Women With Troubles - December 2009

Reported in news stories during December 2009, here is a 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. Links to month-by-month compilations are displayed on the navigation bar at left.

(AL) Amanda Watkins,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 15,

(CA) Christine Camer, 58,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Nina Herrera, 32,
neighbor - Gets eight months prison for sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Lisa Louise Winchester, 40,
school worker - Gets two years prison from probation violation on sex crime conviction,

(CT) Anna Bambino, 30,
neighbor - Charged with breach of peace for demanding three-way with neighbor couple,

(DE) Tabitha J. Hritz, 18,
neighbor - Arrested for three-month sexual relationship with boy, 10,

(FL) Josefina Tax Barrera aka Diana L. Aguirre, 22,
neighbor - Accused of engaging in sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Hopemarie Johnson Clark, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for lewd and lascivious battery of boy, 15,

(FL) Jennifer Collier, 34,
teacher - Gets three years in prison for sex with boy,

(FL) Jennifer Lee De Roberto, 35,
teacher - Arrested for DUI and urinating in public,

(FL) Janet Hawkins,
police officer - Fired for combative DUI arrest. Claims racism,

(FL) Sheila Hoover, 56,
teacher - Arrested for possession of methamphetamine,

(FL) Michelle Leigh Kemp, 30.
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Rhonda Bays, 39,
neighbor - Gets 24 years in prison for child molestation,

(FL) Dana Sue Stikeleather, 28,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(ID) Kari Atkinson, 28,
teacher - Gets two years prison for sex with boy, 14,

(ID) Ashley Jo Beach, 38,
teacher - Gets 20 years prison for sex with boy, 13,

(IL) Wendy Rogers, 39,
Boy Scout leader - Accused of engaging in sex with Boy Scout,

(IN) Samantha Light, 25,
neighbor - Gets 125 years in prison for molesting young children,

(IN) Tracey A. Pace, 36,
teacher - Accused of sexual misconduct with child between 14 and 16,

(IN) Sara Strahm, 28,
teacher/coach - Arrested for child seduction of girl, 17,

(LA) Jolene V. Parks, 27,
neighbor - Arrested for alleged sex with boy, 16,

(MA) Lisa Delorto, 43,
school bus driver - Arrested for driving under influence of drugs,

(MA) Laura Lundquist, 98,
nursing home resident - Accused of murdering her roommate, Elizabeth Barrow, 100,

(MA) Gail Rasmussen, 49,
teacher - Arrested for bank robberies,

(MN) Sheila Mae Baker, 54,
neighbor - Arrested for ripping apart a man's scrotum,

(MI) Allanah Benton-Wells, 43,
teacher - Guilty of sex with boy, 12. Sentencing in February,

(MI) Michelle Simonson, 28,
teacher - Gets 90 days in jail for sending her topless photos to special ed student, 14,

(MN) Gail Gagne, 27,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(MN) Emily Roitenberg, 40,
teacher - Gets 10 years prison for attempting to hire hit man,

(MO) Alison M. Peck, 23,
teacher - Gets probation for rape of boy, 16,

(MO) Priscilla M. Pongspikul, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 12,

(MO) Amy Vogt, 34,
neighbor - Gets 17.5 years prison for molesting child and child porn,

(MS) Amanda Goforth, 25,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with female student, 15,

(MS) Icree McGee, 30,
teacher - Caught parking with boy, 13, at 1:15 AM,

(MS) Bernadine Norsworthy, 50,
teacher - Arrested for felony shoplifting,

(MS) Michelle Thomas Richardson, 35,
parent-teacher org. president - Arrested for embezzlement, shoplifting and drug possession,

(NC) Tabitha Rich, 22,
neighbor - Gets 25 to 39 months prison for serious injury to son, 33 months old,

(NC) Pilar Rocha, 21,
babysitter - Arrested for forcing sex on boy, 7,

(NC) Amy Yarbrough, 32,
teacher - Arrested for inappropriate relationship with student,

(NE) Stephanie Draper, 37,
teacher - Pleads guilty to contributing to delinquency of minor. Sentencing in February,

(NH) Manuella St. Germain, 44,
school worker - Accused of sex assault of two male juveniles,

(NJ) Sarah E. Blessing, 27,
teacher - Arrested for engaging in sex with female student, 17,

(NM) Joleen Baughman, 39,
neighbor - Troubled by continuously craving sex after accident,

(NV) Lori Sublette,
teacher - Allegedly denies Holocaust to class,

(NY) Alini Brito, 29, and Cindy Mauro, 33,
teachers - Allegedly caught naked in a classroom by a janitor,

(NY) Kathleen Callanan, 43,
neighbor - Gets 10 years prison for repeated sex assault of boy, 9,

(NY) Tonya Hickey, 30,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of boy, 14,

(NY) Alison Musacchio, 31,
teacher - Accused of inappropriate relationship with male student,

(OH) Elizabeth A. Douglas, 46,
teacher - Gets four months jail for fourth DWI in six years,

(OH) Lisa Kelly aka Lisa Roberts, 34,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(OH) Anne M. Maiden, 38,
teacher - Indicted on several property crimes,

(OH) Gloria J. Murphy, 55,
neighbor - Gets probation for sex with boy, 12,

(OH) Heather Musgrove, 37,
babysitter - Gets four years prison for gross sexual imposition of baby girl, 11 months,

(OH) Marcina S. Samberson, 49,
foster parent - Arrested for sex with foster son, 16,

(OH) Kimberly K. Schwochow, 37,
teacher - Gets diversion for sex with student,

(OR) Zuleyma Noemi Figueroa, 42,
teacher - Arrested for possession and distribution of methamphetamine,

(OR) Jennifer Stitzel, 34,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(PA) Cassandra Sproch, 42,
dance teacher - Accused of offering wine and sex to teen boys,

(SD) Marguerite Engle, 45,
neighbor - Arrested for DUI. Holds state record with 0.708 blood alcohol concentration,

(SD) Cara Prince, 44,
neighbor - Gets 15 years prison for sex abuse of three young relatives,

(TN) Brenda Rawls, 50,
teacher - Arrested for sardine juice vandalism,

(TN) Tina Darlene Young,
teacher - Investigated by school board for multiple DUI and shoplifting offenses,

(TN) Emily Louise Zinkus, 31,
neighbor - Gets 3 days jail for sex with neighbor boy, 17,

(TX) Tammy Jean Butler, 37,
neighbor - Gets two years in prison for sex assault of girl, 15,

(TX) Tynnesa Reschel Gonzales Dugan, 28,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with teen boy,

(TX) Nancy Torres, 32,
teacher - Sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication for sex with male student, 14,

(WI) Jennifer L. Wallock, 37,
babysitter - Gets two years prison for sex with boy, 15.

As always, thanks to the readers, commenters and tipsters. Happy New Year!

Teacher Arrested for Bank Robbery

(Brookline, New Hampshire) A 49-year-old English teacher at Hollis-Brookline Middle School, Gail Rasmussen, surrendered to police in Concord MA to faces charges of alleged bank robbery.

Investigators said she is suspected of robbing banks in Concord and Tyngsborough, Mass. Tyngsborough police said they plan to charge Rasmussen on Thursday on allegations that she robbed a Washington Savings Bank there.

Detectives did not discuss a possible motive in either case. Investigators said they recovered evidence at Rasmussen's home in Brookline that Concord police said links her directly to the robbery in their town.

Rasmussen was booked and released on $500 bail.

United Arab Emirates Sign Nuke Deal

(Dubai, UAE) The United Arab Emirates clinched a deal with a South Korean consortium to build and operate four nuclear power plants to provide electricity for the nation and for export while saving oil for export only.

The consortium, led by state-owned utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), aims to complete the UAE’s four 1,400 megawatt reactors by 2020. Power generation will begin after 2017.

