonstrating true entrepreneurial spirit, the research center plans on auctioning the image on eBay. Bidding begins at 3pm on Sunday. As I recall, the Madonna on a grilled cheese sandwich sold for over $20,000 so I'm sure that the alien-in-a-duck image will get some bids. I don't expect the bidding to be as high, though. With the Madonna, the winner got a sandwich. The alien image is for sale without the duck.

Trackback to Wizbang COTT.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 06:38:00 PM

Foster Home Mom Arrested for Sex Abuse, Drugs

(Manitowoc, Wisconsin) A 25-year-old foster home mentor, Stacy Klein, was arrested and charged with repeated felony sexual assault of a child, delivery of cocaine and delivery of marijuana. Klein allegedly raped a 15-year-old boy on multiple occasions and supplied him with drugs at her home and at The Moorings, a foster care facility for delinquent boys placed by court order.

The Moorings is run by Milwaukee-based New Beginnings. After the allegations became known, Manitowoc County Human Services Department Director Tom Stanton terminated the contract with New Beginnings and The Moorings was closed. Other residents have been relocated to other facilities. Klein was fired from her position.

Klein waived her right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty in Manitowoc County Circuit Court to all charges. She is free on $10,000 bond and instructed not to have contact with anyone under 18, except for her own child. Klein's next court appearance is a June 21 scheduling conference. (H/T Don Morgenstern)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 04:49:00 PM

Free Canadian Health Care

(Toronto) Here's the case of Tom Garrett, an 18-year-old leukemia patient, who must fly from Toronto to Calgary every 16 days to receive photoimmune therapy not available in Ontario. This is so despite the fact that at least one hospital in Ontario has the medical equipment necessary to provide treatment.

From TheStar.com:

It costs the Ontario government $1,600 for each photopheresis treatment for Garrett in Calgary's Foothills Medical Centre, and he's had about 30 so far. And in 2004-05, the Ontario health ministry spent more than $1.6 million to send eight people to the United States for the same treatment at an average cost of $201,715 per patient.

Meanwhile, at Princess Margaret Hospital sits a machine about the size of a photocopier built by a Johnson & Johnson company called Therakos Inc. for the express purpose of providing photopheresis, a machine the manufacturer donated to the hospital five years ago.

Unfortunately, the health care system in Ontario says it doesn't have enough money to operate it. Authorities are reviewing proposals and recommendations for using the equipment, however, nobody is willing to discuss the details.

As a result, patients from around Canada have to travel to Calgary for the specialized treatment and, sadly, all costs for travel, accommodations and expenses must be paid by the families. One doesn't need a calculator to figure that the cost of socialized Canadian health care is not the same for everyone. In the case of photopheresis treatment, it depends on how far away one lives from equipment that works.

Hey, but not to worry. Just as they do with the post office, government bureaucrats are working diligently to improve health care.


[Update 06/01/06]

How fortuitous. The Ontario Health mucky-mucks have announced their decision to buy more equipment.

From TheStar.com:

Ontario patients suffering from a rare immune disease will no longer have to travel out of the province or to the United States for lifesaving therapy, said Health Minister George Smitherman.

The province will buy two brand-new photopheresis machines and create a two-year evaluation program at Princess Margaret Hospital at a cost of $5.15 million, Smitherman said yesterday.

What are the odds? Just as the media is reporting a deficiency in the Canadian socialized health scheme, the utopians announce a solution to the problem. Imagine that.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 11:16:00 AM

Saddam's Nephew Arrested

(Beirut, Lebanon) Good news! Another member of the ousted Saddam Hussein regime is apprehended.

From DailyStar.com:

Police in Lebanon have arrested the son of Saddam Hussein's half-brother on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol. According to sources close to the security forces, Bashar Sabawi Ibrahim al-Tikriti, identified by the international policing organization as a "dangerous wanted terrorist," was nabbed at the Malibu Bay Hotel in the Jounieh neighborhood of Maameltein.

Tikriti had been planning to board a flight from the Lebanese capital to Brazil later in the day.

Police were tipped off when members of the hotel's staff suspected that Takriti's passport had been tampered with to alter his name.

The sources added that the wanted Iraqi had originally entered Lebanon through Syria after escaping Iraq. An international warrant for Tikriti's arrest on terrorism charges, including leading a group to fight US forces in Iraq, was later discovered once authorities realized who they had in custody.

Bashar Sabawi is the son of Saddam's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, who was a former presidential assistant and the six of diamonds (No. 36) on the deck of 55 most-wanted Saddam loyalists. It's evident that Basher was quite close to the seat of power in the government of Saddam and I'd speculate not much different in character from Uday and Qusay. Good riddance.

On a different note, it would be nice to know what connection Basher Sabawi Ibrahim al-Tikriti has with Brazil. Business or pleasure? Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if there were an expatriate group of exiled Baathists in Brazil. After all, the country is comfortably socialist.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 10:02:00 AM

If You Sit, You Parent

I'd have to conclude that someone speaks stork language.

From Ananova.com:

Four gay storks have proved they are as capable of raising a family as their heterosexual counterparts.

Staff at the zoo in Overloon, near Eindhoven, were unsure if the gay and lesbian storks would still have the same natural urge to raise offspring.

But after giving one egg to a pair of gay males to sit on, and another two eggs to a pair of lesbian storks, they say the gay storks took to parenthood straight away.

Somebody tell me. What's the difference between homosexual and heterosexual storks? My neighbor had a dog that liked to hump people's legs, sometimes mine. I doubt that dog could be called homosexual and he had a bigger brain than any stork, therefore, much more capable of making an alternative sexual lifestyle choice. So, gay and lesbian storks sounds like somebody is making stuff up.

But I could be mistaken and somewhere there's scientific data associated with studies on gay and lesbian storks. Ludicrous? Yes. Even so, I'd question it. I don't question, however, that the zoo seems to be appropriately named. If your entertainment isn't loony enough, visit Overloon.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/25/2006 07:48:00 AM

Yacht Used to Smuggle Mexicans

(Corpus Christie, Texas) Federal agents and the Coast Guard caught a charter boat captain smuggling illegal aliens along the Texas Gulf Coast on a yacht named Poco Mas. Authorities believe it wasn't the first time. Arrested were six Mexicans, deck hand Baldemar Valadez Jr., and the captain, Mark Daniel Bryant.

From MSNBC.com:

A charter boat captain has been caught smuggling illegal immigrants up the Intracoastal Waterway. Federal agents learned of the scheme Sunday which began in South Padre Island and ended in Corpus Christi. A total of eight men are now in custody.

The six illegals not only didn't make it to freedom, they're also out $1,500 each according to immigrations officials. The owner of the boat, he could be out close to $400,000 which is the value of the boat he could soon lose, because it was used in the alleged crime.

Authorities said the six illegals first crossed the border near McAllen, then made their way to South Padre Island where they boarded the "Poca Mas" fishing yacht.

Notably, the six Mexicans were already in the U.S. after having crossed the border in McAllen. Their purpose in boarding the yacht at South Padre Island for a ride to Corpus Christie was to avoid inland Border Patrol checkpoints about 60 miles north of the border. I take this as an indication that the Border Patrol checkpoints are, to some degree, effective and more are likely needed.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the Mexicans were willing to place their fate in the hands of a smuggler at sea. Alonzo Pena of the San Antonio Immigration and Customs Enforcement office calls this an act of desperation since "Alien smugglers routinely demonstrate how little regard they have for their human cargo."
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 06:59:00 PM

Teacher Indicted for Improper Sexual Contact

(Marble Falls, Texas) A 32-year-old teacher at R.J. Richey Middle School, Danya Jean Elsasser, was indicted by a Burnet County grand jury last March for an improper relationship between educator and student.

Elsasser allegedly engaged in improper kissing and sexual touching of an 18-year-old male high school student. The student stated he had sexual contact with Elsasser from last November until January. After being booked into the Burnet County Jail, Elsasser was released on $10,000 bond.

Interestingly, the 18-year-old alleged victim is an adult but, under a new Texas law, it's a felony for a teacher to engage in sexual behavior with a student, regardless of age. One could say that a 32-year-old with an 18-year-old is marginally less offensive than if the student were a minor, although the age difference is still troubling. It's also noteworthy to mention that Elsasser's husband, Richard, is the principal at R.J. Richey Middle School.

The Burnet Police Department continues its investigation. If convicted of the charges against her, Elsasser faces a possible 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 04:25:00 PM

Licker Surprises Woman

Here's proof that people should never assume that they have seen everything.

From Local6.com:

Police in Tulsa, Okla., are searching for a man who hid under a woman's car at a Wal-Mart parking lot and then licked her toes as she loaded groceries into the vehicle, according to a report.

The perpetrator is described as Hispanic or Indian, about 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. If caught, he'll be charged with outraging public decency or battery.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 04:06:00 PM

Arrest Warrant Issued for Teacher in Molestation Case

(Orange County, Florida) An arrest warrant has been issued for 35-year-old Ashley Stennett, a former teacher at Howard Middle School, for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old student. It's believed she is somewhere in Central or South Florida. (H/T Don Morgenstern)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 02:44:00 PM

Teacher Arrested for Field Trip Sex with Boy

(Raleigh, NC) A 44-year-old history teacher, Janet Klatt, was arrested and charged in Wake County for having sex with a 16-year-old male student. Although Klatt taught at the Cannon School, a private institution outside Charlotte, the alleged sex occurred on an overnight field trip in a Raleigh hotel room.

Klatt was released after posting $5,000 bond on Monday. She was instructed to have no contact with the victim and to surrender her passport. If convicted of the sex offense, Klatt faces a possible four years in prison. Klatt is scheduled to appear for a probable cause hearing in Wake County District Court on June 13.

Cannon School administrators indicate that Klatt was fired from her teaching position.


[Update 05/30/06]

It appears that Janet Klatt has some additional difficulties.

From Charlotte.com:

Concord police arrested a former Cannon School teacher today in connection with a second incident involving a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Janet Klatt, 44, of Charlotte, was charged with sex offense with a student and was taken to the Cabarrus County Jail under $5,000 secured bond.

Two boys. Two counties. Not good.


[Update 01/17/07]

Klatt sentenced to probation in Cabarrus County.


[Update 02/09/07]

Klatt sentenced to probation in Wake County.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 12:39:00 PM

Teacher Arrested for Sexually Touching Boy

(Bakersfield, California) A 27-year-old math teacher at Highland High School, Ann Elizabeth Miller, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex acts with a 15-year-old male high school student. Detective Ryan Paslay of the Bakersfield Police said there was "sexually related touching" between Miller and the boy.

According to police, Miller was booked into jail for one count of lewd acts with a child 14 or 15 years of age and 10 years younger than the suspect. Miller posted bond and was released. Additionally, she has been placed on unpaid administrative leave from her teaching position.


[Update 08/08/06]

Miller pleads no contest.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 09:32:00 AM

Patient, 88, Left Lying on Hospital Floor

This story is hard to stomach.

From Scotsman.com:

Politicians yesterday called for an inquiry after an 88-year-old pensioner was left lying on a hospital floor for four hours because staff were not allowed to move him.

Mitchell Cabel, a retired builder, was injured when he fell from a chair while a patient at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen. He was wrapped in blankets, given drugs and left on the cold floor of a ward while hospital staff waited for paramedics.

[ ... ]

Nanette Milne, the Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman, said: "It sounds like bureaucracy took precedence over humanity."

"I hope the health board will look at this forthwith and make sure it doesn't happen again."

A spokeswoman for the health authority said: "NHS Grampian has apologised to the family of the late Mitchell Cabel for any distress caused."

Blame it on the bureaucracy and apologize. Typical. But hold on, here's the gold nugget quote.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Had this gentleman not been in a hospital he would have received a very much faster response."

Translation -- if you want to live, avoid the hospital.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 07:06:00 AM

Americans, Nigerians, South Africans Arrested in Congo

(Kinshasa, Congo) In the run up to the July 30 national elections, the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrested 32 foreigners, including 10 Nigerians, three Americans and 12 South Africans, in a suspected coup plot. No names have been disclosed.

From Reuters.co.uk:

"About 30 people claiming to work for a security company have been arrested. They say they were working for the company but our information suggests they had other intentions," government spokesman Henri Mova Sakanyi told Reuters.

"They wanted to destabilise the institutions of the country, that means a coup attempt."

Sakanyi said the group had been arrested a few days ago but did not give any details other than that they worked for security firm.

Apparently, the foreigners are considered mercenaries "as they have all come back from Iraq." It doesn't make sense to me, but authorities appear to believe that anyone coming from Iraq is a mercenary. As a consequence, Sakanyi said they would be tried in court.

From another source, ANDNetwork.com:

According to the South African diplomatic mission in the DRC, 19 of the 32 mercenary suspects arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo hold South African passports. Sixteen of the suspects work for the Omega Security Company, while three work for a mining company as interpreters.

There is a discrepancy in reporting of the number of South Africans which remains to be resolved. One report says 12, another says 19.

From WaPo:

The United Nations said it could not confirm Congo's allegations.

"We are not concerned about this, it appears to be a case of political manipulation by Congo's government," said Jean-Tobias Okala, U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa. "We have almost 18,000 troops here to achieve our goal of peaceful and transparent elections."

The upcoming elections are hoped to be the end of internal strife which has endured since 1998 and resulted in the deaths of four million people in a humanitarian crisis. Oddly, the tragedy in the Congo happened concurrent with the presence of UN peacekeepers. A prudent observer could logically conclude that the UN hasn't been very effective.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/24/2006 06:15:00 AM

Suspects Arrested in UK Anti-Terror Sweep

Police forces from five metropolitan areas and MI5 ( British equivalent of the FBI) conducted anti-terror raids in northwest Britain resulting in the arrests of at least eight individuals suspected of plotting and facilitating attacks overseas.

