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You'd imagine that someone would have noticed before it was installed. (story)

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Wisconsin Teacher Assistant Faces Drug Charge

(Lacrosse, Wisconsin) A 40-year-old teacher assistant at Logan High School, Traci Smith, was arrested yesterday for allegedly possessing drug paraphernalia.

Smith called La Crosse police about 3:30 p.m. reporting her 19-year-old son and his wife refused to leave her home at 1000 Redfield St., reports stated.

The son and daughter-in-law told officers Smith uses marijuana almost daily and keeps pipes in the house and garage.

Smith said she smoked marijuana once with the couple. She turned over a red and black bong to police that she claimed belonged to her son.

Smith was booked and released on a signature bond.

Virginia Woman Sentenced for Sex with Boy

(Bedford, Virginia) In June 2010, a 34-year-old local woman, Angela Hackworth, pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with and abduction of a male teen.

“We have an adult female consistently… seeking out a 15- to 16-year-old to have sex with,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Krantz said during the sentencing hearing.

Krantz told Bedford County Circuit Court Judge James Updike he had to concede the boy didn’t “put up much of a fight,” but said the case was problematic because the contact continued after Hackworth was arrested once.

The woman hid the boy at her home away from his mother, who did not approve of the relationship, the prosecutor said.

The carnal knowledge charges stem from encounters in October and December 2009, according to court records. The abduction charges came from incidents in March, the records showed.

Today, Hackworth was sentenced to three months for each carnal knowledge charge totaling six months incarceration with credit for time served which, incidentally, has been at least six months. Ten-year sentences on abduction charges were suspended.

Hackworth must register as a sex offender and was ordered to stay away from her victim and other boys.

Electric-Bike Rider Dies in Crash with Hybrid

(Santa Rosa, California) No humor intended, but this incident is double-whammy eco-puckerlicious.

A Santa Rosa entrepreneur who was working with a business in India to promote electric motorcycles in that country has died in a car-motorcycle crash near a California shopping mall.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Doug Schlief says 29-year-old Matthew Dieckmann was riding an electric motorcycle near the Coddingtown Mall at about 10:40 a.m. Monday when a Toyota Prius collided with the cycle.

Schlief says Dieckmann hit the car's passenger side. He died at the scene.

The Prius driver wasn't hurt.

Traficant Running for Congress Again



James Traficant
(Youngstown, Ohio) Former Ohio congressman James Traficant will be running for election in November as an independent in the Ohio 17th Congressional District.

Despite spending seven years in prison for political corruption, Traficant has been able to collect enough signatures to be placed on the ballot.

Notably, it's not uncommon for convicted felons to run for high political office ... and win, I should add.

In fact, in a liberal sense Congress has often functioned as a halfway house for ex-cons returning to society. And according to present-day zoning restrictions, the Capitol probably couldn't be built within 1000 feet of a school.

Are conservatism and racism indistinguishable?

That question will no doubt amuse most readers here but that they are indistinguishable is the burden of a recent Leftist book -- called Conservatism and Racism, and Why in America They Are the Same (Part of the SUNY Series in African American Studies). From the blurb:

In this provocative, wide-ranging study, Robert C. Smith contends that ideological conservatism and racism are and always have been equivalent in the United States. In this carefully constructed and thoroughly documented philosophical, historical, and empirical inquiry, Smith analyzes conservative ideas from John Locke to William F. Buckley Jr., as well as the parallels between the rise and decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1970s and the ascendancy of the conservative movement to national power in 1980. Using archival material from the Reagan library, the book includes detailed analysis of the Reagan presidency and race, focusing on affirmative action, the Voting Rights act, the Grove City case, welfare reform, South Africa policy, and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Conservatism and Racism, and Why in America They are the Same goes beyond a focus on the right wing, concluding with an analysis of the enduring impact of the conservative movement and the Reagan presidency on liberalism, race, and the Democratic Party.

SOURCE

It seems to be mainly a belated bit of Reagan hatred and consists of the author's own angry interpretation of various historical events.

One wonders what he makes of the fact that Hitler was a socialist, that it was Democrat politicians (George Wallace, Orval Faubus etc.) who were the chief opponents of racial integration in the South, that the KKK was almost entirely composed of Democrats and that a greater percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

I might also note that I did some actual psychological research into the question during my academic career. I did a random population survey and found that racist attitudes were equally likely to be found among Leftist and Rightist voters in Australia. And Australia is about as similar to the USA as you can get.

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

Ten al-Qaeda Killed in North Africa



Members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(Algiers, Algeria) It's always positive when fanatics are neutralized.

Security sources said that the Algerian army killed 10 gunmen suspected of belonging to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, during a special operation near Tizi Ouzou in the Kabylie region, east of Algiers.

Al Watan newspaper said in its Sunday's edition that the operation was launched at dawn on Saturday after the Algerian security authorities got information about the existence of an armed group in the region.