The US and the UAE have a nuclear cooperation pact and US-based firm Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Japan’s Toshiba Corp, was part of the winning consortium.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly close to signing a deal with France for commercial nuclear power plants. However, some concern has been expressed regarding the availability of necessary expertise and equipment since the nuclear power industry worldwide has been fairly stagnant for the past two decades.

Rush Limbaugh Hospitalized

(Oahu, Hawaii) At 2:41 PM local time yesterday, emergency medics administered to radio talk champion Rush Limbaugh, 58, who had complained of chest pains. Limbaugh was rushed from the Kahala Hotel and Resort to the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. Sources say Limbaugh is in serious condition.

Hospital spokeswoman N. Makana Shook said the medical staff is unable to comment. The web is alive with Limbaugh chatter.

A late report says Limbaugh is resting comfortably and appreciates people's prayers and well-wishes. He promised to update via rushlimbaugh.com and his radio program.

So, two reports and two polar opposite stories. I guess we'll have to wait for confirmation.

BAC Record

(Sturgis, South Dakota) On December 1st, a 45-year-old local woman, Marguerite Engle, was arrested after being found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle parked on Interstate 90.

Engle's blood alcohol level was measured at 0.708, approaching nine times the legal limit of 0.08. She was released on bond after being hospitalized.

Engle failed to appear for a court date on December 15 and police ultimately found her on Monday. She was in another stolen vehicle in a ditch along Highway 34. She was arrested for driving under the influence and booked into custody without bail.

It's worth mentioning that people with blood alcohol content at the 0.708 level are usually found in the morgue. Engle's capacity for alcohol would seem to indicate that she is a very experienced imbiber. In any event, she faces multiple charges.

Tip: slwlion

Yemen Strike on Horizon?

For the Pentagon to craft various war scenarios and work through the tactics and strategies is predictable.

CNN is reporting the US has begun selecting sites in Yemen to attack if President Obama orders a retaliatory strike in the aftermath of the botched Christmas Day airline bombing. US Special Operations Forces and spies are said to be already inside Yemen and working with their Yemeni counterparts to target members of al-Qaeda.

However, getting the Yemeni government to agree to U.S. military presence is news to me. It's also news that the U.S. has counterparts in the Yemeni government.

CNN also revealed the existence of a new classified agreement between the two countries that allows the US to fly cruise missiles, fighter jets and armed drones against targets in Yemen with the consent of the Yemeni government.

Under the agreement, the US will remain publicly silent on its military and intelligence actions in Yemen. Investigators are still probing the connections between the failed attack and members of al-Qaeda in Yemen. The alleged airline bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was in Yemen up until earlier this month.

One aspect of Yemeni life that seems to be overlooked in various reports is the generally-accepted fact that the entire population is addicted to khat, the narcotic weed. By mid-afternoon daily, virtually every post-pubescent Yemeni is stoned. Throw into the mix that outright lying is permitted under the Islamic principle of dishonesty, called taqqiyah, and there's questionable substance to any agreement.

Britain's major Leftist newspaper, The Guardian, is at least good for a laugh!

Britain's Guardianistas really do take the cake. They are so wrapped up in their own little fantasy world that they have no idea how absurd they can sound to others. For example: This article blames China for the now universally acknowledged "failure" of the Copenhagen climate conclave (There's a tongue-twister for you!).

As the writer himself acknowledges, it is an unwritten rule that the holier-than-thou crowd must never blame poor countries for anything. Only the "rich West" can do wrong. But apparently China is now rich and powerful enough to have lost that protection. So our climate apostle has got daring.

But the funny bit comes towards the end of his article when he concludes in sorrow and in anger that China is not playing the Guardianista game at all. He seems surprised that he has to conclude: "This is fast becoming China's century, yet its leadership has displayed that multilateral environmental governance is not only not a priority, but is viewed as a hindrance to the new superpower's freedom of action".

China is not interested in global governance! How awful! How concerning! How disillusioning! What is left? Fancy China wanting to run its own affairs! How can those nice Communists be so awful? It's all a terrible shock to a Guardianista!

The Guardian has its flock, however. My first wife (the first of four) has always been Left-leaning and she has just emailed me to tell me that she is now very angry with China! LOL! She would once have turned a deaf ear to any criticism of China.

It reminds me of Israel. For a couple of decades after WWII, the Left were supportive of Israel. But after Israel won the six-day war, that steadily eroded and Israel is now regarded with widespread hostility among Leftists. Leftists just hate other people doing well for themselves. They only like people that they can look down on and patronize. One of the reasons I support Israel is that it gives me pleasure to see other people doing well -- but that makes me a conservative, of course. No Leftist would understand that. I even think highly of Bill Gates!

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Idaho Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Boy, 13 - Updated

(Boise, Idaho) With additional details revealed today in court, former middle school teacher Ashley Jo Beach, 38, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for engaging in sex with a 13-year-old boy for several months. She will be eligible for parole in four years.

Prosecutors said Beach would buy the boy shoes and clothes and that she said he was the 'light of her life." Prosecutors said that the former teacher, who admitted that she loved and needed him, wanted the boy to mow her lawn and babysit her three children.

It was also revealed that Beach, who's birthday was Tuesday, was having an inappropriate relationship with five other students. She has since written apology letters to those teenagers. Details of those relationships include talking about getting "tipsy" and other inappropriate matters.

In court, Beach said losing her job was punishment enough and that she hopes she can talk to other teachers about her wrong-doings and help prevent any future inappropriate teacher, student relationships.

It's not known whether Beach will be required to register as a sex offender.

* * * * *
Idaho Teacher Guilty of Sex with Boy, 13 - Updated
[Previous 10/20/09 post]
(Meridian, Idaho) Middle school teacher Ashley Jo Beach pleaded guilty today to engaging in sex with a 13-year-old male student.

In exchange for her guilty plea to one count of lewd conduct with a child, two other counts were dropped. It's unknown whether Beach has expressed any sense of contrition or remorse for her actions.

Ada County prosecutors recommend 20 years in prison be imposed when Beach is sentenced on December 22.

* * * * *
Idaho Teacher Caught in Bushes with Boy, 13
[Previous 9/18/09 post]
(Meridian, Idaho) A 37-year-old math and science teacher at Meridian Middle School, Ashley Jo Beach, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old former male student.

Beach faces a felony charge of lewd conduct with a child under 16.

It started with a call from neighbors in the area of Cherry Lane and Vineyards - who say they saw something suspicious about 9:30 p.m.

When officers arrived, they say Beach and the boy were between a fence and some bushes, laying down - partially concealed from view. They questioned Beach and the child, and said there were inconsistencies in their stories.

Detectives started investigating and say they found that Beach had been involved in a sexual relationship with the boy since April.

Beach was booked into custody at the Ada County Jail. She faces arraignment today.

California School Worker Gets Prison for Probation Violation - Updated

(Red Bluff, California) After being sentenced to jail and probation last March for engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy, former Los Molinos High School employee Lisa Louise Winchester apparently failed to understand the seriousness of her transgressions. Although the terms of her probation specified that she have no contact with her victim, Winchester did so anyway.

According to an announcement yesterday from the Tehama County District Attorney’s Office, 40-year-old Winchester was arrested last month for violating her probation by contacting the boy. As a result, she was sentenced to two years in prison.

Winchester had been banned from having any contact with the boy, but officials said that she admitted to phoning and text-messaging him.

She also admitted to being intimate with the teen on several occasions, they said.

It's not known whether Winchester is required to register as a sex offender, however, since she violated probation, she should.

* * * * *
California School Worker Gets Jail for Sex with Boy
[Previous 3/11/09 post]
(Tehama County, California) In November 2008, a student services worker at Los Molinos High School, Lisa Louise Winchester, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy who was a close family acquaintance.

