Women With Troubles - April 2009

Reported in news stories during April 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.

(AZ) Elizabeth Livesay, 26,
teacher - Guilty of sex with girl, 16. Sentencing on June 8th,

(CA) Kristina Anna Baeta, 38,
teacher - Arrested for lewd acts with boy, 13,

(CA) Jacquelynn Faye Fielding, 23,
neighbor - Convicted of sex with boy, 14. Sentencing scheduled for May 29th,

(CA) Nina Valeska Herrera, 31,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Yvette Rodriguez, 21,
neighbor - Gets three years in prison for sex with boy, 12,

(CA) Karen Swedberg, 30,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(CA) Maricruz Torrez, 33,
social worker - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(CT) Amanda Lizasoain, 19,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for alleged sexual contact with child under 10,

(CT) Helen Sun, 37,
neighbor - Accused of assault for handcuffing and biting husband in bizarre suicide attempt,

(FL) Jennifer Collier, 34,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Allison Dinsmore, 29,
teacher - Accused of killing cats,

(FL) Michelle Fresno, 27,
karate instructor - Gets 18 months prison for sex with male student, 15,

(FL) Cynthia Horvath, 45,
teacher - Arrested for violating probation as a convicted sex offender,

(FL) Katrina Renee Jackson, 33,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 17,

(FL) Tracy Linam,
teacher - Arrested for alleged child abuse,

(FL) Lisa Robyn Marinelli, 41,
teacher - Gets no jail for unlawful sex with male student, 17,

(FL) Vikki Suiters, 32,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 17,

(FL) Rachel Wade, 19,
neighbor - Accused of murder,

(GA) Ashley Brenetta Florence, 25,
teacher - Arrested for sex and drug charges involving male student, 17,

(GA) Latasha Dione Malone, 35,
babysitter - Accused of killing baby, 2 months old,

(ID) Michelle Farley, 40,
teacher - Guilty of sexual battery of male student, 17. Sentencing in June,

(IL) Kasey E. Johnes, 37,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 17,

(IL) Bonnie J. McDonald, 49,
neighbor - Guilty of sex assault of boy, 7. Sentencing scheduled for June 19th,

(IN) Daniele Purnell-Hopkins, 37,
teacher - Arrested for liquor in the classroom,

(MA) Ana Paula Almeida, 31,
pastor - Arrested for immigration, assault and child rape offenses,

(MD) Sarah Ellison, 31,
daycare operator - Guilty of sex abuse of boy, 14. Sentencing scheduled for July 29,

(MD) Autumn Leathers, 25,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for sex with male student, 15,

(MI) Melissa Lavender, 32,
teacher - Gets probation in student sex case,

(MO) Toni R. Warren, 35,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(MS) Tyshuna Cooper Ross, 38,
neighbor - Sentenced to 18 years prison for child sex offenses,

(NC) Amanda Metcalf, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for raping boy, 13,

(NC) Gina Marie Watring, 40,
teacher - Arrested for sex with student,

(NJ) Lindsay Massaro, 23,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student,

(NV) Heather Ann Grizoffi, 19,
neighbor - Gets no jail for sexual seduction of boy, 14,

(NY) Marcia Amsterdam, 32,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for raping male student, 13,

(NY) Cara Dickey, 30,
teacher - Sentenced to four years prison for rape of boy, 14,

(NY) Cathy Jones, 41,
child counselor - Accused of raping boy, 17,

(OH) Joaneen Graham, 45,
corrections guard - Gets prison for sex with juvie inmates,

(PA) Shana Brown, 32,
neighbor - Arrested for scheming to have boyfriend impregnate 13-year-old daughter,

(PA) Virginia Cipriani-Baustert, 33,
teacher - Accused of corruption of minors,

(PA) Stacie Freeman, 44,
neighbor - Arrested for prostituting teen girls,

(PA) Dorothy Prawdzik, 45,
neighbor - Sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child pornography,

(PA) Michele E. Zulkowsky, 29,
teacher's aide - Sentenced to probation for corrupting and endangering boy, 16,

(TN) Sandra Curtis,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(TN) Misty Hatcher, 19,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of boy, 13,

(TX) Jennifer Lea Burton, 39,
teacher/coach - Accused of sex assault of female student,

(TX) Lauren Cosgrove, 30,
teacher - Gets prison for sex with boy, 13,

(TX) Kenzi Friday, 23,
teacher - Arrested for improper sex with male student, 17,

(TX) Lissette Sparks, 36,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(UT) Lisa Rowley, 42,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(UT) Rashelle J. Wilson, 40,
neighbor - Sentenced to one year in jail for sex with teen boys,

(VA) Ashley Esposito, 25,
student teacher - Gets no jail for felony sodomy and contributing delinquency of male student, 17,

(WA) Jennifer Leigh Rice, 33,
teacher - Convicted of kidnapping and raping boys, 10 and 15 years old. Sentencing in June,

(WI) Codette Eldridge, 31,
social worker - Accused of sex with two boys, ages 12 and 13,

(WI) Ashley Miller, 18,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for sex with boy, 12,

(WV) Amber Ward, 24,
neighbor - Arrested for sex assault of boy, 15,

(WY) Katie Joseph, 32,
youth counselor - Arrested for sex with boy, 17.

Thanks to all the tipsters, readers and commenters.

Juvie Guard Sentenced for Sex with Male Inmates - Updated

(Cleveland, Ohio) Joaneen Graham was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison.

* * * * *
Juvie Guard Guilty of Sex with Male Inmates
[4/21/09 post bumped]
(Cleveland, Ohio) Last month, a 45-year-old corrections officer at the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correction Facility, Joaneen Graham, was arrested for performing sexual acts on an 18-year-old male inmate.

Graham was arrested after surveillance video showed her in an empty part of the facility March 24, 2008, performing oral sex on an 18-year-old.

She had taken the teen out of his cell on a "cleaning detail." She also had inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old male inmate, prosecutor's spokesman Ryan Miday said.

Subsequently, Graham pleaded guilty to sexual battery and assault. She was due to be sentenced yesterday but it was postponed at her request until April 28.

Graham faces up to 5 and one-half years in prison and classification as a registered sexual offender.

Australia: Mice attack disabled veteran in government nursing home

What Green/Left government leads to. Something for Americans to look forward to under Obama

A BEDRIDDEN war veteran was found on Anzac Day with bloody ears, hands, face and neck after being "severely chewed" by swarming mice at a southwest Queensland nursing home.

Opposition MP Ray Hopper said Queensland Health had been slow to respond to a mice plague at the Dalby Hospital, which includes a nursing home, leading to the attack on the 89-year-old man.

The man's daughter said staff found her father bleeding from bites to his head, neck, ears and hands on Anzac Day, Mr Hopper said. "The top of his ears were severely chewed and he had bites to his head and neck,'' Mr Hopper said. "His hands were covered in blood because he was trying to get the mice off him. "We are talking about a health facility overrun by vermin. It's atrocious.''

Mr Hopper said the man was so distressed that doctors had put him on morphine to calm him down. He said it was normal to see an increase in mice in Dalby and the Darling Downs at the onset of winter, and the problem was handled with chemical sprays. "But the bureaucrats said no sprays this year because it uses agricultural chemicals, and that's not allowed to happen at a health facility,'' he said.

SOURCE


Posted by John Ray.

Proposed New York Gun Laws

(Albany, New York) The controversy regarding "microstamping" of bullet casings continues among New York lawmakers. The issue has been raised before but never signed into law.

However, the microstamping bill is just one of a number of gun control measures being addressed this week.

The bills under consideration also create new rules for gun storage and weapons safety classes, require guns be childproof, require background checks for pawn shop gun purchases, prohibit bullets designed to fragment upon impact, ban weapons of .50 caliber or larger and empower courts to revoke gun licenses of individuals considered a threat to the public.

