Interested-Participant

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 11:59:00 PM

Women With Troubles - May 2008

Reported in the news during May 2008, here is the compilation of women with troubles. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details.

For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

(AK) Miklene A. Gilligan,
neighbor - Pleaded no contest to sex abuse of boy, 13. Sentencing in September,

(AR) Deanna Bobo, 40,
teacher - Conviction affirmed by appeals court. Sentenced to 12 years for sex with students,

(AZ) Veronica Bullock, 29,
neighbor - Violates probation after completing 30 days jail for sex with boy, 12,

(AZ) Trina Rae Carroll, 34,
neighbor - Arrested after her two-year-old found with meth in system,

(AZ) Jennifer Mally, 27,
teacher - Sentenced to 6 months in jail for sex with male student, 16,

(AZ) Savannah Sutherland, 23,
neighbor - Sentenced to 3.5 years prison for vehicular homicide,

(CA) Lisa Racquel Arellanes, 32,
school employee - Accused of being drunk as school chaperone,

(CA) Holly Ashcraft, 23,
college student - Sentenced to probation for throwing her newborn into dumpster to die,

(CA) Crissy Torcella Hisey, 28,
teacher - Arrested for sex with female student, 17,

(CA) Larissa Shuster, 47,
neighbor - Sentenced to life in prison for murdering husband,

(FL) Kimberly S. Cameron, 43,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy , 15,

(FL) Caroline Corbett, 23,
scouting assistant - Arrested for sex with scout,

(FL) Tiffany Shepherd, 30,
teacher - Fired from teaching job for "missing work,"

(GA) Noelle Pannell, 31,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student,

(IL) Deborah Kissell, 32,
cafeteria lady - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(IL) Deborah Logan, 46,
teacher - Arrested for smoking dope at school,

(IL) Anastasia Pappas, 41,
teacher - Sentenced to 5 years prison for sex with boy, 15,

(IL) Kristina Rhoades, 27,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for sex abuse of boy under 17,

(IN) Julie Phillips, 50,
neighbor - Accused of harassing daughter's classmate leading to girl's attempted suicide,

(IN) Julie A. Singleton, 34,
jail guard - Sentenced to 6 months in prison for sex with male inmate, 16,

(IN) Sheila Vasquez, 37,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 15,

(KY) Michelle Marie Andrews, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of boy, 13,

(KY) Tanya Baynum, 28,
neighbor - Accused of raping runaway boy, 15,

(KY) Gail Coontz, 37,
neighbor - Arrested for murdering her children,

(LA) Monica Michelle Martin, 27,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 18,

(LA) Maurna Thornton, 39,
teacher - Pleads guilty to felony carnal knowledge of boy, 14,

(MA) Jessica L. Coughlin, 22,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for raping boy, 15,

(MD) Lindsey H. Froehlich, 26,
teacher - Accused of sexual contact with male student, 16,

(MI) Anna Marie Glass, 29,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy between 13 and 15,

(MO) Lori Drew,
neighbor - Indicted for MySpace suicide death of girl, 13,

(MO) Michelle Hollis,
neighbor - Gets seven years in prison for "involuntary" fatal poisoning of husband,

(NC) Stephanie Rae Mathis Spann, 31,
neighbor - Sentenced to 9 months jail for rape of child under 16,

(NH) Kelly Horrigan, 26,
teacher - Arrested for marijuana possession,

(NJ) Pamela Balogh, 40,
teacher - Sentenced to 7 years prison for sex assault of girl, 15,

(NY) Rebecca L. Becker, 29,
teacher - Sentenced to 90 days in jail for sex with male student,

(NY) Kathryn Brauch, 22,
neighbor - Sentenced to 3 years prison for sex with boy,

(NY) Jeanine M. Buske, 33,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 16,

(NY) Lisa Curcie, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of boy, 14,

(NY) Christel C. Gravlin, 33,
teacher - Sentenced to 120 days in jail for sex with student, 15,

(NY) Janmattie Singh, 22,
teacher - Arrested for sex with 3 male teens,

(NY) Maria E. Zurita, 29,
teacher's aide - Sentenced to one year in jail for sex with male student,

(PA) Sherry Ambolino, 41,
babysitter - Arrested for arriving at school drunk with car full of kids,

(PA) Gloria Guthrie, 29,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with two teen boys, 15 and 16,

(PA) Tiona Jones, 29,
neighbor - Arrested during traffic stop with $170,000 in heroin,

(PA) Tammy Lickert, 29,
neighbor - Sentenced to 6-to-23 months prison for sex with boy, 12,

(PA) Susan Siegel, 53,
teacher - Arrested after scoring dope,

(PA) Mary C. Steck, 51,
teacher - Arrested for heroin possession,

(PA) Michele E. Zulkowsky, 28,
teacher - Arrested for fondling boy during school hours,

(SC) Janet Fackovec, 25,
teacher - Sentenced to 90 days in jail for reduced charge of contributing to delinquency,

(SC) Sara Melissa Schneider, 28,
neighbor - Accused of soliciting sex from boy over Internet,

(SD) Marchelle Dawan West-Boston, 28,
neighbor - Indicted for rape of boy,

(TN) Christie G. McCoy, 31,
neighbor - Indicted for rape of boy, 15,

(TX) Joy Blackstock, 23,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 18,

(TX) Tanya Boyd, 46,
teacher - Arrested for possessing marijuana and loaded weapon on school grounds,

(TX) Rebecca Ann Bramlett, 33,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(TX) Kerry Smith Foulk, 47,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for sex with girl, 14,

(TX) Erica Morquecho Gonzales, 33,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 17,

(TX) Shauntel Mayo, 29,
neighbor - Sentenced to life in prison for children's sex club,

(UT) Cris Lynn Morris, 30,
teacher - Sentenced to 30 days jail for unlawful sex with male student,

(VA) Jennifer Lawson, 39,
neighbor - Arrested for soliciting boy, 15, via MySpace,

(VA) Rachel Smith, 32,
teacher - Arrested for possession of meth,

(VA) Paula Tomlin, 36,
school bus driver - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(WA) Diane Amanda Hillman, 40,
school counselor - Sentenced to 5 years prison for raping girl, 15,

(WA) Ryann C. Springer, 25,
teacher - Arrested for sex with girl, 17,

(WI) Teresa M. Cantrall, 41,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 13, she met through MySpace,

(WI) Jacqueline Plant, 34,
teacher - Accused of prescription drug fraud,

(WV) Christi Lee Williams, 30,
teacher - Arrested for sex with student, 16.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Labels: Women With Troubles

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 09:52:00 PM

Burmese Told to Eat Frogs

For those voices who constantly complain about the conditions in the United States, check out this report from the Bangkok Post.

Rangoon - The military junta began evicting destitute families from cyclone relief centres on Friday and rejected foreign food aid - because people can survive perfectly well by hunting "large, edible frogs."

An accurate final tally may never be known, but so far it's estimated that 134,000 are dead or missing.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 06:19:00 PM

Bus Driver in Love with Boy, 16

(Staunton, Virginia) A 36-year-old school bus driver and teacher's aide at Robert E. Lee High School, Paula Tomlin, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a 16-year-old male student.

The relationship allegedly involved criminal offenses in the city of Staunton and in Augusta County. She faces four charges in Augusta County of indecent liberties with a child while in a custodial position and three charges in Staunton.

According to information gathered during the investigation, over the last three weeks the 16-year-old male student, who attends the Genesis Alternative Education School in Fishersville, would regularly ride Tomlin’s bus in the afternoons until her route was finished, then the two would leave the bus storage area together in her car, [Staunton City Schools Superintendent] Nichols said.

Tomlin would drop the student off within walking distance of his house, usually around 6 p.m., Nichols said. The student’s parents were unaware anything unusual was taking place.

An adult acquaintance of Tomlin’s informed school authorities of the situation at noon Wednesday, Nichols said. By 3 p.m., they were sufficiently confident of wrongdoing to inform police. Tomlin was arrested Thursday following the completion of her bus route.

School officials provided police with evidence, including a series of explicit text messages between Tomlin and the student, Staunton Police Department Investigator J.I. Hylton said. After initial denials, Tomlin and the student confirmed under questioning the sexual nature of their relationship, Hylton said. Both stated they were in love.

Tomlin was booked into custody at the Middle River Regional Jail and released on $2,500 bond.

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 04:24:00 PM

Illegal Arrested for Molesting Girl, 3

(Bradenton, Florida) A 25-year-old Mexican illegal alien, Israel Lugo-Rios, was arrested this week by Manatee County Sheriff's deputies for allegedly molesting a 3-year-old girl.

The victim was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital on Saturday complaining of pain, according to sheriff's reports. A medical examination determined the girl had been molested, authorities said.

Lugo-Rios was booked into custody with federal officials placing an immigration hold.

The Sheriff's Office indicated that Lugo-Rios knew the girl which would suggest that she was possibly a relative or a next door neighbor.

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 02:52:00 PM

Illegal Arrested for Sex Assault of Disabled Woman

(Jacksonville, Florida) A 25-year-old illegal alien, Juventino M. Pizano, was arrested this past week for sexually assaulting a 48-year-old woman who had just been released from the Intensive Care Unit following surgery to insert a catheter in her heart.

“According to the victim, she woke up at about 3 a.m. Saturday morning with a man on top of her. She tried to push him off but wasn’t able to. When she started screaming and hollering, the rest of the family started banging on the door,” said Detective Tonya Sonntag of the Jacksonville Police Department.

“The victim said her attacker then put his pants on and unlocked the door. The boys in the house grabbed him and basically chunked him out the door. Officers responding to the scene found him a few blocks down and detained him.”

Once JPD arrived at the scene and began investigating the circumstances, Pizano was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault and public intoxication.

Pizano was booked into custody at the Cherokee County Jail with an immigration hold.

I wonder whether Pizano has been previously deported. It wouldn't surprise me if he had.

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 01:35:00 PM

Iran: Enrichment Is Non-Negotiable

(Tehran) Iran today set preconditions for any negotiations regarding nuclear enrichment with anybody at any time.

Iran will not give up its right to enrich uranium, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday, days before major powers submit an upgraded package of incentives to try to coax Tehran into halting the work.

"Suspending enrichment is not negotiable ... Depriving Iran of its right cannot be on offer," Gholamhossein Elham, the government spokesman, told a weekly news conference.

So, weapons-grade uranium enrichment is off the table as presumably is the previously stated goal of wiping Israel off the map. Of course, this means that if Sen. Obama is elected President, he won't be able to sit down and chat with Iranian President Ahmadinejad without preconditions. Iran has already established them.

And, all the world's hope and all the world's change won't dissuade Ahmadinejad, a fanatic whose actions are dictated by a desire for global tumult and a worldwide caliphate accompanied by a prophet coming out of a well.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 12:17:00 PM

Texas Teacher Gets No Jail for Molesting Girl, 14

(Beaumont, Texas) A 47-year-old substitute teacher at Nederland High School, Kerry Smith Foulk, pleaded guilty this week to indecency with a child resulting from sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Foulk will complete 10 years of deferred adjudication on probation. She also has to pay for counseling of her victim and the parent.

Indecency with a child is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The plea agreement is subject to approval by state 252nd District Court Judge Layne Walker, who is scheduled to sentence Foulk next month.

According to Jefferson County Prosecutor Pat Knauth, the indecency occurring in Foulk's home was not an isolated incident.

The substitute teacher had a history of befriending girls in classes she taught, the prosecutor said, allowing girls to stay nights at her house.

"She would provide alcohol to them, talk about sex with them, try to get them drunk," Knauth said.

Foulk will have to register as a sex offender and has been barred from teaching at public schools.

Okay, let's turn it around. A 47-year-old man liquors up and molests a 14-year-old. Does he get no jail?

Tip: Shane

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 11:03:00 AM

Woman, Car, Heroin

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) A 29-year-old local woman, Tiona Jones, blew a stop sign in a car with a busted taillight and was arrested for possessing an estimated $170,000 of heroin.

Therefore, successful drug dealers will put the car before the horse. Tiona Jones didn't.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 08:32:00 AM

Subway caves in -- but tells lies in the process

Their announcement below:

"We at SUBWAY restaurants place a high value on education, regardless of the setting, and have initiated a number of programs and promotions aimed at educating our youth in the areas of health and fitness.

We sincerely apologize to anyone who feels excluded by our current essay contest. Our intention was to award the grand prize of $5000 in athletic equipment to a traditional school with the unfortunate knowledge that many schools are removing physical education from their curriculum. Knowing this, we would be able to impact as many children as possible with this prize.

To address the inadvertent limitation of our current contest and provide an opportunity for even more kids to have the benefit from prizing that encourages physical activity, we are creating an additional contest in which home schooled students will be encouraged to participate. When the kids win, everyone wins!

Source

"Inadvertent"???? A whole sentence crept into their promo without them being aware of it?? They sure know how to insult the intelligence of their customers!

My previous comment on this matter was on May 27

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/31/2008 12:08:00 AM

Alaska Woman Guilty of Child Sex Abuse

(Fairbanks, Alaska) In October 2006, a local woman, Miklene A. Gilligan, was arrested after being caught performing oral sex on a 13-year-old boy. Gilligan was charged with second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

This week, Gilligan pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of third-degree sexual abuse in accordance with a plea agreement. The charge carries a possible penalty of 12 years in jail.

Sentencing has been scheduled for September 22nd.

Following Entry Posted 5/30/2008 10:55:00 AM

Doctor Shortage Looming

It's starting to be recognized that, in the near future, fewer and fewer doctors will be available to treat America's population. Why?

Presently, women outnumber men in medical schools so there will be a majority of females in the medical profession before long -- AND -- studies have shown that female doctors work significantly fewer hours seeing fewer patients than male doctors.

Therefore, male doctors working long hours seeing many patients will be replaced with female doctors working abbreviated schedules seeing not too many patients.

Debbie Schlussel explains.

Following Entry Posted 5/30/2008 08:45:00 AM

Must not mention Christianity in Iraq

We read:

"The US military is investigating a marine accused of promoting Christianity in Iraq by giving coins to civilians with a Bible verse written on them in Arabic. "They have initiated an investigation into that and there is some evidence of an individual that was doing that," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman. The marine has been accused of distributing the coins to Iraqis as they passed through a checkpoint in Falluja, US officials said. "Where will you spend eternity?" was written on one side of the coins, according to a report from McClatchy News Service.

On the other was a Bible verse written in Arabic referring to Jesus: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."

If true, the marine would have violated US military rules that prohibit the promotion of any religion, faith or practice. "This has our full attention," Colonel James Welsh, the US commander in western Iraq, said. "We deeply value our relationship with the local citizens and share their concerns over this serious incident."

Source

He has now been transferred.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/30/2008 07:34:00 AM

A Dog Named Allah

(London, England) A 28-year-old prison guard, Chris Langridge, and his sniffer dog, Allah (or Ali), have been transferred away from Britain's high-security Belmarsh Jail after a Muslim inmate complained. Langridge insists the dog is named Ali, not Allah.

One Belmarsh officer said: "This is political correctness gone mad."

Belmarsh houses some of Britain's most notorious extremist Muslims, including hook-handed Abu Hamza. It also has the highest proportion of Muslim prisoners of any jail in Britain.

"Muslims don't like dogs and it would have been an insult to their religion if the dog had been called Allah, which is sacred to them. It is disgraceful the way the management kow-towed to them despite Chris's denial."

Heh.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/30/2008 07:10:00 AM

School Chaperone Accused of Being Drunk on Field Trip

(Banning, California) A 32-year-old Banning High School employee, Lisa Racquel Arellanes, was arrested last Friday after allegedly being drunk with a busload of alleged drunk students she was supposed to be chaperoning on a field trip.

About 8:52 p.m. Friday, Banning officers went to Banning High School to investigate a call that a school employee and students may be intoxicated, the release states. After buses returned, officers determined that Arellanes was intoxicated and arrested her.

Fourteen students admitted to drinking alcohol while on the field trip, the release states. Police do not know if Arellanes gave alcohol to the students, according to the release.

Arellanes was booked into custody at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility. Arellanes was suspended from her job in the school's attendance office pending the completion of an investigation.

Following Entry Posted 5/30/2008 12:07:00 AM

Massachusetts Rapist Sentenced to Probation

(Plymouth, Massachusetts) A 22-year-old local woman, Jessica L. Coughlin, pleaded guilty yesterday to raping a 15-year-old boy.

Judge Gregory Baler then sentenced Coughlin to two years' probation.

Police say Coughlin invited the victim, his brother and another friend into her house on Nov. 16, 2006. She gave the boy and his friend alcohol before inviting the victim upstairs to a bedroom.

The friend and the boy’s brother left the house while Coughlin had sex with the boy. The boy’s mother learned of the incident and called police.

The charge of providing alcohol to minors was allowed to slide for two years without a ruling.

As a convicted rapist, it's assumed, but not confirmed, that Coughlin will be ordered to register as a sex offender. It's also assumed that if Coughlin were a man who had raped a girl, he wouldn't be sentenced to probation.

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 11:18:00 PM

Pan Am 103 - The Pain Continues

In December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 departed London's Heathrow Airport, bound for JFK in New York. Only minutes after takeoff, approximately one pound of plastic explosive detonated onboard. Debris and human remains landed in and around the Scottish community of Lockerbie. Over 250 people died, including 11 on the ground in Scotland.

After years of investigation and thousands of witness statements, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in 2001 of the murders in the Pan Am 103 bombing. Megrahi was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Justice was not served, in my opinion.

Jumping forward to the present, it is depressing to learn and report that Megrahi may be getting a new trial because of new, previously secret, evidence. Freakin' great!

It's not bad enough that only one person was convicted for the bombing but now it looks like he's going to have another bite at the legal apple. And, in the process, all the people who lost family members, friends and acquaintances on Pan Am 103 will be forced to relive the horror in a new trial.

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 10:27:00 PM

NYC Teacher and Boys in Brooklyn

(Queens, New York) A 22-year-old teacher at Richmond Hill High School, Janmattie Singh, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with three male teens, one of which is a former student.

Singh has been charged with third-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

Back in January Singh allegedly contacted one of her former students to have sex. He was 18 years old, and told her he couldn't get away because he was with his two cousins, one of them 15. Investigators say she met with the three boys at their home in Brooklyn and had sex with them.

Singh's lawyer said she had suffered from a nervous breakdown and was on medication at the time of the alleged offenses. It's contended that the boys took advantage of her.

Singh was booked into custody with bail set at $7,500.

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 04:10:00 PM

Foot Doctor Gives Breast Exams

(Fresno, California) If a woman visits a podiatrist for a foot problem, it should be expected that the doctor will want to see and feel the woman's breasts. This is according to a court ruling this week in Fresno.

Foot doctor Matthew Sciaroni was acquitted by a jury of charges that he performed breast exams for no good reason when a woman complained about her feet. Sciaroni said it was a necessary exam. The jury agreed.

Therefore, ladies, before going to have your feet checked, realize that you're entering a no shoes, no shirt service zone.

[Update 05/30/08]

Here's more information from the Fresno Bee:

Asked what he's going to do next, Sciaroni turned to his defense attorney, Steven Smith and yelled: "We're going fishing in Cabo!"

The two men gave high-fives and embraced each other.

Florence Carroll, one of Sciaroni's former patients who testified that she was molested, said she was stunned that her former doctor was acquitted.

"I think that's wrong," said Carroll, a 47-year-old Clovis woman on Medicare. "I don't like that, because he'll keep on doing what he's doing and it's not going to stop."

The jurors took less than two days to deliberate before arriving at their verdict. None was willing to comment Wednesday.

Sciaroni was charged with nine crimes, including child molestation and sexual battery, and faced up to seven years in prison if convicted. Eight women testified in the trial that they were inappropriately touched by Sciaroni when they visited him at his office.

One of the women said she visited the podiatrist between the ages of 13 and 19 whenever she had a toenail infection. She said that on five or six occasions Sciaroni asked her to unzip her pants and would touch her groin area.

Twice, she said, he touched her breasts, telling her that the infection could spread to her chest.

Carroll, in an interview, said that when she visited Sciaroni in 2005, he came into his office, stuck his hand in her shirt to squeeze her breast and then tried to kiss her.

"You wouldn't think a doctor would do something like that," she said.

Carroll said that she tried going to other podiatrists afterward, but returned to Sciaroni a year later because she said he was the only foot doctor her Medicare plan would pay for.

Sciaroni testified that he never touched the breasts of his young patients, but did try to help some of his adult patients learn how to conduct self breast exams.

Obviously, not everyone was happy with the outcome of the trial.

[Update II]

Wow! Here's a breaking story out of Cook County, Illinois. A 63-year-old foot doctor, Anthony Overton, has been sentenced to six years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a foot examination.

Convicted last month on two separate counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, Overton has maintained that he was only giving the elderly patient a physical examination that included a vaginal and rectal exam, a contention both supported and rejected by expert testimony during the trial.

But the judge rejected that notion last month when he found Overton guilty and said that the podiatrist violated the usual standards for professionalism by giving the victim, then 75, a gynecological exam in 2006.

Interesting. Podiatrists examining female parts other than the feet is allowed in California but not so in Illinois. What we have here is a lack of consensus.

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 01:02:00 PM

Scott McClellan Is A Worm

Somebody has already said that the real message from Scott McClellan's memoirs is "I'm a loser." I'll agree with an additional remark.

Having some experience in vetting stacks of resumes for potential new hires, I'd seize the opportunity to annotate McClellan's resume with a simple "WORM" written at the top. It would assure that future readers would know everything they need to know about McClellan's character.

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 11:51:00 AM

Carbon Belch Day

A group skeptical of all the global warming alarmism has announced June 12th as "Carbon Belch Day."

Conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars."

The point: the group wants to "help Americans break free from the 'carbon footprint guilt' being imposed by Climate Alarmists."

Reportedly, Carbon Belch Day will counter the "goofy save the Earth mandates" of "Earth Hour" held on March 21st.

On a related note, I'm curious to see crime statistics associated with the turn-the-lights-off Earth Hour time period. I'd speculate that there was a noticeable uptick.

Tip: Charley Nestor

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 11:03:00 AM

Drug User Teaching Grade School?

(North Conway, New Hampshire) A 26-year-old sixth-grade teacher at John Fuller Elementary School, Kelly Horrigan, was arrested early this month for possession of marijuana.

Police stopped a car for erratic driving and found Horrigan and Lauren Kulberg, 23, smelling of marijuana and in possession of two small bags of the drug.

Notably, Horrigan assists local police officers in teaching anti-drug DARE classes to her sixth-grade students. Nevertheless, her teaching position is not in jeopardy. The Conway School Board has ruled that drug charges or convictions for actions away from school grounds cannot be used as a basis for dismissal.

Apparently, school system policies do not address situations where teachers are caught with drugs outside of school grounds. According to School Board Chair Sheryl Kovalik,

As it stands, under the drug and alcohol policy, Kovalik said the school board does not police teachers or punish them for their actions after they leave the premises.

"We have limited control over what happens off school grounds. We do background checks on all employees, but this (crime Horrigan is accused of) qualifies as a misdemeanor, and those don't come up on background checks," she said.

"The next question is, should we have random drug testing for all teachers?" she said. "We do it for busdrivers. We're going to have a conversation."

Frankly, this whole situation is a mess. Elementary school principal Mark Zangari's statement that "he hopes Horrigan realizes that as a teacher she is held to a higher standard than others" is ludicrous. What higher standard?

Furthermore, it's utterly illogical to have an alleged drug-user teaching sixth-graders anything, much less anti-drug DARE classes.

Maybe the readers can weigh in. Is it prudent to have known drug-users teaching America's future generations? I don't think so.

Also: The Jawa Report and EdWatch

Following Entry Posted 5/29/2008 08:42:00 AM

Naughty Rush!

I am afraid I had to laugh at the report below:

We read:

"Latinos have a lengthy history at the receiving end of insults and mischaracterizations that media personalities dish out and get away with. That's what happened May 5 - Cinco de Mayo, of all days - when conservative radio antagonist Rush Limbaugh, describing on air an encounter with Bill Clinton, said he wasn't sure whether Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was present, was a "shoe shine guy" or a "secret service agent."

Source

Of course the Left can call GWB a Nazi and Christians Taleban and that is OK. But a joke like the above is hate speech. Another case for Matthew 7:3-5, I think.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 09:53:00 PM

School Cafeteria Worker Gets Weeks for Servicing Boy

(Urbana, Illinois) A 32-year-old former cafeteria lady at Ludlow Grade School, Deborah Kissell, has been sentenced to two weeks in jail for felony indecent solicitation of a 16-year-old boy.