Winchester was initially placed on leave and later terminated from her school employment.

Yesterday, Winchester pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse and was sentenced to 120 days in the county jail. Judge John Garaventa also gave Winchester three years probation and a restraining order not to make contact directly or indirectly with the victim during that time.

Beauty Icon of the Decade



Angelina Jolie
Commissioned by a company called Superdrug, research polling of 3,000 people found Angelina Jolie's famous pout, thick hair and strong character make her the envy of women around the world. As a result, Jolie has been named the "Beauty Icon of the Decade."

In second was Jennifer Aniston and third, Kylie Minogue.

Steve Jebson, Commercial Director for Superdrug, said: "Angelina Jolie is not a conventional beauty but her strong character shines through her fabulous features to give her a unique standing in the beauty world.

"It's worth noting that while everyone talks about Angelina's pout we find that its her long thick lustrous hair that really makes British women envious, as well as a figure made for red carpet posturing."

Notably, Brad Pitt garners honorable mention for finishing in No. 1 and No. 2. For the top 20, check the link.

Professional Stoners

(Srinagar, India) Dozens of young men have recently come under Indian police scrutiny due to their activities as paid stoners, professional anti-government and anti-police hurlers. They are known to receive cash, food and other property to show up at demonstrations and protests with bags of rocks.



Professional Stoners
The stoners, with faces scarf-covered, rely upon assistants to hand them stones, one by one. Champion-bhai is a leader in one group of tossers.

He is one of an elite band of semi-professional demonstrators in Srinigar courted by supporters of a variety of causes and paid for their services in cash or food and clothing, but who are also increasingly coming under the scrutiny of police intelligence.

“Recently, in one Friday action, I threw more than 400 stones and injured half a dozen policemen,” Champion-bhai claimed. “Demonstrators were very happy and two rich-looking men taking part in the agitation gave me 1,200 rupees (Dh95). In the evening someone sent two kilograms of mutton, a pair of jeans and one leather jacket to my home.” [...]

“Pitch-Kaka, Raju-Rubber, Arshad-Googli, Nazir-Chauka, Manna-Catch, Chikna [and] Champion are some of the notorious professional stone-throwers … In most of the demonstrations those few dozen are regularly present and we believe they are being hired by demonstrating groups who pay them for their services,” an unidentified police source in Srinagar told the newspaper.

“We have prepared a list of those stone-throwers by names and they are under watch. Possibly we shall soon begin ‘surgical’ clampdowns on at least some of them.”

The professional stoners risk prison plus torture if caught.

One war Obama is keen on

Taking his vendetta with Fox News to a new low, President Obama sent an administration spokesperson to appear on every network but Fox to discuss the Northwest Airlines flight 253 terror attack.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs appeared on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, NBC’s Meet the Press and CBS’ Face the Nation. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appeared on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, NBC’s Meet the Press, and CNN’s State of the Nation.

Communicating to the American people the facts and status of an attempted terror attack should be of paramount importance to a President plunging in the polls, but Obama appears more obsessed with ostracizing Fox News than keeping the American people informed of the war on terror.

The Fox network has the highest cable network ratings beating every other network. Shouldn’t the administration want their message to reach to the largest possible audience? Perhaps the Obama administration is afraid Fox might ask questions about their Homeland Security policies that allowed the suspect to be purged from the government database of potential threats.

The White House reports Obama received a brief update on heightened air travel safety measures and the investigation. It would be interesting to know how much time Obama spent organizing his administration’s media strategy to blacklist Fox News.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Leftist bigot resents popular Jewish songs

JEWISH SONGWRITERS have created some of the most enduringly popular songs of the season -- Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," of course, but also "The Christmas Song," "Silver Bells," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas," among others. Some people might view that as a heartening, only-in-America expression of interfaith goodwill and warmth. But not Garrison Keillor:

"All those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys that trash up the malls every year, Rudolph and the chestnuts and the rest of that dreck," he fumed in a recent column for the Baltimore Sun. "Christmas is a Christian holiday -- if you're not in the club, then buzz off." His piece bore the sour headline: "Nonbelievers, please leave Christmas alone."

Remember the days when Keillor was endearing and witty? It's a shame to see him grown so cranky and intolerant. What kind of grinch thinks "White Christmas" is "dreck?"

Well, here's hoping that all the songs written by those "Jewish guys" didn't put too big a damper on Keillor's Christmas this year. And let's hope no one ruined it entirely by letting him know that the Jewish connection to Christmas didn't start with Irving Berlin.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

China Executes Briton

(Urumqi, Xinjiang Province) At 10:30 AM local time today, Chinese authorities executed by firing squad British citizen Akmal Shaikh (aka Amal Shaik), 53, for heroin trafficking.

Although China leads the world in offing people, it reportedly is the first execution of a European by China in 51 years.

The Briton, whose family had asked for clemency on the grounds that the suspect was mentally unstable, had attempted to smuggle four kilograms of heroin into the country where 50 gram are known to lead to this sentence.

Rights groups and Western leaders pleaded for Shaikh's life, requesting commutation or clemency instead, but were unsuccessful.

Mr. Shaikh's defenders had claimed that he was mentally ill and he had been tricked into carrying the heroin into China.

Refrigerator Police! Open the Door!

Brits Grant No-Warrant Search Authority

(UK) Based upon a survey by Big Brother Watch, using Freedom of Information laws, 20,000 bureaucratic agents have been given the power to enter a person's home or business at any time without a search warrant. These are bureaucrats, mind you, not law enforcers such as police officers, firemen or Scotland Yard which would bump the total to hundreds of thousands.

Therefore, the typical British citizen must sit idly by as the recycling official, for example, enters his home to check the contents of the refrigerator or the garbage. Or when the environmental department officer barges in to check lighting fixtures for proper eco-bulbs, the resident is forced to just watch.

The bureaucrats are benefiting from the 1,043 state powers of entry in primary and secondary legislation – more than 400 of which have been created by Labour.

These include checking for fridges which do not have the correct eco-friendly energy rating, making sure a hedge is not too high and inspecting a property to ensure 'illegal or unregulated hypnotism' is not taking place.

Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, which carried out the research, said: 'Once, a man's home was his castle. Today, the Big Brother state wants to inspect, regulate and standardise the inside of our homes.

'Councils are dishing out powers of entry to officers for their own ease, without giving due thought to the public's right to privacy and the potential for abuse.'

And then there's the bureaucratic spying authority.

Town halls are also carrying out thousands of 'spying' missions under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. The law was passed nine years ago to fight terrorism, but access to the spy powers has been extended to 653 state bodies - including 474 councils.

Frankly, the Brits should be outraged that local councils have literally hundreds of paper-pushing desk jockeys with the authority to enter any home or business at any time.

It's worth mentioning that government encroachment on privacy and property of the citizenry was facilitated by banning public ownership of firearms. Only a suicidal bureaucrat would think of intruding into a home if he thought an Ithaca 12-gauge shotgun might greet him.

The British are incrementally clamping themselves to the chains of serfdom. And after serfdom, expect "re-education camps" and slavery.

"Sissies" now a bad word

As far as I know, "sissies" is short for "sisters" and implies that the person is easily upset.

"The idea of there being an annual "big" Yale versus Harvard football game produces two thoughts in me: first, "Yale and Harvard have football teams?" and, once that is answered in the affirmative, "Right, I think I learned about that on The Simpsons."

But this year the most interesting thing to come out of this age-old, blue-blood anachronism-fest had nothing to do with Mr. Burns. It started before the Harvard and Yale teams flailed against each other on the football field last month; Yale's freshman class designed and voted to produce an anti-Harvard T-shirt that actually had some literary merit. According to the Yale Daily News,

The original design, which won out over five other entries, displayed an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote in the front -- "I think of all Harvard men as sissies" -- in bold white letters. The back of the long-sleeved, navy blue T-shirt said "WE AGREE" in capital letters, with "The Game 2009" scrawled in script underneath it.