Gun advocates say the bills just harass legal gun owners while doing nothing to stem the illegal use of guns. The measures have failed in previous years but, with the Democrats surging into power last fall, there is worry that some may be passed into law.

The microstamping requirement seems to be gaining some support since it presumably can help solve crimes by providing evidence of which gun was used during a felony shooting. It passed the Assembly by a 94-47 vote. Nevertheless, opponents say microstamps can be easily defeated by filing away the code on the firing pins so all they do is increase the cost of manufacturing.

Interestingly, research on the current microstamping technology has not been convincing. Results are inconsistent from manufacturer to manufacturer, the codes on firing pins can be easily removed with household tools and the firing pins can be replaced. Add to those difficulties the fact that legal gun owners using their guns legally now have to keep an accounting of all their spent brass for fear that someone will pick them up to drop at a crime scene.

Busloads of pro and anti-gun activists were in Albany yesterday to plead their cases but they were a day late since the measures were voted on late Tuesday.

About half the bills, which range from requiring gun permits be recertified every five years to requiring semi-automatic handguns "microstamp" shell casing with an ID number, had passed by early evening. The rest were also expected to pass, as they have done in past years.

The Assembly also passed a bill to make it illegal to possess or sell .50-caliber weapons.

Next, the bills go to the Senate for more debate. Given that New York is infested with liberal Democrats, it's possible that some of the measures will ultimately get through the Senate and go to Gov. Paterson for signature.

Incidentally, California Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill requiring microstamping on all semi-automatic pistols in October 2007. The law becomes effective 1/1/2010. Strangely, law enforcement officers are reportedly exempted from the microstamping requirement.

Companion posts at GunWatch and The Jawa Report.

Gun-Offender Registry Proposed in Utica, NY

Utica Mayor David Roefaro today proposed that city residents charged with second- or third-degree criminal possession of a weapon be required to register their home and work addresses with the police department every six months for four years following completion of their punishment.

The proposal would include those convicted of illegal possession of:

* A loaded handgun.

* Three or more illegal handguns.

* A handgun by a convicted felon.

* An assault weapon.

* A disguised firearm.

The information in the registry would not be available to the public because Roefaro is concerned with protecting juveniles convicted of illegal gun possession, said Angelo Roefaro, the mayor's assistant.

“We don't want to ruin their reputation in the community in perpetuity,” Angelo Roefaro said.

Mayor Roefaro wants to call the city ordinance "Lindsey's Law" after a local police officer, Thomas Lindsey, who was killed during a traffic stop in 2007. Oddly, the Oneida County DA, Scott McNamara, said he didn't know whether the proposed law would have helped Lindsey.

I'm of the opinion that a gun-offender registry would NOT have helped Officer Lindsey. When fingers are pulling triggers, it's way past time to do background checks. With that in mind, I would suggest that the proposed gun-offender registry has more to do with politics than crime prevention.

In any event, the proposed ordinance requires approval of the Utica Common Council and it is scheduled to be discussed next month. If enacted, violations will be misdemeanors punishable by a possible one year in jail and $1,000 fine.

Companion posts at GunWatch and The Jawa Report.

Tennessee Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Bluff City, Tennessee) A 19-year-old local woman, Misty Hatcher, was arrested today for the alleged statutory rape of a 13-year-old boy. Police said that Hatcher admitted to engaging in sex with the boy.

Police did not say when the investigation began, only that it was started at the request of one of the boy's parents.

The Department of Children's Services is involved in the ongoing investigation.

Hatcher was booked into custody at the Sullivan County Detention Center. There's no news on bail.

Michigan Teacher Gets No Jail in Student Sex Case - Updated

(Mount Clemens, Michigan) Thirty-two-year-old former high school teacher Melissa Lavender appeared today in Macomb County Court and was sentenced by Macomb Circuit Judge Matthew Switalski.

In accordance with a plea deal, Lavender pleaded guilty in March to two counts of attempted aggravated stalking and received five years of probation.

Lavender spoke little in court, however, she signed a document nullifying her teaching certificate.


* * * * *
Michigan Teacher Guilty in Student Sex Case - Updated
[Previous 3/16/09 post]
(Mount Clemens, Michigan) Culinary arts teacher Melissa Lavender pleaded guilty today to two counts of attempted aggravated stalking in accordance with a plea deal.

In return, two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct were dismissed.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 29.

Although the felonies are punishable by up to five years in prison, the Macomb Prosecutor's Office is not seeking incarceration because Lavender is a first-time offender. Instead, they are seeking a minimum of five years probation.

Also, Lavender signed a document that will nullify her teaching certificate. She was a culinary arts teacher and had worked for the district for six years.

Lavender teared up as she told the court she attempted to contact via electronic device two students in a "harassing manner."

Police say even though the alleged victims were both of the age of consent, state law forbids teachers from having relationships with students.

In summary, resolution of the case appears to be that Lavender will get no jail for sex with two students. It's not known whether she will be required to register as a sex offender.


* * * * *
Teacher Accused of Sex with Two Male Students
[Previous 8/6/08 post]
(St. Clair Shores, Michigan) A 33-year-old culinary arts teacher at South Lake High School, Melissa Lavender, was arraigned this morning on charges that she engaged in sexual activity with two male students, ages 16 and 17.

Lavender faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree.

According to police, the incident between Lavender and the two male students occurred the evening of June 26 and the early morning of June 27 on a former student’s parent’s boat docked at a St. Clair Shores marina.

St. Clair Shores Police Detective Hank Bergeron said Lavender was the only teacher on the boat that evening along with eight former and current South Lake students. Several witnesses reported to police on July 28 that Lavender had inappropriate contact with two current students who were 16 and 17 at the time.

Alcohol was reportedly involved in the incident, Bergeron said.

Lavender, a married mother-of-two, was booked and released on $25,000 bond. While she awaits an August 26 preliminary hearing, Lavender must not have contact with unrelated minors without supervision, must not enter South Lake High School and must undergo breathalyzer testing four times a day. She has been suspended from her teaching position.

British court rules that environmentalism is a religion

A former executive of a top property company has been told he can claim at a tribunal that he was sacked because of his "philosophical belief in climate change".

In the landmark ruling Tim Nicholson was told he could use employment law to argue that he was discriminated against because of his views on the environment. The head of the tribunal ruled that those views amounted to a philosophical belief under the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations, 2003. The case is the first of its kind and could open the way for hundreds of future claims to be made in the same fashion, the newspaper reported.

Mr Nicholson, 41, was made redundant while head of sustainability at Grainger plc, Britain's biggest residential property investment company, in July last year. He is now suing his former employers for unfair dismissal, arguing that his beliefs on the environment prompted clashes with other senior executives at the firm, and led to his sacking.

Mr Nicholson told the tribunal that he clashed with other executives over the way it adopted its policies on the environment and corporate social responsibility. He said he tried to get the company to act in a more environmentally responsible way, but was obstructed by senior company executives. Mr Nicholson said that his frustrations were exemplified by an occasion when the company's chief executive, Rupert Dickinson, "showed contempt for the need to cut carbon emissions by flying out a member of the IT staff to Ireland to deliver his BlackBerry that he had left behind in London."

At a pre-hearing review at an employment tribunal in London, tribunal head David Sneath ruled on a point of law that: "In my judgment, his belief goes beyond a mere opinion." The full employment tribunal is now set to take place from June 4. Grainger might consider an appeal against the ruling, the company's lawyer said.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray.

Taliban Promise New Afghan Operation

(Kandahar, Afghanistan) Earlier today, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid phoned the media (AFP) and read a threatening statement from Mullah Borador, deputy to one-eyed leader Mullah Omar. It warned of increased ambushes, suicide attacks and bombings.