At least 16 homes were raided in the sweep which began today around 3am local time. The Greater Manchester Police anti-terrorist unit and MI5 jointly led the operations which are expected to last all day. Five hundred police officers from Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Cleveland, Metropolitan Police and Merseyside participated.

The suspects were arrested under the UK Terrorism Act and they can be detained for 14 days before charging them.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2006 05:36:00 PM

President Vicente Fox Visits Utah

(Salt Lake City) Mexican President Vicente Fox arrived in Utah earlier today on the first day of a three-day, three-state tour of the United States. Fox was greeted by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., first lady Mary Kaye Huntsman and local leaders. A dinner is planned for Fox at the governor's mansion this evening.

Fox's itinerary also includes visits to the states of Washington and California.

Tomorrow, Fox is scheduled to address the Utah Legislature prior to a noon departure. It is speculated that Fox will direct the lawmakers to implement measures which facilitate a timely Mexican takeover of the entire western United States.

Or, maybe he'll talk about something else.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2006 11:00:00 AM

Dem Sen. Dodd Pines Prez Run

(Hartford, Connecticut) Like a Salvation Army Santa ringing his bell, Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has indicated that he needs his kettle filled to achieve his goal of becoming President of the United States. Well, metaphorically anyway.

Dodd yesterday announced in an interview that he has "decided to do all the things that are necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008." In other words, 'Can I find enough supporters to stream the cash necessary to pay for a presidential campaign?'

It remains to be seen and Dodd said a decision won't come until next year. Dodd is now among about ten other Dems seeking the top job. Consequently, all will soon begin entertaining the public by saying nasty things about each other.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/23/2006 07:37:00 AM

Israel Captures Hamas Military Leader

Using an army bulldozer to break down the walls of his hideout, the Israelis captured Ibrahim Hamed, the most-wanted Hamas terrorist leader on the West Bank.

From Haaretz.com:

After an eight-year manhunt, Israeli security forces early Tuesday seized the Ramallah-area commander of Hamas' military wing, Israel's most wanted man in the West Bank.

Sheikh Ibrahim Hamed, 41, has been wanted since 1998 for terror attacks that claimed the lives of 78 of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Hamed was arrested at a hideout in the al-Balua neighborhood of Ramallah, surrendering to a combined force of Israel Defense Forces Dukefat troops, the Shin Bet security service, and the police anti-terror unit.

Apparently, Hamed decided to surrender, alone and unarmed, when the walls started collapsing. An Israeli military spokesman stated that the capture will significantly impede Hamas' capabilities since Hamed will be hard to replace. He was known to be a creative bomber who allegedly masterminded attacks resulting in the deaths of scores of people.

From the BBC, check out this astonishing statement.

BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley in Jerusalem says it is not clear why the army moved against Hamad.

Excuse me! I'd suggest that the BBC hire a new correspondent to report from Jerusalem.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2006 06:01:00 PM

Wal-Mart Leaving South Korea

The world's largest retailer has decided to sell its interest in South Korea to the country's leading discount chain, Shinsegae Co. Wal-Mart Korea will receive about $882 million for 16 stores when approval is obtained from government regulators.

Since the launching of Wal-Mart Korea in 1998, its performance has been less than stellar. According to Mike Duke, vice-chairman of Wal-Mart, "It became increasingly clear that in South Korea's current environment it would be difficult for us to reach the scale we desired."

Wal-Mart is the second global retailer to abandon doing business in Korea in recent weeks. In late April, the French retail giant Carrefour sold its 32 South Korean stores to local fashion retailer E-Land.

Apparently, the current business climate in South Korea is not very friendly to foreign retailers.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2006 04:37:00 PM

Muslims Attack Teachers in Thailand

(Bangkok) For the fourth time this year, Muslims have attacked Buddhist teachers in far south Thailand.

From TheStar.com.my:

More than 100 government schools in Thailand's rebellious Muslim far south were closed on Monday after villagers abducted and beat two women Buddhist teachers, leaving one in a coma, officials said. The attack prompted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to call another urgent meeting with top security officials on how to protect teachers, a prime target in a two-year separatist insurgency in which more than 1,300 people have been killed.

Although Thailand is primarily Buddhist, the three far-southern provinces adjacent to Malaysia are largely Muslim.

"They are doing everything they can to drive minority Buddhists out," said Tawat Sae-ham, head of a teachers' union in neighbouring Narathiwat province, where an angry mob took two Buddhist teachers from a school on Friday.

The teachers were dragged from the school and held hostage by masked men.

The attackers demanded the release of two Muslim men being held on suspicion of murder. When authorities refused to release the men, the teachers were beaten, leaving one, newly graduated Juling Ponggunmul, in a coma.

Teachers and witnesses said it took police and troops three hours to reach the village to help the teachers, but security personnel said they got there as fast as they could on roads on which spikes had been scattered.

The latest attacks are part of the ongoing campaign of violence as Muslims attempt to separate themselves from Buddist Thailand. The government claims to be making progress on improving security, however, Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch says the continued high level of violence indicates otherwise. In fact, it's believed that unchecked abuses by government security forces have increased fear and alienation in the region.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2006 08:53:00 AM

Ban Iranian Team from World Cup

Here's an idea.

From SeattleTimes.com:

Republican Senate candidate Mike McGavick has a plan to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions: Bar its national team from the soccer field.

McGavick, who is challenging Sen. Maria Cantwell in November, wants the international soccer federation to disinvite Iran from the wildly popular World Cup soccer tournament.

Iran, one of 32 teams to make the cut, is slated to play its opening match in Nuremberg, Germany, on June 11.

The initial reaction to McGavick's proposal among some politicians, local blogs and Iranian students in views posted on the Web ranged from laughter to outrage.

"This is not a trivial matter," McGavick said in an interview. "The world needs to use all the tools at its disposal against Iran. It needs to see that it's an outlaw state."

Playing in Nuremberg has a symbolic element since it's where the WWII war crimes trials were held. War crimes involved with the attempted annihilation of all Jews, something the current leadership of Iran is espousing. As such, I'm not adverse to McGavrick's proposal if, for no other reason, than to make Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an unhappy tyrant.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/22/2006 06:45:00 AM

Conventional Muslim Thought on Raping Prisoners

In a question and answer column in the Arab News, the subject of having sex with prisoners of war is discussed. One reader relates that elderly Muslim men have spoken enthusiastically of sex with prisoners of war. Here's an excerpt of the scholarly answer.

The reader raises the possibility of reciprocal treatment, and asks how would Muslims react to American soldiers practicing this ghastly crime in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well, American soldiers have been practicing terrible atrocities in both countries, as well as at Guantanamo and in many other countries, while the American president refused to endorse the creation of an international court to try those who are accused of committing war crimes. His reason is that under the treaty, American soldiers might have to face such trials.

He wants those guilty of war atrocities to remain immune. The photos that were published about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq show more than rape.

It appears that the conventional thinking among Muslims is that Americans are regularly having sex with prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan and committing "other atrocities," whatever that means. However, thanks to the mainstream media, I have repeatedly seen photos of the exceedingly dumb and irresponsible practices employed at Abu Ghraib, including the use of dogs, mock executions, and humiliation but I don't recall any evidence of sex with prisoners nor "other atrocities."

I also recall that the military has investigated the incidents and prosecuted offenders. To my knowledge, no one has been granted immunity. With regard to "other atrocities," I know of no instances of eyes being gouged out, hands being lopped off, nor beheadings.

Nonetheless, the generally-accepted beliefs of the followers of the religion of peace are considerably distorted from what the actual evidence has shown regarding Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. And, the MSM should get most of the credit for fostering the misconceptions. After all, the MSM have Muslims believing that a Koran can be flushed down the toilet. My experience has been that a large wad of toilet paper has trouble being flushed. Of course, I've never seen a magic toilet.

In a nutshell, not only have the MSM been able to get Muslims to believe in magic toilets, they have also enabled them to adopt the erroneous belief that the American military regularly rapes prisoners of war.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/21/2006 11:53:00 AM

No Fishing Guide Needed to Catch Illegals

(El Paso, Texas) That's right. When it comes to catching illegal aliens, you don't need a guide or a secret spot. Just set up a checkpoint and wait. Like fish jumping into the boat, the illegals will materialize.

From KFOXTV.com:

The Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office intercepts 54 illegal immigrants just 90 miles east of El Paso, and among the group are two former Mexican soldiers.

The arrests were part of Operation Linebacker. Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West said it shows how local law enforcement can be another line of defense along the border.

The immigrants were caught on Highway 62/180, near the Guadalupe Mountains. That's where Hudspeth County deputies set up a checkpoint and within a matter of hours intercepted three trucks and one van loaded with illegal immigrants, totaling 54 people, including two children and six women.

Three trucks and a van -- loaded with illegals! Like I mentioned, just sit, wait a while and catch your daily limit. On any day, it seems.

The last time Hudspeth deputies set up a checkpoint was in March, and within a 28-hour period, deputies apprehended 75 illegal immigrants -- in comparison to Friday's staggering 54 people within a matter of hours.

And, let us not forget about the Mexican soldiers. They've got to be trophy catches.

The most alarming part, West said, was that two men were carrying Mexican military IDs.

"Two of the aliens that were mixed in with the crowd were either ex- or former military. One of them had been deported just two weeks ago," West said.

West said one of the men admitted to having a fake Social Security card and identification card showing he resides in Clifton, Texas.

It only took two weeks after being deported for the former Mexican soldier to sneak back into the U.S. I imagine he had to wait for his laughing spasms to die down. Even though American citizens see border security as a tragic failure, illegal aliens likely see a comedic speed bump. Well, at least the smugglers do.

All kidding aside, one thing is certain. The flood of illegal aliens paints border security as a myth. And, fortifying a myth just makes it a fairy tale.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2006 01:39:00 PM

Jack the Ripper Had Female DNA

It seems entirely possible. Anyone can be a murderer.

From SMH.com.au:

In a bid to crack the identity of one of the greatest murder mysteries of all time, technology developed in Australia has tested 118-year-old DNA the notorious serial killer may have left behind and built a partial female profile.

Scientist Ian Findlay said the partial profile had been created from saliva possibly from the Ripper on the back of stamps on the envelopes of letters sent to London police.

I imagine the feminist crowd is rooting for confirmation that Jack was really a Jill. It would bolster the equality argument.

Uh ... I'll probably get static for that.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2006 12:54:00 PM

Cocaine in Breast Milk Allegedly Kills Baby

(West Branch, Michigan) A 23-year-old woman, Sara Shelby, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in the death of her 5-month-old baby. Prosecutors say Shelby fed the baby breast milk contaminated with cocaine.

From The Bay City Times:

A medical expert for the prosecution has concluded that the baby died from ingesting cocaine. Prosecutors allege that Shelby used cocaine during the time she was breast-feeding and the drug was passed on through her breast milk.

Shelby also faces abuse and neglect charges regarding a 2-year-old child. A trial date of July 11 has been scheduled in that case.

If convicted of the involuntary manslaughter charge, Shelby faces a possible 15 years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 25. In the meantime, Shelby is free on bond.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2006 08:59:00 AM

New Government in Iraq

(Baghdad) After three years of turmoil following the ouster of Saddam Hussein, a new Iraqi government has been sworn in before a special session of parliament.

From MyWay.com:

The session began more than two hours late because of last-minute haggling, finally opening with readings from the Quran.

The 37-member Cabinet is made up of members from all of Iraq's religious, sectarian and ethnic groups. It took months of negotiations to form after the Dec. 15 elections and is Iraq's first constitutional government since the U.S. invasion toppled Saddam.

"This is a historic day for Iraq and all its people," deputy parliament speaker Khalid al-Attiyah said in a nationally televised news conference before the session. "This government represents all Iraqis."

Two major cabinet posts remain to be filled, the interior minister and the defense minister.

Maybe it's just my ignorance, but it seems that the formation of a new government in Iraq is a milestone event worth trumpeting. Text books tell us that the colonies took considerably longer than three years to cast off the shackles of tyranny and establish the United States so, not only is the creation of a constitutional democracy in Iraq a major event in world history, it was accomplished in record time when compared to America. However, despite my beliefs, a search through the mainstream media reveals the story getting ho-hum mention and usually it's sandwiched between graphically reported segments showing violence in the streets.

Nonetheless, I congratulate the citizens of the nation of Iraq.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/20/2006 06:48:00 AM

Woman, 44, Charms Boy, 13

(Winston-Salem, NC) A 44-year-old woman, Linda Ann McBride, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly engaging in a month-long sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy. The boy and his grandmother reportedly shared a domicile with McBride.

According to the police report, two white male juveniles reported being sexually assaulted by McBride between April 10 and May 17, 2006. As a result McBride has been charged with two counts statutory rape and one count of taking indecent liberties with a child. She was jailed in the Davidson County Detention Center on $50,000 bond.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2006 03:41:00 PM

Blogger Wins GOP Primary

(Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania) A 21-year-old blogger beat a five-term incumbent in Tuesday's Republican primary for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Mark Harris of Save The GOP garnered 45% of the Republican voters to Rep. Tom Stevenson's 36%.

From ThePittsburghChannel.com:

Stevenson said his late-night vote in favor of a legislative pay raise last July was the biggest campaign issue. He said the focus should have been on Harris' lack of experience but the majority of voters didn't agree.