Unfortunately--and is it any surprise these days?--a couple of Yale administrators decided that the word "sissies" was too offensive because some people interpreted it as a slur against gay men. This was news to the Yale freshmen who, like me, see "sissies" as being funny primarily because it is such a ridiculous, silly, old-fashioned put down, somewhere between "cad" and "toots" as far as insults go.

Besides, in context, Fitzgerald actually wrote, "I think of all Harvard men as sissies, like I used to be." Does anyone really think Fitzgerald was coming out as a success story of the ex-gay movement, or was he simply calling Harvard men, well, a bunch of sissies (modern translation: wusses, wimps, etc.)?

The administrators were gearing up to ban the T-shirt, but the students backed down and changed the design.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Christian Human Rights Activist Detained by North Korea

On Christmas Day, a U.S. Christian human-rights activist, Robert Park, 29, illegally sauntered across the frozen Tumen River from China into North Korea to promote better rights and conditions for the Korean people.


Robert Park at Dec. 9 rally in Seoul
The North Koreans immediately took Park into custody for questioning.

A US citizen of Korean ancestry, Park claimed he had seen a vision from God of North Korea's liberation and redemption, his colleagues said, adding that he crossed the border shouting "I came here to proclaim God's love".

Park, from Tuscon, Arizona, carried a letter calling for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to release political prisoners, shut concentration camps and take steps to improve rights and conditions, his colleagues said.

Neither the North Koreans nor the U.S. Embassy in Seoul have commented on the incident.

Notably, comparisons will likely be made regarding the treatment of the Robert Park case with respect to the handling of the case involving two female U.S. journalists earlier this year. Journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were sentenced to 12 years hard labor for sauntering into North Korea. Fortunately, they were freed after a tremendous amount of international publicity and the involvement of former President Bill Clinton.

I'll make a wild guess and suggest that Park's case won't receive attention comparable to the Lee/Ling case.

Another Nigerian Arrested on Flight from Amsterdam

(Detroit, Michigan) Curious news here. A second Nigerian man, without luggage, on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam has been arrested on arrival today in Detroit (12:35 PM local time). Today's flight -- NW253 -- took the same route as Friday's flight targeted by Abdulmutallab.

The pilot alerted the authorities and the plane made an emergency landing and was met by police on its arrival in Detroit.

The man, who is in his 30s, reportedly locked himself in a toilet for more than an hour as the plane flew over the US.

Before locking himself in to the toilet the man had already been up and down to the same cubicle several times. Cabin crew became increasingly suspicious, broke the door down and dragged him out. He is then said to have become irate and verbally aggressive.

He was subdued and the pilot contacted the airport to say there was an emergency on board. Emergency vehicles gathered on the runway to meet the plane.

The passengers and crew were evacuated from the plane and the man was formally arrested.

So far, authorities have found no explosives. One has to wonder whether he may have been packing an anal bomb or drug-filled balloons. A cavity search should be considered.

The FBI announced all clear within hours while a senior administration official said the episode involved simply a "sick passenger." Airline officials downplayed the incident as just a "verbally disruptive" passenger.

Lobster Troubles

(Halifax, Nova Scotia) According to this report, lobstermen are suffering from low market prices for their product. Apparently, the economic downturn has caused people to forego purchasing expensive lobster dinners and the result of the lower demand is lower prices.

Typically, lobsters are sold for $5 to $6 per pound. Right now, lobstermen are seeing about $4 per pound which makes it hard to cover costs.

Consequently, some lobstermen are renting trucks, loading up lobsters and heading to the big city to try and get $5.50 to $6 per pound.

Market prices in my area generally run $11 to $13 per pound for live lobster, a heady price to pay if one is throwing a party or simply feeding a family. A dip in the going rate is welcome.

Destroying Watermelons

The terror attempt on Northwest Flight 253 allegedly involved a powder, a liquid and a passenger with known extreme religious views. Here's more on the powder-liquid. From here.

How to make a binary explosive or IED

Disturbing.

ACLU gets one right


Nice to see that they do OCCASIONALLY stand up for free speech.

"A new group called “Stand For Marriage DC” has popped up now that the D.C. city council has passed and the mayor signed into law same-sex marriage. The group is a thinly veiled version of National Organization for Marriage that successfully defeated same-sex marriage in California and Maine. The organization has placed anti-same-sex advertising on D.C. Metro.

Full Equality Now DC, a Washington-based LGBT rights group, wants the ads removed on the grounds that they insult gays and lesbians and violate Metro’s nondiscrimination policies.

Stand For Marriage DC wants to put marriage equality up for a vote.

The ACLU as well as representatives of LGBT groups have sided with the anti-marriage group on the basis of free-speech.

Source

More details here. Another surprising thing is that the transit authority accepted the ads. Apparently the slogan is: "Let the People Vote on Marriage", so I guess it was hard to object to that.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Indian Governor Resigns on Three-Women Sex Scandal

(Hyderabad, India) A veteran Congress Party leader, Gov. Narain Dutt Tiwari, 86, has resigned a day after a television news channel broadcast a video showing him in bed with three women.

Astonishingly, the old fart is denying all allegations, saying the taped episode with three babes is a fake.

The major controversy made Congress party to face lot of embarrassment due to his long association with the party.

The media report had alleged that a Delhi based person supplied some teenaged girls to Tiwari at the nstance of his aide.

After the sting operation was telecast the Raj Bhavan approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court and got a restraint order on the channel from airing the footage.

The Raj Bhavan termed the clipping as fabricated and a tissue of lies.

However, the channel claimed that it has evidence to back what they have shown. (sic all)

The Central Government and the High Court have asked for reports on the activities of the alleged randy old bastard.

Tip: Charley Nestor

Hunting Endangered Birds

(Karachi, Pakistan) Not a single peep of protest has been heard.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given permission to 27 dignitaries of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to set up hunting camps in 63 districts of all four provinces and hunt the protected and endangered bird, the houbara bustard.

Last month, 10 licences were issued to Arab princes and sheikhs allowing them to bring 470 falcons into the country to hunt the endangered bird.

Houbara bustard is a migratory bird and faces extinction threat. It flies to Pakistan in winter from former Soviet territories.

Ironically, it's believed to taste like chicken.


Houbara Bustard
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pakistan official, "Personally I think houbara bustard is not endangered and it does not come under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.” Reportedly, he could not be more wrong.

In any event, where's PETA?

Sex Slavery in America

Here's an up close and personal report.



"Usually stories don't finish this way."

Heh.

Women Pinched for Speed and Weed

(Joplin, Missouri) On Tuesday, two California women drove on I-44 into Missouri and were pulled over by a Highway Patrol cruiser for excessive speed. After approaching the women's car, a trooper noticed the smell of marijuana and driver Brooke Molina, of Nevada City CA, said she had a joint in the ashtray that she had smoked before leaving California. That gave the officer probable cause to search the vehicle.

Troopers then found wrapped Christmas presents containing 20 one-pound bags of processed marijuana. As a result, Molina, 28, and her passenger, Brianna N. Berban, 22, of Ojai CA, were arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. They were booked into custody at the Jasper County Jail.

So, for simple speeding, Molina and Berban face serious prosecution for possessing and dealing drugs. But wait, there's more.

Missouri State Highway Patrol contacted the Nevada County Sheriff's Office with the information that marijuana is apparently being exported to the Midwest from the Nevada County area. According to spokesman Sgt. Bill Smethers of the Sheriff's Office, the marijuana trade is not surprising.

“We get contacted from everywhere — New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona,” Smethers said. “They're intercepting cars coming from Nevada County or coming back to Nevada County, carrying large quantities of processed marijuana or currency.”