‘Operation Nasrat’ (Victory), to be launched on Tuesday, would also target Afghan officials and international diplomats with a wave of suicide bombings and attacks, claimed a statement from the extremist militia. [...]

'Now that America and Nato intend to send more troops to Afghanistan, the Afghans also feel the need for a more speedy and strong operation to defend themselves and the freedom of their country,’ it said. [...]

‘Our targets will be the units of the invading forces, diplomatic stations, convoys, ranking officials of the puppet government, MPs, and employees of the defence, interior and intelligence ministries,’ it said.

The statement also warned Afghans and private contracting company personnel to stop supporting President Karzai.

Notably, the Taliban regularly issue notifications and threats of "new" operations. Military officials usually dismiss the threats as insignificant.

Karate Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Orange County, Florida) In accordance with an agreement with the prosecution, 27-year-old karate instructor Michelle Fresno pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a 15-year-old male student on several occasions.

In exchange for her plea, Fresno was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of probation.

Immediately after her expression of guilt, Fresno was fingerprinted, handcuffed and taken to jail. It's unknown whether Fresno will be required to register as a sex offender.


* * * * *
Karate Teacher Arrested for Sex with Boy
[Previous 12/6/08 post]
(Orange County, Florida) A 26-year-old karate instructor formerly at Sidekicks Martial Arts in Apopka, Michelle Fresno, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sex with one of her 15-year-old students.

Fresno faces 11 counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a child under 16.

The incident unraveled after the boys mom found out about the affair after seeing the couple kissing out in front of the boys home on November 15th. The mother confronted the boy and told him she was going to Fresno’s boss at the karate studio.

Two days later, Fresno was fired but according to the report the affair between the two didn’t end there.

There were several instances where the boy snuck out of his house to meet with Fresno as well as several occasions when Fresno snuck into the boy’s home and had relations with him.

The entire incident came to head last week when the mother noticed a red mark on the boy’s neck. The boy told his mother that he got the mark from an unknown female at a party. The mother didn’t believe him and contacted the school resource officer at Apopka High School where the boy attends.

When confronted at the school, the boy admitted the affair.

I would guess that the mark on the boy's neck was a hickey.

Fresno was booked into the Orange County Jail.

Goat Beheadings

(Tooele, Utah) A 20-year-old Springville man, Orion Kent Mitchell Stoltman, pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal and theft, stemming from beheading two goats on Halloween last year. In exchange for the plea, counts of criminal mischief and trespass were dismissed.

According to prosecutors, Stoltman had no motive in the goat beheadings and there was no connection between Stoltman and the goats' owners, who kept them as pets.

Tooele police have said that in the early hours of Oct. 31, Stoltman and two juveniles broke into a pen containing the goats, named Daisy and Duke. The animals were found beheaded outside Tooele's North Lake Elementary School.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 9th before 3rd District Judge Stephen Henriod. Stoltman faces a possible two and one-half years in prison.

Hopefully, someone will keep an eye on Stoltman and his two juvenile friends from here on out.

Utah Woman Gets Jail for Sex with Two Boys - Updated

(Draper, Utah) Forty-year-old Rashelle J. Wilson pleaded guilty yesterday to felony counts of unlawful sex with a minor and with 16- or 17-year-old and misdemeanor counts of supplying alcohol to a minor and enticing a minor over the Internet.

All the offenses stemmed from relationships with two teen boys, ages 15 and 16.

As a result, Wilson was sentenced by 3rd District Judge Mark Kouris to one year in jail plus four years of probation. In addition, Wilson was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and obtain a psycho-sexual evaluation.

It's unknown whether Wilson will be required to register as a sex offender.


* * * * *
Utah Woman Accused of Sex with Two Boys
[Previous 8/16/08 post]
(Draper, Utah) A 39-year-old grocery cashier, Rashelle J. Wilson, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sex with two 15-year-old boys -- a bag boy and one of his friends.

According to Draper Police Sgt. Gerald Allred, Wilson enticed the boys into two sexual encounters.

Police began investigating when one boy's family members found explicit text messages on his phone. The messages led them to Wilson's online Myspace profile, where they found sexually explicit content, and possibly other victims.

"There appear to be conversations with younger people and other minors through the Myspace account," Allred said.

Wilson was arrested Thursday on suspicion of two counts each of forcible sodomy with a minor and enticing a minor over the Internet.

According to a press release, the grocery store said that it was conducting an internal investigation.

Topless Dancer, 14, Found During Police Raid

(Akron, Ohio) Akron Vice Unit officers raided the Playhouse Bar and found a 14-year-old girl dancing topless. As a result, two men, manager Christopher J. Wier and owner Robert T. Mitchell, both 34, were arrested.

Some dancers were observed to have contact with customers but not the 14-year-old. According to Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards, the bar is not licensed as a sexually-oriented business.

From an Akron Police Department Press Release:

A search warrant was executed Friday night at The Playhouse located at 1700 E. Waterloo Rd as part of “Operation Spring Cleaning.”

Officers arrested four dancers for dancing topless and having contact with customers in a liquor establishment that has not been licensed as a Sexually Oriented Business.

Another female, 14-years-old, was observed dancing topless, however no contact with customers was observed. She was removed and placed in protective custody.

Wier and Mitchell have each been charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented performance and two counts of child endangering. Both were booked into custody at the Summit County Jail.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Florida Teacher Cuffed for Child Abuse

(Escambia County, Florida) A kindergarten teacher at Rachel Patterson Elementary School, Tracy Linam, was arrested last Friday for alleged child abuse.

Tracy and her husband, Terry Linam, were indicted by an Escambia County grand jury.

The Linams each face charges of aggravated child abuse and domestic violence.

Reportedly, the alleged child abuse did not involve any of Linam's students.

Loitering Dutch Youths Given Headaches

(Rotterdam, Netherlands) A device called the Mosquito emits an annoying sound in the frequency range where it can typically be heard only by people under the age of 25.

Consequently, the Mosquito is used as a "teen repellent" to discourage youths from loitering on the streets and engaging in anti-social behavior.

According to 10-year-old Mohammed,

"It sucks! It gives me a headache. It's like when you've been listening to loud music for a long time and then you stop," he says. "This buzzing sound."

Mohammed's friends Ercan, Anass and Nordin agree but some youths say they have gotten used to it. Nevertheless, the do-gooder crowd and the Socialist Party are strongly opposed to the Mosquitos.

Social worker Jan Schellekens opines,

"All it does is move the problem," she says. "Young offenders are forced even more underground so that they are even harder to reach. And there is so little for the kids to do anyway. They don't have a place to go except the street. And now they are being chased off the street."

Notice that Schellenkens calls the youths "young offenders" which is still less than completely descriptive of a demographic group of potential trouble-makers but more so than can usually be expected from the mainstream media. Given its inclination to "take it to the streets" and cause chaos, the Socialist Party Youth Organization wants a national ban on Mosquitos.

Dutch Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst is also opposed to the Mosquitos and suggests that they may be unconstitutional, although their legality has not yet been challenged in court. Even so, the Mosquito controversy has prompted authorities to put a moratorium on new units until a plan for control is worked out.

In any event, police and local authorities are pleased with the Mosquitos, saying complaints of intimidation and vandalism have been reduced by 70 to 80 percent.

On the market for a couple of years, the Mosquito was invented by British security consultant Howard Stapleton. Mr. Stapleton tested the Mosquito on his own children before settling on an unbearable, pulsating tone at 75 decibels which is within government limits.

"I didn't want to make it hurt. It just has to nag at them," he said.

"It's very difficult to shoplift when you have your fingers in your ears."

Heh.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive


We read:

"The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.

Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it "Mexican" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.

Source

So you can't call it "swine" flu because that offends Jews and Muslims and you can't call it Mexican flu because that stigmatizes Mexicans. So what on earth can you call it? I know: "Christian flu". You can be as offensive as you like about Christians.