Champaign County Judge Tom Difanis also ordered 30 months of probation, registration as a sex offender for life, no contact with her victim and performance of 150 hours of public service.

Assistant State's Attorney Dan Jackson said Kissell met the boy a few years ago when he was a student at Ludlow Grade School, where she was employed as a cafeteria worker. Jackson said the two engaged in sex acts.

Kissell, a married mother of two, was arrested in April.

Deborah Kissell was a cafeteria cook three years ago when she first came into contact with the then.. 13 year old student... But their relationship was just uncovered, when the student's parents found sexually explicit text messages on the victim's phone and naked pictures from Kissell.

In exchange for her guilty plea, a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse was dismissed.

My school always had tuna on Fridays.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 08:57:00 PM

Woman's Hand Slapped for Fatally Poisoning Husband

(Harrisonville, Missouri) A local woman, Michelle Hollis, was sentenced earlier today after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter of her 31-year-old husband in 1993.

Michelle Hollis pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her husband, John Hollis.

In July 1993, Belton police were called to a home in the 900 block of Kent Drive. John Hollis was taken to a hospital, where he died a few days later.

An autopsy found a fatal amount of antifreeze in the victim's system.

Hollis was sentenced to seven years in prison. With good behavior, she will probably be paroled in five.

Given the lenient punishment meted out by the court for her offense of "involuntary" poisoning, it appears that Hollis could easily poison several other husbands before she starts collecting Social Security.

Someone should go into the Cass County District Attorney's office with a broom. A good sweeping appears to be warranted.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 07:21:00 PM

Louisiana Teacher and Student

(Vivian, Louisiana) A 27-year-old substitute teacher at North Caddo High School, Monica Michelle Martin, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student.

Martin has been charged with sexual conduct between an educator and a student and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

During the relationship, the two would meet at Martin's apartment, a Bossier City motel and at other locations. Martin also purchased the teenager a phone so they could communicate and paid a parking ticket issued to him, investigators said.

Martin was booked into custody at the Caddo Correctional Center.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 11:32:00 AM

SF School Board Approves New Strategy

(San Francisco, California) Yesterday, the San Francisco School Board approved a strategic plan which institutes a new grading system for all schools in the district.

Each school will be judged by how well it "serves each and every student based on that school's ability to disrupt the historically predictive power of racial, ethnic, linguistic and socio-economic student attributes," according to the plan.

Successful programs would be identified and worked into other schools.

Therefore, if a school can successfully disrupt predictive powers of student attributes, something good happens -- I guess. Of course, I haven't the foggiest idea what the new stated strategy means, but it must be good. San Francisco has lots of smart people.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 09:06:00 AM

WHY TWO WORLD WARS WERE FOUGHT

Pat Buchanan knows his history, whatever else you might think of him, and he has just written a good summary of the revisionist arguments about the two world wars. I myself alluded briefly to such arguments on 23rd.

I am one of the many history buffs who agree that WWI was the big mistake so I agree with Buchanan there and I certainly agree with him that the peace-obsessed politics of the interwar period were the breeding ground for WWII.

Buchanan is however being wise in hindsight, something easy to do. What he seems largely unaware of is the psychology behind those two disastrous wars. WWI was NOT fought over the assassination of an Austrian archduke in Serbia. Politicians can be pretty foolish but we do our ancestors discredit to think that they were as foolish as that.

Strangely, WWI was the fruit of the long peace engineered by the "Iron Chancellor" of Prussia, Prince Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck gained great authority from the way he used both war and politics to extend the Prussian domain to the point that almost the whole of the German-speaking lands came under the sway of the Prussian crown in the form of a united Germany -- with the Prussian defeat of Napoleon III at Sedan being the clincher.

So how did Bismarck use that great authority and the pre-eminent German military machine that he controlled? If he had been a Leftist like Napoleon, he would have attempted to conquer the world. But he was a conservative so he did no such thing. Once he had attained his aim of a united Heimatland (homeland) -- i.e. a united Germany --- he used his great talents and resources to ensure that there were no more wars in Europe.

And the long peace from 1872 onwards allowed Europeans to concentrate on constructive pursuits for change -- leading to vast economic growth in most of Europe (including Russia). But the huge leap forward in science, technology and prosperity in the late 19th century led to hubris among the populations concened. They were so impressed by their own achievements that they thought they could conquer the world -- literally. And they actually did to some extent -- bringing large slices of what we would now call the Third World under their rule.

Sadly, however, communications then fell a long way short of the global village that we inhabit today and most people in the national populations concerned concluded that their great achievements were the fruit of a national genius peculiar to them. That other nations were doing about equally as well was lost sight of. It was, in short, a time of overweening national pride and they all thought that they could conquer anyone. So they were all spoiling for a fight. They thought that if they could have a war, they could conquer the other nations around them in six weeks. So after Bismarck was no longer there to restrain them, a pretext for a fight was found and the nations of Europe all marched into WWI in full confidence of a rapid national triumph. It was however reality that triumphed.

And after the colossal horror of WWI, who can blame the politicians of the interwar years for doing everything they could to run away from another war? That running away does more harm than good is however the lesson we must learn from that.

Buchanan's article stops before the events of WWII so I will stop there too. Much to be said there but some other time. I do think Churchill was right in his unswerving enmity to Nazism, however.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 05:43:00 AM

Garbage Police Compiling Dossiers

(Plymouth, England) Residents are being instructed to complete a garbage police (called bin police) questionnaire, providing the city with detailed personal information. Healthy fines are threatened for those who fail to comply.

Residents are instructed to name the one individual in the household who will be responsible for facing criminal charges and paying fines when the garbage is handled incorrectly. Putting trash in the wrong bins or at the wrong time or place will prompt enforcement action.

Individual household garbage volume will be compared to other disposers and justification must be provided for higher than average amounts. Relevant medical conditions of members of the household must also be revealed and documented.

Seems like the Brits are trending toward requiring a license to throw away a candy wrapper. Undoubtedly, a home is not a castle in Britain.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 12:55:00 AM

Brit Sub Hits Red Sea Rocks

(Red Sea, 80 miles south of Suez) On Monday, the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Superb smashed into underwater rocks in the Red Sea.

Sonar equipment was damaged, however, watertight integrity was maintained. There were no casualties.

HMS Superb is a 272-foot Swiftsure-class attack boat based in Faslane, Scotland, with a crew of 112. The boat had traversed the Suez Canal and was operating in the northern Red Sea.

Wow! Just two days ago, the news broke that another British nuke boat, HMS Trafalgar, crashed into the seabed off the Isle of Skye back in 2002. That incident was caused by tracing paper being used on navigation charts which obscured hazards. And now, the HMS Superb crashes. The Royal Navy is having a run of bad publicity this week.

Maybe there should be a recruiting tagline -- Join the Navy, Stuff Happens.

Following Entry Posted 5/28/2008 12:09:00 AM

Woman Arrested for Raping Man

(Stockholm, Sweden) A 41-year-old local woman is in custody after allegedly inviting a 30-year-old man into her apartment and raping him.

“She invited him up for a little midnight snack,” Towe Hägg of the Stockholm police told The Local.

Once getting the man up to her place, the woman began to make sexual advances toward the man, which he resisted.

“We don’t know if it was a ‘no’ or if it was more than a ‘no’,” said Hägg.

After the man refused to have sex with the woman, she then performed oral sex on him against his will, according to the Aftonbladet newspaper.

The man called police the next morning to report that he was raped.

Prosecutors are reviewing the case.

Following Entry Posted 5/27/2008 05:52:00 PM

Woman Gets Probation for Newborn's Death

(Los Angeles, California) A 23-year-old college student, Holly Ashcraft, pleaded no contest last week to child endangerment in the death of her newborn son in 2005 in accordance with a plea deal.

The deal ends a legal odyssey in which judges twice threw out murder charges against Ashcraft. Authorities alleged that she hid her pregnancy and after secretly giving birth in 2005 dumped her newborn son near a popular campus hangout.

They also argued it was not the first time she had disposed of a newborn.

Ashcraft was investigated by police, but not arrested or charged, in April 2004 after she arrived at a Los Angeles hospital having just given birth but without a baby, who was never found.

Under the plea deal, Ashcraft pleaded no contest to child endangerment. In return, she gets two years' time served and five years probation when sentenced on June 27.

I'm outraged. Ashcraft threw a newborn son into a dumpster and he died. That's intentional homicide -- MURDER -- not endangerment. One judge, David Wesley, questioned whether she acted with malice. Well, Judge Wesley, in my mind the act itself was malicious, cut and dried.

Jay at STACLU sums it up nicely.

Michael Vick sits in jail for allowing dogs to be tortured to death and is the object of sustained national rage and ridicule (rightly, of course). This woman tortures a baby to death (don’t anyone dare claim that leaving a newborn in a trashcan is not torture) and gets off with probation and sympathy. In today’s America, dogs are more valuable than babies.

When crimes against pets are more serious than crimes against children, it's hard to dispute the contention that institutions in American society and, by extension, all of civilization are gravely ill.

So, readers, toss your children in a dumpster, if you must, but don't forget to have Fido licensed and have him seen by a vet. And remember, never confuse your pet with your child because it could land you in the slammer.

Following Entry Posted 5/27/2008 08:46:00 AM

U.S. Memorial Day

The world of blogs picks up lots of stuff that you would never read in the old media. An excellent example is a post by John Rubery who has marked Memorial Day by a tribute to the Australians who have fought alongside Americans in America's wars since 1900 -- even in Vietnam and currently now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Australians celebrate their equivalent of Memorial Day on April 25th. And our ANZAC day is undoubtedly our most solemn national day. So it is easy for Australians to understand how Americans feel on their similar occasion. You can read what I wrote last April 25th here.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/27/2008 05:42:00 AM

Record Sky Dive Attempt

(North Battleford, Saskatchewan) Meet 64-year-old Michel Fournier, a daredevil parachutist and retired French Army officer.

Fournier plans to jump out of a balloon today at an altitude of 130,000 feet to set new world records for fastest free fall, longest free fall, highest jump and highest altitude reached by man in a balloon.

At some point on the way down, Fournier will break the sound barrier and approach 1,000 miles per hour. Bon voyage, mon ami!

If everything goes as planned, Fournier will jump shortly after 7 AM EDT. The trip down should take about 15 minutes. He plans on deploying his parachute when he reaches 1,500 meters from the ground.

Fournier has had to postpone his jump several times because of high winds.

Following Entry Posted 5/26/2008 02:39:00 PM

Arab Cross-Dressers Arrested

(Dubai, United Arab Emirates) According to Dubai Police Chief, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, a number of male cross-dressers have been arrested and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA) should conduct research to pinpoint the causes and establish a solution to the "dangerous" trend.

Lt. Gen. Tamim suggested that cross-dressing has become more prevalent because of coed schools and lack of parental guidance.

Cross-dressers, or “the third sex” as they are often called, cause confusion for teachers, parents and pupils. The practice of dressing as a member of the opposite sex is particularly evident in all-male schools, but in girls’ high schools “boyat” -- an Arabic slang term -- is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Dressed to appear masculine, with short, boyish haircuts and an attitude to match, the female boyat befriends and flirts with other girls. However, innocent flirtation can lead to physical relations and even sexual assault.

The police campaign against cross-dressing includes tougher enforcement while raising awareness in society.

It's unknown what charges are filed against cross-dressers. However, it's assumed that the last place a girly boy wants to reside is an Arab prison.

Following Entry Posted 5/26/2008 08:51:00 AM

Subway for illiterates

This story has been going around the blogs a bit in the last day or so, so I thought I might mention it here:

The Subway sandwich chain is running a writing contest for kids from which homeschooled kids are specifically excluded. Excluding a potential one million customers seems pretty dumb to start with but the stupidity does not end there. In their promo they write (down the very bottom) of the "Untied" States and homeschoolers are described as "home schools". Note that there was another misspelling too: "bastket".

And to top it off it is pre-schoolers that they are asking to compose sentences. A bit ambitious! See here and here for more.

So why did they do it? I think Bob McCarty has the best explanation.

Update:

As I had had a small eye operation only a few hours before I wrote the above, I could not see very well and missed a couple of things (funnily enough). Now corrected.

Jerry Lerman has grabbed a copy of the original promo in case they wake up long enough to correct the original. See here. You may have to use the resize gadget to enlarge the pic. Jerry has highlighted the bloopers in red.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/26/2008 07:42:00 AM

German Nuclear Policy Makes No Sense

(Osnabruck, Germany) In a departure from what previous leaders have said, German Chancellor Angela Merkel displays some logic regarding nuclear generating plants in Germany.

Speaking on Thursday at a national Catholic conference in the city of Osnabrück, Merkel said Germany's plan to abandon nuclear power "didn't make sense," especially as a country "with the safest nuclear power plants."

She said the country would be making a "laughing stock" of itself if it abandoned the production of nuclear power for the sake of a good conscience only to turn around and import nuclear energy from other countries.

I would add that purchasing nuclear-generated electricity would also be hypocritical. If Germany's energy policy is to be dictated by pie-in-the-sky, environmental ideologues, then the nation should learn to turn the lights out before buying any nuke electricity. After all, utopian dreams are more important than electrical appliances.

Meanwhile, Italy says it wants to start building nuclear power plants even though it's forbidden by a 1987 referendum calling for a ban and deactivation of the country's reactors.

"Only nuclear plants safely produce energy on a vast scale with competitive costs, respecting the environment," Italian Economic Development Minister Claudio Scajola said. "An action plan to go back to nuclear power cannot be delayed anymore."

Of course, the ban imposed by the referendum will first have to be overturned so expect a political battle. However, the head of Greenpeace Italy, Giuseppe Onufio, went a step further by calling the plan a "declaration of war."

All in all, the debate on nuclear power in Europe is becoming spicy.

Following Entry Posted 5/25/2008 08:49:00 AM

Is Obama on Drugs?

Seriously, is Obama on drugs? . Dr Jack Wheeler just called for Obama to be drug tested. I think he's right and no, I am not referring to the Sinclair's sex and drug allegations.The mental mistakes Obama has been serially making are so serious a neuroscientist thinks they are consistent with the kind caused by chronic use of either amphetamines or cocaine. Wheeler makes no accusations - just says the suspicion must be allayed. We drug test employees in the work place. Shouldn't presidential candidates be held to the same basic vetting process. I mean really.

Obambi has been gaffe-ridden for some time. Another beauty occurred on May 8, 2007: In a campaign speech, he said 10,000 people had died in a tornado that hit Greensburg, Kansas a few days earlier. The death toll was 12.

In the past few weeks, however, the O-gaffes have been proliferating. On April 28 in Wilmington, North Carolina, he thought the month was "March" and that it was "nine months to November."

More here

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/25/2008 06:57:00 AM

Beer News

1) The big story in the beverage world this week has been the rumored unfriendly Anheuser-Busch takeover aspirations of Belgian-based InBev.

Reportedly, a $50 billion offer was made for Anheuser-Busch but CEO August Busch IV has already said that it wasn't going to happen on his watch.

To further stave off an unsolicited bid from InBev, Anheuser-Busch is now contemplating a buyout of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, the maker of Corona Beer. Analysts say Anheuser would thus be too expensive for InBev.

2) Meanwhile, popular Beer Magazine has announced that Philippines-made San Miguel is the best-tasting beer in Asia after it beat major brands from China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. San Miguel Pale Pilsen topped the other Asian brands in appearance, aroma, taste and finish.

3) Starting this coming Wednesday is the Montreal Beer Festival where Canadians and visitors can sample a variety of more than 450 beer brands. The festival, locally called Liverdance, runs through next Sunday.

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 05:49:00 PM

Visit Scenic Arizona

If you're planning some fun and sun out west this summer, be sure to stop and drink in the famous beauty of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.

Enjoy the pristine beauty but remember that desert plants and animals are protected by federal and state Environmental Protection Agency regulations and many are listed as threatened or endangered. Harming the environment in any manner may result in criminal penalties.

Tip: Rita & Eugene

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 08:53:00 AM

The campaign so far

McCain could win big in November: "It sounds crazy at first. Amid dire reports about the toxic political environment for Republican candidates and the challenges facing John McCain, many top GOP strategists believe he can defeat Barack Obama - and by a margin exceeding President Bush's Electoral College victory in 2004. At first blush, McCain's recent rough patch and the considerable financial disadvantage confronting him make such predictions seem absurd. Indeed, as Republicans experience their worst days since Watergate, those same GOP strategists are reticent to publicly tout the prospect of a sizable McCain victory for fear of looking foolish. But the contours of the electoral map, combined with McCain's unique strengths and the nature of Obama's possible vulnerabilities, have led to a cautious and muted optimism that McCain could actually surpass Bush's 35-electoral-vote victory in 2004. Though they expect he would finish far closer to Obama in the popular vote, the thinking is that he could win by as many 50 electoral votes."

McCain has nationwide edge over Obama, poll shows: "Rasmussen Reports' Daily Tracking Poll has John McCain leading Barack Obama 46% to 42% nationally, the first time in weeks that either candidate has had a lead of four points or more. McCain leads Hillary Clinton 47%-44% in the poll; Rasmussen's daily tracking results are reported on a four-day rolling average based on interviews with 1,600 likely voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Pollsters say McCain's lead "can be traced directly to the fact that just 66% of Democrats say they will vote for Obama at this time" and 23% of Democrats say if the election were held now, they'd vote for McCain. Another 11% say they'd go for some other candidate or remain undecided... "The numbers for Florida and Ohio are good news for Sen. John McCain and should be worrisome for Sen. Barack Obama. That is especially true about Ohio, which decided the 2004 election. Ohio's economy is worse than the rest of the country and the Republican brand there is in disrepute. McCain's Buckeye lead may be a sign that nationally this may not be the easy Democratic walk to the White House that many expected," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute."

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 08:45:00 AM

Indiana Mom Accused of Harassing Daughter's Classmate

(Bloomington, Indiana) A 50-year-old local mom, Julie Phillips, has been accused of harassing her 15-year-old daughter's school classmate and trespassing on the classmate's lawn and scattering diapers scrawled with vulgarities. Phillips faces misdemeanor charges for two offenses.

Additionally, it's reported that the classmate was so traumatized by the acts that she attempted suicide by drug overdose. As a consequence, a civil lawsuit has been filed.

The Capps are suing for an unspecified amount for general damages, including medical bills and any future costs for continued treatment they say their daughter will likely receive -- both for psychological problems and any physical ones that arise from her drug intake.

According to Geffrey Grodner, Julie Phillips regrets taking part in the prank.

It's not clear why the girls were at odds with each other.

Frankly, I assess this case as an example of a mother trying to be a friend to her daughter instead of a parent.

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 07:32:00 AM

Wisconsin Teacher Accused of Prescription Drug Fraud

(Waukesha, Wisconsin) A 34-year-old kindergarten teacher at Pewaukee Lake Elementary School, Jacqueline Plant, has been accused of fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs.

Plant faces two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, four misdemeanor counts of possessing/illegally obtaining a prescription and one misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer.

She told police that she believed she was addicted to drugs, was "doctor shopping" to obtain them and needed to get help for her addiction, according to the complaint.

Plant came to the attention of authorities on April 15 when a physician called Waukesha police and told them he had a woman in his examining room who he believed was using a false identity to obtain prescription drugs, the complaint states. [ ... ]

Eventually, Plant, who the complaint says appeared under the influence of some type of drug because she was unsteady and her speech slurred, gave police her real name and they found prescription pill bottles in her purse and vehicle.

The Pewaukee School District has placed Plant on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted. Plant has a court appearance scheduled for June 11.

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 06:18:00 AM

U.S. Oil Firm to Explore Offshore

Before anyone gets excited, the exploration won't be offshore from the U.S.

U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. will carry out new oil exploration in Bahraini territorial waters.

Dr. Abdul Hussain Mirza, minister of oil and gas authority, said the cost of the new discovery would range from $10- 20 million depending whether it is offshore or onshore.

"Oil exploration requires technical work which takes one to one and half years before it starts. The first oil well will be dug in 2010," Mirza was quoted as saying by the Bahrain News Agency.

It's nice to know that U.S. oil companies can find work exploring for oil in other people's back yards.

Following Entry Posted 5/24/2008 05:31:00 AM

Six ~~Four~~ Severed Feet Wash Ashore

(Vancouver, British Columbia) Over the last nine months, four severed, sneaker-clad right feet have washed ashore at different locations along the Strait of Georgia. Authorities are investigating.

[Update 6/19/08]

Two more severed feet have been found, making six total. Five are right feet, one is a left foot. Theories abound.

Following Entry Posted 5/23/2008 11:47:00 PM

Teacher, 26, and Emotionally-Disturbed Student, 16

(Rockville, Maryland) A 26-year-old teacher at the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA), Lindsey H. Froehlich, has been accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old male student.

Investigators allege that Froehlich established a personal relationship with the student that escalated into "inappropriate touching initiated by the teacher," at the John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents. The school for children with emotional disablities has about 150 students.

Froehlich was charged with fourth-degree sexual offense and sexual abuse of a minor. She was booked into custody at the Montgomery County Detention Center with bond set at $250,000.

Following Entry Posted 5/23/2008 08:40:00 AM

Huckabee defended

He forgot that you must never joke about any black. They are far too sensitive for that.

We read:

"John Hopwood's May 18, 2008, Associated Content article, "Mike Huckabee Blows His Chances at Vice Presidency with Shameless Remark at N.R.A. Convention" which accused Mike Huckabee of both making a racist remark and being racist, raised the ire of many of the article's readers in the form of stern rebuffs in the article's reader comments. If any conclusions can be drawn from scoring the large number of reader comments the article has received, most readers disagreed with Hopwood that the likeable Huckabee's comments were racist.

Most of the reader comments defended Huckabee and were critical of Hopwood's conclusion that Huckabee had made a racist comment concerning Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama. While addressing the National Rifle Association, according to Hopwood, "hearing a sound from backstage while giving his speech to the N.R.A. faithful, Huckabee, who has been noted for his wit by a generally fawning press, quipped, 'That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak.' The audience began laughing at Huckabee's remark, and continued when he made the extraordinarily insensitive remark, 'Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.' " The incident was reported in a brief story in the L.A. Times on May 17.

Sunday, Huckabee appeared on NBC's Meet the Press telling the moderator, Tim Russett, that, "it was a dumb, off-the-cuff remark." Huckabee also issued a statement on his website www.huckpac.com, saying, "I made an off-hand remark that was in no way intended to offend or disparage Sen. Obama. I apologize that my comments were offensive; that was never my intention."

Source

If he had said that about John McCain, the media would have said what a great guy Huck is. It's the media who are racist.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 11:19:00 PM

Recent Convert to Islam Arrested for Bombing

(Exeter, England) A 22-year-old recent convert to Islam, Nicky Reilly, was arrested after detonating at least one bomb in a busy shopping center during which he wounded himself.

Reilly has been described as being "preyed upon and radicalized" by jihadis and having the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.

Nicky Reilly, 22, received serious facial injuries after the device went off at lunchtime in a family restaurant at the new £230 million Princesshay shopping centre. Another device was defused by bomb disposal teams.

Tony Melville, Devon and Cornwall’s Deputy Chief Constable, said last night that Mr Reilly had been “preyed upon, radicalised and taken advantage of”. Mr Reilly’s neighbours said that he had been brainwashed. [ ... ]

Mr Reilly’s neighbours described him as “naive and easily lead”.

Daniel Turner, 20, said: ”He is mentally ill and he probably has the mental age of a ten-year-old.

“He changed his name to Mohammed Rasheed about a year ago at a registry office. He was brainwashed into becoming a Muslim by local men. He can’t think for himself.

“Nicky is schizophrenic. We call him the BFG, but he obviously met up with the wrong people.”

I'm guessing BFG stands for big-something-something. Police said there is concern that jihadis are taking advantage of mentally and physically disabled people. Reilly is under guard at a hospital.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 10:43:00 PM

Gambia to Behead Gays

(Banjul, Gambia) The Gambian government announced an anti-homosexual campaign last week.

President Yahya Jammeh threatened beheadings.

"The Gambia is a country of believers ... sinful and immoral practices (such) as homosexuality will not be tolerated in this country," the president told a crowd at a political rally on May 15, local journalists told AFP on Thursday.