Meanwhile, Nevada County authorities initiated their own investigation.

Armed with a search warrant, the local narcotics task force members went to Molina's residence and allegedly found an indoor marijuana garden with 20 plants, about 40 pounds of processed marijuana in one-pound bags packaged for sale, 18 Rubbermaid totes containing marijuana bud on the stem, and marijuana shake — bits of leaves left over from trimming the buds.

The totes contained another 30 to 40 pounds of marijuana on the stem that hadn't yet been trimmed, Smethers added.

Deputies also found evidence of both indoor and outdoor marijuana cultivation, he said.

“The inside of the garage was split into four separate rooms. They had built new walls,” Smethers said. One area had starter plants, and two other areas had more mature plants; investigators also found evidence of an old outdoor garden.

Consequently, it seems that Molina and Berban will have some 'splainin' to do when they return to California.

Christmas Day Airplane Terror Attempt Linked to Al-Qaeda - Updated

(Detroit, Michigan) On a Northwest Airlines flight from Nigeria today, passenger Abdul Mudallad claimed he was acting on orders from al-Qaeda when he tried to blow up the plane. (Update below: name now reported as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab)

Passengers reportedly snuffed Mudallad's plans and the Airbus 330 landed safely at 11:51 AM EST. The flight plan was Nigeria to Detroit via Amsterdam.


Reportedly, the wannabe terrorist was carrying a mix of powder and liquid which somehow failed to explode when he tried to detonate.

Passenger Syed Jafri, a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said the incident occurred during the plane's descent. Jafri said he was seated three rows behind the passenger and said he saw a glow, and noticed a smoke smell. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."

"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," he said.

A witness said Mudallad was observed being transported from the airport. He was seen as "young-looking" and handcuffed to a stretcher. Bandages were on his hands. He is currently being treated at an Ann Arbor hospital.

The FBI, Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration and the White House have all become involved with the story. Inquiries are being directed to the FBI.

[Add.] Initial reports indicate that the plane carried 278 passengers.

[Add.] Another report says that Flight 253 was forced to land after 22-year-old Mudallad set off firecrackers on his lap, thereby explaining his injuries. It's also reported that Mudallad is said to be on terror watch lists and somehow was able to board a plane with firecrackers and an explosive. Questions need answering.

* * * * *
[Update 12/26/09]
In a more thorough report, the terrorist is identified as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian engineering student. Sources say Mutallab was a student at the University College London and he picked up his explosive device in Yemen. Reportedly, the device was strapped to his leg.

Witnesses described seeing the suspect using a syringe to inject one substance into another before flames erupted; it raised the prospect that terrorists have discovered a form of explosives that cannot be detected by current airport screening.

The suspect was on an intelligence database but was not on the government’s no-fly list, meaning he was known to authorities but not considered a high risk.

Mutallab received second-degree burns when he attempted to detonate. One passenger said it sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase when he tried. (Pic from here.)

In other words …

A good comment from Ann Coulter:

"Irritated at the bumps on the road to the Democrats' Thousand-Year Reich, liberals are now claiming that Republican Sen. Tom Coburn requested a prayer for the death of Sen. Bob Byrd during the health-care debate last Saturday night.

Here is what Coburn actually said: "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight. That's what they ought to pray."

After reporting Coburn's remark, The Washington Post's Dana Milbank added: "It was difficult to escape the conclusion that Coburn was referring to the 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Sen. Robert Byrd, (D-W.V.)."

Contrary to Milbank's claim, I find it extremely easy to get away from that conclusion. In fact, I'm a regular Houdini when it comes to that conclusion. That conclusion couldn't hold me for a second.

There are a million ways a senator could miss a vote, other than by dying. Ask Patrick Kennedy. At 1 a.m. on a Sunday night in the middle of a historic blizzard in the nation's capital, I don't think the first thing that came to anyone's mind was death. More likely it was: "Last call."

Milbank was employing the MSNBC motto, "In Other Words," which provides the formula for 90 percent of the political commentary on that network. The MSNBC host quotes a Republican, then says "in other words," translates the statement into something that would be stupid to say, and spends the next 10 minutes ridiculing the translated version. Which no one said. Except the host.

More HERE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Christmas Gifts for Lady Liberty

All together now!

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire/a kerosene heater/microwave something hot,

Cause permission to burn we ain't got,

Holiday carols being sung for the heck of it,

And folks dressed up like native Inuit."

I know. It blows, thanks to this report from the Bay area.

Bah humbug. Revelers will have to huddle around the space heater on Christmas Day, because air quality officials — taking no holiday — have declared another Spare the Air alert.

Light winds and cool dry air are trapping smoke in the valley, so the use of fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits or other wood-burning devices are prohibited on Friday.

Meanwhile, as Pope Benedict XVI gets bowled over and Iraq's Christians get bombed, [more improvised lyrics] ". . . and on the 2009th Christmas Eve, Obama gave to Lady Liberty a full-Nelson and one big-ass pink slip. Doo-dah!"

Merry Christmas!

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

California Woman, 58, Allegedly Does Boy, 14

(La Quinta, California) A 58-year-old local woman, Christine Camer, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy.

According to Sgt. Anthony Baur of the La Quinta Police Department, Camer faces charges of suspicion of lewd acts with a child under 14 and oral copulation with a person under 16.

Police were initially alerted in January and spent the whole year investigating to corroborate allegations.

Camer was booked into custody and later released on $50,000 bail.

First Nations Shop in U.S. to Protest Ontario Tax

(Sault Ste. Marie, U.S./Canadian border) The Ontario Provincial government has decided to increase the sales tax under a scheme called harmonization, ostensibly to sneak it in as something pleasant. Therefore, a harmonized sales tax (HST) is being imposed rather than the "bend over tax" or "brace for impact tax," names which were presumably rejected immediately as being too descriptive. In any event, political leaders seem to believe citizens that will be less opposed if they think the tax is harmonious.

Unfortunately, blowing smoke at First Nations people hasn't worked.

Garden River and Batchewana First Nations citizens have generated action plans that will complement the First Nation's demands for the Crown Government to discontinue the neglect and erosion of the living treaty relationship that is being perpetuated through the implementation of the HST. [...]

The current issue is the imposed HST which represents a breach of a legal contract between the owners of this land and the visitors to this land, otherwise referred to as treaty obligations.

The Canadian government has dismissed the reality that one sovereign nation cannot tax another.

Local First Nations councils approved a shopping venture with transportation provided to the United States for Monday, December 21. [...]

Chief Dean Sayers made the following statement on behalf of both councils: "We as a people are sovereign and hence are neither Canada's Indians nor are we the United States' Indians.

Canada has decided to implement an oppressive policy on us namely the HST, and we see this as a further erosion of our historic Nation to Nation legally binding relationship.

We as a people have decided to recommend to our people to spend their money in the United States where we continue to have our original relationship recognized as per our historic treaty relationship.

"We call on the 10,000 plus native people in the Sault Ste. Marie area and the 220,000 First Nations people across the province to join with us in solidarity for this momentous occasion. We call on you to spend your millions of Christmas dollars in the United States."

Consequently, a convoy of Ontario Province First Nation citizens gathered Monday in a convoy of cars, buses and trucks more than a mile-long and traveled south to a Michigan Wal-Mart to do their Christmas shopping. Loaded with purchases, the vehicles in the convoy slowly inched toward the Canadian border crossing later in the day. All traffic was then stopped by Canada Customs agents.

A school bus with Chief Sayers on board arrived at the bridge plaza just in time for him to witness a confrontation between an elder and a Canada Customs official.

The customs agent, Chief Sayers says, was telling her that she had to go inside the plaza with her receipts and that she might have to pay duty on her purchases.