Posted by John Ray.

Bomb at Gun Buyback

(Bronx, New York) You've probably heard the rule, "Don't take a knife to a gunfight." Well, there's a new rule, "Don't take a live grenade to a gun-buyback." Or better yet, "Don't carry a bomb around with you."

Yes, it happened in the Bronx on Saturday.

What a dolt!

Reaction to Swine Flu

Earlier today, President Obama called for "a heightened state of alert" regarding swine flu, prompting the European Union to warn travelers "to stay away from Mexico and the US."

The European Union's health chief urged people on Monday to avoid travelling to Mexico or the United States as the first suspected cases of swine flu were reported in Europe, heightening fears of a pandemic.

Reportedly identified so far have been a couple thousand cases of swine flu in Mexico and a couple dozen in the U.S. It seems somewhat premature and an overreaction to advise people not to travel. I imagine the tourism industry is not happy.

Ecstasy Death

(Perth, Australia) The coroner is investigating the death of a 21-year-old Perth woman, Michelle Poore, allegedly from an ecstasy overdose.

Miss Poore reportedly took three and one-half ecstasy tablets over a short period of time on New Year's Eve 2006. Poore's family have not been satisfied with the police investigation into her death.

The inquest is expected to wrap up this week.

It's notable that only a few days ago, an ecstasy death was reported in Canada. Ecstasy leaves bodies all over the world.

Moscow Police Chief Kills Three in Rampage

(Moscow, Russia) Here's another case of a guy who goes crazy and kills people.

A Moscow police chief went on a killing spree early yesterday after arguing with his wife at a celebration for his 32nd birthday.

Major Denis Yevsyukov killed three people and injured six at a supermarket after first returning home to change into his police uniform. Russian television broadcast CCTV footage from inside the supermarket showing Mr Yevsyukov calmly reloading his weapon as he walked down one of the food aisles.

Detectives said that he had been at a café with his wife and father-in-law when the row erupted, apparently after she had complained that he was spending too much time at work since being promoted to head the Tsaritsyno police district in southern Moscow in November last year.

A police spokesman said that Mr Yevsyukov killed the driver of a Chevrolet car who had dropped him off outside the 24-hour supermarket shortly after midnight. He then entered the store and began shooting at random.

A female cashier was shot in the face and died instantly while a male customer was killed after being hit in the chest. Six other people were wounded during the rampage, four of them seriously.

Staff alerted police, who were met with shots when they tried to arrest Mr Yevsyukov, the spokesman said. They managed to overpower him without further injury and he was taken to a psychiatric hospital for examination.

If Yevsyukov had been simply another citizen and not the police chief, the gun control fanatics would be going wild in their complaints about the availability of weapons.

$200 for Knobber

(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) A 22-year-old local woman, Natasha T. Davis, was arrested last week on a misdemeanor prostitution charge stemming from an incident where she allegedly sold an oral sex job for $200.

Manitowoc police detectives conducted surveillance at the hotel after the hotel manager complained Oct. 2 and 16. The manager said Davis was offering favors to hotel guests.

The detectives interviewed a man Oct. 20 after they observed him with Davis. The man said he followed Davis from a bar to the hotel where he paid her $200 for oral sex. The man told police he knew the woman as “Secret,” a dancer at a nearby bar.

Davis was booked into custody and later released on $100 bail. No information has been provided regarding why it took six months to finally arrest Davis.

Granted, this report doesn't outline anything out of the ordinary except for the cost. Hookers are providing oral sex virtually everywhere and, from what I've been told, seldom is anyone collecting $200 a pop.

Price-wise, it's undeniably stiff. Hopefully, everything comes with candlelight, romantic music and maybe a box of chocolates.

A May 26th meeting with the DA's office is scheduled to discuss the matter.

Mayor Gavin Newsom Wants to be Governor

From Big Hollywood:

To the delight of California’s illegal aliens, socialists, unqualified minority job-seekers and militant bicyclers who blow up Hummer dealerships in the name of suffering polar bears, smarmy San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday he is running for governor in 2010.

Of course, Mayor Newsom will rely on his record of managing the affairs of San Francisco to support his campaign for Governor of California.

Newsom’s reign over San Francisco reflects the tradition of City Hall legends Kwame Kilpatrick, Marion “Bitch Set Me Up” Barry, John Street and Ray Nagin--combining bad judgment, bad policies, incompetence, arrogance and corruption in creative, new ways.

The city is in disarray: bankrupt; filthy; ubiquitously potholed and cracked; and festering with drugs, homeless and illegals. Its sanctuary-city status, touchy-feely approach to crime, and maniacal spending on social services have encouraged all matter of societal debris to migrate there in mass. When it doesn’t smell like over-ripe trash, it smells like stale urine.

Not really what Tony Bennett had in mind.

Given that California has great difficulty in electing competent politicians who actually serve the people, there is a chance that Gavin Newson will be the next governor, fully prepared to remake California in the image of San Francisco.

Much more at the link.

California Health Care Waiting to Go National

Heh.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature have abandoned any serious attempt at health care reform in California.

Instead, they're waiting for President Barack Obama to push national reform through Congress ...."

Therefore, it appears that if government-run health care doesn't work at the state level, arguably a pilot project, then it's obviously time to expand the experiment to the national level.

It's slipped my mind while being on the tip of my keyboarding fingers. What's it called when a failed project is repeated with the expectation of different results? Erudite readers will know.

By the way, other states are also waiting. State politicians are tired of being hammered for their unachievable pie-in-the-sky health care promises and want Obama to take up the mantle as the health care charlatan. Meanwhile, America gets screwed.

Companion posts at The Jawa Report and SocGlory.

Why can’t students say “guns” in school?


We read:

"Media snicker of the day: those crazy gun nuts, worried that the government is out to snatch their constitutional rights along with their AK-47s. 60 Minutes is the latest to have a chuckle, playing a commercial for a Washington, D.C.-area firearms show that that urges viewers to ‘Celebrate the Second Amendment and get your guns while you still can!’

My own hunch is that the sheer number of Americans who own guns (the low estimate is something over 40 million) will keep their Second Amendment rights off the endangered-species list for the foreseeable future. Their First Amendment rights, however, may be another matter. Those are taking a beating these days, right in the place that’s supposed to be America’s rowdiest free-speech zone: college campuses. A student who speaks up about the right to own or carry a gun stands a good chance of getting suspended or even arrested …”

Source

Posted by John Ray.

EU Pushing Foreign Laws on Member-Nations' Courts

Apparently the EU Constitution has become the governing document for each member-nation's court system.

An EU plan calls for family courts across Europe to hear cases using the laws of whichever country the couple involved have close links to.

That could mean a court in England handling a case within the French legal framework, or even applying the laws of Saudi Arabia to a husband and wife living in Britain.

To make this scheme work, it will seem to be necessary for EU member states to have foreign legal documents and foreign law experts available to try cases potentially according to the laws of any of hundreds of nations. I suggest the idea is nutty.

However, it should be noted that this instance is an example of why it's preferable not to give up a nation's sovereignty to an international group of bureaucrats. All you get in return are bureaucratic mandates from foreigners.

Dutch Clogs Bring Bad Fengshui

(Hong Kong, China) One of Hong Kong's tallest skyscrapers, The Cheung Kong Centre, has refused to permit an exhibition of clogs because of fengshui.

The tower's management said the wooden footwear show would cause bad luck, because the Cantonese word for shoes - hai - sounds similar to a sigh of exasperation.

A different location will hold the clog show.

Heh.

Presbyterians Nix Gay Clergy But Allow Promiscuity

The Presbyterian Church of the United States has voted against allowing homosexuals to serve as clergy.