Harris and Democrat Matthew Smith will match up in November.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2006 07:55:00 AM

Beheadings in Mexico

(Mexico City) One might call it arrogance. Others might say it's a total disregard for the law. If nothing else, placing a severed human head on a stick with a note demanding respect is clearly terrorism. And it's being done by drug lords in the country of law-abiding, hard-working people who do jobs that Americans won't do.

With regard to ignoring the law and beheading policemen, it's true. Americans won't do that. Digger has the details. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/19/2006 06:33:00 AM

Health Teacher Arrested for Molesting Boy

(Palm Beach County, Florida) A 50-year-old health teacher at Park Vista High School, Donna Lea Smith, has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and sexual battery for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a teenage boy who is reportedly a relative.

From Sun-Sentinel.com:

From time to time, they would watch TV together in bed.

The 15-year-old boy would kiss her cheek. The woman, 50, would kiss his lips.

They would undress and have sex.

[ ... ]

Investigators following up on a tip to the Florida Abuse Hotline interviewed the unidentified boy, who told them he slept with Smith, of West Lake Worth, four or six times.

"He stated they had 'mixed emotions,'" investigators wrote in an arrest affidavit. "He stated the first time was at the end of seventh grade, when he was 14 years old."

The boy's last encounter with Smith was about six months ago, but he couldn't remember whether it was before or after his 15th birthday, court documents show.

Park Vista High School Principal, Nora Rosensweig, awaits the outcome of the criminal investigation and has reassigned Smith to job duties where she will not have contact with students. Smith will continue to collect her $60,507 salary.

Another source indicates that Smith was also charged with the incest-related crime of sexual assault by a custodian. It's not clear what family relationship exists between the boy and Smith. Reportedly, the sex occurred while Smith's husband, James, was asleep in an adjacent room.

In her defense, Smith told investigators that the boy assaulted her twice and she quietly cried both times.

"I told him often about control and that he would get arrested for rape if [it were] someone else," Smith told investigators. "After [Christmas], he kept getting nastier and nastier. I told him he violated me and I still wanted an apology."

Smith is behind bars in the Palm Beach County Jail without bond. I'm going to the sink and wash my hands. Unfortunately, it won't wash away the thoughts of a 50-year-old woman mixing it up with a 15-year-old boy.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2006 05:10:00 PM

BlogBurst, Newspapers and Bloggers

Received in an email.

Medgadget.com (usually a quiet place to learn about the latest medical technologies) has been investigating a new service from Pluck, called BlogBurst. We have learned and revealed a number of questionable practices by the company - from republishing entire contents of bloggers on newspaper sites to deeplinking images from bloggers and innocent bystander websites. The most outrageous thing is that some of the nations' leading newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, and the Austin American-Statesman, are engaged in the deeplinking and republishing for profit.

Please spread the message! It is time for us, bloggers, to say that we value and respect our work.

Examples of main newspapers deep linking images off bloggers and third parties. All references can be found here.

Sincerely,
Doctors-Editors at Medgadget.com

Notably, authorization to re-publish a blogger's content doesn't come with permission to use a blogger's bandwidth. That's what is happening. The newspapers are hot linking into a blogger's server space without an okey-dokey.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2006 02:06:00 PM

Scores of Taliban Killed in Heavy Fighting

(Kandahar, Afghanistan) In unusually heavy fighting yesterday in southeastern Afghanistan, the Taliban suffered appropriately heavy losses.

From ContraCostaTimes.com:

Some of the fiercest violence since the Taliban's ouster in 2001 erupted across southern Afghanistan, with militants battling U.S. and Canadian forces, detonating car bombs and attacking a small village. Up to 105 people were killed, officials said Thursday.

Much of the violence occurred in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, where thousands of extra NATO troops are scheduled to deploy this summer to counter an increasing number of attacks from a stubborn insurgency.

The Taliban death toll from fighting Wednesday night and Thursday ranged up to 87, U.S. and Afghan officials said. Also, 15 Afghan police officers, one American civilian, a Canadian soldier and an Afghan civilian were killed in the attacks.

The attacks are considered to be the largest by the Taliban since 2001 and, based upon media reports, I'd say the aggressors took it in the shorts.

Notably, the Afghan National Police (ANP) demonstrated its ability to make the Taliban flee during the attack on government headquarters in Musa Qala in Helmand province. According to British military spokesman, Capt. Drew Gibson, the British helped evacuate casualties and let the ANP forces do the fighting to prove their abilities. I'm happy to relate that their performance was assessed as admirable.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2006 08:58:00 AM

ACLU and Mexico Protest Border Security

When the ACLU sides with the Mexican government to protest and initiate lawsuits against the United States government, one wonders whether the "A" in ACLU shouldn't be changed to "M" for Mexico.

From PostChronicle.com:

A representative from Mexican President Vicente Fox claims that if the U.S. National Guard troops detain illegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, the Fox government will file a lawsuit against the Bush Administration in U.S. federal court.

It's believed that the American Civil Liberties Union is preparing to assist the Mexican government in such a lawsuit.

In fact, the ACLU sent a statement to the Mexican government regarding their stance on immigration enforcement.

As Congress moves forward to reform our nation's immigration laws, the ACLU said the U.S. must reject measures that threaten to increase the bloodshed on our borders. "Innocent peoples' lives and liberty should not be threatened by this dangerous deployment," said ACLU Director Anthony Romero.

I have no idea what he's talking about. Illegal people are not innocent. Illegal people are lawbreakers. They're criminals. And, what's this about their liberty? What liberties are granted to trespassers? They have no liberties. They're criminals trespassing in a foreign country.

The ACLU should go to Mexico and protect the liberties of Mexicans in Mexico if that's what they're doing. It is beyond obscene for the ACLU to get one nickle of U.S. taxpayer money for their anti-American antics.

As an advocate, the ACLU is certainly not watching out for the majority of Americans. However, when one extremist with a belligerent attitude gets offended, the ACLU will pony up grunches of money for busloads of liberal lawyers to find a new interpretation of the Constitution so one guy's feathers are de-ruffled.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join, please email Jay@stoptheaclu.com or GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to the mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs are already on-board.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2006 06:41:00 AM

Protesters Arrested at Halliburton Shareholders' Meeting

(Duncan, Oklahoma) Halliburton executives have been accused of trying to avoid controversy by holding their shareholders' meeting in the city of Duncan. Not so, responded the Houston-based company. Rather, Duncan was chosen since the company was founded there and management wanted to highlight operations that continue there. I confess to not caring one whit.

From KansasCity.com:

Sixteen people protesting Halliburton Co.'s environmental record and its role as a military contractor were arrested on trespassing charges today when they surged toward a building where company shareholders were meeting.

Another man was arrested on a charge of destroying public property for tearing up a plastic fence holding back protesters.

A masked man beat on a large empty jug and protesters chanted, "The whole world is watching," and "Shame on you," while police made the arrests. A designated area had been set up for the protest, and police had told protesters not to leave that area.

Those arrested were frisked, handcuffed and taken to the Stephens County Jail.

As a result, we can now identify at least 16 people who are responsible for Mexicans sneaking across the border. These 16 protesters are likely Americans who won't do jobs that Mexicans will. How else could you explain them being available in the middle of the week and able to travel to Oklahoma, all for the sake of being a pain in the ass?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/18/2006 05:58:00 AM

Subversion in China

(Beijing) It's not surprising that having an opinion and voicing it is a serious crime in Communist China. I'll forever be reminded of Tiananmen Square.

From Boston.com:

A freelance writer was sentenced to 12 years in prison yesterday, receiving an unusually harsh penalty amid one of China's most severe media crackdowns since the 1980s.

The sentencing of Yang Tianshui on subversion charges was one of a flurry of court actions yesterday against Chinese reporters. In Beijing, prosecutors filed a new indictment against a Chinese researcher for The New York Times who has been in custody since 2004 on state secrets charges. In southern China, a journalist went on trial and pleaded not guilty to extortion charges.

Yang was convicted after being accused of posting articles on foreign websites, receiving money from abroad, and helping a would-be opposition party, according to his lawyer, Li Jianqiang.

Yang was taken into custody last December in a campaign to crackdown on public discussion of corruption, political reform, and social problems. New York Times researcher Zhao Yan is accused of leaking state secrets to foreigners. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, China has jailed at least 42 journalists.

Notaby, the alleged 'crimes' committed by Chinese journalists are commonplace practices of the Western media.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2006 10:31:00 AM

Gay Boys in Baghdad

To begin, it's worthwhile to cite the official position on homosexuality espoused by His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the Supreme Religious Authority for Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq. Extracted and translated in March 2006 from Sistani's website is the following entry.

Q: What is the judgment on sodomy and lesbianism?

A: "Forbidden. Those involved in the act should be punished. In fact, sodomites should be killed in the worst manner possible."

Consistent with Sistani's guidance comes the story of 14-year-old Ahmed Khalil.

It is unclear whether Ahmed was gay or not. He had sex with men, often in exchange for small amounts of money and food. He did this in order to help his family financially. Sometimes they were so desperate, he had sex for a few potatoes or some bread.

Ahmed's 'gay' reputation spread all over his neighbourhood, causing great scandal. His behaviour was reported to the police by informants in the community.

In early April 2006, Ahmed was found dead on the doorstep of his house. He had been shot, with two bullets in the head and several bullets in the rest of his body.

According to a neighbour, who saw Ahmed's execution from his bedroom window, four uniformed police officers arrived at Ahmed's house in a four-wheel-drive police pick-up truck. The neighbour saw the police drag Ahmed out of the house and shoot him at point-blank range.

Quite disturbing, in my mind, and there is reason to believe that Ahmed's murder may not have been an isolated incident. It's been reported that there is a thriving commercial gay sex trade in Iraq involving as many as 4,000 teenage boys who receive the equivalent of around $10 US for each sexual encounter.

"Iraqis love boys and our work is to offer pleasure to them," the ring leader, who calls himself Abu Weled (or 'father of the boys'), said. "They are all gay and, in Iraq, the homosexual is something cheap and bad, but we make them feel special when working with us."

Unfortunately, homosexuality under Sharia Law carries a death sentence. In fact, according to Shi'ite Muslim leader Sheikh Hussein Salah, "the families of those boys engaged in homosexual practices should kill them, whether the situation was forced on them or they entered into it freely."

As a result, the typical teenage male sex worker fears that he will die by an "honor killing" committed by a family member. Of course, as demonstrated by Ahmed Khalil's death, there is also the police to fear.

In my estimation, it's illogical to pursue the teenage victims of the gay sex trade without also going after the adult male perpetrators. After all, it's a game with considerably fewer catchers than pitchers. Without all those many eager customers, the gay sex business in Iraq would fail.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/17/2006 02:42:00 AM

Woman Charged with Rape of Boy

(Talladega, Alabama) A 38-year-old Talladega woman, Mary Beth Hicks, was arraigned before Circuit Judge Julian King on charges related to allegedly having a one-night stand with a 15-year-old boy.

Hicks faces one count of rape in the second degree, one count of sodomy in the second degree and sex abuse in the second degree. Hicks pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2006 05:15:00 PM

Illegals Take Over

This report is from last week and it doesn't come from the mainstream media. Imagine that.

From IndianCatholic.com:

Illegal immigrants have taken refuge in some Belgian churches and, according to the conservative Brussels Journal, these churches "are being turned into mosques before [the bishops'] very eyes."

A recent report in the journal indicates that the Belgian bishops have opened their churches and offered sanctuary to illegal immigrants in order to pressurize the Belgian authorities to allow them to stay in the country.

Most of these illegal immigrants are Muslim, and the Brussels Journal accused the bishops of being "ignorant" to the fact that these immigrants are desecrating the churches.

According to the Belgian publication, the squatters live in tents in the churches. Catholic relief organizations provided the tents and offered radios, television sets and computers. They hold Islamic prayer services in the church and display banners showing the name of Allah. They have also moved the altar and covered the face of a statue of Our Lady with a cloth.

The journal documented these facts with photos and claim that the arrangements have existed for a number of years already.

All right, class, it's pop quiz time. Can you think of any other situations where illegal immigrants have taken up residence and are changing the rules? I can.

(H/T John Ray)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2006 04:04:00 PM

Jimmy Carter - Beanbag Warrior

I'm old enough to remember the Iranian hostage rescue fiasco so this doesn't surprise me. It still angers me, though.

Another presidential directive concerned the use of nonlethal riot-control agents. Given that the shah's occasionally violent riot control during the revolution was now Exhibit A in Iran's human-rights case against the former regime and America, Carter wanted to avoid killing Iranians, so he had insisted that if a hostile crowd formed during the raid, Delta should attempt to control it without shooting people. Burruss considered this ridiculous. He and his men were going to assault a guarded compound in the middle of a city of more than 5 million people, most of them presumed to be aggressively hostile. It was unbelievably risky; everyone on the mission knew there was a very good chance they would not get home alive. Wade Ishmoto, a Delta captain who worked with the unit's intelligence division, had joked, "The only difference between this and the Alamo is that Davy Crockett didn't have to fight his way in." And Carter had the idea that this vastly outnumbered force was first going to try holding off the city with nonviolent crowd control? Burruss understood the president's thinking on this, but with their hides so nakedly on the line, shouldn't they be free to decide how best to defend themselves? He had complained about the directive to General Jones, who had said he would look into it, but the answer had come back "No, the president insists." So Burruss had made his own peace with it. He had with him one tear-gas grenade--one--which he intended to throw as soon as necessary; he would then use its smoke as a marker to call in devastatingly lethal 40 mm AC-130 gunship fire."