He told her that, if she didn't comply, her vehicle could be seized.

As Sayers recounts the story, the elder told him that asking her to do that was a violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [...]

Chief Sayers then walked into the bridge plaza building at about 3:25 p.m., telling the Batchewana and Garden River citizens already there that they were shutting down the bridge.

They followed him to the bus, where he gathered more citizens.

When people waiting in their cars in the convey saw fellow citizens joining hands and walking out across all four lanes of traffic, they left their vehicles and joined the line.

In all, more than 50 people held hands for almost an hour and a half, illuminated by headlights of vehicles that were lined up all the way over the bridge, almost to the U.S. Customs plaza, the chief was later told. [...]

Sayers says he was told by Canadian border crossing officials that they had been directed by their superiors to inspect whatever vehicles they felt it necessary to inspect and to charge duty on all goods coming into the country where appropriate.

"We are not Canadian citizens," Chief Sayers said. "Nor are we citizens of the United States. We are a sovereign nation and your attempts to tax us or charge us duty are illegal under your own laws."

Ultimately, the Canadian border agents relented and allowed the First Nations' citizens to go on their way without paying duty and without charges being filed against them. First Nations' chiefs plan on more strategies to draw attention to their rights under the Jay Treaty which assures freedom to travel throughout North America without molestation or harassment.

Florida Teacher Arrested for DUI, Public Urination

(Lee County, Florida) A 35-year-old elementary school teacher, Jennifer Lee De Roberto, was arrested yesterday for allegedly driving drunk and urinating in public. De Roberto was charged with DUI and indecent exposure.

De Roberto's arrest came after she almost hit an officer conducting a traffic stop. Another officer chased her down.

De Roberto, who was not wearing a seatbelt, opened the car window and the smell of alcohol wafted out of the car.

She claimed to have had nothing to drink and said she was the designated driver, even though no one else was in the car. Deputies did find three full bottles and a half-emtpy bottle of Sutter Home wine in the car.

She told the deputy: "I'm a good person. Why are you doing this to me?"

After she failed field sobriety tests in a nearby parking lot, she pulled down her pants, sat down and urinated. A grandmother and her 10-year-old granddaughter were in an adjacent fireworks stand and witnessed the incident.

De Roberto was booked into custody and later released on $1,750 bond.

California Official Orders Removal of Christmas Angel After Complaint from one Leftist

We read:

"There's no place for angels atop Christmas trees, according to one California man who successfully lobbied for the removal of religious symbols at county buildings after spotting a yuletide decoration last week.

Stars and other religious emblems were ordered removed from Christmas trees in all government buildings in Sonoma County on Monday following a complaint by Irv Sutley, a disabled 65-year-old Marine veteran who said the symbols were "extremely offensive" and part of the "cult" of Christianity. "I just don't believe government has the right to intrude on anyone and force them into sectarian behavior," Sutley told FoxNews.com. "I've opposed Buddhist statues, the star of David — anything of a religious nature."

Sutley said he filed the complaint with acting County Administrator Chris Thomas on Dec. 18 after noticing an angel atop a six-foot tree in the lobby of the county recorder's office. Sutley, a lifelong atheist and chairman of the county's Peace and Freedom Party, said he visited the office last week for his re-election bid next June...

Jim Toomey, a public information officer for Sonoma County, confirmed the removal. "To avoid any controversy and to satisfy this gentleman's concerns, the ornaments were removed," said Toomey, adding that he knew of no prior complaints concerning the holiday display.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

California Woman Gets Jail for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Redwood City, California) In August, 32-year-old Nina Herrera was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse stemming from an incident where she lured a 14-year-old boy into her minivan, gave him alcohol and engaged in sex with him. Consequently, she was sentenced yesterday to eight months in prison.

According to Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, Herrera will begin serving her sentence in February.

Prosecutors say Herrera, who has an 11-year-old daughter, went cruising for teenage boys at a San Bruno movie theater in March 2008 and picked up the victim along with some of his friends. She gave the boys alcohol and cigarettes before finally having sex with the victim in her vehicle.

"If this had been a man the issue would not have been if, but how many years in prison," Wagstaffe said, adding that because society views this type of incident as less serious than ones between men and girls the sentence is accordingly lighter. "The concept of equal punishment for this type of crime doesn't exist in our society at this point."

Wagstaffe said the crime was reported after one of the boy's friends told his probation officer what happened.

So the district attorney admits that equality under the law is a myth with respect to child sex crimes. Wonderful.

* * * * *
California Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 4/23/09 post]
(San Mateo County, California) In June 2008, a 31-year-old local mom, Nina Valeska Herrera, was arraigned on charges that she engaged in sex with a 14-year-old boy after plying him with alcohol and cigarettes. Herrera was booked and released on $50,000 bond.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, on March 9, 2008, Herrera “cruised around” in her minivan seeking out teenage boys at the San Bruno movie theater. Herrera, a divorced mother of a 13-year-old girl, reportedly picked up the 14-year-old alleged victim and his friends and offered them alcohol and cigarettes.

The boy’s friend later told his probation officer Herrera and the 14-year-old had sex and authorities contacted her via MySpace. During a chat in which a detective posed as the boy, Herrera allegedly admitted the act.

Herrera has been charged with unlawful sexual intercourse, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor age 14, providing alcohol to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Herrera is scheduled for trial on August 31.

FBI: Gun Sales Increase, Murders Decrease



Gun control activists have long contended that more guns mean more violent crimes but recent FBI data do not support the assertions. In fact, within the past year there has been an explosion in gun ownership while data indicate a precipitous drop in violent crime. Imagine that.

After several years of crime rates holding relatively steady, the FBI is reporting that violent crimes – including gun crimes – dropped dramatically in the first six months of 2009, with murder down 10 percent across the US as a whole.

Concurrently, the FBI reports that gun sales – especially of assault-style rifles and handguns, two main targets of gun-control groups – are up at least 12 percent nationally since the election of President Obama, a dramatic run on guns prompted in part by so-far-unwarranted fears that Democrats in Congress and the White House will curtail gun rights and carve apart the Second Amendment.

Nevertheless, gun control advocates claim no correlation can be made between a surge in gun ownership and a steep decline in violent crime. Allowance is made, however, for a possible deterrent effect with criminals thinking twice before committing crimes for fear that someone may be packing heat. Think about it. News reports have been littered with stories of ammunition shortages and quotes from gun shop owners claiming the best gun sales year ever.

I suggest that the deterrent effect is substantial.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

How the Nazis Stole Christmas

(Cologne, Germany) While scouring flea markets for Christmas items, Rita Breuer found many objects from the Nazi era which prompted her to create an exhibition of "a story not often told."

The Nazis tried to skew the Christmas story to do away with the Jewish baby Jesus and impose their racist ideology and propaganda on the popular festival.

"Celebrating the birth of a Jewish baby was unthinkable for the Nazis," Jürgen Müller, the chief researcher behind the exhibition, told AFP. "But Christmas was too popular to be banned. They therefore decided to corrupt it."

Nazi officials "invented a Germanic origin" for Christmas, renaming it Julfest and claiming that yuletide traditions stemmed from ancient rituals surrounding the winter solstice four days earlier, Müller added.

Baby Jesus was turfed out of the crib and Santa Claus was reincarnated as a
Viking knight. In addition, the regime also created bizarre Nazi Christmas symbols, including swastika-shaped tins for Christmas cakes and Christmas cards emblazoned with a bullet wrapped in fir.

Some traces of Nazi corruption of Christmas continue, having been adopted by present-day neo-Nazis. And, it's hardly surprising since even contemporary anti-Christian groups consistently attempt to take Christianity out of Christmas.