However, the homosexual community is encouraged by the fact that the margin of defeat in yesterday's vote was closer than the last time the issue was presented for approval. Presumably, it's only a matter of time before the gays and lesbians get the 2.3 million member-church to bend over to its wishes.

Also encouraging is last year's decision by the Presbyterian General Assembly to allow promiscuity among members of the church hierarchy. The constitutional specification for ministers, deacons and elders to live in fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness was eliminated.

Muslim Cleric Claims Starbucks Supports Jews

A grey-bearded Egyptian cleric, Safwat Higazi, has called for a boycott of all Starbucks franchises in the Middle East in a protest over the coffee shop's logo.

According to Higazi, the logo is a Jewish political statement and he wants to shut down all Starbucks coffee shops in the Arab world.

"The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther," he insisted. "This queen is Queen of the Jews."

And the crown she wears?

"This is the crown of the Kingdom of Persia. This girl you see is Esther, Queen of the Jews in Persia."

The cleric, whose four-minute polemic may be viewed online on YouTube, goes on to summarize the Old Testament story of Esther, a beautiful virgin who is manipulated by her cousin Mordecai to win the heart and hand of the Persian king Ahasuerus (believed to be Xerxes I) without revealing to him that she is a Jew.

"Can you believe that in Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait and all over the Islamic world hangs the picture of beautiful Queen Esther with a crown on her head and we buy her products?" exclaimed Higazi. "It is inconceivable."

Rumors about Starbucks in the Arab world are not new and other name brands are not immune. A number of familiar corporate brands, including Sara Lee and Coca-Cola, have been targeted in smear campaigns tied to anti-Israel sentiment.

In response, Starbucks has stated that its logo was derived from a 16th-century Norse woodcut and assertions otherwise are totally inaccurate.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Alberta Girl, 14, ODs on Ecstasy

(Edmonton, Alberta) A 14-year-old girl died Friday after taking ecstasy at the West Edmonton Mall. The girl and her best friend, also a 14-year-old girl, took six tablets each of the drug at an underage dance party held monthly at the mall. The friend recovered from the drug.

"One of the girl's body could handle it and the other girl's couldn't," said Peter Scaife, uncle to the girl who lived.

"They pretty much spent every minute together. We're all pretty devastated," he added.

"Everything we know, this is her first go at drugs."

A 16-year-old alleged supplier of the drugs was tracked down through his cell phone. He is in custody.

Only 14 years old. Sad.

Fear of the truth


Leftism thrives on ignorance. The least well-informed members of society -- minorities and the poor -- are their voter base. But the Leftist elite are not stupid. They know that the policies they preach sound good but will in the end be destructive to society. Hatred of the status quo is their motivation and their policies regularly deliver destructive and impoverishing results, mostly in the form of high taxes and a myriad of rules and regulations that stop people and businesses from doing perfectly reasonable things that they want to do. "By their fruit ye shall know them".

But there is one place where maintaining the ignorance that is needed to get Democrat votes is hard: Universities and colleges. The kids there tend to have open minds and are well able to assimilate the full facts about what Leftist policies will result in. So what the kids are told has to be heavily censored -- and heavily censored it is. The faculty give very incomplete facts in what they teach and the small cadre of far-Left students also do their best to demonize conservatives. Between the Leftist students and the faculty it is almost impossible to get a conservative speaker onto campus. Even very occasional readers of Tongue Tied should recall many instances where far-Left students have violently prevented conservative speakers from giving talks on various campuses (e.g. here).

If students got to know even the simplest of historical facts their Leftist indoctrination could be seriously disrupted. What if students got to know that the full name of Adolf Hitler's political party was: "The National Socialist German Workers' Party"? That would be very dangerous knowledge indeed. Who has ever heard of a socialist workers' party that was anything but Leftist? Many students might rightly begin to doubt one of the central elements of their indoctrination: That Hitler was "Right-wing". Even the fact that Hitler led a political party would be news to many, I think. So you can see that the Left have much to fear from people gaining a knowledge of the whole truth.

The strategy of censorship is contemptible enough in the universities but it even extends to Congress itself. With the Democrats in charge there now, great efforts are made to see that speeches against Global Warmism are not made or not heard. Warmism is a huge opportunity to shackle the country with a myriad of new and impoverishing rules and regulations so the Democrat leadership just love Warmism and don't want people to know the full facts about climate.

And they showed that vividly very recently. Last Friday there was a Congressional hearing on global warming scheduled for the House Energy and Commerce committee. The Democrats had invited a "special guest" to appear so the GOP did the same. The Donk guest was Al Gore and the GOP invited Britain's Lord Monckton, an extremely knowledgeable man about climate, right down to the tiniest scientific details. He would of course have wiped the floor with Big Al. He would be able to follow up each and every one of Gore's misrepresentations with the actual scientific facts. So what did the Donks do? They refused to let Monckton appear. They were afraid of the facts that he would put before them. The truth is poison to them.

Fuller details of the censorship here. I have also put up a remedial lesson in 1930s German political history here.

Posted by John Ray.

Texas Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Denton, Texas) Having been convicted by a jury on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and tampering with a witness, 30-year-old former teacher Lauren Cosgrove received five years in prison at her sentencing hearing yesterday.

Cosgrove's sentences actually total seven years but they will be served concurrently, allowing her to be eligible for parole in two and one-half years.

Cosgrove's attorney, Donna Winfield, had asked for probation since sex crimes against boys are different from sex crimes against girls. Winfield said, "I don’t believe he’s going to be scarred for life."

As mitigating factors for Cosgrove, a cascade of excuses was presented by the defense, including that she is a troubled woman suffering from postpartum depression, wanting to escape her family, desiring time for herself, and having a husband who was critical of her weight. Also, numerous family members said Cosgrove is a wonderful woman who they believe is innocent but the jury wasn't allowed to hear all the facts.

On the other hand, prosecutors said that Cosgrove is a "manipulative, lying, scheming witch" and they are "sick and tired of [people like Cosgrove] preying on children and then using their own children as a shield."

Prudent analysis of Cosgrove's case exposes the commonly-thought harmlessness of adult female child sex offenses as a myth. Cosgrove's behavior was destructive not only to her victim and his family but also to herself and her family. Cosgrove's career in education is over and she has three toddler-age children who will possibly start school before she is released from prison. Although her husband Jeremy has demonstrated a saintly degree of forgiveness through the whole ugly episode, one must assume that Cosgrove has used all her mulligans.


* * * * *
Texas Teacher Busted Again in Boy Sex Case
[Previous 12/9/08 post]
(Denton, Texas) In July 2007, a 7th-grade English teacher at Strickland Middle School, Lauren Cosgrove, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a 13-year-old male student of hers that she was also babysitting.

Married and the mother of two, Cosgrove faces two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child. She was booked into custody at the Denton City Jail and released on $20,000 bond.

In October 2007, Cosgrove was again arrested for attempting to contact the boy, contrary to the terms of her release. She was booked on the violation and released on bail.

Yesterday, 30-year-old Cosgrove was again arrested and charged with tampering with a witness.

According to a Denton Police Department arrest affidavit, on Dec. 1 the boy climbed out a window of his home and got into her waiting car. Ms. Cosgrove drove the boy to another location and spent time alone with him, the court document states.

Later that day, Ms. Cosgrove sent the boy a text message asking if his parents would drop charges in exchange for a large sum of money, the document states.

The parents notified police, who began investigating the current charge.

Cosgrove was booked and released on $5,000 bail.

Okay, let's see a show of hands of all those who believe that Cosgrove will violate her conditions of release again. I'm in.

12-Year-Old Gives Birth

A British girl, 12, started suffering stomach pains and was taken to the hospital. The girl didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth.

Reportedly, the 12-year-old had a one-night stand with an older boy and became pregnant.

Presumably, the girl and her child will end up being raised as siblings or the child will be adopted. In my opinion, someone should investigate the father. Sex with 12-year-old girls must be illegal in the UK.