Three suspected al Qaeda members were killed on Thursday by the Algerian army near Tadmait in Tizi-Ouzou, about 100 km east of Algiers.

Heh.

Companion post at TJR.

Terrorism Dry Run

Authorities apparently allowed the dry run to occur.

Two men taken off a Chicago-to-Amsterdam United Airlines flight in the Netherlands have been charged by Dutch police with “preparation of a terrorist attack,” U.S. law enforcement officials tell ABC News.

U.S. officials said the two appeared to be travelling with what were termed “mock bombs” in their luggage. “This was almost certainly a dry run, a test,” said one senior law enforcement official.

Two Muslim men were arrested, Ahmed Nasser Al-Soofi and Hezem Al-Murisi.

More here.

Pig Effigy

From Tajikistan News:

An effigy of a pig has been left in the mailbox of a California Muslim organization as a protest against the proposed Islamic centre in New York City.

The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for an investigation of the incident, which it has referred to as a hate crime.

This story is being reported in Muslim countries and, boy, are people pissed. Oddly, thus far it seems to be missing from American media. Curious, eh?

Las Vegas Murder-Suicides Blamed on Economy

(Las Vegas, Nevada) In the past month, there have been five separate incidents of murder-suicide in Las Vegas.

Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts, speaking in general terms, said several of the recent cases can be traced to the same cause.

"At this point it appears that maybe the economy is starting to take effect, which is something we haven't seen before," he said.

1) August 7 - Phil Testa, 74, fatally shot his wife Angelina, 79, then himself.

2) August 16 - Susan Kapfer, 50, fatally shot her husband Mike then herself.

3) August 19 - Jose Zergara Rodriguez, 20, fatally shot Edith Corona, 19, then himself.

4) August 20 - Steven Becker, 56, shot and killed Shannon Larkin, 48, before killing himself.

5) August 20 - Donald Romano, 74, fatally shot Barbara Romano, 74, then himself.

Nevadans are killing themselves and their loved ones due to the economy while one of the politicians, Sen. Harry Reid, who arguably put the state and the nation in recession is seeking reelection in November and polling indicates he has a chance at another term. Sheesh!

Psychologists preaching feminism again

I had a bit to do with this in my own research career. I found huge holes in the feminism-supporting "research" of my fellow psychologists at the time. So the latest bit of nonsense does not surprise me. It says that feminized boys are psychologically healthier, just as lots of other psychologists repeatedly claim (by ignoring a lot of evidence) that leftists are psychologically healthier.

The report below has not yet passed peer review and been published in an academic journal so is a bit difficult to evaluate but it clearly depends on a questionnaire called the Children's Depression Inventory, and they almost certainly used it inappropriately. Note here for instance, that it should not be used alone as a diagnostic tool. It is too weakly predictive for that. It is supposed to be used only in conjunction with a diagnostic interview. There is no mention of such a precaution below.

Additionally, a standard warning with the test is that is is very open to the respondents "faking good" yet there is no mention below of that being controlled for or examined in any way. Use of a Lie scale might have been considered, for instance.

And since teaching is so feminized these days, more feminine boys are probably more aware of teacher expectations and are therefore both better at faking good and more motivated to do it. So their "healthier" scores could well be simple fakery.

The findings below are then readily explained as the product of sloppy and biased research rather than reflecting anything real

Being a mama's boy, new research suggests, may be good for your mental health. That, at least, is the conclusion of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association by Carlos Santos, a professor at Arizona State University's School of Social and Family Dynamics.

Santos recently conducted a study that followed 426 boys through middle school to investigate the extent to which the boys favor stereotypically male qualities such as emotional stoicism and physical toughness over stereotypically feminine qualities such as emotional openness and communication, and whether that has any influence on their mental well-being. His main finding was that the further along the boys got in their adolescence, the more they tended to embrace hypermasculine stereotypes. But boys who remained close to their mothers did not act as tough and were more emotionally available. Closeness to fathers did not have the same effect, his research found.

Using a mental-health measure called the Children's Depression Inventory, he also found that boys who shunned masculine stereotypes and remained more emotionally available had, on average, better rates of mental health through middle school. "If you look at the effect size of my findings, mother support and closeness was the most predictive of boys' ability to resist [hypermasculine] stereotypes and therefore predictive of better mental health," Santos says. He adds that his research did not examine why a close mother-son relationship differed in its effect from a close father-son bond, but he suspects that fathers use stereotypically male behaviors to guide their sons into adulthood. "It could be, men see close relationships with their sons as an opportunity to reinforce traditional gender roles," he says. (See a story on mothers who opt for breast milk, not breast-feeding.)

More HERE

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

Accidental Money Case

(Sioux Falls, South Dakota) A 30-year-old local woman, Erin Nicole Vandenbosch, has been indicted for grand theft after spending money that was accidentally deposited into her checking account.

An affidavit filed with her arrest warrant said a collection agent for Sioux Falls Federal Credit Union incorrectly deposited $3,376.83 into her account April 16.