In my opinion, Carter will forever rank as one of the worst leaders America ever elected. The American electorate judged his performance accordingly when he tried for a second term during the 1980 Presidential Election. Ronald Reagan won by a landslide with Carter conceding before the polls closed in the West.

In a way, there was an enduring, silver lining to Carter's ineptitude in office. It provided for a rebirth of conservatism in American politics, the Reagan Revolution. Nevertheless, even though Carter inadvertently helped the stature of conservatism, my opinion of him is not elevated. (H/T In The Bullpen)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2006 03:01:00 PM

Germany Spied on Journalists

Ach du lieber!

From CNN.com:

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government admitted on Monday that the foreign intelligence agency had spied on German journalists and said it had ordered it to stop.

Government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said the surveillance by the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) appeared to be "isolated past cases" and in future "such operative measures against journalists ... are not to be repeated."

He said the BND had been asked for a report on the issue this week and the government would then consider what "personnel consequences" should be drawn, an indication that heads could roll.

The affair has dealt a new and damaging blow to the BND, responsible for gathering intelligence abroad.

Well, it appears that German national security secrets are being exposed and members of parliament are looking for heads to roll.

Of course, I can't help but compare the German circumstances to the somewhat similar situation in the U.S. In Germany, the government spied on journalists and legislators want government heads to roll. In the U.S., the government spied on terrorists and legislators want government heads to roll.

Odd, don't you think?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2006 01:46:00 PM

Teacher Admits Sex with Special Needs Boy

(Plain City, Ohio) A married, special education teacher with Jonathan Alder School District, Angela Angus-Koppes, has been charged with two counts of sexual battery for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a teenage developmentally disabled boy.

It's reported that the Madison County Sheriff's Office has been investigating Angela Angus-Koppes for months and that she has admitted to having sex with the boy.

According to police, Angus-Koppes began tutoring the boy last fall and the sex started shortly thereafter. It's alleged that the sex took place in a vehicle and at Angus-Koppes' home and continued after the end of the school year.

A court appearance is scheduled for Friday.


[Update 04/24/07]

Koppes sentenced.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/16/2006 04:48:00 AM

Bush Speech - Calling A Spade A Spork

Last night, President Bush tightroped his words outlining a plan for securing the U.S-Mexico border. In essence, the U.S. won't build a fence, and they will come. Two key elements struck me.

One is that the border will not be secured. Instead, the U.S. will allocate resources for the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol to monitor and document trespassers better. With better surveillance using high-technology devices, more illegal aliens will be caught, and more will be sent back. Unfortunately, the plan doesn't stop people from sneaking into the U.S., it only catches more of them after they have entered. So, rather than fixing the leaky boat, we're just going to employ more bailers.

Secondly, it appears that President Bush has gone to school and learned a technique from the mainstream media. The MSM frequently alters the English language to promote their political agenda and have flooded the public with such terminology as "undocumented workers" versus "illegal aliens" and "militants" versus "terrorists." Now, President Bush proposes to pardon millions of illegal aliens and implement a citizenship program and somehow not call it "amnesty." Instead, it's "rational middle ground." Despite President Bush mouthing "rational middle ground," I suspect that millions of people south of the border heard "amnesty." They are likely packing now.

Yes, the stuck bops with President Bush and he has boldly called a spade a spork.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 03:54:00 PM

Arms Sales to Venezuela Banned

(Washington) Announced today, the U.S. is banning sales of arms to Venezuela. This means that all export sales, licensing and transfer of defense items and services to Venezuela are prohibited. It's not clear to what extent the ban will impact Venezuela. It is known, however, that Venezuela has American-made weapons platforms such as F-16 fighters which will no longer be supplied with spare parts.

The State Department cited President Hugo Chavez's lack of support in counterterrorism efforts. Also, evidence indicates that Chavez has become quite the bend-over buddy to two leftist terrorist groups operating in Colombia, the FARC and the National Liberation Army. As a topper, it probably doesn't help that Chavez keeps calling President Bush a terrorist.

Let's face it. Chavez is a communist and a belligerent one at that. Nothing should be provided to the thug dictator that could possibly be used against the U.S. I'm frankly surprised that it took so long to ban arms sales.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 02:51:00 PM

Toddler's Hand Severed in Candy Factory

(Honolulu) This shouldn't have happened.

From HonoluluAdvertiser.com:

A fundraising event at a Kalihi chocolate factory turned tragic when an 18-month-old girl had her left hand severed in an accident.

The girl was on a tour of the Menehune Mac Factory Gift Center and got her hand caught in a conveyor belt on Saturday, fire officials said.

By the time firefighters arrived, employees had bandaged the girl and retrieved her hand. Firefighters put it on ice "in case doctors are able to do anything with it," HFD Capt. Chris Ah Mook Sang said. The toddler was taken to The Queen's Medical Center. Her condition was not released.

She and her family were attending the company's Fifth Annual Mother's Day Candy Making Event, a fundraiser for the Hawai'i Children's Cancer Foundation.

Naturally, the company is apologetic and conducting an investigation. Personally, I see total responsibility for the incident resting with the parents or guardian. An 18-month-old must be protected at all times. Not supervised, not watched over, they must be protected.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 08:46:00 AM

New Communists


(Moscow, Russia) For those who know that communism was directly responsible for 100 million murders in the 20th Century, this story will make you sick.

From MosNews.com:

New members were admitted to the Young Pioneer Organization in Moscow's Red Square on Sunday, in a ceremony organized by the Russian Communist Party, an Interfax correspondent reported.

The ceremony was attended by an estimated 3,000 people, Moscow's law enforcement reported.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov had arrived in Red Square to tie Young Pioneer's red ties personally round the children's necks.

"The Young Pioneer Organization has written down the most remarkable chapter in Russia's history. We welcome a new replenishment of Young Pioneers today and think that they will help Russia cope with all problems," Zyuganov said.

Asked how many new members have been admitted to the organization today, Zyuganov said, "It's difficult to give an exact figure, but Young Pioneer groups have been mushrooming in Russia lately."

Mushrooming commies? Hmmm . . . . Interpreted differently (i.e. as a plan of attack), I'm reminded that it almost happened during the Cuban missile crisis.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 06:34:00 AM

Two Taliban Commanders Killed

(Kandahar, Afghanistan) Two Taliban commanders were among 11 enemy killed by Afghan police during fighting in the Panjwai District about 20 miles west of Kandahar. According to Mohammad Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor, the battle was a big victory even though five policemen were killed.

From Reuters:

Ahmadi said among the 11 Taliban killed was a provincial-level commander, Mullah Abdul Baqi, and a district-level commander, Mullah Abdul Manan.

Manan was responsible for a spate of attacks, including suicide bomb blasts, rocket attacks and the burning of several schools, Ahmadi said.

The Taliban reportedly took eight bodies with them when they fled, leaving three stinking carcasses. The fighting, lasting for four hours, started after Afghan police received a tip that Taliban were in the area. A patrol was then sent to attack. Notably, only Afghan policemen were engaged in the operation. Although it was a minor skirmish, I think it indicates that Afghan forces are capable of imposing government control over the countryside.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 04:31:00 AM

Teacher Avoids Prosecution on Sex Charges

(Winston-Salem, NC) Following up on two previous posts (here and here), East Forsythe High School teacher and homosexual activist, Susan Wiseman, will not be prosecuted for alleged sex with a student.

From Winston-Salem Journal:

No charges will be brought against a teacher at East Forsyth High School who was accused of having a sexual relationship with a student, District Attorney Tom Keith said yesterday.

"All I can tell you is the victim does not want to prosecute, we have no other evidence, and we've closed the matter," Keith said.

Susan Wiseman, 27, a social-studies teacher in her fourth year at East Forsyth, was suspended without pay on Feb. 1.

Officials with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools said that Wiseman is still suspended without pay. They would not release the status of their own investigation into the allegation.

It seems the whole episode has disappeared into the ether. Move along now. There's nothing to see here.

Heh.

Tipped by Don Morgenstern.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/15/2006 03:34:00 AM

Two Texas Schoolmarms Arrested for Sex with Students

(Waskom, Texas) Shazam! With all the media hoopla about female teachers mixing it up with students, you would imagine school faculty members would exercise more caution. Not at Waskom High School. Two married female teachers, mother-of-two Daryl Phillips and Ashley Grisham, have been arrested on charges of improper relations with students.

Daryl Phillips - From KTBS.com:

A Waskom, Texas high school teacher's aide has been arrested for "inappropriate conduct" with a student. 31-year old Daryl Phillips, a woman, was taken into custody for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student. The charge is a second degree felony and could get Phillips up to 20-years in prison.

Ashley Grisham - From KSLA.com:

A second educator from the Waskom Independent School District is now charged with having sex with a different 17-year-old student.

The Harrison County Sheriff's Office arrested Waskom High School math teacher Ashley Grisham late Friday night. They say she confessed to about a dozen sexual encounters with a student since March while being separated from her husband.

Phillips and Grisham were taken into custody on Friday and reportedly confessed. Each was charged with one count of improper relations with a student, a second-degree felony. Bond was set at $25,000 each and, as of Saturday night, Phillips and Grisham had been released. Both have resigned their positions with the school system.

Notably, unrestrained female teachers in the Waskom School System now number three in the last nine months. In September 2005, Waskom Middle School history teacher, Tara Crisp, was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child. Authorities say Crisp had sex with a 14-year old student. Her trial is scheduled to begin on June 12th.

Meanwhile, the stories of the maverick East Texas schoolmarms will continue to develop. Stay tuned.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.


[Update 08/31/06]

Grisham sentenced to probation. Phillips awaits trial.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2006 11:46:00 PM

Happy Mother's Day
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2006 09:50:00 PM

Sheriff Sends Bill to Mexico

(Pendleton, Oregon) In a nutshell, this story illustrates many of the larger problems associated with having the U.S. overrun with illegal aliens. I congratulate Sheriff Trumbo for his bold action.

From SeattleTimes.com:

"Dear Precidente [sic] Fox," it began.

"My name is John Trumbo. I am Sheriff of Umatilla County in northeastern Oregon, United States of America." Illegal immigrants "from your country" who committed crimes here, the letter said, cost Americans lots of money.

Last year, more than 360 of "your citizens" spent time in jail "at a cost of $63 a day which equates to a request for payment of $318,843," the letter concluded. "At this time, you will not be billed for medical, dental and transportation costs. Your prompt attention to this request will be very much appreciated."

Three months later, Trumbo reports, Vicente Fox still has not paid up. The Mexican president has issued no response, no installment payment, nada.

Well, if President Fox is going to be a scofflaw, about the only recourse Sheriff Trumbo has is to contact a collection agency. In fact, the idea of a credit commando chasing Fox around Mexico has entertainment value if nothing else.

Kidding aside, Sheriff Trumbo's situation is hardly unique. It represents a snapshot that is replicated in thousands of counties across the U.S.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/14/2006 11:57:00 AM

Zimbabwe Inflation Hits 1,000%

(Harare, Zimbabwe) Imagine this. A man places 100,000 Zimbabwean dollars on the supermarket checkout counter (see pic ) to purchase a loaf of bread. Why? It's because President Robert Mugabe's dictatorial regime has devastated the country's economy and 100,000 Zimbabwean dollars are now worth less than one U.S. dollar. Inflation for the month of March was calculated at 913.6% and, in April, it was 1,042.9%.

Since Mugabe began a campaign in 2000 to seize 5,000 white-owned farms, the economy has avalanched down, resulting in grinding poverty for most of the population. Meanwhile, four million Zimbabweans are reported to have simply left the country.

Notably, the massive inflation rate of the Zimbabwean dollar reminds one of the reported devaluation of the German Reichmark experienced under Adolph Hitler. Both circumstances require using a wheelbarrow to haul enough cash for a simple shopping trip. Also worth noting is that Mugabe has, in the past, compared himself to Hitler, stating, "let me be Hitler ten-fold and that's what we stand for." It seems that he is getting what he wants. It also explains his moustache.

Unfortunately, through his tyranny, Mugabe has taken Zimbabwe to the verge of complete collapse. The gross domestic product declined by 7 percent last year, the unemployment rate is at 80 percent, and the adult HIV/AIDS prevalence is near 25 percent. By all indications, Zimbabwe is in the dumper, slowly circling the bowl. Outside assistance is necessary to prevent large-scale starvation.

Sadly, that same outside assistance is skimmed by Mugabe and his buddies who reportedly have hidden millions in foreign accounts around the globe.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/13/2006 09:50:00 AM

Reefer Rig Found Cooling 56 Illegal Aliens

(Laredo, Texas) Sometime after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, 56 illegals aliens were locked inside the ice-covered walls of a refrigerated tractor-trailer rig. Through an anonymous tip, Webb County Sheriff's Deputies were led to the warehouse district of Laredo to rescue the freezing dozens, bunched in the center of the trailer. The truck was found out of gas, but with the key in the ignition and trailer refrigeration on.

Later, a man and a woman were arrested and held on suspicion of human smuggling at a house in eastern Laredo, a suspected staging location for smugglers. All but two of the illegals, consisting of 43 men, 11 women and two children, were sent back to Mexico. The two were held as material witnesses in the smuggling investigation. Notably, one of the illegals was Brazilian.

According to Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores, the reefer rig had likely been left unattended because the smugglers didn't have a driver. Presumably, it's one of those jobs Americans won't do.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2006 12:51:00 PM

Erica Chevillar - Social Studies Teacher Models Lingerie

(West Boca Raton, Florida) Comely, 25-year-old teacher, Erica Chevillar, is probably in class as this post is being written, teaching social studies to West Boca Raton High School students. Meanwhile, Chevillar is at the vortex of controversy. Provocative photos of Chevillar have been found on the Internet.