Congressman wants critic jailed

I don't have to tell you which party he represents

"Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida, is very angry with Angie Langley, private citizen of Lake County, Florida. Alan Grayson is so angry that he wants Attorney General Eric Holder to put Angie Langley in jail and fined.

Angie Langley's great sin is to put up a web site called MyCongressmanIsNuts.Com, which has raised 3,725 dollars to defeat Congressman Alan Grayson when she is not in fact one of Grayson's constituents. Furthermore, Grayson claims that the site is designed solely to attack him. It is unclear if putting up a website, even under those circumstances, is a federal offense under the part of the US Code that Alan Grayson cites in his complaint.

Alan Grayson did say that the name of the website was "tasteless and juvenile." These are concepts that Alan Grayson is indeed familiar with. My Fox TV station in Orlando recounts how.

Alan Grayson first came to national attention when he asserted, on the floor of the Congress, that the Republican plan for health care reform was for sick people to "die quickly." This was followed by an demand that former Vice President Dick Cheney "STFU", which stands for an obscene suggestion. Alan Grayson also called Linda Robertson, an adviser to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a "K Street Whore."

There would seem to be a little bit of method in Alan Grayson's madness. The sending of the letter to Eric Holder, even if ignored by the Attorney General, would seem to serve as a means to intimidate Angie Langley. However, if, as it seems, Angie Langley is not intimidated, the letter is almost certain the backfire and provide some free publicity for Angie Langley's website, allowing her to raise even more money for Alan Grayson's defeat next year.

Alan Grayson also seems to have proven Angie Langley's point. The Congressman is nuts.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Homeless Gift Guide

For those who live around or among homeless populations and have the urge to hand out Christmas presents, this gift guide is for you. It was put together by Dr. Gurley, an internist.

The detailed guidance provided covers recommended gift items and gift attributes and methods of dissemination of gifts to reduce risk when the gift-giver starts milling with the derelicts. In fact, it's strongly emphasized that a person must not attract attention or risk being a target for an assault.

Don't break stride, and avoid getting into long conversations. Don't make a show of giving gifts around a large area and certainly don't go into areas you don't know. I'd say don't gift alone, or in isolated areas, and don't give gifts to crowds.

Gift should be given in plain bags - no bows, no garish colors, no Tiffany sacks. It's nice, though, to tuck inside a small bow or giftcard ("From Me, To You"). You wouldn't wave money around, and the same applies to your gift. Anytime you might consider handing someone a dollar, hand him/her a gift instead. And do it as discreetly, and with as little fanfare.

I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt to play Santa Claus for the homeless before being schooled in street smarts. Homeless individuals are often transients who exist in the shadows of society where petty thievery frequently escalates to major crimes.

However, if one is struck with the calling to give gifts to homeless people, I suggest detailed planning be performed to minimize risk along with following the guidance of Doc Gurley.

Akron Teacher Gets Prison

(Akron, Ohio) In February 2009, a 46-year-old math teacher at East High School, Elizabeth A. Douglas, was arrested on a DUI charge, registering 0.226 blood alcohol level. Since it was her fourth DUI in six years, Douglas was sentenced to four months in jail.

In jail, a search of Douglas' cell in August found contraband, a bag of prescription pills. Yesterday, Douglas pleaded guilty to smuggling prescription drugs into the Glenwood Jail. As a consequence, Summit County Common Pleas Judge Judy Hunter sentenced Douglas to six months in prison, to run concurrently with the four-month term.

Given credit for time served, 153 days, Douglas has but 27 days left behind bars.

Douglas has been on unpaid leave from her teaching position since her initial conviction. Disciplinary action by the state and local school authorities remains to be determined.

The "Nazi Pope" myth lives on -- among people who should know better

"The founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center voiced dismay and disappointment Monday at weekend Vatican moves to raise controversial wartime pope Pius XII to sainthood. The Vatican sparked anger in Jewish communities worldwide with moves to nudge Pius — whose beatification process was launched in 1967 — closer to sainthood, its ultimate honor.

The Catholic Church argues that Pius saved many Jews who were hidden away in religious institutions, and that his silence during the Holocaust — when millions of Jews were exterminated by Germany’s Nazi regime — was born out of a wish to avoid aggravating their situation. But others believe Pius’s inaction when it mattered to the lives of so many was appallingly wrong.”

Source:

[There is still a lot of hatred for ALL Christians among Jews. More on Pius XII here and here]

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

How political correctness has messed up people's heads

An email from a reader below:

The other morning I was listening to WBBM-AM radio (www.wbbm780.com), in Chicago. The radio station has been playing "Holiday Greetings" from various persons in their management. But one in particular caught my attention.

The manager of whatever came on with "Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings. The management of WBBM wish all our listeners a Feliz Navidad and Propero Ano Nuevo, Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings to all." The (English) word "Christmas" was never mentioned.

Apparently saying Merry Christmas is only unacceptable if you say it in English. Saying it in Spanish is perfectly acceptable.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Woman Arrested for Tearing Man's Scrotum

(Winona, Minnesota) A 54-year-old local woman, Sheila Mae Baker, was arrested after grabbing a man by his genitals and yanking hard enough to rip the skin. Baker reportedly faces charges of assault.

According to Deputy Police Chief Tom Williams, Baker denied grabbing the man's genitals. Instead, she said she hit him in self defense.

"I did not grab him by his testicle," Baker said. "I kneed (him)."

Police were called at 10:01 p.m., Friday to a residence in the 850 block of East Fifth Street for a report of a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, officers spoke to a man who was wearing a T-shirt and underwear, Williams said. The man pulled down his underwear and showed them a large tear on his genitals.

The man said Baker and he had been arguing that evening, and he had been trying to stay out of her way, Williams said. He was in the kitchen when she came in, grabbed him by the genitals, pulled and jerked.

The man required stitches to repair the tear.

Leandra's Law

(New York) A new drunk driving law, called Leandra's Law, is now being enforced in the state of New York. It applies to drunk drivers with a child in the vehicle.

The first person arrested in the Capital Region was 52-year-old Dr. Eileen Joyce, an ob/gyn at St. Peter's Hospital. She was caught driving with a child in the car while registering a 0.14 blood alcohol concentration. The legal limit is 0.08.

Leandra's Law, which went into effect on Friday, provides harsher penalties for drunken drivers when there is a child in the vehicle - even for first-time offenders. Instead of misdemeanor, Joyce faces one-and-a-third to four years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000 to $5,000 if convicted.

State police say they made about 30 arrests statewide under the new law over the weekend.

Don't drink and drive.

ChiComs Bully Christians

From AFP:

LINFEN, China — Christians in north China are facing a Christmas of fear after 10 local religious leaders were jailed in recent weeks and their new church shut down amid a crackdown on unauthorised worship.

Five of the church leaders were given prison terms of up to seven-years by a Linfen court, while the others were sentenced without trial to labour camps for two years, their lawyer said.

Their crimes? "Illegally occupying farm land" and "disturbing transportation through a mass gathering".

"The authorities are clearly sending a message to the Christians," lawyer Li Fanping, who defended the church leaders at their trial last month, told AFP. He expressed shock at the severity of the punishment for minor offences.

"They've convicted them of these specific crimes. As Christmas is coming, a lot of Christians will want to gather to worship, but the authorities have made it clear what can happen if they gather."

China officially allows freedom of religion, but in practice, the ruling Communist Party restricts independent worship by forcing groups to register with the government.

Sadly, there are people in the U.S. who would like to treat Christians the same way. Communism is evil.

Obama's Engagement Policy with Iran Called a Failure

FT:

The Obama administration has warned international banks to be on the alert for further illicit attempts by Iran to access the US financial system, following a record $536m (€374m, £333m) fine imposed on Credit Suisse last week for colluding with Tehran.

The move comes as Washington shifts emphasis from engagement with Iran – a signature policy of Barack Obama, US president, that to date has failed to produce any agreement with the Islamic republic – to a push for more sanctions in the new year.