He went on to say he would "cut off the head" of any gay person caught in The Gambia.

It's believed that the anti-gay campaign will damage the tourist industry, a major contributor to the Gambian economy.

Interestingly, Gambia is a tiny, odd-shaped country that follows the Gambia river. The Atlantic coast is known for its sunny resorts while the rest of the country resembles a wrinkled sausage penetrating the rain forest. With the exception of the coast, Gambia is surrounded by Senegal.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 08:24:00 PM

Woman Steals with Phony Brain Cancer Story

(Arlington, Washington) A 40-year-old social worker, Sandra Dee Martinez, has been charged with first-degree theft for scamming her employer out of $21,000 with a faked malignant brain tumor story.

Working for the Department of Social and Health Services, Martinez faked letters from phony doctors to receive paid sick leave, days off and light duty assignments.

"She was fabricating a tragedy so she wouldn't have to go to work," Arlington Police Chief John Gray said. "She preyed on the generosity of her employer and co-workers."

The former Mountlake Terrace woman worked out of the Smokey Point DSHS office. The Arlington police investigation turned up a scheme that went way beyond faking the sniffles to take a three-day weekend, Gray said.

Martinez was hired by the state as a social worker in October 2006, according to court records. Five months later she allegedly told her employer she had a brain tumor and began using medical leave and continued to get paid.

The first letter explained that Martinez was diagnosed with tumors and would need two to three weeks off immediately so she could strengthen her immune system and focus on her treatment, court records said. The letter went on to explain that Martinez likely wouldn't be able to work full time and would need one to two years to battle her cancer.

The scam was exposed when a neighbor saw an obviously-forged letter and alerted the authorities.

Matinez is not very smart. For example, in June 2007 she sent one phony doctor's letter indicating that a blood vessel burst in her brain making her comatose and followed it four days later with another letter saying she needed to leave early on Fridays.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 11:37:00 AM

Christian Woman Prosecuted for Converting From Islam

(Algiers) A 37-year-old Algerian woman, Habiba Qawider, faces a possible three years in prison for abandoning the Islamic faith without government permission. Her court case is being held in Tiaret, 400 kilometers west of Algiers.

Qawider was arrested during a police spot check of bus riders in April and found to be carrying 10 copies of the Bible. She didn't have a special permit to follow Christianity as required by law nor did she have the authorization to change her religion.

Six other Christians face the same charges in a separate court case. Their trial starts on May 27.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 10:24:00 AM

He Was Naked, She Was Drunk

Obviously, I believe in descriptive titles.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- An airline pilot was found hiding behind a shed wearing only flip-flops and a wristwatch as a nighttime romp in the woods with a flight attendant ended with both under arrest.

Jeffrey Paul Bradford, 24, and Adrianna Grace Connor, 24, both employees of Pinnacle Airlines Inc., were at a diner on the outskirts of Harrisburg on Sunday night before they apparently decided to walk into the woods, police said.

"They told the officer they wanted to go do it in the woods, essentially," said Lower Swatara Township Police Sgt. Richard Brandt. "That's the best answer they had."

The two somehow became separated, and people who live in the neighborhood summoned police around 9:30 p.m., saying they had seen a naked man and an intoxicated woman.

Don't you just hate when things like this happen?

Tip: C. Nestor

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 09:50:00 AM

Pamela Anderson's Breasts Lure Boy

(Launceston, Tasmania) A woman, Courtney Issabella Bailey, was sentenced to nothing for engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. In January 2007, she pleaded guilty to five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with the boy.

A 32-YEAR-OLD woman sent a picture of Pamela Anderson's breasts to a 15-year-old boy shortly before beginning a sexual relationship with him, the Supreme Court in Launceston has heard.

Courtney Issabella Bailey, now 34, told police that the boy had texted her asking her for a picture of her breasts -- but she sent a picture of the Baywatch star's breasts instead.

Well, that's all the boy needed.

The affair was discovered after the boy's father checked his mobile phone and found the text messages between Bailey and the boy.

Defence counsel Simon Brown said Bailey had a genuine emotional involvement with the boy.

She had lost her job and was now unemployed.

In his ruling, Chief Justice Ewan Crawford ordered Bailey to be on good behavior for two years.

Tip: JR

Also: The Jawa Report with pic

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 08:41:00 AM

French court confirms Palestinian hoax

"The French Court of Appeals on Wednesday found in favor of Jewish activist Philippe Karsenty, overturning a lower court decision that he had libeled France 2 and its Jerusalem correspondent Charles Enderlin when he accused them of knowingly misleading the watching world about the death of the Palestinian child Muhammad al-Dura in the Gaza Strip in 2000.

"The verdict means we have the right to say France 2 broadcast a fake news report, that [al-Dura's shooting] was a staged hoax and that they duped everybody - without being sued," Karsenty told The Jerusalem Post shortly after the verdict was issued at 1:30 p.m. Paris time.

Al-Dura was filmed cowering with his father, Jalal, behind a barrel at the Gaza Strip's Netzarim junction on September 30, 2000, during an apparent gun battle between Palestinians and IDF troops. The video, taken by Palestinian cameraman and France 2 stringer Talal Abu Rahma, shows al-Dura hiding, and then cuts to footage of him lying, apparently dead, at the junction. It does not show the child killed.

The footage, and Enderlin's broadcast assertion of Israeli responsibility for the killing of al-Dura, turned the 12-year-old's death into a cause celebre in the Muslim world. Karsenty, the head of the media watchdog Media Ratings, was sued for libel after calling for Enderlin's and France 2 news director Arlette Chabot's dismissal, saying the footage was "a hoax."

More here

There's a big article on media-enabled Palestinian photo-fraud here

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 06:36:00 AM

Activists Want Chimp Legally Declared "A Person"

(Vienna, Austria) The Vienna-based Association Against Animal Factories, led by 36-year-old Paula Stibbe, have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights to have a 26-year-old male chimpanzee named Hiasl (Matthew) declared a "person."

Austrian courts have already rejected the request.

Stibbe's reported goal is to be appointed Hiasl's legal guardian, a status only achievable for people. Therefore, Stibbe wants Hiasl declared a person. She says she doesn't seek to have him ruled to be human, just a person.

Stibbe argues that personhood is necessary to preclude having Hiasl sold to someone outside Austria, away from the country's strict animal cruelty laws.

In dismissing the activists' request to get a guardian for Matthew, a lower court ruled that the chimp was neither mentally impaired nor in danger - the legal grounds required for a guardian to be appointed.

It did not directly address the issue of whether a chimpanzee can be considered a person.

Eberhart Theuer, the animal rights group's chief legal adviser, said there is a legal precedent to appoint a guardian for an individual incapable of expressing himself.

'As long as Matthew is not recognised as a person, he could be sold abroad or killed for economic reasons,' Theuer said.

'His life depends on this decision. This case is about the fundamental question: Who is the bearer of human rights? Who is a person according to the European Human Rights Charter?'

Of course, if Hiasl is declared a person, then the question of citizenship emerges. Since he was captured in Sierra Leone in 1982 and smuggled into Austria, he would have to be classified as an illegal alien and subject to deportation. However, it's possible that he would qualify for asylum because if he goes back to his birth country, the indigenous population may barbecue him.

Frankly, I think this whole episode is ludicrous. The court should tell Stibbe and her colleagues to go home and find a new hobby. Giving animals human rights protections is a ruling that a prudent and common-sense judiciary won't make. But then, the European Court of Human Rights has likely never been accused of being prudent and common-sensical.

Following Entry Posted 5/22/2008 06:00:00 AM

Deserter Corey Glass Rejected in Canada - Updated

(Toronto) The Immigration and Refugee Board has denied National Guard Sgt. Corey Glass' application for refugee status.

Consequently, the Canadian Border Services Agency has issued a June 12 deportation order.

"All refugee claimants have a right to due process," said Danielle Norris, a spokeswoman for Customs and Immigrations Canada. "When they have exhausted all legal avenues, we expect them to respect our laws and leave the country."

Glass, of Fairmont, Indiana, says he joined the National Guard believing that he would be deployed only if the United States faced occupation. After he returned from his first tour of duty, he said he tried to leave the Army, but was told that desertion was punishable by death.

War resister advocates are hoping for a political appeal through the House of Commons.

Norris also said that 40 refugee claims from U.S. deserters have been filed since 2003 and only five have made it to the Canadian Federal Court of Appeals. All five have been rejected.

* * * * *
Deserter Corey Glass in Canada
[Previous 4/01/07 entry]
(Toronto, Canada) United States Army deserter, Sgt. Corey Glass, 23, is seeking refugee status in Canada with his case currently before the Immigration and Refugee Board. A decision is expected at some "later date."

Glass contends that he deserted because the Iraq war is illegal and he's mad because when he joined the National Guard, he thought it was a humanitarian organization. What?

Furthermore, if refugee status is declined in Canada, Glass says he'll look to become a refugee in another country because he's not planning on returning to the U.S.

Glass has been hiding for the last seven months after going AWOL while on leave. He said he misses his parents and three siblings.

Following Entry Posted 5/21/2008 04:33:00 PM

Rape Threat

(Battle Creek, Michigan) Here's a troubling story from middle America.

Battle Creek police are looking for three boys after a woman visiting the grave of her son told officers one of them exposed himself and threatened her with rape.

The woman, 41, told police she had gone to Oak Hill Cemetery and was mourning the loss of her son when she noticed three boys riding their bikes near her. The oldest of the boys, estimated at 12 to 15 years old, stood near another grave and then approached her talking about the death of his father. After about 10 minutes he suggested they have sex.

The woman said she began crying and told the boy to leave her alone. The boy then unzipped his pants and exposed himself and the woman began yelling at him. Then the second boy, about 10 years old, approached and waved a set of handcuffs. The older boy told her "we are going to handcuff you and rape you on your son's grave."

The woman told police she became enraged and began yelling at the boys and running toward the boys, who got on their bikes and rode away. The woman told police the youngest boy, about 5 to 7 years old, didn't have anything to do with the incident.

Granted, it's anecdotal but I would argue that it's reflective of not only a deteriorating American culture but also a lessening of the standards of civilization as a whole.

Following Entry Posted 5/21/2008 02:56:00 PM

Teacher Rebecca Becker Gets Jail

(New Windsor, New York) In June 2007, a 28-year-old teacher, Rebecca L. Becker, and a teacher's aide, Maria E. Zurita, same age, at McQuade Children's Services in New Windsor were charged with sex crimes after an alleged Memorial Day weekend of sexual encounters with two 16-year-old male students.

In September 2007, Rebecca Becker, now 29, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in Orange County Court. According to Becker's lawyer, John Ingrassia, there was overwhelming evidence, including Becker's own statement to New Windsor police and grand jury testimony from the boy.

Today, Rebecca Becker was sentenced to three months in jail.

Rebecca Becker, 29, provided crucial testimony against former teacher's aide Maria Zurita during Zurita's trial this winter. Becker owned up to her crime from the time New Windsor police arrested her nearly a year ago.

She'll have to register as a sex offender and submit to the supervision of a probation officer for 10 years, because she pleaded guilty to statutory rape. She'll never be able to teach again because she pleaded guilty to a felony.

"You immediately admitted your role, immediately cooperated, immediately showed remorse for what happened. You knew what happened was wrong," said Orange County Court Judge Nicholas DeRosa. "That means something to me."

A probation report concluded that Becker was unlikely to commit another sex crime.

Interestingly, the same judge sentenced Maria Zurita earlier this month to one year in jail for misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

So, in the end one rolls on her accomplice and gets 90 days in jail for a felony while the other gets one year for a misdemeanor. Double heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/21/2008 12:37:00 PM

Brits Building Two Aircraft Carriers

(London, England) In a statement issued May 20th, the British government has announced that two new 65,000-ton aircraft carriers will be built for the Royal Navy.

Good!

The British government has officially given the go-ahead to a 3.9 billion pound ($7.6 billion) program to build two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. The first of the warships is planned to be in service in 2014.

The two carriers, the largest warships ever built in the United Kingdom, will be constructed in modules and assembled at the Babcock International warship support yard at Rosyth in Scotland.

The first warship will be named HMS Queen Elizabeth, and the second, planned to be in service in 2016, will be called HMS Prince of Wales. [ ... ]

The decision is expected to secure 10,000 jobs in the British maritime industry.

It's anticipated that pre-production formalities will be completed in four to five weeks.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/21/2008 08:31:00 AM

Fathers no longer important in socialist Britain

"Fathers were last night effectively declared an irrelevance in modern Britain. The requirement for fertility doctors to consider a child's need for a male role model before giving women IVF treatment was scrapped by MPs.

In a free vote, they swept away the rule despite impassioned pleas that the Government plan would "drive another nail into the coffin of the traditional family". Labour rebels said it would send entirely the wrong signal to society as Britain faces a crisis in responsible parenting.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, had warned it would remove the father from the heart of the family. He accused the Government of putting the interests of "consumers" who want to become parents before the welfare of children. But in the Commons, ministers won support for the legislation.

Voting was 292 to 217, a majority of 75. In a second vote, a Tory attempt to underline the need for a father or "male role model" was rejected by 290 votes to 222, a majority of 68."

More here

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 07:58:00 PM

Drug Cartels Target Juarez Police

(Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) Earlier this year, drug cartels posted a handwritten hit list, naming 22 Juarez police commanders, on a monument to fallen officers.

Since posting of the list, seven commanders have been murdered, three have been wounded in assassination attempts and 11 have resigned. One commander remains but he doesn't "want to be interviewed."

According to spokesman Sergio Belmonte, the Juarez Police Chief submitted his resignation yesterday.

Obviously, conventional law enforcement can't match the strength of the drug lords. It would be nice to think that all the violence and corruption will stay on the Mexican side of the border. It would also be naive.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 06:18:00 PM

Paper Money Design Is Anti-Blind

The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that paper money discriminates against the blind and the visually-impaired.

The court's decision was handed down in a case called American Council for the Blind et al v. Henry M. Paulson Jr., Secretary of the Treasury . The U.S. Mint which prints the nation's currency is part of the Treasury Department.

Next, the issue goes to the Supreme Court. If the Treasury Department loses, paper money will have to be redesigned to be identifiable by feel.

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 09:09:00 AM

Caroline Corbett Jailed for Sex with Scout - Updated

(Key West, Florida) The case against 23-year-old Caroline Corbett progresses.

After almost a year of correspondence between Keys law enforcement officials and Corbett's attorneys, she was only recently forced to face charges in Monroe County - and she did not turn herself in.

Corbett recently spent six weeks in jail after being arrested March 27 at a Rhode Island airport when a Transportation Security Administration check revealed she had a warrant in the Keys for lewd and lascivious battery on a person between ages 12 and 16.

“This was not a ‘turn-herself-in' situation,” said Manny Madruga, the Keys assistant state attorney prosecuting the case. “She was arrested on the warrant.”

Madruga said the case has been frustrating since the Sheriff's Office issued her arrest warrant last fall, and she had only recently been sent to jail here.

The original warrant was issued Sept. 24. Police in Hingham arrested Corbett, but a Massachusetts judge let her go, saying the warrant presented insufficient evidence she was a fugitive.

“This was really unusual. Most states will honor probable-cause warrants from another state,” Madruga said.

But the warrant was not inactive just because she was released from jail in Massachusetts.

Madruga said he was in correspondence with her two attorneys - one a Massachusetts lawyer and one in Palm Beach - about getting Corbett to turn herself in. Her lawyers told Madruga she would turn herself in if the bond - originally set at $150,000 - was reduced.

“I said, ‘If she turns herself in, we'll talk about bond.' It's not good practice to negotiate bond with a fugitive,” Madruga said.

Bond was finally set at $75,000 by Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones. A court appearance is scheduled for July 2.

* * * * *
Woman Arrested for Sex with Scout
[Previous 9/29/07 post]
(Key West, Florida) A 22-year-old woman, Caroline Corbett, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy last July.

Caroline Corbett was the first mate on a sailboat, the Heritage of Miami, that was used for a weeklong sleepover trip for 18 Boy Scouts.

While the boat was anchored off Key West, Corbett allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old boy from Georgia, police said.

Sex with the first mate! Aargh!

The boy's mother alerted authorities after seeing a letter Corbett wrote to the boy.

Corbett was arrested in Georgia and extradited to Florida. She faces charges of lewd and lascivious battery on a child over 12 but under 16.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 08:02:00 AM

Pennsylvania Teacher Scores Dope from Student

(Berks County, Pennsylvania) A 53-year-old substitute teacher at Governor Mifflin High School, Susan Siegel, has been charged with buying marijuana from an undercover detective and an 18-year-old student.

Siegel offered the student vodka in exchange for setting up the buy. Last Thursday, Siegel was arrested after the transaction was conducted at a local diner.

"Our officers actually met in a car with this substitute teacher, sold $100 worth of marijuana and after that an arrest was made," said Berks County District Attorney John Adams.

Siegel has been charged with possession of marijuana and furnishing alcohol to a minor. She was booked into custody at the Berks County Prison with bail set at $25,000.

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 07:26:00 AM

Chinese reluctance to accept earthquake help

What I reproduce below is an unusual news summary but it comes from someone I know personally (I am slightly amazed that three of my old friends are in China these days) so I thought I would pass it on:

At HK airport Sunday night and also in the Herald Tribune I read some interesting details I bet you wont read in China daily. Apparently China stores all its nuclear bombs in this earthquake zone as it's so remote. Also there are a number of nuclear reactors there to make bomb grade plutonium. They are supposed to be all reported as suffering none or little damage.

There was another news item about 2 foreign disaster relief teams from Scotland and Canada who arrived in HK with all their equipment...specialist earthquake relief teams...they tried to join the rescue effort but were refused visas in HK , the visa office their telling them they were not required. They had their own tents , food and specialist equipment to find the living buried in rubble.

After hearing about a Beijing Govt International apeal for International specialist help, they had advised the embassies of China in both Canada and UK they were able to come but received no reply from these embassies. Frustrated they flew out to HK anyway with all their gear only to be refused visas . They were returning home Monday.

In other articles there are lots of stories about people being refused visas to China in HK . Apparently the China Govt is now asking all Nationals to return to their home countries to get visas. Multiple entry visas are no longer being issued. Many foreigners who own businesses in China are whinging [complaining] as they need to come and go at short notice and now there are huge queues at the only mainland HK visa issuing office in Wanchai.

The situation is obviously very confused because I flew to Beijing OK last Thursday night without a Hotel voucher requirement and using the multiple entry visa in my passport which expires October 2008. However the Dragon Air flight was alomost empty...I have never seen a plane more empty....an A330 airbus capable of carrying up to 350 people with about 50 people on it.

At the new airport in Beijing I was stamped in without any questions. The China Govt seems to be getting more paranoid as the Olympics approaches.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/20/2008 06:27:00 AM

USNavy Jet Violates Venezuelan Airspace

(Caracas, Venezuela) A U.S. Navy S-3B Viking aircraft strayed into Venezuelan airspace over the weekend, prompting a strong denunciation by Hugo Chavez's government.

Lockheed Martin S-3B Viking jet aircraft
According to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, the breach of airspace was inadvertent.

"While conducting a counternarcotics mission in international airspace, the pilot realized that a navigation error had occurred," Mr. McCormack said.

"He contacted a Venezuelan tower to report the error, stating that he would immediately return to international airspace. The exchange was polite and professional."

Not so, said Venezuelan Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel. It was deliberate and another link in a chain of provocations toward Venezuela, said Rangel. Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro has summoned U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy to provide an explanation.

The S-3B Viking incident occurred around the Venezuelan island of La Orchila and another island about 80 miles off the coast. The island of La Orchila has a military base and Hugo Chavez's presidential retreat.

The breach of airspace also occurred concurrent with an alleged incursion of Colombian troops about 500 yards into Venezuela on Friday. Both occurrences play into Hugo Chavez's accusations that the U.S. and Colombia are colluding to invade Venezuela.

Interestingly, Defense Minister Rangel remarked that violations of Venezuelan airspace likely happened before but nobody knew because they didn't have the equipment to detect violations. Now they do.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/19/2008 07:07:00 PM

Teacher Christal Gravlin Sentenced in Sex Case - BUMPED

Former Lisbon Central School teacher Christal Gravlin has been sentenced to 120 days in jail for engaging in sex with a 15-year-old student.

Gravlin was also given a term of 10 years probation and ordered to pay $1,300 in court costs. Her sex offender status will be determined after an assessment.

* * * * *
[Previous 03/03/08 entry]
Today (03/03/08), Christel Gravlin pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree felony rape in accordance with a plea agreement. In return for the guilty plea, Gravlin will be sentenced to no more than six months in jail and 10 years probation. The felony conviction means automatic loss of her state teacher's license. It's not known if she will be required to register as a sex offender.

Formal sentencing for Gravlin is scheduled for May 5th.

* * * * *
[Previous 12/08/07 entry]

(Lisbon, New York) A 33-year-old English teacher at Lisbon Central School, Christel C. Gravlin, has been named as allegedly involved in a sex scandal with a 15-year-old male student.

Authorities were alerted to the alleged sex when the boy's mother filed a complaint. The St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Department is investigating.

Gravlin, a married mother of two is a former beauty queen, having been chosen Miss St. Lawrence County Teen-Ager in 1990 at the age of 15 and was voted St. Lawrence County Dairy Princess the following year.

She graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Potsdam in 2003 with a degree in literature, writing, and secondary education.

Gravlin has been absent from school this entire week.

[Update 12/11/07]
Yesterday, Christel Gravlin was crying as she was arraigned on felony counts of third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Gravlin was released on probation supervision -- whatever that is -- pending further action.

The 10th-grade teacher provided investigators with a detailed accounting of the affair in a three-page signed statement that was made part of the court record on Monday.

Gravlin said she had been suffering from depression for the past year and was taking antidepressants. She told police she began drinking alcohol and was taking prescription pain killers.

Gravlin said that during this time, one of her students contacted her through AOL Instant Messaging to discuss his problems at school and they developed a close relationship.

"He told me I was young and beautiful and he said he loved me. There was something about hearing these things that made me feel good again," said Gravlin, who has two children.

When she tried to break off the affair, the boy began talking about suicide, Gravlin told investigators.

"Each time I mentioned ending everything, he reminded me of these suicidal thoughts. In retrospect, I feel it was a way to manipulate me," she said.

Kinda makes one feel wispy, eh? Poor thing.

Obviously, I'm being sarcastic. I've little sympathy for adults who act like children and then blame their bad behavior on the children.

~~By the way, I haven't been able to find a pic of Gravlin, which is odd since she is a former beauty queen. You'd imagine that someone took some pictures of her.~~ [Update: Found a pic.]

Following Entry Posted 5/19/2008 05:49:00 PM

Kentucky Mom Admits Killing Her Children

(Louisville, Kentucky) A 37-year-old local woman and University of Louisville student, Gail Coontz, has been indicted for the murders of her two children.

Coontz was initially arrested in March after brandishing a gun and holding a University of Louisville counselor hostage.

The two children, 10-year-old Nikki and 14-year-old Greg, were subsequently found in their beds, shot multiple times as they were sleeping.

Nikki & Greg Coontz

A police report said Coontz admitted she had killed her children and pulled a gun on a psychologist and an officer at the counseling center, threatening to harm herself and others.

After about 15 minutes, Coontz gave her gun to the psychologist, police have said.

Coontz has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of terroristic threatening and tampering with evidence and is being held at Metro Corrections on $500,000 bail.

Coontz is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow.

Following Entry Posted 5/19/2008 04:48:00 PM

Razor Wire Effective on Border

(San Diego, California) Razor wire added to the fence may not completely secure the border but it sure seems to help.

Three strands of razor sharp wire, along one point two miles of the country's *most* violent section of the border.

The "concertina" wire went up in December on a trial basis, and after five months the border patrol says the impact has been so significant, the concertina will run continuously for five miles between Otay Mesa and San Ysidro.

In fact, the border patrol says the number of injuries to illegals coming over the fence has decreased by nearly half since the concertina went up. Assaults on border patrol agents have gone down 53 percent. And the number of people coming across illegally has decreased by 61 percent.

Sounds like a good plan, eh? Good fences make good neighbors.

Following Entry Posted 5/19/2008 05:55:00 AM

No Transplants for Medical Marijuana Users

(Seattle, Washington) It appears that life is a bit more complicated for medical marijuana users since they are being denied placement on organ transplant lists and two recent cases have raised the profile of the issue.