The photos were taken during a modeling assignment for the U.S.A. National Bikini team and before the first-year teacher began working at the high school. Nonetheless, parents have lodged complaints. Questions of ethics and school policy are being debated since the students are being distracted. Imagine that. Sheesh! I would be.

According to school district spokesman Nat Harrington, no rules or policies have been violated so no discipline is warranted. Although some individuals are uncomfortable with Chevillar's actions, she has done nothing wrong.

The uproar and embarrassment may soon die, however, since Chevillar has indicated that she plans to quit the teaching profession and begin a real estate career. I predict that she will have an easy transition.

Kevin Aylward at Wizbang has more on the story and more pictures.

Also:
Palm Beach Post
Sun-Sentinel


[Update 02/13/07]

Chevillar back in news with Playboy pictorial.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2006 02:31:00 AM

Woman Arrested for Lewd Contact with Minor

(Chubbuck, Idaho) Details are sketchy on this woman-boy story at present.

From KPVI.com:

A local woman is now facing charges, as police say she had sex numerous times with a 14-year-old boy.

Chubbuck Police arrested Rayenell Underwood earlier today. She was booked into the Bannock County Jail on two counts of lewd conduct with a minor. Police say there were numerous incidents between July of last year and April of this year. The police learned about the case through Health and Welfare. They say the relationship was consensual and the victim is very upset Underwood is in custody.

Detective Jean Higgins says this case is very unusual, especially after hearing Underwood talk about the victim.

"Did she want to develop this into a relationship? She loves him. I will tell you she says she loves him."

Underwood's age was not disclosed.


[Update 1400EDT, 05/12/06]

Via Don Morgenstern comes a picture of Underwood and the fact that she's 27 years old. It's also reported that the sexual episodes with the boy occurred between July 2005 and last month.


[Update 09/14/06]

Underwood rearrested for violating no-contact order.


[Update 10/24/06]

Rayenell Carmona Underwood pleads guilty.


[Update 03/13/07]

Carmona sentenced.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/12/2006 12:58:00 AM

Teacher Arrested for Attempted Sex with Student

(Liberty Township, Ohio) A 34-year-old social studies teacher at Lakota East High School, Angela Johnson, was arrested by Butler County Sheriff's detectives for allegedly attempting to have sexual relations with an 18-year-old male student.

Johnson allegedly engaged in inappropriate conversations and improper text messaging with the student. Additionally, investigators found that Johnson had inappropriately sent underwear to the student as a gift.

Johnson faces one count of attempted sexual battery. She was booked into the Butler County Jail and released on $5,000 bail. Johnson's termination is being considered by the school system.


[Update 05/18/06]

Angela Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges that she engaged in inappropriate conversations with an 18-year-old male student and that she sent him inappropriate text messages and gifts. She remains free on $5,000 bond. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 7th.


[Update 07/11/06]

Johnson sentenced to probation.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 04:05:00 PM

Bloody Somalia

(Mogadishu, Somalia) After 15 years without a national government, Somalia is a battlefield. Tribal militias and Islamic fundamentalists, allegedly tied to al-Qaeda, are struggling for control and many people are dying.

From KhaleejTimes.com:

Islamic militiamen and secular fighters battled Wednesday for control of Somalia's capital despite promises of a cease-fire, as the death toll rose to at least 90, with nearly 200 others wounded.

The sounds of heavy weapons echoed through the city, but the fighting was not as intense as it had been in the previous three days. The battle between the Islamic Court Union and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has centered on the northern neighborhood of Sii-Sii, with neither side gaining an advantage.

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed of the Islamic Court Union called for a ceasefire, but the tribal militias suspect that it's only because they ran out of ammunition. Both sides have been jockeying for position in anticipation of a major battle for control of Mogadishu. And, sadly, caught in the crossfire and dying are the civilians.

It's worth noting that every time I read of Somalia, I think of Blackhawk Down. I think of how the media plastered breaking news images of starving Somalians in front of the public, day after day, until the politicians were forced to send help. Food was sent and U.S. military units were there to distribute the food in the lawless country. Fighting started and the American forces soon were overwhelmed. Reinforcements were requested, but too little came, too late.

Some of the finest American fighting men ever to have lived died in Mogadishu. Needlessly, I think. And it all began with media reports of starving Somalians.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 02:58:00 PM

Animal Rights Extremists Sentenced to Prison

For six years, animal rights activists targeted a family and its guinea pig breeding business. The extremists waged a campaign of threats, burglary, terror, and grave robbing before they were arrested and prosecuted.

From BBC.co.uk:

Jon Ablewhite, 36, of Manchester, Kerry Whitburn, 36, and John Smith, 39, both of the West Mids, were jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to blackmail.

Josephine Mayo, 38, of Birmingham, was jailed for four years.

They targeted David Hall and Partners, a family business which ran the breeding programme at a farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire.

The campaign included protests outside Darley Oaks Farm, a burglary in which 600 guinea pigs were freed and threats to family members, friends and employees.

But it was the theft of Gladys Hammond's body from a graveyard in nearby Yoxall in October 2004 that "appalled and disgusted people nationwide," said Det Ch Insp Nick Baker.

Mrs. Hammond's body was ultimately recovered and is destined for reburial in a churchyard.

This animal rights group is particularly nasty. Evil, I would say. They researched the Internet to identify people associated with the Hall family and then sent them death threats. Also, they threw bricks through windows and set off explosions outside the homes of farm workers. Even with international terrorism occupying everyone's mind, efforts need to be sustained to shut down these domestic terror groups.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 11:19:00 AM

Goo Goo Television

It's been announced that the first 24/7 satellite television channel aimed at infants will be launched in the near future. Baby-oriented programming will run continuously for about $10 a month.

Don't we already have television channels for the infantile?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 05:31:00 AM

Teacher's Aide Arrested for Corruption of Minor

(Phoenixville, Pennsylvania) After a lengthy investigation by Chester County Detectives, a 48-year-old teacher's aide for the Phoenixville Area School District, Sandra Elaine Rice, was arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old male. Rice was charged with two counts of corruption of a minor.

The investigation began last August and Rice was suspended without pay from her job in September. Rice has been arraigned and released on $15,000 bail.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 03:03:00 AM

NYC Subway Foot Molester Confesses

(New York City) Joseph Weir, a young man who lives with his parents and sisters, has a disturbing hobby.

From Reuters.com:

A 23-year-old with a foot fetish has admitted he tried to kiss, fondle and lick the legs and toes of more than 70 women on the New York subway over the last three years, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

In a handwritten confession to police released by the Manhattan district attorney's office, Joseph Weir said his aim was "to make them laugh and smile and open to talk to me."

[ ... ]

"I get on my knees, bow, grab their feet, kiss them. I grab their hand and tell them 'You're so beautiful. I'm not worthy,'" he wrote. "I do not give me real name. If they ask I will tell them my name is Anthony, Jason or Careem."

Weir said his motivation was to get to know the women, but he recalled that often they would move away when he tried to "taste and touch them."

"Some women had kick(ed) me and screamed," he wrote. "I've done this to about 70 women, mostly black."

Okay, I give up. There's nothing about this guy's hobby that I would consider worth redemption, but I'm not a do-gooder. I don't doubt, though, that there is a rehab clinic somewhere that employs twelve-steps to cure one foot-fetish.


[Update 0730EDT, 05/11/06]

And then there's this report from Britain where a guy was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and four counts of sexual assault.

From EnfieldIndependent.co.uk:

A pervert who unzipped women's trousers on Tube trains has been jailed for three years.

Bernardo Da Conceicao, 35, of Percival Road, Enfield, assaulted seven women between 2003 and 2005, using a satchel to cover his hand.

The trainee accountant, who was a student at London Metropolitan University, targeted women travelling on the Underground during rush hours.

He would strike on the southbound Victoria Line between Finsbury Park and Highbury and Islington stations and on the northbound Piccadilly line in the evening.

His victims felt a light pressure on their groin, before glancing down to see Da Conceicao undoing their zips.

He was caught last May after a 33-year-old woman, who was approached by Da Conceicao at Highbury and Islington station, raised the alarm.

So, we've got one guy attacking women's feet and legs while another guy is unzipping women's pants. Sheesh! What happens next?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/11/2006 12:41:00 AM

Pass the Word! Party at the Old Broad's House!

Party! Party! Party!

(Webster, NY) A crowd of underage high school students attended an alcohol fest on April 30 hosted by 45-year-old Elizabeth Thompson who, as a result, was charged with unlawfully dealing with a child and criminal nuisance. Thompson pleaded not guilty yesterday in Webster Town Court.

Webster Police were dispatched to the scene because of a reported fight.

From 10NBC.com:

"Obviously there was more to it than a party that was out of hand. It was a party that shouldn't have been going on in the first place," said Lt. Joseph Rieger from the Webster Police Department.

In a related development, Webster Thomas High School Principal John Walker said eleven students are being disciplined for attending the party.

Bummer. (H/T Don Morgenstern)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 11:30:00 PM

Survey: Most Journalists Accused of Bias in Last Year

Imagine that.

From EditorPublisher.com:

More than half of newspaper journalists in a recent survey believe an unethical or unprofessional incident occurred in their newsroom within the past five years, while seven out of 10 said they had been accused of bias in the past 12 months, according to a study released today by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

But at least 70% of those polled more often pointed to "factors beyond their control" as the cause of such poor ethical perceptions, rather than their own newspapers' actions.

More than 30% of respondents, meanwhile, noted problems with sources -- anonymous or not -- providing misleading or inaccurate information, with the same percentage seeking legal advice on such stories.

In a nutshell, accusations of bias are usually the result of poor editing by some other person. Lack of public confidence in journalists is directly attributed to unethical behavior by other people.

It appears that most of the journalists surveyed believe that everything is okay where they work. Blame for bias and newsroom mistakes always rests with somebody else. Remember, these were journalists who were surveyed and they generally explained that all the problems of the profession are caused by other folks, not themselves.

Imagine that.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 02:43:00 PM

Al-Qaeda Announces Islamic Army of Jerusalem

This is curious. I sense that al-Qaeda decision-makers watch too many ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

From IsraelNationalNews.com:

Arab and European news agencies report receipt of a communique from an organization identifying itself as "Al-Qaeda in Palestine" announcing the formation of the Islamic Army of Jerusalem (Jaish Al-Quds Al-Islami). The army "will fight the Crusader and Jewish infidels," according to a Palestinian Authority news agency.

Agence France Press, which also received the communique, said the authenticity of the message could not be verified, but that it claimed the "army" was established by Osama Bin-Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Abu-Musab Al-Zarqawi. The AFP also reported that the Al-Qaeda in Palestine group said it would show its fighters on television to prove that "we are serious in our actions."

The message ends with some uncertainty. Sort of like, "Don't laugh. You just watch. We'll show that we really exist." As such, I wonder if they are sending a message specifically to the other terrorist groups roaming the terrain, i.e. telling Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah that they are bona fide new players in the local terror game. (H/T Right Truth)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 02:10:00 PM

Two Iraqi Journalists Found Dead

(Baghdad) Witnesses saw two Iraqi journalists, Laith al-Dulaimi and Muazaz Ahmed Barood, abducted on Sunday southeast of Baghdad. Their bodies were found on Monday.

From CPJ.org:

Al-Dulaimi, a reporter for the privately owned TV station Al-Nahrain, and Muazaz Ahmed Barood, a telephone operator for the station, were kidnapped by men disguised as police officers at Diyala Bridge while driving home to Mada'in, a town 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Abdulkarim al-Mehdawi, the station's general manager told CPJ.

Their bodies were discovered at al-Wihda district, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Baghdad. Both men, in their late 20s, were shot in the chest, al-Mehdawi told CPJ.

Al-Dulaimi became a reporter for Al-Nahrain four months ago. Barood worked at the station since it was established just over a year and a half ago. The motive behind the murders is unclear. Al-Mehdawi told CPJ that neither the station nor the journalists had ever received threats.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly three-fourths of all journalists killed in Iraq since 2003 have been Iraqis. These were brave men as are all the Iraqis in the journalism profession. In my opinion, sufficient evidence indicates that Iraqi journalists are specifically targeted by the scum murderers infesting the country. Condolences to their families and friends.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 11:53:00 AM

France Rejoins Operation Enduring Freedom

All help is welcome.

From DefenseLINK.mil:

The French Navy Carrier Air Wing returned to the coalition fight last week, flying their first missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since November.

"Our main mission while we are here is to support troops on the ground and contribute to reconnaissance efforts as well," said Lt. Col. Gerard Brunel, commander of the French detachment at the Combined Air Operations Center. It is Central Command Air Forces policy not to disclose the specific location of its forward headquarters or the CAOC.

The French also hope to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific region and reinforce their operational capacity, he added.

Lt. Col. Brunel said he was proud to be part of the coalition effort in Afghanistan. (H/T John Ray)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 11:04:00 AM

Brits Tell Sick to Stay Away From Emergency Rooms

According to a source in the United Kingdom, the administrators of the utopian National Health System (NHS) have come up with a brilliant idea for cost savings in the socialized medical care scheme. People with "common ailments" will be instructed NOT to use the emergency rooms, called accident and emergency units (A&E) in the UK.

From Mirror.co.uk:

But documents seen by the Mirror show the "ailments" include serious heart problems, pneumonia, epilepsy, bleeding ulcers and even gangrene.

Well, I'm no doctor, but it sure seems like some of those ailments would require emergency treatment. Obviously, cost has become the overriding factor involved in decision-making regarding health care for Brits.