It appears the Obama hopey-changey policy of engagement towards Iran has been revised in the direction of the Bush policy.

Imagine that.

Mr. Happy Goes to Canada

Quote of the day:

"She was young and it seems that you have to get an older girl to really take care of Mr. Happy ...."

From Toronto, the apparent wanna-be bawdy capital of North America.

Tip: a hoser

All I Want For Christmas

My most-wanted Christmas present is the fulfillment of a wish for 2010 -- not having a single Democrat incumbent re-elected. All Democrats who left their filthy fingerprints on the Marxist health care plan deserve to be booted.

Meanwhile, here's a palate cleanser.



Heh.

New research: Speech correctness does not hide real attitudes

The Left have driven most verbal comment on group differences underground but they will have a job suppressing non-verbal cues. Simplified summary plus academic journal abstract below:

"A great deal of information can be communicated nonverbally. Weisbuch et al. have used experimental, archival, and survey studies to find that the nonverbal communication of racial bias in popular television shows perpetuates implicit racism in viewers. A subsequent field data analysis yielded a correlation between U.S. viewer ratings and a Federal Bureau of Investigation tally of anti-black hate crimes in the same localities.

SOURCE

The Subtle Transmission of Race Bias via Televised Nonverbal Behavior

Max Weisbuch et al.

Abstract

Compared with more explicit racial slurs and statements, biased facial expressions and body language may resist conscious identification and thus produce a hidden social influence. In four studies, we show that race biases can be subtly transmitted via televised nonverbal behavior. Characters on 11 popular television shows exhibited more negative nonverbal behavior toward black than toward status-matched white characters. Critically, exposure to prowhite (versus problack) nonverbal bias increased viewers’ bias even though patterns of nonverbal behavior could not be consciously reported. These findings suggest that hidden patterns of televised nonverbal behavior influence bias among viewers.

Science 18 December 2009: Vol. 326. no. 5960, pp. 1711 - 1714

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Go Forth and Shoplift

(York, England) Some people are outraged. Father Tim Jones of the St. Lawrence Church yesterday told his congregation to shoplift during a Nativity sermon.

Delivering his festive lesson, Father Jones told the congregation: 'My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.

'I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.

'I would ask them not to take any more than they need, for any longer than they need.

'I offer the advice with a heavy heart and wish society would recognise that bureaucratic ineptitude and systematic delay has created an invitation and incentive to crime for people struggling to cope.'

Jones said it's better to be a shoplifter than a whore, mugger or burglar. It's not known where embezzlers, blackmailers, Ponzi schemers and dope dealers fit on the Tim Jones religious scale of criminal relativity.

I suspect that Father Jones simply wants to get his name in lights by making political statements prefaced by outrageous, headline-grabbing pronouncements.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Alcohol Pills

According to this report, the driest possible martini is now achievable.

Russian professor Evgeny Moskalev of Saint Petersburg Technological University has evolved a technique that allows turning alcohol into powder and packing it in pills. The new technique can solidify any kind of alcohol, including whisky, cognac, wine and beer.

Presumably, the brewers', distillers' and vintners' secrets are lost in the pill-making process.

For those who are teetotalers, here's an alternative.


Obama Pills
It's not clear where one would obtain any of the subject pills but it's believed they are classified as contraband.

Tip: Charley Nestor

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

NYT edits out cold weather

In a perfect end to a perfect global warming conference, Barack Obama has left Copenhagen “in order to return to Washington before a major snowstorm hits.” It might be only the 12th white Christmas for Washington in weather-recording history. The beauty of this moment was too much for the New York Times, which initially reported, accurately enough: "Aides said he left to get to Washington ahead of a major snowstorm headed toward the capital".

But that piece has since been re-written, omitting a certain word: "Mr. Obama, who left before the conference considered the accord because of a major storm descending on Washington …"

More HERE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Woman Hanged After Marijuana Bust

(Brooklyn, New York) A 32-year-old woman (name withheld pending notification of kin) was arrested for marijuana possession at about 7 PM Friday night. She was jailed at the 73rd Precinct Police Station.

About 45 minutes after being jailed, officers discovered her body hanging from a noose she had made out of her pants. She was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Wisconsin Babysitter Gets Prison for Child Sex

(Ozaukee County, Wisconsin) In October 2009, a 37-year-old local babysitter, Jennifer L. Wallock, pleaded no contest to sex assault of a child stemming from a sexual relationship she had with a 15-year-old boy she was caring for between June 2007 and August 2008.

For a conviction on one felony count of second-degree sexual assault of a child, Ozaukee County Judge Paul Malloy sentenced Wallock this week to two years in prison.

Authorities were initially alerted by Wallock's husband who became suspicious and started recording her telephone conversations.

Wallock’s husband turned the digital recording of the phone conversations over to the Saukville Police Department.

The teenage victim told police that he and Wallock had sex repeatedly between June 2007 and August 2008. The victim was 15 when the sexual relationship began and turned 16 in November 2007.

Since the wiretap was illegal, the prosecution initially offered Wallock a deal of nine months in jail for a guilty plea. Judge Malloy rejected that deal and imposed two years in prison instead. In addition, she was ordered to register as a sex offender and complete four years of supervised probation when released from prison.

Jet Engine Stolen in Malaysia

(Putrajaya, Malaysia) In January 2009, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officers found that a jet engine and its maintenance records had been stolen from the Sungai Besi Air Base.

Both the air force and police were investigating the possibility that the engine was sold on the black market to either illegal arms traders or countries still flying the F-5E Tiger II and RF-5E Tigereye.

The stolen engine is the powerplant for one of the four F-5E Tiger II fighters and two RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jets still in active duty at the air force’s 12th Squadron (Scorpion) at the Butterworth air base.

F-5E Tiger II fighter
According to RMAF Chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, other stuff may be missing based on initial investigations, calling the stolen engine "the tip of the iceberg."

Reportedly, the military has "taken disciplinary action" against those responsible for the theft. It's not clear what that means since they still don't know who has the stolen jet engine.

SD Woman Gets Prison for Child Sex Crimes - Updated

(Sioux Falls, South Dakota) In October 2009, 44-year-old Cara Prince pleaded guilty to sex crimes against a child under 16. A pre-sentence investigation and a psycho-sexual evaluation were ordered.

Yesterday, Cara Prince appeared in a Lincoln County courtroom and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for multiple counts of sexual abuse against three young relatives.

In court Friday Lincoln County States Attorney Tom Wollman said this case is, "Nothing short of disgusting." Prince had oral sex with a 14-year-old female relative, and that's why she's headed to prison for 15 years.

Cara Prince cried in a Lincoln County courtroom Friday as she apologized to the 14-year-old victim for what she did to her, something Prince now has to think about in prison.

"It's the first time I've ever worked on a case like this where a female offender has perpetrated an act upon a 14-year-old girl like this," Lincoln County States Attorney Tom Wollman said.

Prince pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a minor and got the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Wollman says it was best for Prince to plead guilty, so the victim would not have to re-live the events in court.

Co-defendant Paul Churchill, 41, awaits a court appearance where he faces more serious charges.

Tip: Lame

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SD Woman Charged with Sex Crimes
[Previous 7/18/09 post]
(Sioux Falls, South Dakota) A 44-year-old local woman, Cara Prince, has been accused of incest and other sex crimes. She faces charges of fourth-degree rape of her daughter, sexual contact with a child under 16 and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Prince pleaded not guilty to the charges yesterday.

Prince and 40-year-old Paul Churchill were arrested last month, and are both accused of forcing children to have sex with each other and with Churchill and Prince.

Prince faces up to 15 years in prison on each count if convicted of rape and sexual contact.

Court appearance have been scheduled for next month.