Tip: slwlion

Taliban Burn Holy Quran

From Ali Sukhanver in Pakistan:

Recently it was reported by some of the private TV channels, including Samaa and the Geo News that at Ring Road in Hazarkhawni, Peshawar on 12th April, 2009, at least 12 trailers loaded with supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan were set on fire by Taliban, resulting in the killing of a driver and injuring two cleaners.

In this incident one of the drivers told the Taliban that there was a Holy Quran in one of the trailers but the Taliban did not pay attention to it and set the trailer on fire. The copy of the Holy Quran was also burnt as a result.

The TV channels displayed the burnt pages of this most sacred book. There was a severe protest against this un-Islamic act of the Taliban. Apparently the militants who did this shameful insult to the Holy Quran posed to be the Taliban but it is almost impossible for a common Muslim to accept that the people who introduce themselves as the representatives of Islam can perform such disgusting act.

Reportedly, there is a large segment of the Pakistani population that is conflicted about the Taliban. The Taliban claims to be an Islamic movement but allow the the Holy Quran to be burned. It's inconceivable to the average Muslim.

I suggest that the incident will be overlooked by the mainstream media. Maybe someone should draw a cartoon.

Is government preparing us for censorship?


We read:

"The idea that thought and speech are major obstacles to doing what is right isn’t new at all. As recently as the 1980s the one liberty that liberal statists could be counted on defending, at least in the United States of America, is the one spelled out in the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Alas, this was challenged some time ago by Professor Catharine A. MacKinnon of the University of Michigan school of law, in her short but prominently published book, Only Words (Harvard University Press, 1983). In it the good professor argued that words do not deserve the legal protection afforded them by the Constitution since insults and put downs, including jokes, can injure people good and hard. And such injuries should not be protected. The victims would have to pay too high a price for the fact that the law treats such injuries as ‘only words.’”

Source

Posted by John Ray.

Gun-Offender Registry Proposed

(Shreveport, Louisiana) Similar to the sex offender registry, a gun-offender registry has been proposed as a city ordinance by Shreveport Police Chief Henry Whitehorn.

The registry would require people convicted of gun-related crimes to register with police to let them know where they are living. Eventually, it could turn into a public online registry with photographs and statistics. The measure would allow residents to find out whether they are living near someone who has been convicted of a gun-related crime, including homicides, aggravated assaults and drive-by shootings.

"As part of our strategy to keeping Shreveport safe, we were searching for solutions to insure gun offenders are taken off the streets and this is one piece that would be a part of a solution," Whitehorn said.

Slippery slope, my friends. I foresee all gun registration schemes as mere precursors to confiscation programs. Nevertheless, gun-offender schemes have been implemented in New York City and Baltimore.

Previously Deported Illegal Arrested for Assault

If the U.S. is not going to have border security, it's senseless to deport anyone.

(Sioux Falls, South Dakota) A 27-year-old illegal was arrested Thursday for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

Police arrested a man they believe is an illegal immigrant who has been deported once already and convicted of a sex crime in California, [Sioux Falls Police Lt.] Kaiser said. Ruben Gutierrez, 27, of Sioux Falls was arrested for unwanted sexual contact and failure to register as a sex offender after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a 17-year-old girl at his home, Kaiser said.

Gutierrez met the girl at his work, asked for her phone number, and the two met later that day at Gutirrez’s home, Kaiser said. He then made sexual advances on her, fondled her, took cell phone pictures of her that included her being undressed, he said.

“She fled and made a report,” Kaiser said.

While talking with police, the girl received a call from Gutierrez who then talked with and threatened an officer present, he said. Police went then went to Gutirrez’s home. “Officers went to his residence and found pictures of the victim on his cell phone,” Kaiser said.

The girl suffered some scratches after she was held down on a bed, he said. When Gutierrez was fingerprinted, the fingerprint records came up with another name for him, Ruben Grandados, Kaiser said.

Gutierrez also was charged with simple assault and threatening law enforcement.

In summary, an illegal alien gets convicted as a sex offender and deported. Now, he's back and apparently doing the same things.

Taliban Raids Christian Neighborhood, Murders Two

(Karachi, Pakistan) With swaths of territory now being ceded to the Taliban, the fundamentalists apparently believe they have been given free reign to harass and kill Christians everywhere. On the night of April 21, more than 100 masked Taliban entered a Christian community in Karachi and raided homes.

Going door to door, the armed Taliban terrorists grabbed the elderly and women by the hair, pulled them into the streets and ordered them to convert to Islam. The women were beaten with clubs and whips and sexually assaulted. Homes were set on fire.

Two Christians who resisted were murdered, execution-style, in front of their families.

It's expected that more and harsher incidents of violence against Christians will occur as long as the world keeps smooching Taliban tail. As an illustration, the recent Durban II anti-racism, anti-discrimination conference was populated with many Taliban allies who voiced no concerns with killing Christians and Jews.

And just think, the barbarians are within walking distance of the gates of Islamabad and control of nifty nuclear weapons.

FL: Judge tosses saggy pants ordinance


Another case of the judiciary overriding the democratically expressed will of the people on the flimsiest of grounds:

"A Florida judge has tossed a town’s ordinance that made wearing pants below the waist an offense punishable with a fine. Palm Beach County Judge Laura Johnson ruled Riviera Beach’s ordinance against saggy pants — which was approved by 72 percent of city voters in a March 2008 referendum — is unconstitutional ….

Johnson ruled that wearing saggy pants — defined in the ordinance as wearing pants below the waist while exposing skin or underwear — is protected under the liberties guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, no matter how ‘tacky or distasteful’ the fashion choice may be.”

Source

The 14th Amendement protects "privileges or immunities" of U.S. citizens. Who would have thought that saggy pants came under that? The writers of the 14th certainly did not have saggy pants in mind when they wrote it. So what would NOT be protected by the 14th? Do US citizens have the "privilege and immunity" to announce loudly in public "homosexuals are abhorrent to God"? If not, why not? I am sure Michael Marcavage would like to know.

Posted by John Ray.

Argentina Claims Falklands Again

Argentina appears to be somewhat more aggressive lately regarding its territorial claims. They might be thinking that the British military is too involved in other places to defend the Falklands at this time.

Argentina has lodged a hostile claim at the United Nations for 660,000 square miles of the South Atlantic seabed immediately surrounding the Falkland Islands and other British overseas territories.

The formal submission, which challenges "the illegitimate British occupation of the southern archipelagos", is the latest territorial dispute to surface in the race to extend national sovereignties over the ocean floor.

Argentina's deputy foreign minister, Victorio Tacetti, presented 40 volumes of documentation to the UN commission on the limits of the continental shelf in New York this week, describing them as "11 years [of research] in defence of national sovereignty".

The UK must respond with its rival claim by May 13.

ChiComs Demand Foreign Companies' Source Codes

Forget about proprietary information, the Chinese government has decided to force foreign manufacturers of digital appliances to disclose the source codes of computing devices contained in their products.

The mandate applies to all goods made or sold in China and enforcement is set to begin next month.

If a company refuses to have its products inspected, those products will not be allowed to be manufactured or sold in China. No developed nation has this kind of system.

The system could cover a wide variety of products, including contactless integrated circuit cards, digital copying machines, ATMs and other products made by Japanese companies. As reasons for launching the system, Beijing cited prevention of computer viruses, among other reasons.

Japanese, European and American companies have voiced strong criticism of the scheme.

Remember, the Chinese say they are simply preventing computer viruses. Who could possibly be against that? Heh.

Maryland Daycare Mom Guilty of Sex with Boy - Updated

(Fort Meade, Maryland) Earlier today, 31-year-old day-dare operator Sarah Ellison pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in accordance with Maryland's Project Safe Childhood Program.

Sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett is scheduled for July 29 when Ellison faces a possible five years in prison.


* * * * *
Daycare Mom Indicted for Sex with Boy
[Previous 11/8/08 post]
(Fort Meade, Maryland) A 31-year-old daycare operator, Sarah E. Ellison, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy in late 2005 and early 2006.

Prosecutors said the victim attended middle school with Mrs. Ellison's stepson and stepdaughter and would spend time at their home after school. While the boy was visiting between November 2005 and June 2006, Mrs. Ellison and the boy touched each other in a sexual manner approximately 10 to 20 times, prosecutors said.

If convicted, Mrs. Ellison faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

Mrs. Ellson is the first woman to be charged under the banner of the state's Project Safe Childhood - a federal initiative that works with state and local authorities to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

Sarah Ellison is currently free and expected to surrender when she appears at a scheduled court date next week.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Meth Reclamation from Urine

Here's something new to me.

In some states, people have been arrested for processing the urine of methamphetamine users to obtain any amounts of meth that may have been excreted from the users’ bodies.

Frankly, I'm having a difficult time imagining how this occurs.

Let's see. The meth reclaimer follows the meth user around until it's time to urinate, holds out a plastic bag and says, "Please pee in here." I can't see it happening.

Meth users are fairly paranoid and jumpy as it is. A meth-head would likely go nuts having someone follow him/her around carrying a plastic bag and asking if it's time to piss. Hell, I'd go nuts and I don't use drugs.

LOL! Silvio defies the solemn souls again



Wotta guy! One of Italy's new politicians above.

"Silvio Berlusconi has an eye for pretty girls with a background in showbusiness and has brought some of them into parliament and even his Cabinet to brighten up politics. Even by his standards, though, the Italian Prime Minister has chosen a striking roster of candidates to give his party a new face for the European Parliament elections in June, including a Big Brother star and a Miss Italy contestant.

None has any known political experience although Angela Sozio, 36, a flame-haired former contestant of Grande Fratello, the Italian version of Big Brother, made the headlines two years ago when the paparazzi photographed her and other showgirls strolling hand-in-hand with Mr Berlusconi, 72, at Villa Certosa, his villa in Sardinia....

The future politicians also include Eleonora Gaggioli, an actress best known for her role in the popular television costume drama Elisa di Rivombosa; Camilla Ferranti, who appeared in Incantesimo, a soap opera set in a cosmetic surgery clinic, and Barbara Matera [above], who competed in the heats for the 2000 Miss Italy contest and went on to become an announcer on the state television channel Rai.

Source

There are some pretty dumb politicians around -- Joe Biden anyone? -- so I doubt that these ladies will lower the already low standard of political debate.

Posted by John Ray.

Unemployment Data Now Secret in Russia

(Moscow, Russia) The Russian government fears that bad economic news will affect consumer confidence and social stability so a decision was made to hide monthly unemployment data from the public.

Through three months of the year, an estimated 1.5 million Russians lost their jobs and the total number of unemployed is significantly higher than that which was projected for all of 2009.

The public is much more useful when kept in the dark.

Germany: Big Terrorism Trial Begins

(Düsseldorf, Germany) The trial of four alleged terrorists, alleged ringleader Fritz Gelowicz, Adem Yilmaz, Daniel Schneider and Atilla Selek, began yesterday with each facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, plotting terrorist attacks and membership in a terrorist organization, the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU).

The home-grown terrorist cell reportedly wanted Germany to withdraw troops from Afghanistan -- and to kill Americans.

Under tight security, four men aged between 23 and 30 took to the dock on Wednesday in Düsseldorf to answer accusations of plotting a spate of bombings in discos, restaurants, airports, the Federal Prosecutor's Office and US army installations.

The alleged plot, which was in its final stages when it was thwarted by police in September 2007, would have been the most destructive in Germany's postwar history.

A fifth suspect, believed to be a central figure, is being sought by police.

After receiving a tip from an American intelligence source, the three Germans and a Turk were arrested in a raid which found them ready to strike. Police discovered hydrogen peroxide-based explosives with more potency than used in the 2004 Madrid bombings or the 2005 London attack. Targets for their terror attacks reportedly were the American airbase in Ramstein and cities of Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich.

The trial is anticipated to be spectacular, lasting up to two years. Over two hundred witnesses have been readied by the prosecution. The men have been in solitary confinement since their arrests and will be held behind a bullet-proof plastic wall during the trial.

Defense lawyers have stated that police received information from US officials which was illegally acquired and, therefore, it shouldn't be allowed in the prosecution of suspected terrorist scumbags. The lawyers are also expected to assert that some witnesses giving statements were held in countries that practice torture so their testimony is invalid. Sheesh! It sounds like a type of New York Times defense. Okay, they didn't really say scumbags but the rest is true.

Notably, after the suspected terrorists were arrested, the Islamic Jihad Union posted a statement on the Internet which claimed responsibility for the bombing plot.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Freddie Mac CFO Found Dead

The Chief Financial Officer of Freddie Mac, the money-vaporizing mortgage company, is dead. David Kellerman apparently hanged himself. He was 41 years old and had been with Freddie Mac for 16 years. Kellerman was made CFO last September.

Neighbors said that Kellerman had lost considerable weight because of stress from his job. Even so, he didn't have to die to relieve job stress. Presumably, he could have simply quit.

Although it may never be reported, I sense that there is much more to this story.

Nutty Irish peacenik accuses Israel of "ethnic cleansing"

The usual Leftist abuse of words. "Ethnic cleansing" is a term from the old Yugoslavia -- where lots of people are killed so that their co-ethnics flee. Nobody is being killed in Israel nor does any Israeli Arab citizen have to flee Israel. You can be sure they won't, in fact. The big push is to get INTO Israel. Israel has a large illegal immigration problem too. Lots of Arabs prefer living in Israel to living under Arab rule, for both economic and safety reasons. They may not always say so but they "vote with their feet".

The Norwegian Nobel "peace" prize is distinct from the Swedish Nobel prizes and is awarded by generally Leftist Norwegian politicians. That Arafat got one tells you all you need to know. You could call Arafat many things but a bringer of peace is about the last thing you would think of. He actually rejected all Israeli peace offers. It may also be noted that Maguire's "peace" efforts in Ireland soon petered out and had no apparent effect in the end

"Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire has accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" policies in annexed east Jerusalem, where the municipality plans to tear down almost 90 Arab homes.

"I believe the Israeli Government is carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians here in east Jerusalem," said Ms Maguire, who won the 1976 Nobel prize for her efforts at reaching a peaceful solution to the violence in Northern Ireland. "I believe the Israeli government policies are against international law, against human rights, against the dignity of the Palestinian people," she said.

The Israeli authorities say the houses were built or extended without the necessary construction permits. Palestinians say the planned demolitions aim at forcing them out of east Jerusalem. If the demolition orders are carried out 1500 people would be left homeless in one of the largest forced evictions since Israel occupied mostly Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed it.

Source

Posted by John Ray.

GWOT Medals Still Issued

Despite government guidance to use nicer words when referring to scum terrorists and the global war on terror, some accurate terminology remains. How long is anyone's guess.

The Department of Defense will continue to issue Global War on Terrorism medals to servicemembers, despite a debate within the Obama administration over whether the phrase "war on terror" should even be uttered by U.S. officials. [...]

There has been no directive to military personnel to stop using the GWOT phrase or to stop issuing GWOT medals, Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon press officer, said in an e-mail response to Stars and Stripes.

"Criteria for those (medals) haven’t changed," he said.

According to the Institute of Heraldry, the government office that administers military awards, there are three GWOT medals.

All members of the military, including National Guard and Reserve personnel, who have served 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible for the GWOT Service Medal, according to the Institute’s Web site.