Ostensibly, unless a person is on life support, the NHS wants sick people to subject themselves to weeks, months or more waiting for an appointment with a community doctor rather than use the emergency facilities. Good luck. There's a shortage of doctors and nurses and wait times are already unreasonable. They can tell people not to come to the emergency rooms but that alone won't keep them away. They'll probably need iron bars and armed guards, fairly common elements of a socialist society.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 09:54:00 AM

What Would Miss Manners Say?

Rusty Shackleford has posted a video clip of two Muslim women trying to eat spaghetti while veiled. It's chucklable. In the interest of fostering cross-cultural sensitivity, go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 06:27:00 AM

Terrorists Confess to Beheading Schoolgirls

(Jakarta, Indonesia) Many people may recall last October's barbaric beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia. Well, here's the latest news on the case.

From TheJakartaPost.com:

Seven suspected Islamic terrorists have confessed to beheading three Christian schoolgirls on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island, police said Wednesday.

The seven detained suspects confessed under questioning that they planned and carried out the Oct. 29 beheadings in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso, police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Rudi Sufahriadi told The Associated Press.

Another girl was wounded but spared by the assailants, he said.

Two of the suspects also say they have ties to Noordin Top, regarded as a key leader of the al-Qaeda-linked group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), according to Central Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Oegroseno.

The girls were killed only because they were Christians. It's beyond me how anyone could assert that Islam and Christianity are not at war when attacks of this nature frequently occur. Maybe most Christians want to deny there is a war with Islam, but many Muslims appear to have a murderously different opinion.

Let's hope that the murdering criminals are treated harshly but, if history is an indicator, they likely won't be. Indonesia is a Muslim nation and it has customarily given jihadists insultingly lenient punishment.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.


[Update 05/16/06]

For those with strong stomachs, Tim at OpinionBug has links to the photos of the beheaded girls.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 04:16:00 AM

Saudi Teens Sodomize Boy

(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) Four Muslim youths in their late teens abducted a boy on Sunday and took him to a remote desert location where they raped him. It's not clear how frequently this type of crime occurs, but my guess would be that it happens more often than is reported.

From ArabNews.com:

A police source said the youths had found the boy in the company of another boy in the neighborhood.

They stopped their car beside one of the boys and asked him to get in. When he refused to comply, one of the youths pulled out a knife and threatened to stab him. The frightened boy got in and the youth took him to a lonely place away from the town.

According to the report, the suspects allegedly sodomized the victim and recorded the crime on a digital camera.

The perpetrators were arrested at a checkpoint after police sent out an all points bulletin with a description provided by the victim's friend.

Notice how the young followers of the religion of peace were thoughtful enough to record their assault on the boy on video. Maybe they were planning on reliving their demented excitement.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/10/2006 03:44:00 AM

No Pluck Clucker

Science marches on. Genetically-modified featherless chickens are cheaper to kill because they require no plucking. On the down side, featherless chickens are susceptible to mosquito bites and sunburn.

Why haven't I heard any squawking from the PETA crowd about this?
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 11:58:00 PM

Gorgeous Pamela Rogers Jailed Until July

(McMinnville, Tennessee) In the enduring story of gorgeous convicted child molester Pamela Rogers, 28, here are the latest developments.

A judge has ordered Rogers to appear for a court hearing to review her case on July 12th. Until that time, the judge ordered that she remain in jail. Rogers faces the possible revocation of her probation and return to prison for the remaining eight years of her original sentence.

If logic prevails, revocation is likely. She allegedly has violated her parole conditions on two separate occasions since being released in February. In the latest occurrence, Rogers sent almost 20 videos to her 14-year-old victim displaying herself dancing nearly naked when she was ordered to have no contact with the boy.

Meanwhile, Pamela Rogers parents were interviewed today on the Good Morning America program and pleaded for their daughter not to receive more jail time.

From NBC10.com:

"We know now that she has a problem and needs months of treatment or therapy," Lamar Rogers told GMA. "Hopefully we can show people that's what she needs instead of jail."

Unfortunately for the family, I think the court may have used up its supply of leniency and compassion with regard to Rogers. Of course, it's difficult to predict the amount of do-gooderism hiding in the robes of the justice system.


[Update 07/14/06]

Rogers goes before judge to face new charges.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 10:54:00 PM

Teacher Accused of Urging Student Lesbian Sex

(DeLand, Florida) Here's a twist to the usual teacher-student sex story.

A 48-year-old 10th-grade teacher at DeLand High School, Tyrone Tinsley, was arrested for allegedly asking two female students to have sex with each other. Tinsley is also accused of asking another student to videotape herself having sex for his viewing enjoyment.

Interestingly, Tinsley is the Dean of Discipline at DeLand High School. A charge of lewd and lascivious conduct has been filed against Tinsley, who is out of jail on $5,000 bond.

In fairness to Mr. Tinsley, this alleged crime looks like a he-said-she-said situation without an abundance of corroboration.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 03:26:00 PM

Woman Arrested for Raping 13-Year-Old Boy

(Rochester, NY) A 34-year-old Rochester woman, Marilyn Rosario, was arrested Monday afternoon for allegedly raping and robbing a 13-year-old boy.

Impersonating a health department worker, Rosario allegedly insinuated herself into the boy's home, brandished a knife, and ordered him to undress and have sex with her. Afterward, the boy said she stole cash from him.

Rosario was booked on charges of first-degree rape and robbery.


[Update 06/09/06]

Rosario pleads guilty.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 01:46:00 PM

Smackdown in Iran - Khamenei Vetoes Ahmadinejad

(Tehran) Last month, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that women will be allowed in sports stadiums as spectators for the first time since the 1979 Revolution. Ahmadinejad said that women and families should be allowed in public places to promote chastity.

Unfortunately, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final word on matters of state and he disagrees.

From ArabNews.com:

"Iran's supreme leader has instructed the government to consider the religious leaders' views and reverse its decision (on letting women into stadiums)," government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a news conference. "The government will act based on this instruction," he said.

Therefore, despite all his media-hogging bluster and belligerent declarations, Ahmadinejad is nothing more than a marionette for Ali Khamenei. Of course, the prudent observer is not surprised.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 12:22:00 PM

Border Patrol Blabs Minutemen Locations to Mexico

(Los Angeles) To assure that illegal aliens' rights are not violated, the U.S. Border Patrol discloses to the Mexican government all the locations where the border is subjected to enhanced monitoring by the Minutemen.

From SacBee.com:

The U.S. Border Patrol is alerting the Mexican government to the locations of civilian border patrol groups when the organizations help detain suspected illegal immigrants or use violence against them, according to a published report.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Mario Martinez told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario that the policy is meant to assure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed.

Presumably, the Mexican government then notifies the affected human traffickers to avoid the identified locations and to use alternate smuggling routes into the U.S. Yes, I'm assuming the Mexican government officials are corrupt and working with the smugglers. It would be a mistake to do otherwise.

In my opinion, these actions by the U.S. Border Patrol are intelligence-gathering functions being performed for the Mexican government against American citizens. That's not dereliction nor abdication of responsibility, that's treason.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/09/2006 11:23:00 AM

Death Threat

On Sunday, I received an email from an individual named Hisham Faiad who threatened to cut my neck for "u insult the holly qouran." Hisham demanded that I respond by telling him my address so "sometimes to killing u." The email was addressed to yours truly and other bloggers, each a contributor to The Jawa Report.

Notably, this is the first time I've received a death threat and, despite indications that the originating IP address is Egypt, it's understandably unnerving. I don't plan on doing anything different, however, it's difficult to erase from one's thinking that a zealot in North Africa has penciled in one's name on a hit list.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2006 11:56:00 AM

Poaching Doctors

(Ontario, Canada) Although they were schooled and credentialed in Canada, about 9,000 physicians have left the country, lured away to practice in the United States. Apparently, the opportunities and rewards in the U.S. are much more attractive. Some people believe that the U.S. is poaching in the pool of Canadian medical professionals.

To address the enduring and worrisome doctor shortage, an official plan has been adopted. Health Minister George Smitherman announced that the government will recruit more doctors and streamline the process to get foreign-trained doctors accredited as physicians in Canada.

From TheStar.com:

Smitherman also said the government is going to be more "aggressive" in trying to recruit doctors from abroad to fight fire with fire as other countries embark on similar strategies.

Critics said that plan is tantamount to "poaching" because it may lure doctors from underdeveloped nations with worse doctor shortages than Ontario's.

So, the solution to the poached-doctor problem is to poach doctors from poachable countries.

Strangely, there seems to be no discussion regarding the reasons that Canadian-trained doctors are so easily lured away. Quite possibly, if Canada were made more doctor-friendly, fewer would be inclined to leave. For example, more pay and fewer hours frequently fosters contentment. As alternatives to poaching, those elements do not appear to be under consideration.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2006 07:43:00 AM

Illegal Iraqis Get Prison for Sneaking into U.S.

(Brownsville, Texas) Following up on a previous post, the three Iraqis who were arrested after sneaking into the U.S. have been sentenced to six months in prison. According to U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, the sentence will give Ammar Habib Zaya, Aamr Bahnan Boles and Remon Manssor Piuz enough time to apply for asylum.

If these guys were Mexicans, they would have been simply sent back or, possibly, just released and told to appear at a deportation hearing. However, since they are Christian Iraqis seeking asylum, they get six months in the slammer.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It appears that we have cafeteria-style rules governing national security.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/08/2006 06:32:00 AM

Dishonoring Ewe

(Bachok, Malaysia) Police are searching for a 15-year-old boy for questioning regarding alleged sex involving a local ewe.

From New Straits Times:

District police chief Deputy Superintendent Nazley Mohd Said said in the 6.30pm incident, the animal's owner, a 36-year-old housewife, was cleaning her house when she heard the frantic bleating of her ewe.

The sound came from beneath the lower portion of her house, which is built on stilts, where she kept her livestock.

On checking, the woman found the youngster naked with one of her ewes.

"When she screamed, the youth jumped up and fled. She lodged a police report," Nazley said.

Presumably, the woman, the boy and the sheep were equally jumpy in this incident. Furthermore, since Malaysia is a Muslim nation with Sharia family courts, the boy likely faces harsh punishment for carnal knowledge of a ewe. Sex with a sheep is an offense that surely besmirches the family honor. Therefore, I suppose the sheep and the boy will be sentenced to die.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2006 09:39:00 PM

Illegal Alien Drug Dealers Arrested

(West Valley City, Utah) I imagine this report may run contrary to the politically correct characterization of trespassers as hard-working, law-abiding, illegal aliens who do jobs American citizens won't do.

From ABC4.com:

Three Mexican nationals were arrested early Wednesday morning by a Salt Lake County sheriffs narcotics team for allegedly selling heroin and cocaine.

"We know for a fact they were dealing to young adults and juveniles in the east side," said Sgt. Kevin Matthews of the Salt Lake County sheriffs office.

After getting a tip, undercover police went to work. They claim to have purchased small quantities of heroin and cocaine from the suspects.

"They would put the heroin and cocaine inside balloons," said Sgt. Matthews. "They were color coded, orange for heroin, white for cocaine, and then sell them to street dealers for about $15 dollars."

Sgt. Matthews said the street dealers would then sell the balloons of drugs to teenagers.

The Mexicans' names are Francisco Gonzales-Carrasco, Alberto Medina and Luis Carrillo-Hernandez and at least one has been deported before. Property seized during the raid included loaded weapons, vehicles, and an estmated $50,000 worth of heroin and cocaine.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2006 09:27:00 AM

Study: Old, Fat Women Snore

(Stockholm) A team of researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden led by Dr. Malin Svensson conducted a study of nearly 7,000 women to determine risk factors for snoring. According to the results reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, snoring is most common among old, fat women.

Since snoring has been linked to other health problems, the value of this research seems clear, however, there's no explanation of why women only were studied. I'd guess that old, fat men are snorers also.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2006 06:06:00 AM

Most-Wanted Fugitive Warren Jeffs

(Salt Lake City, Utah) The 50-year-old leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Warren Steed Jeffs, has been placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.

Jeffs is wanted for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and adult men, for criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor, and for being an accomplice to rape. Convictions of the charges may put Jeffs in prison for life.

Inclusion on the FBI's list, which is disseminated world wide, increases to $100,000 the reward for information leading to Jeffs' arrest.

Jeffs is considered a prophet by about followers in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, British Columbia, and Quintana Roo (on the Yucatan Peninsula), Mexico. Likely protected by armed bodyguards, Jeffs is considered armed and dangerous.

There is reason to believe that Jeffs may be holed up in a FLDS church compound in Eldorado, Texas. Authorities, however, haven't acquired probable cause to enter and search. Maybe the bumped up reward will loosen a tongue.

Jeffs was profiled on last night's America's Most Wanted television program and, by all indications, is a demented, authoritarian pervert. In my opinion, Jeffs is scum. Many lives have been forever altered by his actions. He needs to be found and apprehended.

Pass the word. Call the FBI if you have information. Collect $100,000.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/07/2006 06:02:00 AM

Blow-Up Missionary Found

(Orem, Utah) An unknown perpetrator stole "Elder Buns" from the roof of the Missionary Mall store in Orem last Sunday night. Elder Buns is a 20-foot tall blow-up doll representing a Mormon missionary.

Well, Praise the Lord! Elder Buns was found late Tuesday on the Brigham Young University campus.

Appropriately, Elder Buns had spewed his missionary air at the thieves while held captive and needed to be inflated. Nevertheless, the symbol is home safe and the owner is happy.