Timothy Garon, 56, of Seattle died after being rejected for a liver transplant and 33-year-old Jonathon Simchen of Fife, a town south of Seattle, still seeks transplant help after being rejected by two medical facilities.

The reasoning for rejecting marijuana smokers is partly because smoking of any substance has negative "patient-safety and transplant-effectiveness issues."

Additionally, since marijuana is considered illegal by the federal government, marijuana users, including those with prescriptions, are classified as substance abusers. Illegal substance abuse is customarily a disqualifying factor for transplants.

The organ transplant denial issue, however, is far from being resolved as medical-marijuana advocates protest the process.

The website Stop the Drug War called it evil to deny transplants to medical marijuana patients.

One Seattle-area alternative newspaper was so outraged that it listed the telephone numbers of University of Washington transplant center staff members.

I suggest the future will be more contentious.

Following Entry Posted 5/19/2008 04:52:00 AM

British police: OK to be a terrorist-supporter but not OK to reform and condemn terrorism

The Muslim-loving British police get madder every day

He was the poster boy for jihadist extremism who become one of its most vocal opponents, meeting a government minister and being offered Home Office funding to support his deradicalisation work among young Muslims. But now Hassan Butt is under arrest and at the centre of a high-stakes legal battle that goes to the core of Britain's fight against terrorism.

Hassan Butt sent dozens of British Muslims to training camps in Pakistan, raised money for the Taleban and once boasted of his desire "to kill or be killed for the sake of Allah". His words and deeds in support of Islamist terrorism were reported widely between 2001 and 2004, yet he was never charged with any offence.

After the suicide attacks on London in July 2005, he embarked on a lengthy and painful reexamination of his beliefs, eventually repudiating violence and emerging as a passionate critic of the cause he once espoused. Since early 2007 Mr Butt, 28, has denounced al-Qaeda in numerous newspaper articles, in international television interviews and in debate at the Cambridge Union. However, he has been labelled a traitor to Islam by his former comrades and in April last year was stabbed in the street by two assailants.

Ten days ago, as he prepared to board a flight to Pakistan, Mr Butt was arrested - and is still detained - under the Terrorism Act. If his rejection of violence was not a sham, then Greater Manchester Police - whose investigation is being carried out independently of Counter Terrorism Command at Scotland Yard - may be about to face more than a few tough questions.

More here

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/18/2008 11:52:00 PM

Turkey Going Cold Turkey on Tobacco

(Istanbul, Turkey) A nation-wide comprehensive smoking ban will be enacted tomorrow.

Smoking will be banned in almost all enclosed areas such as public buildings including education, health, entertainment, sports, production, business, cultural and social facilities.

The ban also covers all public transportation, including taxis, trains and boats. [ ... ]

The fines for violating the regulation have been increased, and business owners who let people smoke in prohibited areas will have to pay more than the smoker. Those who throw the stump of a cigarette on the street will be fined YTL 23. Those who smoke in prohibited areas will be fined YTL 62. [Note: 100 Turkish Lira = about US $81]

However, those who allow smoking (the owner or manager of the building) will be fined from YTL 50,000 up to YTL 250,000.

Advertisements and any encouragement of smoking are prohibited. Showing cigarettes on TV will be fined between YTL 1,000 up to YTL 100,000.

The sale of tobacco products to those younger than 18 is prohibited, and those who sell it can be sentenced to between one and six years imprisonment.

I think enforcement of the law might be problematic.

Following Entry Posted 5/18/2008 11:20:00 PM

Ohio Man Gets 40 Years for Raping Boy

(Lucas County, Ohio) A 22-year-old Spencer Township man, Dale Boerio, was sentenced by Judge Linda Jennings this past week to 40 years to life in prison for raping a 9-year-old boy.

Boerio was handed consecutive sentences of 15 years to life for the two counts of rape and consecutive five-year terms for the two counts of gross sexual imposition.

He first will be eligible to appear before the state parole board when he is 62.

"Your pattern of abhorrent behavior has emotionally damaged this child for the rest of his life," Judge Jennings told Boerio.

"Because of your sexual abuse, this little boy has suffered physical abuse as well," she added.

Given a chance to address the court, Boerio expressed innocence.

Following Entry Posted 5/18/2008 10:45:00 PM

Ohio Judge Strikes Down Sex Offender Law

(Cleveland, Ohio) Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Ronald Suster declared Ohio's sex offender registration law unconstitutional this past week.

Judge Ronald Suster blocked the state from enforcing the law on one sex offender convicted of sexual battery in 2003.

In his court order, Suster ruled that the new requirements are unlawful because they increase punishment without a court hearing and are retroactively applied to sex offenders whose crimes were committed before the law passed in 2007.

Judge Suster said the law intended to "punish and ostracize this unpopular group."

The state has 30 days to appeal the ruling.

Based on Judge Suster's words, it's not clear whether he's merely against the provisions of the law or the entire concept of registration of sex offenders. My guess would be the latter.

Following Entry Posted 5/18/2008 08:22:00 AM

Baha'i Leaders Jailed in Iran

The Islamic government of Iran jailed six top Baha'i religious leaders this week. It appears that the action is contrary to the stated philosophy of the religion of peace.

Six Baha'i leaders in Iran were seized and imprisoned this week, the religious group said. The act prompted condemnation and concern from the movement and a top American religious freedom panel.

Iranian intelligence agents searched the homes of the six on Wednesday and then whisked them away, according to the Baha'i's World News Service. The report said the six are in Evin prison and that the arrests follow the detention in March of another Baha'i leader.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment, and the incident has not been mentioned in Iran's state-run media.

"Their only crime is their practice of the Baha'i faith," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i international community to the United Nations.

The Baha'i is the largest minority religious community in Iran and the government considers its followers to be apostates. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president, attacks against the Baha'i have increased.

About 300,000 Iranians follow the Baha'i faith out of the 65 million total population in the country.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/18/2008 08:04:00 AM

Wild Party: Naked Teens, Drugs and Alcohol

(Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania) Sixteen individuals, mostly juveniles, were arrested and more are expected. Two young adults face charges for hosting.

Scant reporting on this story thus far.

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 08:41:00 PM

Village Proud of Double Honor Killings

(Balla, India) Because it is taboo for a man and woman in the same village to marry, a young couple was killed. The village rejoices now that its honor has been restored. Absolutely sickening.

Five armed men burst into the small room and courtyard at dawn, just as 21-year-old, 22-week pregnant, Sunita was drying her face on a towel.

They punched and kicked her stomach as she called out for her sleeping boyfriend "Jassa", 22-year-old Jasbir Singh, witnesses said. When he woke, both were dragged into waiting cars, driven away and strangled.

Their bodies, half-stripped, were laid out on the dirt outside Sunita's father's house for all to see, a sign that the family's "honor" had been restored by her cold-blooded murder.

Police with the bodies of Sunita Devi, 21, and Jasbir Singh, 22, on May 9, 2008.
The village stands united in full support of the honor killings. Since Sunita and Jasbir were from the same village, they were viewed as brother and sister, a dishonorable union.

"From society's point of view, this is a very good thing," said 62-year-old farmer Balwan Arya, sitting smoking a hookah in the shade of a tree in a square with other elders from the village council or panchayat. "We have removed the blot."

Interestingly, the farmer used the term "we" which indicates community-wide culpability. Only four individuals, however, were arrested -- Sunita's father, an uncle and two cousins.

Notably, identifying this case as a double honor killing is disingenuous. My arithmetic puts the death toll at three when the unborn baby is included.

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 07:16:00 PM

German-Afghan Family Honor

(Hamburg, Germany) Again, I'm disgusted.

Police investigating the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old German girl of Afghan origin are searching for her brother on suspicion he carried what media believe may have been an "honor killing".

Police said on Friday they were conducting an all-out search for the victim's 23-year-old brother, whom they "strongly suspected" was responsible for the attack in a park in a central area of Hamburg on Thursday night.

A police spokeswoman said the motive was unclear in response to German media speculation that the girl's death from multiple stab wounds was the result of an honor killing.

Why is it that I feel disgusted when a family in Germany feels honorable? Somebody has screwy thinking and I don't think it's me.

[Update 05/19/08]

A 23-year-old man, Ahmad O., has confessed to the killing of his sister, Morsal O.

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 08:39:00 AM

Dutch cartoonist update

We read:

"The Dutch authorities have arrested the cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot (a pseudonym. Nekschot means deathblow, litt: “shot in the back of the neck” [An interview with Nekschot here]). The judicial authorities in Amsterdam said yesterday that the cartoonist was arrested as a suspect for the criminal offense of “publishing cartoons which are discriminating for Muslims and people with dark skin.”

The cartoonist was arrested on Tuesday, while the police searched his house for “discriminating evidence.” His computer, backups, usb sticks, mobile phone and a number of drawings were confiscated.

Nekschot was released two days later but it is possible that he will be charged following a complaint in 2005 by the Dutch imam Abdul Jabbar van de Ven, an indigenous Dutchman who converted to Islam.

Source

The guy is a hero, considering the Muslim-loving Dutch authorities and the lack of protection for free speech there.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 07:20:00 AM

Larissa Shuster Gets Life for Acid Murder of Husband - Updated

(Fresno, California) The sentencing proceeding yesterday included emotional statements from Larissa Shuster's former husband's family and friends. Then, Shuster's daughter had some harsh words for her mother.

"You've given up all rights as a mother, wife, daughter, friend and woman. You're a disgrace to this family-a pitiful excuse for a human."

Kristin called her father Tim Schuster her rock and best friend, "I pray you're continually haunted at night by the sight and sound of my father fighting for his last breathing moments on this earth. I hope you toss and turn and have horrible nightmares visualizing the horrific act of violence you have committed."

For the conviction of first-degree murder, with special circumstances, Larissa Shuster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She was also ordered to pay her victim's burial expenses.

An appeal is planned.

* * * * *
Wife Murders Husband in Barrel of Acid
[Previous 12/14/07 entry]
(Van Nuys, California) A 47-year-old biochemist, Larissa Schuster, was found guilty this week by a Superior Court jury of murdering her husband, Timothy Schuster, 45. The conviction included a special circumstance provision since the murder was committed for financial gain.

Timothy Schuster's body was found a few days after his death in 2003 when the Schusters, co-owners of a chemical lab, were in the middle of a bitter divorce.

Prosecutors said Larissa Schuster and her former lab assistant kidnapped her 45-year-old husband on July 10, 2003, knocked him out with a stun gun and chloroform-soaked rag, then dumped his bound body headfirst into a barrel while he was still breathing.

The assistant, James Fagone, told authorities that Larissa Schuster then poured hydrochloric acid into the 55-gallon container.

Fagone said Schuster paid him $2,000 to help rob and assault her husband but he didn't know murder was planned. Schuster testified that Fagone killed her husband by accident and that she only helped dispose of the body.

Fagone was convicted in December 2006 of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Schuster is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16th when she faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 05:58:00 AM

Kentucky Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Covington, Kentuucky) A 28-year-old Independence woman, Tanya Baynum, has been accused of multiple offenses including the rape of a 15-year-old runaway boy, custodial interference and unlawful transaction with a minor.

Baybum was arrested this past week and later released on $5,000 bond.

Reportedly, the boy ran away from home and lived with Baynum for a period of time and allegedly got him involved with sex and drugs. When the boy's mother learned that her son was with Baynum, a meeting was planned and the mother taped the conversation.

Police say that the mother was able to get Baynum to admit to the allegations.

Capt. Tony Lucas, Independence Police: "There was some drug activity taking place ... sales involved in that, she had him participate in and also taking drugs. There is also some allegations of sexual intercourse with him."

Baynum has a court appearance scheduled for June 2.

Following Entry Posted 5/17/2008 12:07:00 AM

Jihad Funding Ring Busted in Europe

A group of Islamists with ties to al-Qaeda were rounded up yesterday by German, French and Dutch authorities.

Police in Germany, France and the Netherlands arrested 10 people on Friday suspected of providing funding to Islamic extremists in Uzbekistan, officials said.

The 10 men arrested after a yearlong investigation are suspected of belonging to a network involved in funding the Islamist terror organization Islamic Jihad Union, German press agency DPA reported.

In France, eight suspects were arrested in a suburb of the eastern city of Mulhouse, about 30 miles from Weil am Rhein. The French domestic intelligence agency DST investigated the group for about a year.

In Germany, a 35-year-old Turkish immigrant was arrested in Weil am Rhein. Extradition to France is pending court approval.

In the Netherlands, a 48-year-old Turk was arrested in the southern town of Tilburg. Extradition to France has been requested.

Good! At least one channel for funding the terrorists is out of business.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 09:00:00 PM

The Sexual Status of Moobs

From the Telegraph:

It is perfectly legal to ogle a man's chest but not a woman's breasts, according to an unusual ruling on what constitutes voyeurism by a panel of leading judges at the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Only women's breasts can be regarded as "private parts", whereas the male chest -- even if the male in question has man breasts, or "moobs" as they are known -- cannot, the judges say.

The distinction between the sexual status of the female and male chest area was made during the quashing of a conviction for voyeurism at a public swimming pool.

Kevin Bassett, of Spalding, Lincs, was found guilty last year of the charge after he secretly filmed a man as he showered in his trunks.

The 44-year-old care home worker was given an 18-month supervision order, but appealed on the grounds that the alleged offence did not fall into any category in the 2003 Sexual Offences Act under which he was charged.

Typical. People are free to treat men as prurient flesh and ogle their moobs with impunity. It's blatant discrimination. I feel so cheap.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 04:36:00 PM

AK47 Pistol

I received this advertisement in the mail and was wondering if the price was reasonable. Nobody I know has purchased one of the AK47 Pistols. Maybe the readers can weigh in.

It looks like they may sell out soon.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 03:32:00 PM

Utah Teacher Gets 30 Days for Sex with Boy

(St. George, Utah) Former teacher and track coach at Hurricane High School Cris Lynn Morris appeared in 5th District Court yesterday for sentencing.

Judge G. Rand Beacham sentenced the 30-year-old woman - who had pleaded guilty to three third-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual misconduct as part of a deal with prosecutors - to three years' probation and 30 days in Washington County's Purgatory Correctional Facility.

She also was fined $3,000 and ordered to pay $2,500 to a victim-restitution fund and register as a sex offender. A prison term was stayed.

The mother of three young children said she was sorry and that what she wants to do is "what's needed now to move forward with our lives."

Heh. A sentence of 30 days for three felony sex crimes is arguably quite lenient.

* * * * *
Utah Teacher Guilty of Sex with Boy
[Previous 3/06/08 entry bumped]

(Washington County, Utah) A Hurricane High School history and social science teacher, Cris Lyn Morris, pleaded guilty yesterday (3/5/08) to reduced charges of three counts of felony third-degree unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old male student.

The sexual conduct occurred at Morris' home between August 1 and October 1, 2007.

Sentencing by Judge G. Randall Beacham is scheduled for May 8. Morris faces a possible 15 years in prison.

* * * * *
[Previous 10/25/07 entry bumped]
(Hurricane, Utah) A 29-year-old teacher at Hurricane High School, Cris Morris, was arrested yesterday by Hurricane Police for allegedly engaging in sex with an underage male student.

Morris has been charged with five counts of rape. It's not known how the authorities were alerted.

Morris was booked into custody at the Washington County Jail. School officials have placed her on administrative leave.

Hurricane is a small town in the remotest southwestern part of Utah, spitting distance to Arizona.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 08:39:00 AM

Dutch cartoonist arrested under hate speech law

We read:

"A Dutch publisher says a well-known political cartoonist has been arrested on suspicion of violating hate speech laws with his work. A spokeswoman for Uitgeverij Xtra said Friday that the cartoonist who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot was arrested Tuesday and held overnight before being released.

"He was arrested with a great show of force, by around 10 policemen," the spokeswoman said. She asked that her name not be used because the cartoonist and publisher have received death threats.

Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, though the spokeswoman said he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology". Amsterdam public prosecutors did not return repeated calls seeking comment.

Source

It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 07:11:00 AM

Chinese Urinal Fish Tank

(Changchun, China) A local restaurant owner has modified the 12-foot men's room urinal trough to become a fish tank urinal trough.

Guests seemed surprised to find fish swimming in the trough which has sign saying "Please urinate here" above it.

"If they didn't have the sign here I would have thought it was a new fish tank," said one diner, Mr Wang.

As a novel idea, the urinal fish tank is a hit, however, some fish experts have voiced criticism. First of all, it's considered disrespectful to the Chinese fish culture. It has also been condemned for harming the fish.

A spokesman for the restaurant insisted the urinal contained a mixture of urine and water which was not harmful to the fish.

"The water is running, and each day we change the water at least twice and add oxygen into the water. It's not much different to a fish tank," he said.

So, there you go. To the Chinese, it appears that it's considered perfectly healthy to live in an environment where a constant line of people urinate.

I'm unconvinced. Despite the obvious ick factor, it seems illogical that fish would not be harmed by living in a tank full of piss, even diluted piss.

Fortunately, the restaurant owner said that the fish were not used in any dishes. Of course, some consideration should probably be given to previous instances when the Chinese have knowingly sold tainted products.

Caveat emptor should be observed despite any guarantees.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 06:04:00 AM

Flight Attendant Starts Fire on Plane

(Minneapolis, Minnesota) A 19-year-old flight attendant for Northwest Airlines, Eder H. Rojas, was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly starting a fire in the bathroom of an airplane.

According to a criminal complaint, on May 7, Rojas started a fire in the restroom of a Northwest Airlines flight enroute from Minneapolis to Regina, Sask. Flight 2040 made an emergency landing in Fargo, N.D., after a flight attendant discovered the fire.

None of the 72 passengers and four crew members was injured.

Apparently, Rojas was upset about his work assignment so he protested with fire. The charge of starting a fire on an airplane carries a possible punishment of 20 years in prison.

I'm guessing that Rojas will like prison even less than the Minneapolis to Regina route.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 05:58:00 AM

Texas Teacher Arrested for Dope, Gun

(Guadalupe County, Texas) A 46-year-old fourth-grade teacher at Navarro Intermediate School, Tanya Boyd, was arrested this week after deputies found marijuana and a loaded handgun in her car parked in the school parking lot.

Boyd was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a weapon in a prohibited place.

Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold Zwicke said an anonymous caller gave a tip Monday that there was marijuana in a car in the Navarro Intermediate School parking lot.

Deputy Rudy Guarnero used his drug-sniffing dog to search the area at about 11 a.m. and the dog gave an alert near Boyd’s car."

"The teacher, Tanya Boyd, met with Deputy Guarnero and consented to a search of the car," he said. “He found a marijuana cigarette, several roaches and combination marijuana cigarettes. During the search, the deputy also found a loaded handgun."

Boyd was booked into custody at the Guadalupe County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond.

The school system placed Boyd on paid administrative leave.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 12:23:00 AM

Dumb Grave Robbers

(Houston, Texas) Check this out. Houston Police officers questioned a local youth, 17-year-old Kevin Wade Jones, about some stolen credit cards.

Jones responded by saying that he and his two friends dug up a grave with shovels, removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a bong for smoking marijuana.

Asked why Jones would volunteer such a story, Sgt. John Chomiak said, "We can only speculate and guess to what goes on in the criminal mind."

Really.

In any event, the story was confirmed and police arrested Jones, 17-year-old Matthew Richard Gonzales and a 16-year-old whose name is withheld. The three have been charged with misdemeanor abuse of a corpse. Investigators believe another person also may be involved.

Interestingly, the stolen skull has disappeared. Nobody seems to know what happened to it. Research has led to the identification of the former owner as Willie Simms, believed to possibly be a 19th Century war veteran. No next of kin have been located as yet.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 12:16:00 AM

Michigan Woman and Young Teen Boy

(Muskegon, Michigan) A 29-year-old Muskegon Township woman, Anna Marie Glass, has been accused of engaging in sex with a young teen boy. Glass was arraigned on a felony charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person between 13 and 15.

According to police, Glass allegedly had sexual intercourse with a teenage boy last September. She allegedly told the mother of the boy that she was in love with him.

If convicted of the charge against her, Glass faces a possible 15 years in prison.

Glass waived her preliminary hearing last week and remains free on $10,000 surety bond.

Following Entry Posted 5/16/2008 12:08:00 AM

Taliban Rocket Bounces Off Brit Officer

Last Saturday, a 30-year-old British officer, Lt. David Robertson of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, was hit in the chest by a Taliban rocket and survived.

It happened as Lt. Robertson's company crested a hill during an advance on a Taliban position.

Several RPGs fired and one ricocheted off the Lt.'s body armor and detonated against his armored vehicle.

"I didn't get my life flashing in front of me but it did slow down.

"The thing split into three parts - it coming towards me, it hitting me and bouncing off and then detonating.

"It must have just skiffed off me and went to my left and detonated on the fully open gunners hatch.

"I was knocked backwards I hit the back of the turret pretty hard.

"I remember a big bang and a heat wave and then felt burning in my arm and side."

Lt. Robertson received only minor injuries. Lucky guy.

H/T - G. Mehr

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 07:14:00 PM

Abortion Nurses Approved

(Phoenix, Arizona) Silly me, I always thought that doctors performed abortions. Apparently not, the State Board of Nursing thinks that nurses should perform abortions and has approved the practice. Maybe it's a case of too many fetuses and not enough doctors.

But wait, there's legislation in process to outlaw abortions by anyone other than a doctor. It awaits approval by the full legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano, neither of which is assured.

All in all, the issue remains unresolved for now.

Interestingly, it seems that approval for nurses to perform abortions was sought because Planned Parenthood nurses are already performing abortions. So the State Board of Nursing has essentially given after the fact approval.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 05:25:00 PM

Woman Indicted in MySpace Suicide Case

(Los Angeles, California) Lori Drew, the mother of Megan Meier's classmate and the perpetrator of the MySpace hoax that led to Megan's suicide, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and accessing a protected computer without authorization.

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used before to address Internet hacking, but this was the first time it has been used in a social-networking situation.

"This was a tragedy that did not have to happen," O'Brien said at a Los Angeles press conference. Both the girl and MySpace are named as victims in the case, he said.

After the indictment, MySpace issued a statement saying it "does not tolerate cyberbullying" and was cooperating fully with the U.S. attorney.

Drew faces arraignment in St. Louis and trial in Los Angeles. If convicted of the charges against her, Drew faces a possible 20 years in prison.

See copy of the indictment here.

* * * * *
Teen's Suicide Linked to MySpace Hoax
[Entry bumped from 11/18/07]

(O'Fallon, Missouri) A 13-year-old eighth-grade girl, Megan Meier, suffered a fatal bout of depression linked to a MySpace hoax and hanged herself in her bedroom closet.

Neighborhood parents of one of Megan's classmates perpetrated the hoax by creating a fictitious 16-year-old male suitor on MySpace for the girl. The classmate's parents (not named in reports) then toyed with Megan's emotions, leading her to believe a bond between her and the fictitious boy (Josh) was blossoming.

Megan's spirits skyrocketed. Then the neighbor parents made fictitious Josh become mean and verbally abusive toward Megan. Megan snapped and killed herself.

It wasn't until six weeks after Megan's death that Ron and Tina Meier discovered from another neighbor the truth about fictitious Josh. Subsequently, the classmate's parents tried to communicate with the Meiers.

Ron asked friends to convince them to leave before he physically harmed them.

In a letter dated Nov. 30, 2006, the family tells Ron and Tina, "We are sorry for the extreme pain you are going through and can only imagine how difficult it must be. We have every compassion for you and your family."

The classmate's family has been advised not to comment on their involvement with Megan's life. Upon being informed that media coverage of the story would, therefore, have to rely on the police report, the mother said, "We have worked on getting that changed."

St. Charles County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Craig McGuire stated that the police report stands. Here's a portion of the police report with the classmate's mother's name redacted.

"(She) stated in the months leading up Meier's daughter's suicide, she instigated and monitored a 'my space' account which was created for the sole purpose of communicating with Meier's daughter.

"(She) said she, with the help of temporary employee named ------ constructed a profile of 'good looking' male on 'my space' in order to 'find out what Megan (Meier's daughter) was saying on-line' about her daughter. (She) explained the communication between the fake male profile and Megan was aimed at gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people.

"(She) stated she, her daughter and (the temporary employee) all typed, read and monitored the communication between the fake male profile and Megan ....