The GWOT Expeditionary Medal was initially awarded for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Personnel who served in those theaters before April 30, 2005, remain eligible for the award.

There is also the GWOT Civilian Service Medal for DOD civilians working in direct support of the U.S. military. No information has been reported on the transition from the GWOT Medals to the Overseas Contingency Operations for Man-Caused Disaster (OCOFMCD) Medals.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Wisconsin Social Worker Accused of Sex with Boys

(Portage, Wisconsin) A 31-year-old child services social worker, Codette Eldridge, has been accused of sexually assaulting two boys, ages 12 and 13.

Multiple incidents of sexual assault of the two boys reportedly occurred in December 2008 and January 2009. The boys are not believed to have been in Eldridge's professional care.

Eldridge has been charged with nine felonies including seven felony counts of sexual assault of a child. She has been fired from her position as a child protective services social worker for Columbia County.

Washington State Criminalizes Student-Teacher Sex

(Olympia, Washington) In an embarrassing case last year, a teacher involved with an 18-year-old student was exonerated since state law didn't protect students older than age 17. Consequently, Washington state legislators took action.

The state House of Representatives gave the final stamp of approval on Tuesday to a bill making it a crime for public school employees to have sex with students up to age 21.

House Bill 1385, sponsored by Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, passed 82-16, and closes a legal loophole that prevented school employees from being prosecuted for having sex with students between the ages of 18 and 21.

With a similar version of the legislation having already passed the Senate, the final bill is ready to be submitted to the governor for signature.

Why many good-looking Australian young men now have an Asian lady on their arm


Australia's population is about 10% Asian so it gives young Caucasian men a nice alternative to self-obsessed Caucasian women. And Asian ladies certainly like tall Caucasian men. Am I "stereotyping" young Asian women as generally better mannered and more pleasant in their behaviour? I sure am! No wonder so many Caucasian women pump up their boobs with silicone and wear lot-cut tops and very short skirts. They have got to do SOMETHING to make themselves attractive. A return to the traditional values that have been wiped out by feminism is not considered, of course.

Below: A very influential Australian shows young Australians the way -- Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng -- followed by two young Australians





While the terms "yobette" and "ladette" have now passed into common usage, it's interesting to look at just how far the modern woman – regardless of age, race, status or income – has sunk in her attempt to "live in a man's world". Many Australian women are now socially inept, particularly when it comes to manners – from the businesswoman who orders the hotel concierge to get them a cab "quick smart" to the moody shop assistant who rolls her eyes when asked for help and then turns to the next assistant and announces that she cannot wait to knock off.

A Brisbane businessman recently revealed that, when he opened a door for two professional women exiting an office, he received no acknowledgement only to have a glass door slammed in his face after following them out. Many men are now becoming reluctant to open doors for women because they merely get "huffed" at and pushed aside.

Women in the 40 to 60-year-old age bracket regard footpaths, aisles and malls as theirs alone. Put two or three of these women together and everyone must make way for them. In their world nothing comes between them and their conversation, certainly not manners or respect.

Fewer men now stand up on buses and trains to offer a seat – even to elderly women. I've heard of grannies accusing blokes of considering them "invalid" because they've been offered a seat. Being an "invisible" man is a common male complaint. This occurs when rude women just push in and stand in front of men in a queue.

Unfortunately, it has become accepted that many modern women no longer care about politeness. Maybe men are at fault. We are so unaccustomed to this new breed of woman that we don't know what to do.

Many modern women are totally self-reliant. They have rewarding careers and are financially independent. She has travelled across the globe, can afford to buy her own meals and is accustomed to a man asking her out just for the pleasure of her company.

Good manners displayed by men or women should serve to make interacting with other people a pleasant experience. Modern women mistakenly seem to believe good manners are not something a modern man holds as an aspiration. Isn't it a pity more and more modern women grow up with an indifference to the niceties that used to be normal?

SOURCE


Posted by John Ray.

Teacher Gets No Jail for Raping Boy - Updated

(Brooklyn, New York) Thirty-two-year-old speech therapy teacher at George Gershwin Junior High School, Marcia Amsterdam, pleaded guilty yesterday to raping a 13-year-old male student of hers.

As a result, Amsterdam was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Martin Murphy to 10 years of probation.

Amsterdam admitted to oral and vaginal sex with the boy in 2006 when she picked him up at his home and drove to a location, undressed and had sex. The 13-year-old victim cooperated with the authorities.

In addition to probation, Amsterdam was ordered to register as a sex offender.

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Brooklyn Teacher Accused of Raping Boy
[Previous 3/7/07 post]
(New York City) A 30-year-old teacher at Junior High School 166 in Brooklyn, Marcia Amsterdam, was arrested earlier today for raping a 13-year-old boy who attended her school.

Amsterdam faces charges of second-degree rape, second-degree sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. The Department of Education has reassigned Amsterdam to administrative duties.

Charges Against Maryland Teacher Dropped - Updated

(Salisbury, Maryland) All charges against Carole Leigh Mayers were dropped this morning. (h/t Kelly)

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Maryland Teacher Accused of Sex Abuse of Minor - Updated
[Previous 2/4/09 post]
(Salisbury, Maryland) Former Wicomico County state's attorney Andrew M. MacDonald, defense counsel for 41-year-old Carole Leigh Mayers, has filed a motion to dismiss the case based on the vagueness of allegations and maturity of the victim.

Interesting.

Lawyer MacDonald is attacking the validity of the prosecution's case before it has been presented at trial while also introducing a new legal twist. He claims the alleged, now 17-year-old, victim was too mature to be a victim.

Lawyer MacDonald's contention that the victim exhibits maturity is reportedly based on several factors: 1) Victim is doing a girlfriend who lives with him at his mom's house, 2) Victim dropped out of school, 3) Victim is an admitted illegal drug user, 4) Victim is an admitted porn addict and 5) Victim is "voluntarily sexually active." Frankly, one might mistakenly think that the victim was on trial.

Now, I checked several definitions of maturity and none of those characteristics were included but, who knows, the court may buy MacDonald's argument. A hearing on the motion to dismiss is scheduled for Friday (2/6).

It's noteworthy that Mayers' lawyer is the former Wicomico County prosecutor and the current prosecutor recused himself due to conflict of interest. I sense that the case has become somewhat politicized.


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Maryland Teacher Accused of Improper Relations with Student
[Previous 11/19/08 post]
(Salisbury, Maryland) A 41-year-old music teacher at Salisbury Christian School, Carole Leigh Mayers, was arrested today for an alleged improper relationship with a former student. The Child Advocacy Center alerted the authorities.

According to Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, the relationship was enduring. The victim's gender wasn't reported.

Mayers faces multiple child sex charges including third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, child abuse and perverted practice.


[Update 12/9/08]

(Salisbury, Maryland) Yesterday, a Wicomico County grand jury indicted Carole Leigh Mayers on 16 counts, including sex abuse of a minor and showing and distributing obscene material to a minor. Mayers was booked into custody at the Wicomico County Detention Center with bond set at $100,000.

Boy Watches Mom Do Tricks

(Bensalem, Pennsylvania) A 36-year-old woman, Catherine Thomas, has been arrested for allegedly selling sex out of a motel room while her seven-year-old son was forced to huddle down in a filthy bathroom with three dogs. Thomas has been charged with prostitution, possession of drugs and paraphernalia and endangering a child.

Police got a tip from Thomas’ sister that led them to Mall Motel in Trevose, Pa. near the Neshaminy Mall. Police observed the operation, then were able to stop a "John" who was leaving her room. Officials then had him call Thomas to say he was sending over a friend. The "friend" was really an undercover cop.

The condition of the room and bathroom was filthy with trash and garbage everywhere and a strong odor of urine, according to police.

Thomas was booked into custody with bail set at $20,000. The little boy is now in the custody of Bucks County Family Services.