The thieves are still at large.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2006 08:32:00 PM

Boy Has Sleepover with Teacher

(Durham, NC) Last February, 43-year-old teacher at Chewning Middle School, Janet Briggs, was arrested for allegedly allowing a 14-year-old student to spend the night at her home more than once. After the first occasion, the boy's father alerted police.

According to Sgt. Will Oakley of the Durham County Sheriff's Office, both Briggs and the boy deny any sexual contact. Nonetheless, Briggs was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was released on the misdemeanor charge without bond and ordered to have no contact with the boy and his family.

Briggs resigned her position with the school. (H/T Don Morgenstern)


[Update 03/26/07]

Briggs case fades.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/06/2006 11:34:00 AM

Man Without Legs Fights Deaf Guy

(Valparaiso. Indiana) Here's the story. It sounds like a joke. Two middle-aged guys get liquored up and decide to go for a drive. One is deaf, the other has no legs.

From Breitbart.com:

Kent Hisey, 52, became frustrated by the difficulty of James Mills, who is deaf, in communicating directions, Valparaiso police said. They had driven from the Playboy Lounge in New Chicago to Portage, then Hobart _ where the 46-year-old Mills lives _ and finally to Valparaiso _ communities spread across two northwest Indiana counties about 30 miles southeast of Chicago.

Hisey, who has two prosthetic legs, stopped his car at the Porter County Airport, got out and used his walker to go around to the passenger side, where he grabbed Mills to pull him from the car, police said.

Mills allegedly pushed Hisey to the ground, causing him to hit his head.

Paramedics arrived Thursday about 1:30 a.m. to treat Hisey's lacerations and take him to Porter Hospital. Police wrote a note to Mills informing him he was being arrested on a battery charge.

Field sobriety testing indicated that Hisey was drunk, so both men were jailed.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2006 11:44:00 PM

Teacher Gets No Jail for Felony Sex with Student

(Goldsboro, NC) In February, 36-year-old English teacher at Charles B. Aycock High School, Laurie Spurlock, was arrested by Wayne County Sheriff's deputies for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student. Spurlock was charged with two counts of a felony sex offense with a student.

After pleading guilty in Wayne County Superior Court to two felony counts of sexual activity by a teacher with a student, Spurlock was given a three/four-month suspended prison sentence, placed on supervised probation for 12 months and fined $500 and court costs. Judge Jerry Braswell also ordered her to complete 200 hours of community service within six months and pay the $200 community service fee.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2006 12:04:00 PM

School Disciplines Boy for Eating Like Pig

(Montreal, Canada) A seven-year-old male student at Ecole Lalande, Luc Cagadoc, was forced to eat lunch away from other children because he allegedly "eats like a pig." As a Filipino immigrant, Cagadoc learned to eat his food using a fork to mush food into a spoon before swallowing the contents. Lunchroom monitors didn't approve.

Unfortunately, the situation has escalated in an international incident with news being spread that the national dignity of the Philippines has been besmirched.

From SunStar.com.ph:

Left-wing Philippine protesters picketed the Canadian embassy Friday in support of a Filipino boy who was allegedly scolded by school officials in Montreal for using a spoon -- instead of a knife -- during meals.

About a dozen members of Akbayan, a small left-wing political party, held up placards that read, "Respect cultural diversity" and "We eat with spoons and are proud of it."

Some of the placards were pasted on large posters of a spoon and a fork mounted on plastic foam.

The Philippine Embassy has issued a statement denouncing the school's actions. Cagadoc's family is planning to file a formal complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission alleging insensitive and racist behavior and seeking unspecified punitive damages.

I have to side with the family in this case. The school seems to be quite intolerant. After all, the boy is only seven years old.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/05/2006 09:20:00 AM

Testing American Gullibility

Everybody is talking about it.

From WaPo:

Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy crashed his car into a security barrier near the Capitol early yesterday, and officers at the scene suspected that he might have been intoxicated, a police union official said.

Kennedy (D-R.I.) issued a statement late last night -- his second in several hours -- saying he had been disoriented after taking prescription drugs: Phenergan for gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and Ambien, a sleeping medication.

Ah, come on! Kennedy has a history of substance problems and the incident happened about 3 in the morning. Tell me. Who is out crashing vehicles at that hour other than hammered dolts?

Just how viscerally gullible does the sainted Kennedy family think the American public is? We're supposed to believe he took sleeping pills and decided to go for a drive in the middle of the night? What horse****!
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2006 10:54:00 PM

Tunnel Found at Border

(San Diego) A "very primitive" tunnel underneath the U.S.-Mexico border was discovered and believed to be for human smuggling, according to ICE public information officer Lauren Mack.

From NCTimes.com:

A crude, 6-foot-long tunnel was discovered underneath a section of border fence at the U.S.-Mexico line in Otay Mesa, federal officials announced today.

Members of the multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force found the hand-dug underground passageway east of a commercial port facility yesterday morning, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

No suspects have been identified.

Personally, I think the fact that San Diego has a multi-agency task force with the sole purpose of looking for tunnels indicates the extent of border security problems. I'll risk assuming that the multi-agency task force likely doesn't include any groups on the Mexican side of the border.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2006 10:28:00 PM

Coked-Up Kindergarten Teacher Pleads Guilty

(Temecula, California) A 47-year-old mother of two and kindergarten teacher at French Valley Elementary School, Lynne Marie Filippini, was arrested last November on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs in class.

From PE.com:

Filippini was arrested Nov. 8, the day she returned to work after being put on medical leave.

On Oct. 31, a French Valley Elementary official put Filippini on medical leave after she attributed nosebleeds to a staph infection, court records say. On the Temecula woman's first day back, she dropped her children at a day-care center. A worker there contacted officials at Filippini's school to report that the teacher had a bloody nose and was behaving erratically, according to a search warrant that led to her arrest.

Filippini was arrested that day and tested for drugs. The test later showed that she had a potentially lethal amount of cocaine in her system, [prosecuting attorney Brad] Snell said.

A mother of two, Filippini was arrested again Nov. 10 after Temecula police found 13 grams of cocaine in her house, police said.

Yesterday, Filippini pleaded guilty to three counts of misdemeanor child endangerment, driving while under the influence, being under the influence of cocaine and felony cocaine possession. Sentencing is scheduled for June 7. Filippini faces up to five years in jail and three years in state prison.

Filippini's attorney will ask the judge for probation since she pleaded guilty and therefore acknowledged her problem. Prosecutor Snell, however, commented that it is rare for anyone found with a near lethal dose of drugs in their system to be successfully rehabilitated.


[Update 06/08/06]

Judge Harold W. Hopp sentenced Filippini to three years probation and 180 days' weekend lockup in county jail.


[Update 12/23/06]

While on probation, Filippini arrested again.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2006 06:34:00 AM

Mexico Backs Away from Drug Legalization

In a turnaround from what was previously reported, Mexican President Vicente Fox has balked on the drug legalization law.

From WashingtonPost.com:

Mexican President Vicente Fox backed off signing a drug decriminalization bill that the United States warned could result in "drug tourism" and increased availability of narcotics in American border communities.

Fox reversed course Wednesday and said he was sending the bill back to Congress for changes, just one day after his office had said he would sign it into law. The measure would have dropped criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

Fox's statement said he will ask for corrections "to make it absolutely clear in our country, the possession of drugs and their consumption are, and will continue to be, a criminal offense."

Really? I'm confused. Fox wants the law which drops criminal penalties for possession to clearly state that drug possession is a criminal offense.

It doesn't make sense to me. Of course, I'm a guy who thinks "law-abiding illegal alien" is a contradiction.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2006 05:24:00 AM

ACLU Bullies School

As luck would have it, this post folds nicely with the previous entry on the ACLU.

(Toledo, Ohio) A student was suspended from Springfield Middle School for posting "sexually laced Web pages pretending to be a principal and a teacher." The ACLU threatened to sue. The school system caved. In a letter to the editor, Kirk Ross explains.

From ToledoBlade.com:

The school board members were unanimous in their support of the school's actions. They were all adamant that the intimidation that the student had spewed onto the Internet should not be tolerated for a moment when it impacts the ability of the school to educate its students.

But in a truly galling acknowledgment of reality, the board recognized an ugly truth. It simply did not have the financial resources to fight the specious charges that would be brought against it by the very well-heeled ACLU. The fact that the board would almost certainly win in court did not change the fact that the road to victory would be a costly one.

In the end, the board did the responsible thing and placed the good of the student body first. Purely to avoid the cost of litigation, the school board readmitted the student.

It happens all the time. Perfectly responsible organizations and individuals are being bullied by the deep pockets of the ACLU. Deep pockets, by the way, that are filled with taxpayer dollars. The American public pays the ACLU to be a bully. That's not the intent, but that's the reality.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/04/2006 03:19:00 AM

Judge Orders Removal of Mount Soledad Cross

In its apparent never-ending campaign to eliminate Christianity from America, the American Civil Liberties Union has seemingly won another round. The War Memorial Cross on Mount Soledad is to be taken down.

From WND.com:

Ruling on a 15-year-old ACLU case, a federal judge today ordered the city of San Diego to remove a mountain-top cross within 90 days or face a fine of $5,000 a day.

U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson said, "It is now time, and perhaps long overdue, for this court to enforce its initial permanent injunction forbidding the presence of the Mount Soledad cross on city property," the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Thompson ruled in 1991 the Mount Soledad cross violates the so-called "separation of church and state" but the case has remained in courts and become an issue of public policy for more than a decade.

ACLU lawyer James McElroy believes San Diego officials finally will give up their fight.

"I don't think the city has its heart in taking more action," he said, according to the paper.

A city lawyer argued during the hour-long court hearing today that citizens had voted for transfer of the land under the cross.

Proposition A, passed by 75 percent in July, called for the city to donate the cross to the federal government as the centerpiece of a veterans memorial.

The ballot initiative came about after the city refused to donate the cross and memorial to the federal government. A group called San Diegans for the Mount Soledad National War Memorial took just 23 days to gather 105,000 signatures.

In a ruling now on appeal, however, a Superior Court judge found the transfer unconstitutional.

The Union-Tribune said the group behind the public vote on transfer likely will appeal Thompson's decision.

A memorial cross has stood on Mount Soledad since 1913 and wasn't a problem until the ACLU decided that all symbols of Christianity should be eliminated from public property. And the ACLU takes advantage of every conceivable opportunity to sue because its lawyers are paid for by the American public. Ironic, don't you think? U.S. taxpayers are funding the leftist ACLU campaign to attack the culture and history of America. I think it's outrageous.

However, an effort by the American Legion and others has been launched to stop giving taxpayer funds to the ACLU to destroy the customs and institutions of America. Congressman John N. Hostettler (R-IN) has introduced H.R. 2679 to halt taxpayer funding of the ACLU. Engaged citizens are asked to sign the Petition To Stop Taxpayer Funding of the ACLU.

This is a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay@stoptheaclu.com or GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs already on-board.


[Update 1930EDT, 05/04/06]

As I prepare this update, six readers have been considerate enough to respond to the post. In the comments, I have been specifically characterized as:

1) a whiny wanker with a whiny ass playing the victimization game,
2) a member of the lunatic ilk,
3) a liar,
4) a person who makes Christians look bad,
5) a person who advocates for an "ugly cross," and
6) a bankrupt conservative.

I appreciate the comments. Thanks to all my readers. In all candor, though, I'm not sensing a lot of love.

With regard to an appropriate response, I'm drawing a blank. That is other than name-calling, which I don't believe contributes to intelligent debate. However, as an interested participant, I feel obligated to try. So, here goes:

"Oh, yeah? But you're a bigger one!"

How's that?


[Update 07/03/06]

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy grants stay of Judge Thompson's order.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2006 11:13:00 PM

"Iraqi Christian! Iraqi Christian! Iraqi Christian!"

(Brownsville, Texas) Three Iraqi national citizens were arrested by Border Patrol agents last Saturday near the Los Indios International Bridge in Harlingen. The three, Ammar Habib Zaya, Aamr Bahnan Boles and Remon Manssor Piuz, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor illegal entry charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday at which time they face a possible six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Meanwhile, the Iraqis have asked for asylum in the U.S. claiming religious persecution. Reportedly, the three are part of a small minority of Christians in Iraq that are persecuted by the Muslim majority.

According to their attorney Humberto Yzaguirre, the men are not suspected of being terrorists, however, federal agents have been interviewing them "because maybe they have knowledge of terrorists or maybe they saw something or saw someone." The asylum process is expected to begin after sentencing.

Yzaguirre stated the men feared for their lives since Christians were being killed regularly and in plain view. They fled with hopes of working towards bringing other family members later.

From BrownsvilleHerald.com:

Although two of the men came to Mexico through Greece, all three claim they were arrested and released by Mexican immigration officials.

Yzaguirre said the three men came to the Texas-Mexico border where a smuggler helped them cross the Rio Grande near rural Los Indios.

"The first words out of their mouth were, 'Iraqi Christian, Iraqi Christian, Iraqi Christian,'" Yzaguirre said of the men when they were spotted by Border Patrol.

If the reporting is accurate and the three Iraqis are telling the truth, I think that they could potentially become valuable assets in the intelligence war against terrorism. They know the language, they know the terrain, and they know the enemy.

Nevertheless, it's disturbing that Mexican immigration officials looked the other way while a smuggler had no problem sneaking Middle Eastern Arabs into Texas. I fear that this is not an isolated incident.