"According to (her) 'somehow' other 'my space' users were able to access the fake male profile and Megan found out she had been duped. (She) stated she knew 'arguments' had broken out between Megan and others on 'my space.' (She) felt this incident contributed to Megan's suicide, but she did not feel 'as guilty' because at the funeral she found out 'Megan had tried to commit suicide before.' "

So, the classmate's mother admitted some level of responsibility for Megan's suicide within the police report. However, contrary to the classmate's mother's assertion that Megan had tried suicide previously, Tina Meier said it isn't true.

According to Lt. McGuire, no criminal charges were filed since, "We did not have a charge to fit it." The Meiers reportedly are not going to file a civil suit, rather, they seek a law to protect children online and make it a crime for an adult to influence a child toward suicide.

In summary, a 13-year-old girl commits suicide arguably instigated by a cruel and childish hoax perpetrated by adults. And, the hoaxers are getting away with it because no specific crime was committed and the Meier family isn't seeking redress in civil court.

The Meiers are considerably nicer about the whole situation than I would be. I'd sue the hoaxers into a hole.

Tip: Barry

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 04:35:00 PM

Texas Teacher and Male Student, 18

(Early, Texas) a 23-year-old former teacher at Early High School, Joy Blackstock, was arrested last week for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student.

She was arrested last week on a charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student.

Blackstock, who was named in a sealed indictment May First, turned herself in Thursday at the jail. That's according to Early Police Chief David Mercer.

The charge, a second-degree felony, is punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

Although the student was 18 at the time, a Texas law makes it a felony for a teacher to have sexual contact with a student in the same school, regardless of whether he or she is legally old enough to consent.

Blackstock was booked into custody at the Brown County Jail and later released on $15,000 bond.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 02:50:00 PM

Indiana Teacher and Male Student, 15

(Warren Township, Indiana) A 37-year-old teacher at Renaissance School, Sheila Vasquez, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old male student.

Vasquez has been charged with suspicion of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Investigators say she allegedly drove a 15-year-old male student to her home in the Castleton area May 1 and had sexual intercourse with him, said Sgt. Matthew Mount of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Apparently, they devised a scheme which allowed them to leave school during the day for sex.

Vasquez is being held in custody at the Marion County Lockup.

The Renaissance School is an alternative facility for troubled youth.

[Update 10/3/08]

Vasquez sentenced.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 01:58:00 PM

NY Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Oswego, New York) A 33-year-old local woman, Jeanine M. Buske, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy. She faces multiple charges including rape, forgery, criminal impersonation and endangering the welfare of a child.

An investigation led deputies to believe Buske had sex with the boy multiple times in different locations in Oswego, a sheriff's office news release states. At least once, a 15-year-old boy watched, deputies said.

Buske was also accused of posing as a 16-year-old boy's mother to authorize a body piercing, the release states.

Buske was booked into custody with bail set at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. A court appearance has been scheduled for June 19.

[Update 6/24/08]

After her release, Buske violated an order of protection. She was rearrested and charged with second-degree criminal contempt. After arraignment, Buske was released on her own recognizance. A court appearance is scheduled for July 22.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 01:19:00 PM

Yahoo! Takeover?

Carl Icahn, billionaire financier and corporate raider, is threatening to press for control of Yahoo! Inc.'s board of directors in a takeover push. Apparently, Icahn is not happy with Yahoo!'s rejection of a Microsoft takeover.

A corporate predator, Icahn pounces on the mere whiff of weakness to increase his influence and wealth. With Icahn and Yahoo!, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 11:16:00 AM

World's Largest Breasts

Anna Hawkins-Turner, 49, is in the Guinness Book of Records for her 73 and 1/2 WWW bra size.

See here and here. They're real but the jury is out as to whether they're spectacular. Probably NSFW.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 09:22:00 AM

Canada Health Care - Waiting for Rations

(Ottawa, Canada) After a two-week wait to see a general practitioner, a woman learns that her daughter must see a neurologist to explain her chronic seizures.

About 2 weeks later, we finally got the referral to a neurologist at the Civic Hospital. Are you ready for this? The appointment is for August 18. April 4, when she had her big seizure, to August 18 - that's 4.5 months, for an 18-year old girl who is having chronic seizures.

Why a patient with serious, chronic seizures is not classified as an emergency case is unknown. Beyond a doubt, however, a four and one-half month wait for medical attention is outrageous. The patient's mother is understandably livid.

I never think, "If I had lots of money, I could buy a giant plasma TV and have a computer in every room of the house, and take vacations on a private island in the Caribbean." All I think is, "I'd get my kids the hell out of this dingy backwater, and down the U.S. where they have a decent medical system, and you don't die waiting for a doctor to look at a lump in your breast."

While recognizing that long wait times are a fact of life under a socialized system, Canada Health is not heartless as demonstrated by this gesture.

A letter from the Moncton Hospital to a New Brunswick heart patient in need of an electrocardiogram said the appointment would be in three months. It added: "If the person named on this computer- generated letter is deceased, please accept our sincere apologies."

Therefore, a patient either waits for the specified time and gets treated or dies, whichever comes first. If it's the former -- Phew!

If it's the latter, the survivors will be comforted by knowing that a computer is sorry.

Tip: Nasty, Brutish & Short

Companion post at SocGlory.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 09:02:00 AM

British police try to shoot the messenger

As you will see on today's POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, the politicized British police have just been forced to eat crow.

Some British documentary makers went around British mosques undercover and filmed various Mullahs inciting violence against unbelievers. The resulting film was shown on British TV.

So what did the police do? What the Mullahs said was clearly in breach of British law against preaching violence so the police went and rounded up all the Mullahs concerned -- right? In your dreams! The cops prosecuted the film-makers instead! They said the film stirred up hatred. It was a truly Orwellian inversion of what actually happened -- that it was the Mullahs who were stirring up hatred.

Anyway the wheels of justice eventually ground down the nonsense and the police were rightly sued over their perverse actions. They have now paid a big sum in compensation and apologized for their actions.

But, amid all the furore, the Muslim hate-speech has remained protected. It appears that none of the Muslim hate-speakers recorded in the film have been prosecuted or will be prosecuted. The main aim of the police exercise -- protecting Muslims from the standards that others have to obey -- has been achieved.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 08:21:00 AM

Virginia Beach Woman, 39, and Boy, 15

(Virginia Beach, Virginia) A 39-year-old local woman, Jennifer Lawson, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly soliciting a 15-year-old boy for sex.

Reportedly, Lawson communicated with the boy, the son of a family friend, via MySpace, exchanging sexually explicit messages and asking him for sex.

Lawson was charged with indecent liberties, use of a communication device to solicit a minor, distributing marijuana to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Investigators interviewed the boy and confirmed that Lawson had provided him with alcohol and marijuana and asked him to have sex with her.

Lawson was booked into custody at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.

Following Entry Posted 5/15/2008 07:30:00 AM

Guard Sentenced for Sex with Juvie Inmate

[Bumped - Scroll down for update]

[04/20/07 entry]

(South Bend, Indiana) A 29-year-old former corrections employee at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility, Julie A. Singleton, has been charged with sexual misconduct for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male inmate.

Although the boy was of legal age in Indiana, he was a detainee in Singleton's care which means that sex between them is illegal.

The alleged sex was reported by a fellow employee who viewed through a window as Singleton and the boy engaged in sex on an office chair. Singleton acknowledged being in the principal's office with the boy but denied they had sex.

Singleton was terminated from her position in December. She currently is free on bond.

Tip: Don

[Update 04/02/08]

(South Bend, Indiana) Singleton pleaded guilty today to felony sexual misconduct for engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male inmate. Per the terms of her plea agreement, she will be sentenced to no more than 18 months in prison.

Sentencing by Judge Roland W. Chamblee Jr. is scheduled for May 14th.

[Update 05/15/08]

Yesterday, Judge Roland W. Chamblee Jr. sentenced Julie A. Singleton, identified as 34 years old, to six months in prison with an undisclosed term of probation to be served upon her release. It's unknown whether Singleton will be required to register as a sex offender.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 07:50:00 PM

French Jihadis Jailed

From AFP:

Paris -- A French court on Wednesday handed down jail sentences to seven men convicted of running a network that recruited poor young Muslims in Paris to fight in the Iraqi insurgency.

Tracked down and arrested after a young Frenchman was found dead in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004, five French nationals, one Algerian and one Moroccan were handed jail terms of between 18 months and seven years.

Aged between 24 and 40, all were convicted of travelling to Iraq to take part in combat or of recruiting young men in Paris' heavily-immigrant northeast, including at a local mosque, to send as fighters.

Good!

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 05:08:00 PM

Obama-Wright Much Closer Than Pretended

Through painstaking research of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church magazine, Tom Blumer at BizzyBlog and Stanley Kurtz of the Weekly Standard have collected a trophy case of evidence that Barack Obama was not telling the truth when he said he didn't know what was being preached at Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC).

For those who delude themselves about Obama's spiritual roots and believe the story that he was only a worshipper of Jesus Christ at TUCC without knowledge of Rev. Wright's radical Marxist black liberation theology, think again after reading here.

Furthermore, seventeen TUCC magazines with cover images, called Trumpet Newsmagazine, tell of the history of thought at the church and of Rev. Wright. Sorry, but I can't believe that Barack Obama never picked up and read the church magazine -- especially when his is the featured cover picture on several issues.

Some may continue to rationalize Obama's mendacity as truth, but I would contend that he was shoulders-deep in the muck of anti-American and hate-whitey rhetoric at TUCC and his assertions to the contrary are false.

Of course, this all leads to the unasked question of why did Obama stay with the congregation for twenty years. Unfortunately, as long as the mainstream media lets Obama get away with feigning ignorance about the agenda at TUCC, the question won't be asked.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 03:05:00 PM

Colombian Warlords Extradited to U.S.

The President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, authorized the extradition of 14 paramilitary warlords to the U.S. yesterday morning to face drug-trafficking charges. A good overview by the Miami Herald allows the reader to gain a sense of the complicated political situation in Colombia.

The 14 warlords have been indicted on separate cocaine-conspiracy counts in Florida, Texas, New York and Washington.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 01:14:00 PM

Blogger Code of Conduct

From The Guardian:

Nearly half of all internet users would support a voluntary code of conduct for bloggers and online commentators, according to research.

A survey by legal firm DLA Piper said 46% of web users think bloggers should sign up to a code that reflected the laws on defamation, intellectual property and incitement, with 15% ambivalent and 4% strongly opposed.

Around 34% of bloggers opposed the idea but 32% supported it.

Three quarters of web users who have posted comment on blogs and news sites were oblivious to libel law, said the report, even though the person posting the comment, rather than the host site, would be liable for any offence.

The survey highlights the dangers created not only by self-publishing but also by more innocuous user content, such as video, photos and comment posted to media-sharing sites.

The DLA Piper company has 64 offices in 25 countries with 3,700 lawyers. As such, the company has credibility but I wonder about the "web users" who were queried. My guess is that they were all lawyers.

Additionally, I would suggest that a Blogger Code of Conduct is the first step in crafting a law for censoring blogs.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 12:33:00 PM

Afghan Farmers Switch from Poppies to Wheat

Apparently, high food costs and a fall in the price of heroin have made opium poppies a less attractive agricultural crop.

Afghan farmers hope to capitalise on soaring food costs by growing wheat instead of poppy crops, with the fall in heroin prices further fuelling the switch.

The price of a tonne of wheat in Afghanistan has almost trebled this year, causing acute food shortages. A changeover of crops has begun in key agricultural regions, said Tekeste Tekie, country representative for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.

He said a significant increase in wheat crops is expected from next year's harvest. "The high price of commodities has encouraged farmers to switch from poppy cultivation to wheat. In fact, we are already seeing evidence of this happening, for instance in the Bamian region, where some farmers have planted half wheat and half poppy crops," Tekie said.

Frankly, I question whether the reporting in this story is representative of the whole poppy-growing farm population.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 08:38:00 AM

Outrage at a carved pulpit in a Belgian church

That guy being trodden on down the bottom of the centuries-old carving above is our old friend Mohammed. You can guess the rest. Details here

I noted a similar "outrage" in Spain on Feb. 19th

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/14/2008 12:02:00 AM

Fast Food Worker Fired for Spitting in Drink

(Eunice, Louisiana) Two employees were fired recently from the local Sonic Drive-In for spitting in drinks. One worker was fired for doing the spitting, the other worker was fired for failing to report the spitting incident.

The company conducted a thorough investigation and declared the problem of spit in drinks has been corrected. Nevertheless, protesters continue to stand outside the restaurant with placards, now complaining of pests and cleanliness.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 11:07:00 PM

Irena Sendler, 1910-2008

(Warsaw, Poland) Hero of the Holocaust, Irena Sendler, died yesterday at the age of 98.

The life of Irena Sendler was one of great testimony, one of courage and love, one of respect for all people, regardless of race, religion and creed. She passed away peacefully, knowing that her message goes on. Our hearts and prayers go out to her worldwide family. She is gone, but will never be forgotten.

Sendler was heroic in her efforts to save 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. As a city welfare worker, she masterminded risky rescue operations in Warsaw.

Under the pretext of inspecting sanitary conditions during a typhoid outbreak, she and her assistants ventured inside the ghetto -- and smuggled out babies and small children in ambulances and in trams, sometimes wrapped up as packages.

Teenagers escaped by joining teams of workers forced to labour outside the ghetto. They were placed in families, orphanages, hospitals or convents.

Records show that Sendler's team of about 20 people saved nearly 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto between October 1940 and its final liquidation in April 1943, when the Nazis burned the ghetto, shooting the residents or sending them to death camps.

Anyone caught helping Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland risked being summarily shot, along with family members -- a fate Sendler only barely escaped herself after the 1943 raid by the Gestapo.

The Nazis took her to the notorious Pawiak prison, which few people left alive.

Gestapo agents tortured her repeatedly, leaving Sendler with scars on her body -- but she refused to betray her team.

Zegota, an underground organization helping Jews, paid a bribe to German guards to free her from the prison. Under a different name, she continued her work.

Rest in peace, Irena Sendler. You'll be remembered.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 10:27:00 PM

McGovern's Kumbaya Solution

Former Democrat candidate for President, George McGovern, decided to weigh in on the Obama-Clinton campaigns in an effort to unite the party.

After today’s vote in West Virginia, the two candidates should agree to make joint visits to the sites of the five remaining primaries (in Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota).

During these visits, Senators Clinton and Obama should agree not to criticize each other. They would simply state what each would do if elected president. They would also point out why President Bush’s policies have failed and why they would continue to fail under John McCain.

After each candidate speaks for 15 minutes or so, they would then be taken to a reception where citizens paying $50 a ticket would mingle with the two candidates. The money raised would go to the state Democratic Party to assist local and state candidates in the fall elections.

Chummy up and mingle. Helluva plan. It's sort of an expanded Rodney-King-can't-we-just-get-along strategy. Oddly, McGovern didn't say anything about holding hands and singing.

Notably, McGovern's plan seems similar to Obama's chummy up and mingle answer to Middle East strife.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 08:25:00 PM

Ohio AG Marc Dann On Road to Impeachment

Or resignation, it appears. Many adjectives, verbs and nouns are being used in the Dann scandal. Sex, harass, drinking, adultery, and even gambling have been mentioned as being associated with the Attorney General's office.

Ohio Democrats have had enough embarrassment. They want Dann out.

I'd like him gone because he doesn't have a clue about what he should be doing as AG.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 03:05:00 PM

Students Revolt Over Nude Teacher Firing

(Sydney, Australia) A 24-year-old primary school teacher at Naraweena Public School, Lynne Tziolas, was fired from her position last week for appearing with her husband in a magazine article titled "Buck Naked Couples Talk About Their Sex Lives."

Mr. and Mrs. Tziolas, both teachers, received a measly $200 for the shoot and were surprised at the reaction. Nonetheless, they said they would do it again.

The article ran interviews with 10 couples about "what they get up to between the sheets" and asked Ms Tziolas and her husband, Antonios, how many times they have sex a week, their favourite body part and the most risque sexual thing they've done.

"Leaving the blinds up and the lights on, which is all the time," Antonios said in response to the last question.

Because Tziolas was fired, her students learned of the magazine article and became upset that she was terminated. Consequently, her students and their parents launched petition drives to get Tziolas reinstated.

The classroom petition allegedly upset the school principal, Julie Organ, to the extent that she took "the book with the petition and ripped out the pages." Organ has referred all questions to the Department of Education.

A spokesman for the department said: "As the situation is complex and not one easily explained to junior primary school age children, it is inappropriate for them to be asked to sign a petition without the advice and guidance of parents."

The Tziolas couple have been overwhelmed by the support from the students, parents and even people on the street. They intend to take legal action to have Mrs. Tziolas reinstated. A meeting with a Teacher's Federation lawyer has been planned.

It will be interesting to see whether the school system caves and Tziolas resumes teaching. Frankly, I think that a student revolt on the firing of a racy teacher in the U.S. would be ignored. Otherwise, Debra Lafave would probably still be teaching. On the other hand, the Aussies seem to be more tuned in to political correctness.

Another facet of the story that the Department of Education should address is the question of why Mr. Tziolas wasn't also fired. As reported, he, too, is a teacher in a nude photo spread.

Also: The Jawa Report w/Facebook pic.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 01:33:00 PM

Tennessee Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Murfreesboro, Tennessee) A 31-year-old local woman, Christie G. McCoy, has been indicted by a grand jury for the rape of a 15-year-old boy who she cared for in 2005. McCoy faces five counts of statutory rape.

The indictment resulted from an investigation of McCoy that was launched after a complaint was filed on May 1st with the Department of Children's Services.

She was booked into custody at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

Following Entry Posted 5/13/2008 08:43:00 AM

Freedom of expression has a win in Sweden

You do normally have to go to a higher court to get such freedom in Sweden:

"A local politician from the Malmo suburb of Burlov has been acquitted of charges of agitation against an ethnic group. Dahn Pettersson of the local Allianspartiet had previously been convicted by the Malmo District Court and fined the equivalent of 100 days' pay after he submitted a legislative proposal to the Burlov town council connecting heroin smuggling with Kosovo Albanians residing permanently in Sweden.

But the Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision and ruled instead that the proposal didn't prove Pettersson intended to disrespect Kosovo Albanians as a group....

According to the Court of Appeals, the text of the proposal could be read as saying that Kosovo Albanians are especially inclined to be involved with the heroin trade and therefore cause homelessness and other societal problems.

Ultimately, the court choose to release Pettersson, arguing that freedom of expression and the right to criticize current policy is important, especially when it comes to political debate.

Source

Albanians are Muslims and you must not speak any evil of those wonderful people in Sweden.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 11:30:00 PM

Sikh Student Set on Fire at School

(Hightstown, New Jersey) During a fire drill at Hightstown High School last week, an 18-year-old senior, Garrett Green, walked up behind a 16-year-old male student, a member of the Sikh faith, and set his turban on fire.

His hair was singed in several places, but he was otherwise unhurt, according to his uncle, Harjot Pannu.

"He felt like a bee stung him, and he patted on it," said Pannu. "Next thing he knew, a teacher came over and told him he was on fire."

An 18-year-old Hightstown senior, Garrett Green, was arrested hours later and charged with arson and criminal mischief, said Ben Miller, an investigator with the Hightstown Police Department.

"I was very angry and very upset and very mad initially, I could not even think straight," said the victim's mother, Sukjhot Kaur, who asked that her son's name not be printed. "The fact that something like this could have happened is beyond comprehension, especially in this day and age with the diversity we have and the way we are taught ... There should never be any fear of violence."

It's reported that the teacher didn't take the incident seriously, calling it a mere prank. We may hear more about this story.

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 11:03:00 PM

Teacher Pinched for Methamphetamine

(Fairfax County, Virginia) A 32-year-old teacher at Chantilly High School, Rachel Smith, was arrested last week while attempting to buy amphetamine. Smith has been charged with possession of amphetamine.

Late Thursday night, officers noticed the 32-year-old, Rachel Smith sitting inside a parked vehicle in the Annandale area. After further investigation, it was revealed that the woman was allegedly trying to buy meth.

Police also reportedly found meth in Smith's possession.

Smith was booked into custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Fairfax Schools placed Smith on administrative leave.

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 10:00:00 PM

Massive Raid of Illegals at Iowa Packing Plant

(Postville, Iowa) Early this morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents led a swarm of more than 100 state and federal officers in establishing a perimeter then launching a massive raid on the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat packing plant in this small community in the far northeastern corner of the state.

Agents have been investigating the Agriprocessors facility for two years according to the federal search warrant.

The operation, which targeted people who illegally used other persons Social Security numbers and were in the U.S. illegally, was the largest of its kind in Iowa, said Claude Arnold, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to an affidavit, “Based on information thus far developed in the investigation, it appears, based on 2007 fourth quarter payroll reports, that approximately 76 percent of the 968 employees of Agriprocessors were using false or fraudulent social security numbers in connection with their employment.”

Besides SSN fraud, there have also been allegations of serious worker abuse and that a methamphetamine lab was operating in the plant.

According to Iowa Workforce Development, about 1,000 people work at the plant and immigration officials expected to arrest 600 to 700 of them for criminal offenses. Those arrested are in custody for law enforcement processing at the National Cattle Congress Fairgrounds in Waterloo. Black-uniformed Department of Homeland Security officials are keeping people out of the fairgrounds.

An ICE spokeswoman, Barbara Gonzalez, said it's likely that processing at the Cattle Congress will not continue past Thursday.

Tip: gene

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 05:49:00 PM

11-Year-Old Arrested for Gun, Marijuana

(Longwood, Florida) An 11-year-old boy was sent to the principal's office at Woodlands Elementary School after another student said he had brought marijuana to school. Police later found an unloaded handgun in his book bag.

The boy's parents weren't notified until after the boy was arrested.

Interestingly, local reporting of the incident has included the boy's name and picture. I don't understand what the local media are thinking. He's just a child. Police and the media should check out the parents. They must share some culpability.

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 05:26:00 PM

Drunk Driver Gets Prison for Fatal Crash

(Maricopa County, Arizona) A 23-year-old Mesa woman, Savannah Sutherland, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three and one-half years in prison for a 2006 drunken-driving crash that killed 36-year-old Genovena Tepec-Juarez.

For the conviction on manslaughter, criminal damage and driving while intoxicated charges, Sutherland will also serve five years of probation and complete 1,000 hours of community service..

Sutherland had a blood-alcohol level of 0.194 when recorded by police. Reportedly, Sutherland's vehicle rear-ended a motor scooter operated by Tepec-Juarez, causing the death.

Notably, Sutherland's parents founded the Cold Stone Creamery chain of ice cream stores. Heh. Maybe a civil suit for wrongful death?

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 12:08:00 PM

U.S. Fourth Fleet Unnerves Latin Dictators

(Washington, D.C.) On April 24th, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughhead announced the re-establishment of the U.S. Fourth Fleet responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Former Navy SEAL, Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, the current Commander of Naval Special Warfare, will be assigned as Commander, U.S. Fourth Fleet.

Kernan is the first Navy SEAL to command a numbered fleet.

U.S. Fourth Fleet will be dual-hatted with the existing commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO), currently located in Mayport, Fla.

U.S. Fourth Fleet has been re-established to address the increased role of maritime forces in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of operations, and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to regional partners.

Effective July 1st, the Fourth Fleet will have operational responsibility for U.S. Navy assets assigned from east and west coast fleets to operate in the SOUTHCOM area.

Meanwhile, Cuba's Fidel Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales have expressed concern.

The ailing Castro raised the question in a column published Monday in the Communist Party newspaper Granma, suggesting it signaled a return to gunboat diplomacy.

"The aircraft carriers and nuclear bombs that threaten our countries are used to sow terror and death, but not to combat terrorism and illegal activities," he wrote on Monday.

Evo Morales, president of landlocked Bolivia, called it "the Fourth Fleet of intervention" in an interview with Cuban television.

Analysts, however, indicate that the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet is administrative and symbolic. I believe it to be strategic. In any event, belligerent leaders in Latin and South America have taken note.

The U.S. Fourth Fleet was originally established in 1943 during WWII. It was absorbed by the Second Fleet in 1950.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/12/2008 08:54:00 AM

MN: Three suspended for not standing for pledge

We read:

"Three small-town eighth-graders in Minnesota were suspended by their principal for not standing Thursday morning for the Pledge of Allegiance, violating a district policy that the principal now says may soon be reworded to protect free speech rights. ... The head of the Minnesota American Civil Liberties Union said that the school's actions against the students are unconstitutional, and his office informed the district of that today in a strongly worded letter."

Source

The ACLU is clearly right on this one. The case above does not seem to involve religion but various groups (e.g. Quakers) have religious objections to the pledge so the first amendment clearly protects their freedom of religion. I am rather surprised that the pledge has lasted so long, given its plain violation of the first amendment in such cases. A voluntary pledge is OK of course.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/11/2008 10:26:00 PM

For Mother's Day - Contribute to Planned Parenthood

That's the message today from Cecile Richards to potential donors. Cecile is the daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards.

“This Mother’s Day, I’m honoring that legacy with a Planned Parenthood Federation of America Mother’s Day gift. Join me,” she wrote.

“You can help with a gift to Planned Parenthood Federation of America today in honor of your mother or daughter, and on behalf of all the women,” she added.

How absolutely ludicrous is this? Contribute to the premier abortion provider on Mother's Day to make sure you will never become a mother?

Makes me feel ill.

More ....

Following Entry Posted 5/11/2008 08:01:00 PM

Lesbian Counselor Gets Prison for Rape of Girl

(Puyallup, Washington) In August 2007, a 39-year-old counselor at Ballou Junior High School, Diane Amanda Hillman, was arrested for raping and molesting a 15-year-old female student. Hillman was charged with third-degree child rape and third-degree child molestation.

Authorities were alerted initially after Hillman and the girl were caught by an officer in her vehicle after midnight in a park. The school was notified of the incident and Hillman was ordered to stay away from the girl.

Later, police were contacted by the girl's mother who expressed concern about text messages her daughter received from Hillman. Subsequently, the daughter revealed details of the sexual relationship to an investigator, saying she was fondled and molested, and Hillman was arrested. According to Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer:

"There are laws in place so that a person in a position of power -- a teacher, a counselor or a jail guard -- will know that the consequences of their behavior will be career-ending, humiliating and that they will be on TV," said Troyer. "But that doesn't stop them."

In February 2008, Hillman was confronted with all the evidence and pleaded guilty to three counts of child rape and one count of child molestation.

Two weeks ago, Diane Amanda Hillman, now 40, appeared before Pierce County Superior Court Judge Lisa Worswick for sentencing. Hillman's victim asked that the maximum sentence be imposed.

Hillman tearfully apologized to her victim, her victim's family and her own family and then requested that she be kept out of prison and, instead, be given extensive sex offender treatment. Hillman's lawyer, Zenon Olbertz, then weighed in, saying that his client suffered from mental health problems and needed treatment instead of prison.

Judge Worswick denied Hillman's request and sentenced her to five years in prison.

Incidentally, this case is the first time that I've heard child molestation results from mental health problems as declared by lawyer Zenon Olbertz. I don't buy it -- at least not unless you could say that bank robbery results from mental health problems. Hillman may have mental problems but I don't think they made her a child rapist.

Tip: Shane

Following Entry Posted 5/11/2008 01:42:00 PM

Propagandizing America's Kids on Global Warming

This report is troubling and more evidence that the U.S. educational system is providing close-minded indoctrination rather than thought-provoking knowledge. Specifically, students are being fed a leftist political pantload which negates the chance to understand the world around them.

Students at a California public school have written a series of letters to Chicago's Heartland Institute, which works to discover and develop free-market solutions to society's problems, attacking its members for "destroying our planet" by refusing to endorse the politics of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" film.

According to students in the sixth-grade class of teacher Michael Steria at David A. Brown Middle School, the institute consists of "fools" and "horrible people."

"I think your (sic) fools for denying G.W. you know it could kill us all & you're just adding to it. I want you to help stop G.W. not increase it," said one letter.

"We are going to tell you about global warming. I don't care if you don't want to read, but I'm making you read it you horrible people," said another.

The students attend Lake Elsinore Schools in California and some expressed the belief that they will be dead in 10 years because of global warming. Many sarcastic thanks to Al Gore.

It seems the schools are teaching kids to attack those who disagree with them as opposed to understanding the controversy and forming an educated opinion. In that regard, I'd contend that ignorance is being promoted, not education.

More ....

Following Entry Posted 5/11/2008 01:07:00 PM

Drunk Babysitter Arrested

(Richland Township, Pennsylvania) Last month, a 41-year-old mother and babysitter, Sherry Ambolino, was arrested for driving drunk after she arrived at school to pick up a sick child. School officials alerted the police.

A Richland baby-sitter’s blood alcohol level was nearly six times the legal limit around 9:40 a.m. when she drove with four young children in her minivan to pick up her sick child from school, authorities revealed Friday.

Sherry Ambolino, 41, had a blood alcohol content of 0.46 after being arrested at Richland Elementary School in April, said Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Maureen Flannery.

The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08.

“At 0.46 you’ve gone well beyond being devilish and delightful,” said Walter I. Hofman, a forensic pathologist and Montgomery County Coroner. “You’re swinging from lampposts.”

Ambolino waived a preliminary hearing this week, sending the case to trial court.

The four children in Ambolino's car at the time of the arrest were seven months to four years of age. They were returned to their parents unharmed.

Defense attorney Dale Reichley explained that Ambolino was suffering from personal issues that led to a serious drinking problem. She has sought rehabilitation.

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 11:31:00 PM

New York Teacher's Aide Gets Jail

(New Windsor, New York) In June 2007, a teacher's aide, Maria E. Zurita, and a teacher, Rebecca L. Becker, at McQuade Children's Services in New Windsor were charged with sex crimes after an alleged Memorial Day weekend of sexual encounters with two 16-year-old male students. An investigation was launched when the two boys failed to return to the school after the weekend.

Both Becker and Zunita were booked on counts of rape and child endangerment. Becker pleaded guilty in September 2007. She will be sentenced on May 21.

This week, after being convicted by a jury, 29-year-old Maria Zurita was sentenced by Judge Nicholas DeRosa to one year in the Orange County Jail. And, despite Zurita begging the judge for one more chance,

DeRosa sentenced Zurita to the maximum requested by prosecutors for her conviction on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child: A year in the Orange County Jail. That works out to eight months with time off for good behavior.

Zurita, 29, will have to surrender on Monday. Prosecutors consented to the delay because her lawyer, former Rockland County District Attorney Ken Gribetz, is likely to convince a state appellate judge to put the sentence on hold while Zurita appeals.

DeRosa imposed the sentence requested by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Milza, who said that Zurita "repeatedly, blatantly lied to the grand jury about the events of that weekend."

The rape charge against Zurita was dismissed because the victim, a troubled youth, failed to show up at trial.

[Update 05/21/08]

Becker sentenced.

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 03:12:00 PM

Burma's Thug Leaders Take Credit for Aid Shipments

(Yangon, Myanmar) The military thugs running the country of Myanmar (Burma) have finally allowed some international relief efforts to commence, but not without propagandizing the situation to their benefit.

"We have already seen regional commanders putting their names on the side of aid shipments from Asia, saying this was a gift from them and then distributing it in their region," said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, which campaigns for human rights and democracy in the country.

"It is not going to areas where it is most in need," he said in London.

State media say 23,335 people died and 37,019 are missing from Cyclone Nargis, which submerged entire villages in the Irrawaddy delta.

Experts continue to estimate that the dead will exceed 100,000.

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 02:56:00 PM

Grandma Smells Funny

(Madison, Wisconsin) Two months ago, 90-year-old Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth died and was left in the family's only bathroom, propped up on the toilet. The head of household, self-described religious bishop Alan Bushey, told the mother, Tammy Lewis, and the children, ages 12 and 15, that the corpse would come back to life.

It didn't, at least not in the conventional sense.

Bishop Bushey said they should all pray for Magdeline and that he had received signs from God that she would be raised from the dead by a miracle.

There was no miracle -- only stench.

Bishop Bushey and Lewis have been charged with causing mental harm to a child.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 02:21:00 PM

Gorby the Wad

(Moscow, Russia) Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said this week that the United States cannot be trusted.

"The United States cannot tolerate anyone acting independently. Every U.S. president has to have a war," he concluded.

Coming from a communist, that hurts.

Didn't Hugo Chavez say the same thing?

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 12:08:00 PM

Cloned Drug-Sniffing Dogs

(Seoul, Korea) Six Labrador Retriever puppies, cloned from an accomplished drug-sniffer named Chase, have started their training to become drug-sniffers for the Korean Customs Service. Although the puppies were carried by three different surrogate bitches, they look identical.

Called Toppies (for "tomorrow's puppy") and numbered to tell them apart, the dogs are expected to have the behavioral and genetic qualities to make good drug-sniffers after training.

The cloning project was carried out by a team of Seoul National University veterinarians led by Lee Byeong-chun -- a member of the disgraced cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk’s team, who was believed to have invented the method.

The cloning project was funded by a federal grant to the university. If the Korean Customs Service wants possession of the dogs, it will have to pay about $70,000 each.

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 11:14:00 AM

Lesbian Teacher Gets Prison for Sex Crimes

(Somerville, New Jersey) Shackled and dressed in a blue suit, former girls' PE teacher Pamela Balogh appeared in Somerset County Court yesterday for sentencing.

Balogh choked up as she apologized to her victim and expressed regret for embarrassing her family and the school.

Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman imposed concurrent prison terms of seven years for the 2nd-degree sexual assault, four years for each count of 3rd-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and 12 months for the 4th-degree criminal sexual contact. Balogh was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution for medical expenses related to counseling of her victim and other treatment.

The victim and her parents emotionally addressed the court. The mother remarked, "Personally, I feel like I've been sucker-punched."

The teenager's father talked about watching his daughter trying to regain what she has lost, taking medication, undergoing therapy and coming home exhausted.

"I struggle to understand why this has happened to my daughter," he said.

The young woman said, "My life has been split into categories of before and after."

She has suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and doesn't play any of the sports she once did. And she doesn't know how to reconcile the guilt she feels for telling the truth.

To Balogh she said: "Pam, I don't care what sentence you get ... I refuse to feel bad for your going to jail."

She paused through tears, then added: "Bottom line: I was a child. I was innocent. I was whole ... Bottom line: You were wrong and you should have known better."

Notably, Balogh rejected a plea deal for 10 years in prison. Obviously, she benefitted by going to trial. It's unknown whether she will be required to register as a sex offender.

[Previous 12/08/07 entry - bumped]

(Somerset County, New Jersey) In December 2006, a physical education teacher and girls basketball coach at Immaculata High School, Pamela Balogh, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old female student. The sexual assaults occurred primarily in Balogh's school office beginning in December 2004 and continuing through September 2005.

Balogh was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

In March 2007, Balogh was offered a plea bargain of 10 years in prison for admitting guilt. She rejected the plea deal and took her chances at trial.

This week, 40-year-old Pamela Balogh was convicted by a jury of three women and nine men on four of five counts she faced. On the most serious charge, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, Balogh was found not guilty.

After the verdict was read, Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman revoked Balogh's bail and, showing no emotion, she was taken away in handcuffs to the Somerset County Jail.

Balogh faces a possible 10 years in prison when sentenced. No sentencing date has been announced.

Also: The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 09:24:00 AM

Utah Couple Accused of Unlawful Sex with Girl

(Provo, Utah) A husband and wife couple, Bret and Jennifer MacArthur, have been accused of unlawful sex charges involving a 16- or 17-year-old girl.

Bret, 41, faces 11 counts and Jennifer, 33, faces three counts in a scheme to recruit an underage girl to become a second wife in their relationship.

Bret and Jennifer MacArthur
The girl indicated that Jennifer MacArthur thought the idea was fine.

"It was basically based off of sex," she said.

The woman, who is now 20, said she grew up in a home with little love and affection. That's what she was looking for and all she wanted, which allowed him to manipulate her, she said.

"He had me wrapped around his little finger," she said.

She added: "I was looking for someone to love me I guess."

Silly rabbit.

The MacArthurs were arrested last November and wrangling between lawyers and the court has repeatedly delayed a preliminary hearing until May 28. This week brought the latest delay as agreement on a plea deal vaporized, reportedly because of miscommunication.

Tip: Shane

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 08:52:00 AM

Buried Prejudice: The Bigot in Your Brain

Deep within our subconscious, all of us harbor biases that we consciously abhor. And the worst part is: we act on them

The heading and subheading above are from a recent article in that well-known Greenie publication, "Scientific American". I also reproduce the first part of the article concerned below. The article seems to be aimed towards making us less prejudiced towards outgroups. But the article exists in a reality vacuum. It totally ignores realities such as the incredibly high rate of violent crime among blacks and also ignores most of the research on impression-formation and stereotyping. It is largely a rehash of some well-known work by Banerji and Richeson that I have commented on some time ago.

The "amazing" thing that the researchers found was that whites (and some blacks) are more wary of blacks than they are of whites -- no matter how you measure or detect that. Such a finding would, however, surely surprise only a psychologist. If blacks REALLY ARE more dangerous to others, it is merely psychological good function to be more wary of them than of others. And I don't think even Leftists attempt to deny the high rate of black crime. So to call such perfectly proper wariness in people "bigotry" is itself bigoted. Bigotry is judging people according to a fixed and wrong set of preconceptions and it seems to me that that is exactly how psychologists are judging others when they refer to perfectly normal and adaptive behaviour as bigotry.

The one thing that the research literature on stereotyping shows most clearly is that the "stereotypes" people have in their heads are not usually (Except, perhaps in the case of psychologists) rigid or imprisoning but are highly flexible and responsive to the realities that people encounter (See for instance here and here). That fact fully explains all the behaviour that the psychologists described below view as "bigotry". If blacks change, the perceptions and expectations of them will change -- but I am not holding my breath.

Fortunately, the same literature tells us that once we get to know a particular person as an individual, the importance of the stereotype recedes rapidly -- so that the particular person will then in general be treated as we find him/her, regardless of any expectations we have about the group to which he/she belongs. A rather amusing example of that which I once came across was a white neo-Nazi whose best friend was a very dark-skinned Bengali. And there was another guy who could not stand "Chinks" (East Asians) but who was happily married to one. And Wilhelm Marr, the man who in 1879 invented the term "antisemitism" (he thought it was a good thing), was actually married to a Jewish lady! Psychologists have traditionally seen such behaviour as perverse but a good knowledge of the impression-formation research would have told them that it is normal.

"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life," Jesse Jackson once told an audience, "than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery-then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved."

Jackson's remark illustrates a basic fact of our social existence, one that even a committed black civil-rights leader cannot escape: ideas that we may not endorse-for example, that a black stranger might harm us but a white one probably would not-can nonetheless lodge themselves in our minds and, without our permission or awareness, color our perceptions, expectations and judgments.

Using a variety of sophisticated methods, psychologists have established that people unwittingly hold an astounding assortment of stereotypical beliefs and attitudes about social groups: black and white, female and male, elderly and young, gay and straight, fat and thin. Although these implicit biases inhabit us all, we vary in the particulars, depending on our own group membership, our conscious desire to avoid bias and the contours of our everyday environments. For instance, about two thirds of whites have an implicit preference for whites over blacks, whereas blacks show no average preference for one race over the other.

Such bias is far more prevalent than the more overt, or explicit, prejudice that we associate with, say, the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazis. That is emphatically not to say that explicit prejudice and discrimination have evaporated nor that they are of lesser importance than implicit bias. According to a 2005 federal report, almost 200,000 hate crimes-84 percent of them violent-occur in the U.S. every year.

The persistence of explicit bias in contemporary culture has led some critics to maintain that implicit bias is of secondary concern. But hundreds of studies of implicit bias show that its effects can be equally insidious. Most social psychologists believe that certain scenarios can automatically activate implicit stereotypes and attitudes, which then can affect our perceptions, judgments and behavior. "The data on that are incontrovertible," concludes psychologist Russell H. Fazio of Ohio State University.

Now researchers are probing deeper. They want to know: Where exactly do such biases come from? How much do they influence our outward behavior? And if stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes are burned into our psyches, can learning more about them help to tell each of us how to override them?

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/10/2008 06:59:00 AM

Teacher Jennifer Mally Sentenced

(Phoenix, Arizona) In May 2007, English teacher and cheerleading coach at Paradise Valley High School, Jennifer Mally, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male student. Mally was charged with multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

In March 2008, Jennifer Mally, 26, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual conduct with a minor in accordance with a plea agreement. In exchange for her guilty plea, the prosecution dropped 14 counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Yesterday, Jennifer Mally, now 27, was sentenced by Judge Andrew Klein to six months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender. The prosecution had asked for five years in prison.

A forensic psychologist testified that Mally had issues. Apparently, she was unable to conduct herself as the adult in the student-teacher relationship and resorted to being "one of the girls" in high school.

Mally wept during the proceedings.

Following Entry Posted 5/09/2008 06:40:00 PM

Brit Muslims to Outnumber Christian Churchgoers

According to research published today by think-tank Christian Research, practicing British Muslims will outnumber practicing Christians by 2035.

Even though Christians outnumber Muslims by more than 20 to one, data indicate that fewer Christians attend church while Muslims practice their faith more religiously.

The Church of England discredited the research, saying it was "flawed and dangerously misleading."

Following Entry Posted 5/09/2008 04:37:00 PM

"Swinger's Club" Mom Gets Life

(Tyler, Texas) A 29-year-old Mineola woman, Shauntel Mayo, was found guilty of child sex crimes yesterday after six minutes of jury deliberations.

Whoa! That's a speedy jury.

Mayo had operated the "Mineola Swinger's Club" where five, six and seven-year-old children, including her own, were forced to dance and perform in sexual skits for food.

At the times the alleged assaults took place in 2005, the defendant's children were a five-year-old girl, six-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl. The sibling's aunt and defendant's sister, who was also six-years- old, also testified she was forced to dance and have sex with the other children.

Late Wednesday afternoon, three young children and one teenager, took the stand and answered questions about Mayo's involvement in the case.

"We learned to strip (at 'kindergarten')," said the seven-year-old. " I had to touch my privates with my sister's and brother's privates for the people in the club."

The little boy testified about stripping for an audience that paid money to watch.

Shauntel Mayo was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay $10,000 fine for engaging in an organized criminal activity.

Last March, Mayo's live-in boyfriend, 36-year-old Jaime Pittman, was also found guilty of sex crimes after less than 10 minutes of jury deliberations. Pittman was also sentenced to life in prison.

According to Texas Ranger Phillip Kemp, investigators continue to search for other children involved in the swinger's club, estimated to number more than 15.

It's unknown whether there will be an appeal on the basis that the jury was comprised of premature deliberators.

Following Entry Posted 5/09/2008 10:34:00 AM

Campaign to Save Yemeni Journalist Al-Khaiwani

The Yemeni government has accused journalist and newspaper editor Abdel Kareem al-Khaiwani (aka Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani) of insulting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

For the alleged crime, al-Khaiwani faces prison or possible execution.

Al-Khaiwani has repeatedly been under fire for his writings which regularly criticize the government. Consequently, he has been accused of having terrorist ties and fomenting tribal and sectarian unrest. Other journalists have also been threatened, repeatedly harassed, arrested and jailed.

Yemen is a fractured nation with armed tribal and government groups fighting each other in bloody confrontations. Al-Khaiwani has been accused of being linked to the anti-government Houthis which is part of the basis for which he is on trial.

During its most recent hearing, chaired by Judge Mohsen Mohammed Alwan, the court listened to a response made by the prosecution to an appeal filed by the defense team of Al-Khaiwani.

In its response, the prosecution said it has clear evidence of Al-Khawiani’s connection with Houthis.

Despite the allegations, the general consensus is that al-Khaiwani is being persecuted for his writings. As a result, al-Khaiwani is scheduled to be sentenced May 21.

To save al-Khaiwani and help support the endangered Yemeni journalistic community, a letter-writing campaign has been launched. The campaign to Protect Media Freedom in Yemen protests the prosecution of al-Khaiwani and asks for intervention by human rights, journalism and diplomatic leaders.

Readers of Interested-Participant are asked to join the campaign. Follow the link.

More at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 5/09/2008 09:24:00 AM

Man Walks on Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape of Girl, 11

(Manchester, England) A 20-year-old convicted child molester, Jon Dixon, was sentenced to probation this week for sexually assaulting and attempting to rape an 11-year-old girl.

Dixon pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual assault of a child and attempted rape.

Judge Robert Atherton handed down the non-punishment in Manchester Crown Court.

Judge Robert Atherton triggered outrage when he told Manchester Crown Court the child had invited Jon Dixon's attack as she had a "sexual awareness" that would make someone twice her age blush.

The judge rejected an assessment by the probation service that Dixon, 20, posed a "high risk of serious harm to children".

Claiming the paedophile would not get the treatment he needed in the overcrowded prison service, Judge Atherton sentenced Dixon to a community order.

Therefore, the judge decided that the girl shared responsibility with Dixon for the crimes and, since no rehabilitation would be possible in a crowded prison, he imposed probation.

Passing the three-year community order, the judge said Dixon had not deliberately sought out a child on the internet.

He said his victim expressed "herself in relation to sexual matters with an awareness which would make many twice her age blush".

Dixon met the girl over the Internet, chased her down and assaulted her on at least two occasions.

Fortunately, in addition to probation, Judge Atherton ordered that Dixon to be placed on the sexual offender register for five years. So, one might say that he was able to walk with demerits.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 5/09/2008 08:56:00 AM

The Democrat defence of voter fraud

(Toon via Mamacita)

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 10:24:00 PM

Kentucky Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Fayette County, Kentucky) A 22-year-old local woman, Michelle Marie Andrews, has a warrant issued for her arrest on a charge of rape of a 13-year-old boy.

Police say Andrews and her cousin, Sarah Chadwell, raped two young boys sometime last year.

Andrews was due to appear in district court for a hearing Thursday morning, but did not show up. The judge in the case then issued a warrant for Andrews' arrest.

The case against Sarah Chadwell is being reviewed by a grand jury to determine if she will be charged.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 09:54:00 PM

Chase The Ace

For those readers who appreciate war porn, you will like this.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 06:57:00 PM

Dungeon Master Josef Fritzl Explains Himself

Following up on a previous report, incest dungeon master Josef Fritzl, 73, has broken his silence in discussions with his lawyer. Unbelievably, Fritzl rationalizes every aspect of his crimes and lays blame on a lifelong incestuous lust for his mother.

“I knew that Elisabeth did not want the things I did to her. I knew that I was hurting her," Mr Fritzl said in notes given by his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, to an Austrian magazine.

“But the urge to finally be able to taste the forbidden fruit was too strong. It was like an addiction.” [ ... ]

“In reality I wanted to have children with her. I was looking forward to the offspring. It was a beautiful idea for me -- to have a proper family, also down in the cellar, with a good wife and a couple of children.

“I always wanted to have many children. Not children that would have to, like I had, grow up alone but children that would always have someone to play with. I had a dream about a large family ever since I was a little boy.”

So, there you go. He was motivated by strong family values. Fritzl desired many children who wouldn't grow up alone like he did. But that's not all. Fritzl also claims he imprisoned his daughter to rescue her from bad people.

“Ever since she entered puberty she did not adhere to rules anymore. She would spend whole nights in dingy bars, drinking alcohol and smoking. I only tried to pull her out of that misery," he said.

“I got her a job as a waitress but she would not go to work for days. She even escaped twice and hung out with bad people during this time and they were not good company for her. I would bring her back home each time but she would try to escape again.

“That is why I had to do something. I had to create a place where I could keep Elisabeth, by force if necessary, away from the outside world.”

As time went by with Elisabeth locked up, his urge to have sex with her became stronger and stronger.

"It was a vicious circle, a circle from which there was no exit -- not only for Elisabeth but also for myself."

Well, that should clear things up for everyone. Fritzl believes that he was caught in a vicious circle from which there was no escape but to imprison his daughter for 24 years and impregnate her at least seven times.

I heard that the maximum penalty Fritzl faces under Austrian law is 15 years in prison. It's not enough punishment.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 01:41:00 PM

Illegal Alien Accused of Rape After Girl, 10, Gives Birth

(St. Anthony, Idaho) A 37-year-old illegal alien, Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez, was arrested on April 28 for the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl who subsequently gave birth. Gutierrez-Juarez has been charged with one count of rape.

This story is sickening. Furthermore, although child molesters populate every demographic group, it doesn't make me ignore the fact that Gutierrez-Juarez shouldn't have been in the U.S. in the first place.