[Update 05/08/06]

Iraqis sentenced.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2006 09:43:00 AM

Blogger Sued for Defamation

(New York) A Maine-based blogger, Lance Dutson, has been served with a lawsuit by a New York-based advertising firm claiming copyright infringement, defamation, trade libel and injurious falsehood. At issue is Dutson's criticism of the Maine Office of Tourism and its advertising agency, Warren Kremer Paino Advertising (WKPA), New York. Duston comments on his blog thusly:

From MaineWebReport.com:

Getting the sheriff to deliver the suit to me, in front of my kids and neighbors, is the latest freaked-out situation this Office of Tourism has put me in. I have to say this has disrupted the Dutson household a bit, that's what happens when someone files a crushing lawsuit that, if successful, would utterly destroy my life.

So here I am, one man against the state and its contractors, put in the position of shutting up or being pounded by their deep pockets and a wild misconception of what the court system is supposed to be used for. One person who has exposed a cavalcade of incompetence and who has to choose to allow it, or face an onslaught of personal attack and legal action.

This is crap, total crap and I'm not going to fold, not at this point. They've already screwed with me and my family so much, and I will not be bullied into discontinuing my work here. This state agency is wasting money, telling stories, and paying subcontractors who seem more focused on spending their time and money bludgeoning critics with legal threats and lawsuits rather than working to promote Maine tourism.

I've read through Dutson's alleged defamatory posts and found only his thoughtful and clear assessment of the work being done by the Maine Office of Tourism and WPKA. In his evaluation of the advertising campaign, Dutson cites facts which support the contention that Maine taxpayers' money is being wasted by a bunch of incompetents. It appears that way to me.

Many others have expressed their support for Dutson, in the media and in the blogosphere. He's likely going to need it. The legal action taken against him is reminiscent of the tactic the ACLU allegedly uses to silence its opposition. Intimidate by threatening or filing a lawsuit against a respondent who doesn't have the financial clout to defend himself in court.

Hopefully, Dutson will be able to beat WPKA in court and continue blogging. He has written entries which are fact-based and supportable and the case would allow the courts to set in stone a few precedents regarding the relationship of bloggers to the business community.

On the other hand, it appears that the lawsuit filed by WPKA is malicious and probably justifies a countersuit. WPKA should be the party paying damages.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2006 07:36:00 AM

Woman Gets 20 Years for Sex with Stepson

(Tyler, Texas) A 39-year-old woman and small business owner, Carla Kay Dinger, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting her stepson. Dinger had an ongoing sexual relationship with the boy, presumably without her husband's knowledge, during his 14th through 16th year and, subsequently, became pregnant. She gave birth to a son who is now six years old. Ultimately, the boy told his mother who alerted the police.

From the Tyler Morning Telegraph:

In 1998, when he was 14, he moved from out of state where he was living with his mother, to reside with Ms. Dinger and his father, who had married when he was 10.

He said he and Ms. Dinger had an ongoing sexual relationship when he was ages 14 through 16. Testimony and earlier statements were conflicting whether the affair lasted 1 and 1/2 years or 2 and 1/2 years.

Ms. Dinger often took the victim to her Tyler medical equipment business, where they had sex about 50 times, he testified. He said he would skip school to stay with her at work and they also had intercourse in her vehicle, at their house and at an apartment she rented out for that purpose - up to 100 times throughout the relationship.

The victim said she also supplied him with alcohol and methamphetamine frequently. He said he had never done drugs before Ms. Dinger gave them to him, adding that she also gave meth to some of her employees.

Alcohol, methamphetamine, and a lot of sex in a lot of places is far from being a normal parent-child relationship and a Smith County jury demonstrated its disapproval by sending Dinger to prison for a long time. She was also assessed a $10,000 fine.

Dinger's stepson, now 22, is suing her for monetary damages ostensibly claiming psychological trauma. Apparently, he developed a heroin habit at some point in time and overdosed, causing a hearing impairment.

Defense attorney, Scrappy Holmes, said Dinger is trying to turn her life around by attending church and going to counseling. Unfortunately, I believe that church and counseling can't cure stupidity. On the other hand, she will have 20 years in the slammer to hit the books which might help. (H/T Don Morgenstern)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/03/2006 02:08:00 AM

Arab Teens with 150,000 Detonators

(Qalansawe, Israel) Almost unnoticeable is this report from Monday night.

From YnetNews.com:

Three teenagers from the Arab town of Qalansawe were arrested after 150,000 detonators were found in the house of one of them. The teenagers, age 15 and 16 were taken to a police station for questioning where they claimed that the detonators meant for their personal use.

Obviously, there is more to the story since history shows that the Arabs customarily are prevented from using more than one detonator per teen. Once the detonator is used, it destroys itself and its user. Therefore, the three teens were not going to "personally use" 150,000 detonators.

Since police reportedly found no explosives, it's logical to assume that the cache of detonators was only temporarily stored by terrorist plotters in anticipation of future attacks against Israel. I would also assume that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are aggressively pursuing the actual owner of the detonators and trying to determine how they were smuggled into the country. Notably, the storage location is an Arab community which sits a mere 10 miles inland from the coastal city of Netanya, a favorite venue for suicide bombings.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2006 11:59:00 PM

Ohio Primary Election - May 2, 2006

[Post at top for all of Election Day. See below for newer entries.]
The extent of my involvement with the State of Ohio Blogger (S.O.B.) Alliance has been somewhat compromised recently by other obligations but it does not deter from my strong support of the alliance and other members' efforts. They have been providing timely reports on the run-up to the primary election and have made preparations to have election day stories and results live blogged.

Readers interested in primary election voting and candidate information can go to the Ohio Voter Information Guide.

Live-blogging of election day reports, stories, and results will be at the State of Ohio Blogger Alliance HQ. Contributors will be providing reports throughout the day from all over the state. If readers have any breaking stories worth publishing, contact any of the SOB Alliance members or leave a comment.

As for endorsements, Interested-Participant supports Ken Blackwell for Ohio Governor and Bill Pierce for U.S. Senator. Ken Blackwell and Bill Pierce reflect conservative cultural and political values that are sorely needed. Mike DeWine has been performing an ersatz Republican role and needs to be recalled from Washington. I may weigh in later on other races.


[Update 11pm]

I've been following the fine coverage at the SOB Alliance HQ page. Go visit.

Nutshell results:

Blackwell and Strickland will vie for Governor,
DeWine and Brown will vie for U.S. Senator.

Sadly, Bill Pierce wasn't able to make inroads on DeWine.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is being criticized about polling places and workers being unprepared. New Diebold voting machines weren't working properly (access cards failed to work and paper trails jammed). There also was no power available at one location because of a problem with power plugs. Election officials are blaming Diebold and calling for an investigation.

Cleveland voting machine problems prompted a decision to keep some polling places open later. Absentee ballots will also require hand-counting and the tally won't be available until tomorrow.

A case of voter rage was reported at a polling station on Jennings Road in Cleveland. Marc Fenster arrived at 9:30 am and starting beating on the machines. That ain't right, but I understand.

It looks as though perky, lefty cheerleader Capri Cafaro won't win the Ohio 13th Democrat Congressional Primary. She is trailing Betty Sutton by a handful of percentage points.

And, although I still haven't found the words in the Ohio Constitution mandating that every school district offer up multiple school tax levies repeatedly until passed, it appears that all districts were in compliance. I think one levy took nine tries before they could sneak it by the voters. Of course, that may be an exaggeration.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2006 10:38:00 AM

Al-Qaeda Leader in Custody

(Kabul, Afghanistan) Good news!

From WashingtonPost.com:

A top al-Qaida leader whose links stretch from Afghan terror training camps to extremist networks operating throughout Europe has been detained in neighboring Pakistan and possibly handed over to American authorities, according to a U.S. law enforcement official.

Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, a Syrian who also holds Spanish citizenship, was captured in a November 2005 sting in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta that left one person dead, said the American official, who declined to be identified further because the matter is sensitive.

Authorities are being hush-hush about Nasar, aka Abu Musab al-Suri. One source said he was flown out of Pakistan to an undisclosed location. I hope his present location accords him all the rights and privileges guaranteed by the Kolyma Convention.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2006 07:01:00 AM

Man, 33, Weds 104-Year-Old Woman

(Malaysia) Muhammad Noor Che Musa married Wook Kundor who is old enough to be his great-grandmother and has been married 20 times. Hot monkey love? I don't believe it's even possible. But, according to Muhammad, it's Allah's will.

From TheStar.com.my:

Muhammad admitted that many did not understand his decision to marry Wook and felt that their marriage was weird. Some even questioned his motive for marrying a woman old enough to be his great grandmother.

"But this is Allah's will. My intention towards Wook is very sincere. I am not after her money as she is poor. Her only asset is her deep religious knowledge.

"Through her, I can deepen my knowledge of the religion while at the same time help her master the Romanised script," he said, adding that their love was based on mutual respect and care.

Allah's will, eh? Frankly, whether it's suicide bombings or marrying someone three times one's age, I'm thinking that Allah's will is used as a catch-all excuse for any exceedingly stupid or harmful behavior. Nevertheless, I don't think Muhammad will be getting any nook from Wook. She's likely tapped out.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/02/2006 05:56:00 AM

Hot Mama Lures Boys for Sex Through MySpace

(Goodyear, Arizona) Posing on the Internet as a teenage girl named Tabitha, 36-year-old Peggy Ross allegedly lured boys as young as 13 to her home for sex when her husband was away. A tipster alerted the Goodyear Police Department that Ross was hosting parties for underage boys and that they involved drugs and alcohol. One boy has come forward and admitted to engaging in sex with Ross.

Ross was arrested last Tuesday during a traffic stop. Goodyear Police waited until she had dropped her children off at school to make a "soft arrest" so as to not traumatize the youngsters. Police are continuing to investigate and suspect more victims will come forward.

Ross was booked on charges of sex with a minor, kidnapping, and luring a minor for sexual exploitation. Her bond was set at $120,000. (H/T Don Morgenstern)
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2006 08:57:00 PM

Pamela Rogers Video Released

Last week, Pamela Rogers was again arrested for violating her probation, this time for sending a provocative video to her teenage victim.

Surprisingly, the video has been released on the Internet.


[Update 07/14/06]

Rogers goes before judge to face new charges.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2006 04:35:00 PM

Mexico Boosting Illegal Alien Flow

It's beyond me why the politicians and the American people are not having alarm bells reverberating in their skulls. Check out this report.

From XinhuaNet.com:

The Mexican Red Cross (CRM) and the National Migration Agency (INM) will boost their help for Mexicans on their journey to the United States, Mexico's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The two bodies support migrants through the Beta Migrant Protection Group, with the INM funding first aid, medical emergency and humanitarian assistance to all foreigners, regardless of their nationalities.

Evidently, without regard to nationality, the Mexican government has a major program greasing the skids to put illegal aliens across the border. I confess to unfamiliarity with the finer legalities of international relations but, even so, these actions sure appear to be openly hostile acts by Mexico against the United States. To top everything off, the Mexican government has the audacity to announce the expansion of the program to make it easier for trespassers to enter the U.S.

While some Americans believe that nobody should be illegally in the U.S., the Mexican government believes that there currently are too few and has devoted additional resources to increase the number of illegals and to also increase the rate of growth, regardless of nationality.

One might believe that the Mexicans have adopted a mindset that no international border exists and their real problem is not being able to send people north fast enough.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2006 06:16:00 AM

Taliban Murderers Kill Muslim Cleric

(Peshawar, Pakistan) Pro-Taliban thug murderers kidnapped and killed 80-year-old Muslim cleric Maulana Janaat Mir because he was suspected to be an informant for the Pakistani Security Forces. His body was found near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan.

From Reuters.com:

"Maulana (Mir) was also head of his tribe and his name was on a militants' hit list circulated to people of the area five months ago," an intelligence official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters.

He said the list contained the names of 28 tribesmen suspected of being informers or spies for either the Pakistan government or American forces hunting al-Qaeda remnants across the border in Afghanistan.

At least four suspected informers have been beheaded in North and South Waziristan in recent weeks.

Tribesmen found decapitated bodies with notes attached saying the victims were American spies and warning others they would face the same fate.

So, the Taliban thug fanatics have resorted to killing and terrorizing their fellow Muslims to keep them from talking to the Pakistani Security Forces or Americans. Although using terror tactics is not new, there is reason to believe that recent successes against the Taliban and al-Qaeda may have prompted the creation of the "hit list."

It's notable that the people being murdered are simply "suspected" of informing or spying. From my reading of history, the situation is similar to what happened in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
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       Following Entry Posted 5/01/2006 04:32:00 AM

New Chinese Fighter Plane

The Chinese are apparently quite proud of their new-generation fighter plane. They want everybody to know about it.


Chinese Xiaolong 04 Fighter
From Xinhuanet.com:

An advanced version of the China-developed new-generation fighter plane, the Xiaolong/FC-4, succeeded in its first flight on Friday in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Based on previous models, the Xiaolong/FC-1 and FC-3, the FC-4 is equipped with advanced electronics and weapons systems, which improve its combat capabilities, say experts.

The success of the 16-minute test flight marks a significant step in China's aviation industry, and makes mass production possible.

The Xiaolong series is a multipurpose light fighter aircraft developed by the China Aviation Industry Corporation I(CAIC-I), the Chengdu Aircraft Group Corp. and China Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation.

The plane is reportedly being produced as a low-cost, high tech weapons platform for export. From the picture, I see a similarity to the old F-4 Phantoms the U.S. Navy flew during the Vietnam War. Regarding its modern and high technology features, the Xiaolong/FC-4 seems to lack any of the customary contours of a stealth aircraft.

Nevertheless, it's probably reasonable to assume that these fighter jets will show up in the air forces of Venezuela, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and others.
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