Initially, medical officials reported to police that a child was pregnant and an investigation was launched. Several witnesses then came forward and implicated Gutierrez-Juarez.

The girl gave birth less than two weeks ago by caesarian section at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Fremont County Sheriff Ralph C. Davis and other authorities said. Officials would not disclose the gender, date of birth or paternity of the baby.

"I wouldn't have believed a 10-year-old could conceive in the first place," Davis said.

A hospital spokeswoman would not discuss the condition of the girl or the baby and would not say whether either was still in the hospital Wednesday.

Gutierrez-Juarez was booked into jail with bail set at $250,000.

Companion posts at Diggers Realm and The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 12:50:00 PM

PA Women Sentenced for Sex with Boy, 12

(Washington County, Pennsylvania) A 29-year-old Donora woman, Tammy Lickert, pleaded guilty this week to engaging in sex with a 12-year-old boy. Lickert was paid $30 by the boy's aunt, Linda Van Pool, to have sex with the boy.

Two other women were also implicated in the scheme to have the boy serviced; Loretta Figolah of Donora and the boy's mother, Kathleen Waggoner.

Lickert was sentenced to 6-to-23 months in prison by Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky for statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors.

Linda Van Pool pleaded guilty in January to endangering the welfare of a child. She was sentenced to 6-to-12 months in jail.

Loretta Figolah pleaded guilty in February to having sex with the boy and was sentenced to 6-to-23 months in prison.

Kathleen Waggoner, the boy's mother, set up the scheme by giving money to Van Pool to clip her son's horns because he said he was going to kill himself unless he got some nooky.

Waggoner was recently admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition (ARD) for first-time offenders. She received 12 months for corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.

Waggoner must also attend parenting classes.

The moral of the story is that when your son is acting like a typical immature child, don't go out and buy him the services of hookers.

More here.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 12:17:00 PM

Illinois Woman Gets Probation for Sex Abuse

(Bloomington, Illinois) A 27-year-old woman, Kristina Rhoades, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a boy under 17 in an incident last July. As a result, Rhoades was sentenced to 30 months of probation.

As part of a plea agreement, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were dismissed and a jail term of 180 days was stayed.

Rhoades was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 08:48:00 AM

Swastika not hate speech?

Some strange reasoning at the University of North Dakota after swastikas were plastered up in several places. I guess Jews (Sorry: "Zionists") are not allowed to be offended:

"UND President Charles Kupchella has condemned the racist and anti-Semitic graffiti, saying such actions should not be tolerated on a university campus. But members of the school's Jewish Student Organization have criticized Kupchella for declining to describe the graffiti as a "hate crime" or to describe the image found in West Hall, which looks like a scribbled out swastika with one axis facing the wrong direction.

Source

It's only a hate crime if it offends Leftists or Muslims I guess. Reading between the lines, maybe Muslims put up the swastikas -- and they can do no wrong, of course.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 12:21:00 AM

Georgia Teacher and Middle School Boy

(Walton County, Georgia) A 31-year-old teacher at Carver Middle School, Noelle Pannell, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in inappropriate contact with a male middle school student.

Pannell faces charges of sexual exploitation and child molestation.

“It’s difficult to understand for anybody,” said Capt. Chris Cannon with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

Walton County investigators said the parents of a seventh-grade boy discovered something was going on between their son and Pannell on the Internet. “Most of the communication was via MySpace. However, there was some face-to-face physical contact,” said Cannon.

Cannon said there was no evidence that Pannell and the boy had sex.

Pannell was booked into custody at the Walton County Jail and later released on bond.

Following Entry Posted 5/08/2008 12:01:00 AM

Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Aftermath

Burma, Myanmar, call it what you like, the people need help.

THE Burmese military junta's slow response to the death and destruction wrought by cyclone Nargis and soaring prices for food and fuel could foment fresh unrest in the country, commentators have warned.

At least 22,000 people are dead and nearly twice as many missing, and aid workers are struggling to get visas to bring life-saving supplies into the country.

Reported by the Malaysia Star:

LABUTTA (Myanmar): The stench of death hung yesterday over this Irrawaddy delta town, where the blackened bodies of people and animals, rotting in the tropical heat, were washed aground as Myanmar's cyclone floodwaters receded.

Struggling to breathe through the overpowering smells, residents wrapped layers of cloth around their faces and rubbed in balm to mask the odour.

Death pervades this town so completely that many residents said they could not sleep because ghosts of the cyclone victims torment them during the night.

“We can't sleep at night because we can hear people shouting at night. Maybe these are the ghosts of the villagers,” one resident said.

Grossly bloated bodies lay strung out along the roads running atop embankments between paddies in a region that was the country's rice bowl, but is now the centre of one of the world's worst natural disasters.

Dead bodies in tropical heat, no clean water and scarce food spell disease. I expect conditions will get worse before they improve. I also speculate that the reporting of the conditions in Burma has been on the conservative side.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 09:50:00 PM

Anti-Bullfighting Protest

(Madrid, Spain) Activists jumped into the bullring after the killing of the first bull on Sunday.

A group of half a dozen anti-bullfighting protestors jumped into the ring at Madrid’s famous Ventas bullring yesterday. They held up banners in Spanish and English protesting against animal ill-treatment and then sat down in the ring. Up to now such protests in Spain have been limited to gatherings outside bullrings.

The protestors who want to see an end to bullfighting were booed by the crowd and finally removed by the bullring’s security guards.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 09:32:00 PM

Cockroach-Asthma Connection

(Honolulu, Hawaii) The Hawaii State Department of Health is conducting field research to determine links between persistent roach populations and asthma attacks in humans. Over 370 families are participating in the data collection.

More than 50 percent of Hawaiian asthma sufferers are allergic to cockroaches.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 06:26:00 PM

Illinois Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case

(DuPage County, Illinois) A 41-year-old former teacher, Anastasia Pappas, was sentenced today in accordance with a plea deal in a case stemming from Pappas having a year-long sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy. The sexual relations occurred between 2005 and 2006, when Pappas was arrested.

In return for her guilty plea, Pappas was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutor Thomas O'Connor said Pappas became friends with the teen's parents while teaching their son and, later, while she was having money problems, moved in to their home. She lived there for about five years until the allegations arose.

The teen's mother became suspicious one Friday after her son and Pappas both returned home later than usual, authorities said. The teen lied about his whereabouts. His mother also found two movie ticket stubs in his belongings.

Authorities said Pappas admitted having an inappropriate relationship with the minor, which she said began years after he was her fifth-grade student.

Pappas must serve a minimum of 85 percent of her sentence prior to being considered for parole.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 03:17:00 PM

Canada's Lost Illegals

TheStar.com:

OTTAWA -- Canada's border agency has lost track of 41,000 illegal immigrants, and this is "jeopardizing the integrity of Canada's immigration program," Auditor General Sheila Fraser says.

Fraser said in her spring report released yesterday that the Canada Border Services Agency has issued warrants for the deportation of these people, but doesn't have a clue where they are or if they are still in Canada.

"The agency's working inventory contains 22,000 individuals with enforceable removal orders, whose whereabouts are known to the agency. The remaining 41,000 cases are individuals with immigration warrants for removal, whose whereabouts are unknown to the agency," her report states.

Debbie Schlussel addresses the issue with commentary/photos and points out that Canada's problem is also the U.S.'s problem since many of Canada's lost aliens disappear into the American abyss.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 01:57:00 PM

Bikini Teacher Gets Playboy Offer

(Port St. Lucie, Florida) Playboy magazine has reportedly contacted bikini fishing mate Tiffany Shepherd.

She may no longer have a job with Port St. Lucie High School, but all the publicity around the bikini-wearing biology teacher has landed her an offer to appear in Playboy, according to our news partners at CBS 12. [ ... ]

One of the charter boat owners told CBS 12 that the magazine offered Shepherd $25,000 per photo.

There has been no confirmation of the offer.

More here and here.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 11:13:00 AM

Rain Forests in Crisis, Cut for Farmland

So the environmentalists, vehemently against coal, oil and nuclear power for energy, push the public and politicians to use biofuel as an alternative energy source and the government mandates that food (corn) be allocated for the purpose. The net result is a worldwide increase in food prices as the demand for corn and other commodities skyrockets.

Unfortunately, and as with many leftist ideas, there are unintended consequences. Land taken out of food production increases the need for new land which comes from cutting down forests -- specifically, rain forests.

Globally, tropical rain forest destruction is considered a super crisis, says Oxford University's Professor Norman Myers, keynote speaker at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week conference in Hanoi.

"It's one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago," Myers said at the five-day meeting of 500 foresters, researchers, state officials and activists held last week in the Vietnamese capital.

Over-logging in Southeast Asia caused 19 percent of global rainforest loss in 2005, Myers said, compared to cattle ranching -- once a leading cause, mainly in South America -- which now caused five percent of world losses.

The rapid growth of palm oil and other plantations accounted for 22 percent, and slash-and-burn farming, unsustainable as more poor people exploit fast-shrinking forests, caused 54 percent of rainforest destruction, he said.

And the blame is being placed on the need for new land to grow food.

Commercial crops "will be the most important factor contributing to deforestation in Asia-Pacific countries," said the FAO [U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization] report, citing record prices for food grains, energy and commodities.

Jeez, what are the environmentalists going to do now? It seems that promotion of biofuels and saving the rain forests are in conflict. When Asians are confronted with the dilemma of hugging trees or eating, they pick eating. Imagine that.

[Add.] According to this report, the expanding oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo are encroaching on the tropical jungle habitat of orangutans.

Hardi Baktiantoro, head of the Center for Orangutan Protection, said Indonesian orangutans could be extinct by 2011. Only 20,000 of the endangered primates remain in the wild and they're disappearing at a rate of 5,000 a year.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 09:49:00 AM

SE Asian Baby Traffickers Arrested

(Hanoi, Vietnam) The U.S. Embassy reported on widespread corruption in the Vietnamese adoption system, so Hanoi canceled a bilateral adoption agreement. Consistent with the reported corruption, Chinese and Vietnamese authorities have recently busted three baby trafficking operations.

The babies are sold to Chinese buyers, $500 each for baby girls and $1,000 for boys.

Chinese and Vietnamese police have arrested six baby traffickers in a border town and rescued two newborn baby boys, Vietnamese authorities said.

The four men and two women, all Vietnamese, were arrested in the Chinese border town of Dongxing and handed to Vietnamese police, who had tipped off their counterparts, said a police officer in the Vietnamese town of Mong Cai.

"We have a cooperation hotline with the local Chinese police. With their help, the smugglers were arrested on Monday," said the Quang Ninh province police officer who asked not to be named.

The suspected baby smugglers, who were aged between 15 and 66, were transferred to provincial police for further investigation. The two babies were turned over to a social welfare centre, the officer said.

"This is the third baby trafficking case we have detected this year, bringing the number of rescued babies to five," he said.

Heh. Based upon population statistics, one might think that China doesn't need more babies.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 09:18:00 AM

WV Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Student

(Montcalm, West Virginia) A 30-year-old teacher at Montcalm High School, Christi Lee Williams, faces charges of sexual abuse and abduction of a student stemming from a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Williams was booked and released on bond. The school system has suspended Williams from her teaching position.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 08:31:00 AM

Brookes News Update

Bernanke gets it wrong: Bernanke is said to be an expert on the Great Depression and that it has shaped his thinking about the role of the Fed. Be that as it may, Bernanke's actions suggest that far from absorbing the lessons of the 1930s he has in fact hammered them into a Keynesian mould. And this is why we just got another rates cut
Emissions trading - a weapon of mass taxation: Although consumers in many countries will bear the oppressive costs of a carbon tax, there may be no reduction whatsoever in CO2 emissions, and no beneficial effect on the world's climate. But parasitic companies formed to exploit carbon tax will reap billions from ripping off the public and savaging its living standards
Debt and monetary policy - is there a link?: It is a pretty sorry state of affairs when economic commentators can write of consumer spending and debt driving the economy without once referring to monetary policy. It is even worse when the same commentators write about monetary policy without even alluding to the money supply
Body of South American youth mutilated near Guantanamo: Has Cuba's Stasi-trained secret police been murder South American students for their organs? The mutilated body Beatriz Porco of a 22-year-old Bolivian student found near Guantanamo suggest that this is the case. But this should not surprise us considering that Castro ordered political prisoners to be drained of their blood
Wages and risk: another leftwing fallacy: Leftists argue that labour flexibility and productivity schemes are attempts to shift the risks of doing business from the firm to its employees. This is pure baloney
Feed the World: Though he is already being belaboured by the self-haters in the left-wing commentariat, the Western consumer did not choose to implement costly and economically nonsensical biofuel policies; he had such ill-thought out intervention foisted upon him by ignorant politicians and greenie fanatics
The silent jihad against the west: Active jihad, the holy war, is terrorism. But there is also another form of jihad that is part of the deliberate effort to have Islam replace all concepts of morality and the values held dear by the rest of us. The name of this silent fifth column effort is Sharia Banking

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 07:56:00 AM

Indiana Woman Jailed for Sex with Florida Boy

(Tampa, Florida) A 43-year-old Indiana woman, Kimberly S. Cameron, has been extradited to Florida to face charges of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. Cameron was arrested on a felony warrant on two counts of lewd and lascivious battery.

The boy's mother recently learned of the relationship and alerted the authorities.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter, Cameron had at least three sexual encounters with the boy while she lived in Tampa last year.

Cameron was booked into custody at the Hillsborough County Jail with bond set at $15,000.

Following Entry Posted 5/07/2008 06:30:00 AM

Chinese Blogger Jailed for Reporting False Information

(Shandong Province, China) A Chinese blogger (netizen), called "SS Highland Teacher," has been sentenced to five days administrative detention for cross-posting a story he found on an obscure local forum and not verifying that is was true.

On April 28, there was a train collision on the Jiaoji Railroad in Shandong province. Many people got on the Internet to discuss the incident. "SS Highland Teacher" came across a post written by someone else that characterized the train collision as an terrorist act as well as inflated the number of casualties. He thought the post was interesting and since the post had appeared already, he decided to cross-post it at Baidu's Gaomi Post Bar.

The post made by "SS Highland Teacher" was deleted shortly afterwards, but not before the Gaomi city public security bureau spotted it. Since the post had appeared in an obscure local forum, very few people saw it.

Nevertheless, the public security bureau determined that the information had violated the People's Republic of China's national security law about dissemination of false information to disrupt public order. The relevant law stipulates that misreporting crises, epidemics, police information and other means to disrupt public order is subject to 5 to 10 days in detention and/or a fine of less than 500 RMB. [my bold]

The police used the information that "SS Highland Teacher" had posted about himself on the Internet at various times (such as mobile telephone number and QQ number) to track him down. "SS Highland Teacher" was apprehended on April 30. "SS Highland Teacher" admitted to posting the relevant information and he was sentenced to 5 days of administrative detention.

This is nuts! SS Highland Teacher didn't mis-report, he simply copied and posted someone else's report. There's also no indication that he intended to disrupt public order.

It appears that the law's purpose is to simply suppress dissemination of news, despite the correctness of the reporting. Logically, the net effect is that all bloggers will be reluctant to pass on any information they cannot personally verify.

By the way, wouldn't it be interesting if the global warming alarmists had to comply with the Chinese misreporting law?

Companion post at The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/06/2008 02:16:00 PM

Pagan Scouts

(Fresno, California) A Pagan scouting organization, called Spiral Scouts, has been launched by the Wiccans with a belief system that worships Mother Earth. According to scout leader Becky Tatrault, it allows boys and girls together.

The National Spiral Scouting organization was started by Wiccans, who believe in an Earth God and Goddess, and practice witchcraft.

Therefore, if you worship Gaia and practice witchcraft, you have a place to send your children to acquire the full pagan belief system.

Following Entry Posted 5/06/2008 11:17:00 AM

Malaysian Blogger Charged with Sedition

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) A 58-year-old blogger and editor of Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, is scheduled to stand trial in October for an alleged seditious article he posted on his website.

Additionally, a visitor to Raja Petra's blog, author Syed Akbar Ali, is charged with the same offense for a comment he wrote. Therefore, not only is the content of a blog post considered seditious but a comment on a blog is also.

The alleged seditious writings pertain to the October 2006 murder of pretty, young Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28, whose mutilated body (remains were blown up with hand grenades) was found in a jungle clearing adjacent to a Kuala Lumpur suburb.

Altantuya Shaariibuu
Altantuya's former lover and head of a political think tank, Abdul Razak Baginda, 46, and two bodyguards for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak were accused of committing the murder. Three Malaysian police officers were also implicated as having a hand in the crime.

The article: "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell", which was posted on April 25 on his website, contained allegations involving people whose names were given as well as events that allegedly took place just before Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder.

Meanwhile, author Syed Akbar Ali was charged under same section for a comment he wrote in Raja Petra’s article titled Malaysia’s Organised Crime Syndicate: All Roads Lead to Putrajaya. His comments included a diatribe against the Kaabah, Arabs and Malays.

With respect to the subject article, it appears that Raja Petra's only crime is that he was extremely critical of and alleges corruption in the investigation and judicial proceedings of the Altantuya murder case. Apparently, accusing the government of corruption is seditious.

The post documented the contention that the Prime Minister of Malaysia has withheld evidence in the murder proceedings and it characterized the whole process as a corrupt kangaroo court. Understandably, public interest in the case is high and, at the same time, friction between Mongolia and Malaysia has emerged.

In a nutshell, the accused killer(s) has close ties to the highest levels of government and political corruption allegedly influences the prosecution and the judiciary. With jumps and starts including replacement of a judge and sickness of the prosecutor, the murder case continues in court.

Raja Petra pleaded not guilty today and has reportedly refused to post bail set at RM5,000 ($1,600).

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 5/06/2008 08:35:00 AM

Muslim hate-speech is OK -- again

We read:

"A political cartoon circulated at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee depicting a prominent national conservative author last week is sparking a free expression debate across the nation. David Horowitz spoke at UWM Thursday evening, drawing supporters and protesters, which resulted in a dialogue over a cartoon he is calling anti-Semitic.

In an interview with The Badger Herald, Horowitz said the depiction of him with a hooked nose by the Muslim Student Association in Milwaukee was inappropriate for a campus organization to circulate, but it was still protected under the First Amendment. "I haven't asked anybody to be outlawed or put in jail," Horowitz said. "Sure, it's free speech. It's just inappropriate for a campus. I don't think the university should have banned it from being posted, but had that been a cartoon on blacks or gays, there would have been hell to pay - there should be one standard rule."

Horowitz said he took more issue with how UWM's MSA allegedly tore down 2,000 of the posters promoting his event.... Horowitz said universities should have a "zero-tolerance policy for those who disrupt or interrupt invited speakers" since all sides of issues should be able to be discussed in a civil way. He pointed to his October visit to UW-Madison as a model example as opposed to Milwaukee, where 16 individuals were escorted out.

Source

The cartoon looks like something fresh out of Hitler's propaganda -- but we have come to expect that from Muslims, of course. Muslim hate has replaced Nazi hate.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 07:55:00 PM

Muslim Violence in Southern Thailand

(Narathiwat, Thailand) It was a busy weekend for the religion of peace extremists. Sunday night, a terrorist bomb hidden in a garbage can was detonated at the annual Red Cross Fair in Narathiwat Municipal Park. Twelve people were taken to the hospital.

Extremists also burnt two schools in Rueso district on Sunday night, police said, and six roadside pavilions were torched by suspected insurgents.

A high voltage electricity transmission tower in Rangae district was blown into two pieces after a bomb was remotely detonated by a cell phone, causing a complete blackout in one village.

In nearby Pattani province, closed circuit television captured the images of four men wearing knitted ski-masks who stormed into an automobile showroom and burned five cars in an operation that took only three minutes to complete.

Presumably, all the peace-making will soon spread happiness and contentment throughout the land.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 05:47:00 PM

Shipboard Sailors Get Barracks

Ex-Navy types will appreciate this report from Navy Times.

Within three years, almost all junior sailors living aboard ships in port will trade their mass berthing, gang heads and daily inspections for two-person barracks rooms with private bathrooms, cable and Wi-Fi.

Those changes mark the final phase of Homeport Ashore, a plan with roots in a 1996 decision to pay housing allowances to single E-6s on sea duty. That trickled down to E-5s and E-4s, and now has been expanded to the more ambitious goal of getting every shipboard sailor a place to stay ashore when his ship is in port.

The program has already made great strides. Four years ago, 24,000 junior enlisted sailors lived on ships, and a generation ago, most enlisted sailors of all ranks called their gray hulls home.

Anybody who has ever been forced to live aboard ship while in port will surely recall what a royal pain in the fantail it was. The Homeport Ashore program is a big improvement.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 04:11:00 PM

Minimum Wage Tied to Worker's Age

Call it a creative bit of social engineering. The British minimum pay formula mandates that younger workers be paid less than older workers.

Now, it seems to me that employers would be encouraged to hire the young and fire the old. It's minimum wage work, for cryin' out loud, and anybody can do it. Why pay more if you don't have to?

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 03:45:00 PM

Bizarre Search Query

I noticed this Google search item in my referrer log.

my 2 year old daughter is having small bulg in her clavicle region of her body and it is moving

I'd say, see a doctor. Duh!

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 03:35:00 PM

Palestinian Killed in Tunnel Collapse

(Gaza Strip) There's no mention of what the tunnel was for but I'd speculate that it was to be used for smuggling weapons and explosives.

One Palestinian was killed, five others wounded and a seventh went missing in a tunnel collapse in southern Gaza on Monday, Palestinian medics said.

The tunnel cave-in took place at the Brazil neighborhood of southern Gaza Strip Rafah City.

Rami Hassan, 22, died, five others got choked and a seventh went missing, sources at Abu Yussef Al-Najjar Hospital said.

The five injured people had moderate injuries, while efforts were still underway to find the missing person, the source added.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 03:18:00 PM

Al-Qaeda Recruits Arrested in Algeria

(Algiers) Earlier today, the Algerian Army arrested a group of 15 young al-Qaeda recruits in a thickly-wooded area in the province of Blida about 30 miles from Algiers. Three al-Qaeda members were also arrested in the Blida region.

The Algerian Army conducts daily surveillance operations in the forested and mountainous areas of the country searching for al-Qaeda. Typically, they get results. Algeria is target-rich with killers.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 01:40:00 PM

Dummy Tries to Cash Personal Check for $360 Billion

(Ft. Worth, Texas) A 21-year-old man, Charles Ray Fuller, was arrested for forgery after trying to cash a check for $360,000,000,000. According to Ft. Worth Police Lt. Paul Henderson, Fuller claimed his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to start a record business.

The personal check was not made out to Mr. Fuller and when the bank contacted the check owner, the woman said she did not write a check for $360 billion.

Mr. Fuller was also accused of unlawful carrying of a weapon and possession of marijuana, Lt. Henderson said.

Fuller reportedly also has been accused of theft in another jurisdiction.

As a recommendation, Mr. Fuller, prior to becoming an executive in the record industry, you may want to bone up on arithmetic.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 11:27:00 AM

Judge Orders Autopsy Report Revision

(Akron, Ohio) A judge directed the medical examiner to revise her autopsy reports to delete any references that Tasers contributed to the death of a detainee.

A medical examiner must change her autopsy findings to delete any reference that stun guns contributed to the deaths of three people involved in confrontations with law enforcement officers, a judge ruled.

Friday's decision was a victory for Taser International Inc., which had challenged rulings by Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler, including a case in which five sheriff's deputies are charged in the death a jail (sic) inmate who was restrained by the wrists and ankles and hit with pepper spray and a stun gun.

Kohler ruled that the 2006 death of Mark McCullaugh Jr., 28, was a homicide and that he died from asphyxiation due to the "combined effects of chemical, mechanical and electrical restraint."

Visiting Judge Ted Schneiderman said in his ruling that there was no expert evidence to indicate that Taser devices impaired McCullaugh's respiration. "More likely, the death was due to a fatal cardiac arrhythmia brought on by severe heart disease," the judge wrote.

Schneiderman ordered Kohler to rule McCullaugh's death undetermined and to delete any references to homicide.

Judge Schneiderman also ordered the autopsy reports be revised on two other similar deaths. To me, this is very interesting because the judge has told the medical examiner that her conclusion was wrong. The judge ruled that "no expert evidence" was provided which indicated that the Taser contributed to the death. I would contend that the autopsy report signed by the medical examiner is expert evidence.

The prosecution is considering an appeal.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 10:33:00 AM

Arizona's Hispanics

According to the Census Bureau, the 2007 estimated population in the state of Arizona is 30 percent Hispanic, double the national average of 15 percent.

It's recommended that people brush up on their Spanish.

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 10:24:00 AM

EV71 Viral Outbreak in China, 1000s Infected, Dozens Dead

(Shanghai, China) Chinese authorities have ordered health officials to take quicker action in responding to the outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease which has recently killed 24 children and infected thousands.

"Our doctors will leave hospitals to find potential patients rather than sitting in the hospitals to wait for them," deputy health minister Liu Qian told state television in the worst-hit area, Fuyang city in the eastern province of Anhui.

The cases in Fuyang were caused by enterovirus 71, called EV71, according to the World Health Organization. It is transmitted by contact with infected blisters or feces. It can cause high fever, paralysis, swelling of the brain and death. Also, recent studies indicate that children who survive the infection have long-term neurological effects.

According to Dr. John F. Modlin of Dartmouth Medical School, outbreaks of EV71 infections have the possibility of becoming epidemics and, therefore, enterovirus 71 should be added to the list of emerging diseases.

Approximately, 90 percent of the fatal infections are in children younger than five years old. Outbreaks have occurred with some regularity: "in Malaysia in 1997 with 30 deaths and in Taiwan with 78 deaths in 1998, 25 deaths in 2000, and 26 deaths in 2001." Travelers to China and East Asia should take note of the potential danger.

Companion post at The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/05/2008 08:47:00 AM

Finger pointing now criminal

We read:

"The 60-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Marine was arrested at his home Tuesday and charged with two counts of disorderly conduct after two village trustees complained that, during a heated meeting, Kachka pointed his finger at them while wearing a shirt with a Marine Corps insignia that said, "Don't Move. If You Run, You'll Only Die Tired."

Trustees allege Kachka's thumb was raised and his index finger extended, as though he were firing a gun.

Source

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/04/2008 08:44:00 AM

U.S. government waffling

We read:

"Recent government policy memoranda, circulating through the national counter-terrorism and diplomatic community, establishes a new "speech code" for the lexicon in the war on terror, as reported by the Associated Press and now available in the public domain .

These new "speech codes" recommended that analysts and policy makers avoid the terms jihad or jihadist or mujhadid or "al-Qaida movement" and replace them with "extremists" and by extension other non-specific terms.

The use of these "new words" and rejection of the "old words" is ostensibly designed to avoid legitimating al-Qaida and its followers while mollifying the sensitivities of the larger Muslim community

Source

GWB has recently said the J-word, however. The speech codes probably come from the bureaucracy.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/04/2008 12:13:00 AM

Award-Winning Gay Kills, Cooks and Eats Friend

(Leeds, England) A 35-year-old former Mr. Gay UK contest winner, Anthony Morley, has been arrested for the murder of his friend, 33-year-old Damian Oldfield.

Police were alerted after Morley, covered with blood, entered a retail shop and announced, "I am the murderer, call the police."

When police discovered the body of Damian Oldfield, 33, at a terraced house in Harehills, Leeds, they are said to have found part of his right leg had been carved up and the flesh diced and cooked on a kitchen worktop. It is thought tests showed the flesh was human.

A police source told a newspaper: "It appears it was being prepared for cooking."

They are now considering the possibility that some of the flesh was also eaten.

Police believe Mr Oldfield, an advertising executive for gay lifestyle magazine Bent, was stabbed to death on Wednesday or Thursday of last week.

Morley appeared in court last week where he was charged with murder and remanded to custody. He has an appearance before Leeds magistrates scheduled for tomorrow.

Morley became a minor celebrity in 1993 when he won the Mr. Gay UK contest at the age of 20. At the time, he was a people-pleasing costumier who liked body-building and dancing. He reportedly beat stiff competition from a score of other finalists to win the title.

[Add.] Incidentally, cannibalism is rare in civilized society but not unheard of. In recent years, there have been two high-profile cases of cannibalism in Germany and, of course, most people are aware of the notorious case of Jeffrey Dahmer who ate some of the 17 victims he killed.

Tip: Van Helsing

Companion post at The Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/04/2008 12:09:00 AM

Hazleton Immigration Enforcement Rally - May 1, 2008

From Digger:

Speaking of rights, there is a current lie and deception being perpetrated on we, the American people. You will see it on signs today in their marches when you look at the pictures. This falsehood is being repeated over and over by groups that want illegal immigration to continue -- groups like La Raza. That lie is that immigrants, both legal and illegal, in this country have or should be granted Civil Rights.

They are directly trying to hijack the civil rights movement led by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and cut it up in some absurd and bizarre pattern to fit illegal aliens. There is just one problem with this - Civil Rights by definition are rights bestowed on citizens by a nation.

They are one of the great benefits of becoming a citizen.

There's more with video.

Following Entry Posted 5/03/2008 07:14:00 PM

Politicians Touch Breasts and Private Parts

(Portland, Oregon) Sure, they touched. But it was a statue. Now why would liberal citizens be upset about progressive politicians behaving progressively?

Beats me. Or maybe they're hypocrites.

Following Entry Posted 5/03/2008 04:53:00 PM

'Secret' Chinese Submarine Base

(Hainan Island, China) The communist Chinese People's Liberation Army is building an underground nuclear submarine base near Sanya on Hainan Island. It is reported to be a "vast, James Bond-style edifice capable of concealing up to 20 nuclear-powered submarines, which will enable China to project its power across the region."

DigitalGlobe QuickBird satellite images of the base are here and here.

The Chinese government is presumably less than pleased that the existence of the base has been exposed to the public.

Following Entry Posted 5/03/2008 03:33:00 PM

Mother Jailed After Child Sickened by Meth

(Yuma, Arizona) a 34-year-old local woman, Trina Rae Carroll, has been arrested for child endangerment after methamphamine was found in her two-year-old child's system.

Doctors alerted authorities after treating the boy for stomach pain at the emergency room.

Carroll faces charges of felony endangerment, child abuse and involving a minor in a drug offense. Notably, Carroll has a busy history of trouble with the law. She has been arrested more than a dozen times, primarily for drug offenses.

Carroll was booked into custody at the Yuma County Jail with bond set at $11,000.

Following Entry Posted 5/03/2008 08:39:00 AM

No respect for free speech or intellectual diversity at Smith College

Smith college is an elite Massachusetts liberal arts college for women. We read:

"Last night Ryan Sorba, an "anti-homosexual activist" spoke at Smith College. Sorba, the author of the upcoming book, "The Born Gay Hoax," (yes, seriously) can been seen in action here. The awesome feminists of Smith forced Sorba out after a mere twenty minutes of speaking, when he was drowned out by protesters.

Source

The above quote is from a feminist site. Their silence over the treatment of women in Muslim countries has long ago revealed that feminism is just a mask for far Leftism these days and the above certainly confirms that. Christians who are critical of homosexuality are fair game and must be shouted down. Muslims (as in Iran) who actually kill homosexuals are just "misunderstood".

A commenter here reasonably asks how the feminists would feel if they were denied the right to be heard in a similar way. The shrieks and squeals would resound to high Heaven.

Fuller details of what actually happened here

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 07:56:00 PM

Texas Teacher Jailed for Sex with Boy

(Missouri City, Texas) A 33-year-old language arts teacher at Baines Middle School, Rebecca Ann Bramlett, was arrested last night for allegedly engaging in a sexual trelationship with a 16-year-old boy. She has been charged with sexual assault of a child.

The arrest stemmed from a traffic stop last week. A Fort Bend County deputy pulled Bramlett over in Fresno and noticed she had a teen inside the car with her.

Bramlett reportedly told the officer the teen was her boyfriend.

Investigators say the teacher -- who is married with two school-aged children -- had a relationship with the teen for several months and sometimes took the boy to her home.

Bramlett resigned her teaching position on Tuesday. She was booked into the county jail with bail set at $500,000.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 05:26:00 PM

The Obama Question

This describes what many folks are thinking.

Here's the problem, Barry. If we believe you, you spent twenty years swapping spit with Jeremiah Wright and never noticed he was a wacko which makes you seem rather less than perceptive, if you know what I mean.

On the other hand, if you are lying, then you are a more than few fries short of a Happy Meal too and that makes you damn dangerous. So faced with the question as to whether you are a dullard or a moonbat, us little people are very interested in your ole pal Jeremiah and all your other old chums like William Ayers and Tony Rezko.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 05:05:00 PM

Pet Rights in Switzerland

This is extreme.

It is a world in which the goldfish are never lonely, the dogs are always obedient and the guinea-pigs are never tormented by children. Under a new Swiss law enshrining rights for animals, dog owners will require a qualification, anglers will take lessons in compassion and horses will go only in twos. From guinea-pigs to budgerigars, any animal classified as a "social species" will be a victim of abuse if it does not cohabit, or at least have contact, with others of its own kind. The new regulation stipulates that aquariums for pet fish should not be transparent on all sides and that owners must make sure that the natural cycle of day and night is maintained in terms of light. Goldfish are considered social animals, or Gruppentiere in German.

The creator of this animal Utopia is the Swiss federal parliament, the Bundesrat, which adopted a law this week extending to four legs the kind of rights usually reserved for two. The law, which comes into force from September 1, is particularly strict over dogs: prospective owners will have to pay for and complete a two-part course - a theory section on the needs and wishes of the animal, and a practice section, where students will be instructed in how to walk their dog and react to various situations that might arise during the process. The details of the courses are yet to be fixed, but they are likely to comprise about five theory lessons and at least five sessions "in the field".

The law extends to unlikely regions of the animal kingdom. Anglers will also be required to complete a course on catching fish humanely, with the Government citing studies indicating that fish can suffer too. The regulations will affect farmers, who will no longer be allowed to tether horses, sheep and goats, nor keep pigs and cows in areas with hard floors. The legislation even mentions the appropriate keeping of rhinoceroses, although it was not clear immediately how many, if any, were being kept as pets in Switzerland.

And don't flush that dead goldfish down the toilet. It's illegal.

By the way, if the leftist animal devotees (i.e. PETA, Animal Liberation Front, American Humane Society, and others) get their way, this type of legislation will soon be ubiquitous in the U.S.

Remember, the Constitution of the State of Florida was amended to specify required living accommodations for pregnant pigs. That's right, Florida -- the hanging-chad state that couldn't find hundreds of missing foster children. To be fair, though, children don't get specific protection in the Constitution like the pigs do.

More [Scroll down to 4/27/08 entry.]

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 03:16:00 PM

NYC Lawsuit Against Gun Industry Tossed

(New York City) The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit accusing the gun industry of selling firearms with the knowledge that they could be diverted to illegal markets. New York lawyers cited a violation to a state nuisance law which makes it a crime to knowingly create a condition which endangers people.

The lawsuit asked for no monetary damages. It had sought a court order for gun makers to more closely monitor those dealers who frequently sell guns later used to commit crimes.

"I am disappointed in the court's decision," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Regardless of this ruling, we will continue our fight against illegal guns full bore--in the courtrooms, on the streets and in the Congress."

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act enacted in 2005 by President Bush protects gun makers from lawsuits by crime victims and liberal city politicians. The court ruled that the New York nuisance law doesn't override the federal law.

Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has once again revealed himself as a leftist politician, despite the fact that he's a registered Republican. I'd call him a devout gun-control liberal.

Interestingly, a rumor is currently being floated that Bloomberg is on the short-list of potential running mates for Barack Obama. Given Bloomberg's leftist viscera, it makes sense.

Also: Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 08:40:00 AM

What a mixed-up galoot

The University of California at Irvine has just got a new law school. Heading it is Prof. Erwin Chemerinsky. Below is an excerpt from a report about him:

"I got to witness UCI Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky publicly address for the first time the clash between Muslim and Jewish students. This is significant not only because Chemerinsky has immediately become one of Orange County's highest-profile academics but because the issue affects him so personally: He is a Jew, and he is moving his family to on-campus faculty housing. Over the last few years, UCI has acquired a reputation in some circles as a place where Jews feel unwelcome because of the hate-filled speech of some speakers brought in by Muslim students.

The moment rumors started circulating last summer about Chemerinsky's possible appointment as dean, he started getting e-mails asking if he knew about Jewish complaints against UCI. "In March," he said, "I spoke at a program for Jewish leaders in Los Angeles, and though my talk was on the new UCI law school, most of the questions were about these complaints against UCI. Soon after, I received literally dozens of messages concerning a self-appointed outside group's conclusion that Jews should not attend UCI."

Chemerinsky looked into it. He concluded "there have been speakers on campus who have said offensive, sometimes highly offensive things against Israel and against Jews. But I also learned that there has not been violence, or threats of violence, or incidents of harassment, or arrests, or even the need for disciplinary proceedings for inappropriate conduct by students."

He noted that the U.S. Office of Civil Rights concluded there was not a hostile environment for Jews on campus and that the leaders of five on-campus Jewish-student groups have issued a joint statement saying the same thing.

Acknowledging he's still an outsider (he doesn't move to O.C. until next month to prepare for the first class in 2009), he said UCI has so far done the right thing. "My strong sense is that the university has properly allowed - and must continue to allow - speech that is distasteful, offensive, and even extremist. Unfortunately its critics, including some in the Jewish community, sometimes fail to realize that allowing such speech on the campus of a public university is required by the First Amendment."

However, he said, "UCI must continue to condemn hate speech in all its forms and be sure that no one ever is harassed, or made to feel unwelcome based on religion or ethnicity or race or gender or sexual orientation or any other characteristic."

Source

So there has to be actual violence before Muslim behaviour is condemned! A pity Christians cannot get that sort of permissiveness when they note what the Bible says about homosexuality!

And nobody must be "made to feel unwelcome based on religion or ethnicity". So I guess that the furious slanders of Jews and Israel emanating from Muslim students don't make Jews feel unwelcome! You could have fooled me!

The galoot is just another Jew who thinks that the antisemites won't ever come for him if he is nice to them. They thought that in 1930s Germany too.

Posted by John Ray.

Following Entry Posted 5/02/2008 12:10:00 AM

Tehran Police Chief Zarei Reported Dead

(Tehran, Iran) In March, Tehran's Chief of Police, General Reza Zarei, was arrested after being caught in a brothel with six prostitutes whom he had asked to pray naked in a row in front of him.

The arrest proved to be quite embarrassing for President Ahmadinejad since he had personally picked 52-year-old Zarei for the post and made him responsible for policing vice in the capital.

Before last month, the government denied that prostitution even existed in Iran and refused to confirm that Zarei had been arrested. But websites and newspapers got the story and Iran's Justice Department was forced to admit the truth -- prostitution happens in Iran and Zarei was, in fact, locked up.

Punishment for prostitution is harsh. Jail and even execution may result not only for prostitutes but also their customers. Nonetheless, the profession is healthy in Tehran. Thousands of women reportedly prostitute themselves in the capital. An hour goes for 20 to 50 euros.

In a more recent development, the prosecutor in Zarei's case hinted that the former police chief is suspected of pimping. It's a serious charge but not unusual since police and the Revolutionary Guard have long been suspected of receiving kickbacks from various vice operations.

Last Wednesday it was reported that Zarei committed suicide in jail, raising speculation that an inconvenient Tehran insider had been liquidated. Tehran, though, says Zarei is still alive.

In conclusion, the status of General Zarei is not officially known, however, Iran has reluctantly admitted that prostitution exists in the country.

Heh. Maybe next the government will admit that there are homosexuals in the country.

Also: Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 11:02:00 PM

PA Woman Accused of Sex with Teen Boys

(Sharon, Pennsylvania) A 29-year-old local woman, Gloria Guthrie, surrendered to police this week to face charges stemming from allegedly engaging in sex with two teen boys, one age 15 and the other under 16.

According to Sharon Police Chief Mike Menster, Guthrie has been charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and two counts of corruption of minors.

Ms. Guthrie is accused of having sexual intercourse and oral sex with the boys, one of whom is 15, police said. The age of the other boy was not available Wednesday, but police said he was under the age of 16.

The assaults were reported to police Monday, Menster said. There were multiple incidents between May and August 2007 at a home in the 300 block of Prospect Street, Menster said.

Police said Ms. Guthrie was an acquaintance of the boys’ parents.

Guthrie was booked and released on personal recognizance bond. A court appearance is scheduled for May 8.

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 05:59:00 PM

Bikini Babe Teacher Tiffany Shepherd

(St. Lucie County, Florida) A 30-year-old science teacher, Tiffany Shepherd, has been fired from her position at Port St. Lucie High School.

Shepherd claims that she was booted because of her second job as a bikini-clad mate for a charter fishing boat operation. On the contrary says school spokesman Janice Karst indicating that Shepherd was released because of more than 30 unexcused absences from work.

She also said school officials did not know about her job as a "bikini" mate until after they filed her release paperwork. "As far as her claim about the boat job, we did not know about that until after she had been non-renewed," Karst said.

If officials had known, she added, it may have given administrators additional reason to discipline Shepherd. "Teachers tend to have higher levels of standards," she said.

Shepherd counters that rumors about her bikini job were widely known by school board members and administrators before she was fired and the knowledge was a factor in the decision to can her.

Incidentally, Smokin Em Charters is hiring. The company combines fishing with bikini-clad, sometimes topless, female helpers and new talent is being sought.

Tiffany Shepherd
Notably, Shepherd, a divorced mother of three youngsters, insists that she has not and will not do her mate's job topless. Nonetheless, the Smokin Em Charters website states that Tiffany likes to play with the captain's monkey.

Shepherd has hired a lawyer to help assure that her firing doesn't impede her from gaining a future teaching position in the state of Florida. I would imagine that college-educated Shepherd, with an attractive appearance configured desirably, shouldn't have much problem finding suitable employment of some nature.

[Update] Interestingly, Smokin' Em Charters was asked to leave the Fort Pierce Marina last month due to concerns that the operation was not family friendly.

Also: Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 03:09:00 PM

World's Most Influential People

The complete list of the World's Most Influential People has been published by TIME magazine. What a waste.

There is no ranking, rather, the magazine's editors appear to have plopped celebrity names onto a page in no particular order. There are five categories which appear largely interchangeable; revolutionaries, heroes & pioneers, scientists & thinkers, artists & entertainers, and builders & titans.

The list is a gimmick to bump impulse readership, I think. Otherwise, it has no value. Ignore it.

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 02:17:00 PM

DC Madam Dead from Apparent Suicide

(Tarpon Springs, Florida) Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, the so-called DC Madam, is believed dead by suicide. A body was found in a storage shed adjacent to her mother's Florida home. Official identification and cause of death are pending. No foul play is suspected.

There was a note. Contents have not been disclosed.

Palfrey faced a possible 50 years in prison when sentenced later this year for April 15 convictions on charges of money laundering, racketeering and mail fraud.

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 01:03:00 PM

Guns and Tranquility

Good write-up on Canadian efforts to further outlaw gun ownership is here. Included is a sagacious look at the relationship between gun ownership and peaceful communities. It's reflected in the words of foreign visitors.

A British man I met in Colorado recently told me he used to live in Kent but he moved to the American state of New Jersey and will not go home because it is, as he put it, “a gentler environment for bringing the kids up.”

This is New Jersey. Home of the Sopranos.

Heh.

Additionally, there's this from Kevin at The Smallest Minority.

In America, and I assume pretty much worldwide, the vast majority of violent crime is committed by a tiny percentage of the population, almost all of whom have prior criminal records.

As I have noted here in the past, American homicide rates are heavily skewed by the fact that young, black, urban males - who make up less than 13% of America's population - commit and are the victims of well over half the homicides America suffers each year.

And on top of that, the young, black, urban males that actually commit the murders are a tiny fraction of that 13%.

But the political response to this is "gun control"?

In 2005, the numbers penciled out indicate that 2.62 percent of the population committed 49.6 percent of the homicides.

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 11:59:00 AM

Teacher Janet Fackovec Sentenced - Update

Former North Charleston teacher Janet Fackovec, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail.

Authorities say the teen contends he had sex with the teaching assistant. Prosecutor Debbie Herring-Lash says Fackovec did not face criminal sexual conduct charges because the teen was old enough to consent to sex in South Carolina.

She was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended to 90 days, and will serve 18 months of probation.

While pleading guilt, Fackovec reportedly sobbed.

* * * * *
[11/01/07 entry]

(Charleston, South Carolina) A 25-year-old special ed teaching assistant at Stall High School, Janet R. Fackovec, has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for helping a 16-year-old boy run away from a group home, giving him alcohol and having sex with him.

According to Sheriff's Capt. John Clark, Fackovec was arrested on October 18th and charged with helping a runaway.

Deputies originally interviewed Fackovec in January during their investigation into a teen thought to be missing from a group home, Clark said. At the time, Fackovec told investigators she was mentoring the teen.

A week later, the teen's court-appointed guardian told authorities she was afraid there was an "unhealthy" relationship between the student and Fackovec, but Fackovec and the teen denied having a sexual relationship, Clark said.

Authorities subsequently discovered that Fackovec had taken the teen to a hotel on the Isle of Palms, where they rented a room and had sex, according to the sheriff's report. The teen also told authorities he went several times to Fackovec's house, where she gave him alcohol and they had sex, according to a North Charleston police report.

Fackovec was booked into custody at the Charleston County Jail and later released on $80,000 bail.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

[Update 11/04/07]

According to this report, Fackovec may have a history of unhealthy relationships.

[P]olice reports are surfacing that say officers responded to Stall as far back as January of this year with concerns about the nature of a relationship between Fackovec and a student at the school.

It's not known if the alleged victim is the same student, but the physical descriptions are exactly alike. Also, both the report from January 10 and the report from October 11 of this year say the victim is a 16-year-old boy.

The first report says the student is a runaway and that an unhealthy relationship had developed between the student and Fackovec. It goes on to say that "the teacher has given the student presents in the form of clothes and dinners and that the teacher had on many occasions taken the student from his group home for hours at a time."

The report also suggests Fackovec was helping the alleged victim hide and keep his status as a runaway.

Fackovec remains on leave from her teaching position with pay.

Following Entry Posted 5/01/2008 08:32:00 AM

Colorado College Denies Appeal of Students Responsible for `Violent' Parody

Laughing at feminists is "violence":

"Colorado College has denied student Chris Robinson's appeal of its finding that he and another student violated the school's "violence" policy for posting a flyer that parodied a flyer of the Feminist and Gender Studies program. The school also has decided not to remove any letters about the case from the students' files until after graduation. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is assisting Robinson in his case against the school.

"First, Colorado College trampled over Chris Robinson's right to engage in an obvious parody, and now the school has further embarrassed itself by denying his appeal," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "The judicial procedure was a joke: the same administrator who found Robinson guilty in the first place was the final judge of his appeal. FIRE calls on Colorado College to remove this guilty finding once and for all from the students' records. As long as they are deemed guilty for engaging in satire, the school's extensive promises of free expression are brazen misrepresentations."

In early 2008, Colorado College's "Feminist and Gender Studies Interns" distributed a flyer called "The Monthly Rag," which included a reference to "male castration," an announcement about a lecture on "feminist porn," and an explanation of "packing" (pretending to have a phallus). As a parody of "The Monthly Rag," Robinson and a second student, who wishes to remain anonymous, distributed a flyer in February called "The Monthly Bag" under the pseudonym "The Coalition of Some Dudes." The flyer included references to "tough guy wisdom," "chainsaw etiquette," the shooting range of a sniper rifle, and a quotation about "female violence and abuse" of men from the website batteredmen.com.

After the "Dudes" faced penalties including expulsion for three weeks, Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students Mike Edmonds finally wrote to the "Coalition of Some Dudes" students on March 25, stating that they had been found guilty of "violating the student code of conduct policy on violence." The punishments included having the finding of guilt placed in their student files and being required to hold a forum to "discuss issues and questions raised" by their parody. Although Edmonds acknowledged that the intent of the publication was to satirize "The Monthly Rag," he wrote that "in the climate in which we find ourselves today, violence-or implied violence-of any kind cannot be tolerated on a college campus." According to Edmonds, "the juxtaposition of weaponry and sexuality" in an anonymous parody made students subjectively feel threatened by chainsaws or rifles.

"Colorado College should declare the students innocent immediately," Kissel said. "FIRE will continue to pursue this case until these students' records are completely cleared of any alleged wrongdoing. President Celeste still has a chance to do justice in this case."

Source

Posted by John Ray.

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