Vandenbosch reportedly withdrew $3,000 on April 22, $400 on April 28 and $100 on May 3.

If convicted, Vandenbosch is looking at a possible 10-year stretch in prison.

Nasty Pictures of Children

(Raleigh, North Carolina) A 26-year-old woman, Sandrine Zikpehi Dadje, has been accused of child sex offenses involving a 2-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.

Dadje faces four counts of indecent liberties with a child and 14 counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor.

The warrants state that Dadje took pictures of the girl on her bed in sexually suggestive poses that exposed her genitalia and buttocks. Investigators also wrote in the warrants that Dadje admitted to taking pictures of the boy's genitalia.

Dadje was booked into custody at the Wake County Jail with bond set at $100,000.

Russians Killing Islamists

Source:

There has been more bloodshed in Russia's North Caucasus region over the weekend, with at least 28 militants and four policemen killed in clashes, according to Russian security services.

Media reports in Russia say at least 10 militants and two policemen are reported to have been killed when gunmen attacked the home village of Chechnya's president.

There was more bloodshed early Sunday in the neighbouring republic of Dagestan.

This is more evidence that the Islamists are not only at war with the West, they are a war with everybody -- even themselves.

Obama's Muslim roots are no delusion

The so-called “mainstream media” has spent the past week trying to determine how anywhere from one fifth to one quarter of the American people could conclude that President Obama is a Muslim. The commentary has almost universally condemned Americans as “ignorant,” “ill-informed,” “racist,” or “bigoted," asserting disdainfully that it's "obvious" that Obama is a Christian.

"Obvious?" What IS obvious is what the media has overlooked: themselves, President Obama, and Muslims.

Author, and proud Muslim, Asma Gull Hasan wrote in February 2009 Forbes Magazine that “since Election Day, I have been part of more and more conversations with Muslims in which it was either offhandedly agreed that Obama is Muslim or enthusiastically blurted out. In commenting on our new president, ‘I have to support my fellow Muslim brother,’ would slip out of my mouth before I had a chance to think twice.”

But the mainstream media is now mocking the increasing number of Americans who believe Obama is a Muslim. Well now that we shown that those Americans are in agreement with these Muslims, does this make the Muslims bigoted or the media? ...

Obama's actions have led many Americans to conclude that he must be Muslim. Who can blame them? Not only did he declare that America was no longer a Christian nation, but he also claimed that America is the world's largest Muslim nation. He supports the Ground Zero Mosque, and he is on record saying he "will stand with them" whenever they face attack. Significantly, he refuses to acknowledge that radical Islam has declared war against us.

Despite all the noise, diversion, and debate, we remain steadfast in our opinion: Obama may not be a Muslim...but he sure as communion couldn't be a true Christian; otherwise, the mainstream media and other Democrats would despise him.

More HERE

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

Sissies and French People

I watched a cooking show this morning featuring Julia Child and celebrity French chef, Jacques Pepin. In the opening minutes, Julia Child remarked that people didn't always eat salads (about 90 seconds in).




In case you missed the quotable, Julia says,

"During the teens and the twenties, when people didn't eat salads, only sissies ate salads -- or French people."

She then smiled at Mr. Pepin who strained to smile back.

I burst out laughing.

(Note: Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, episode "Salad Days," original air date 10/9/1999)

Political correctness affects your tax liability??

Obama's America

Z STREET, a pro-Israel non-profit corporation, filed a lawsuit in federal court today charging that the IRS violated the organization’s First Amendment rights. The suit was filed after Z STREET was told by an IRS official that its application for tax-exempt status has been delayed because an IRS policy requires consideration of whether a group’s views on Israel differ from those of the current Administration.

“Not only is it patently un-American but it is also a clear violation of the First Amendment for a government agency to penalize an organization because of its political position on Israel or anything else,” said Z STREET president Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a former First Amendment lawyer. “This situation is the same as if the government denied a driver’s license to people because they were Republicans or Democrats. It goes against everything for which our country stands.”

Z STREET filed for tax-exempt status in January of this year and, despite having met all of the requirements for grant of this status, the application has been stalled. An IRS agent told Z STREET’s lawyers that the application was delayed because of a Special Israel Policy that requires more intense scrutiny of organizations which have to do with Israel, in part to determine whether they espouse positions on Israel contrary to those of the current Administration.

Z STREET is a Zionist organization that proudly supports Israel’s right to refuse to negotiate with, make concessions to, or appease terrorists. Z STREET’s positions on Israel and, in particular, on the Middle East “peace process” differ significantly from those espoused by the Obama administration.

If Z STREET had tax-exempt status, its donors would be able to deduct contributions from their taxable income. The IRS's refusal to grant tax-exempt status to Z STREET has inhibited the organization‘s fundraising efforts, and therefore impeded its ability to speak and to educate the public regarding the issues that are the focus and purpose of Z STREET.

SOURCE

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

French Booby Trap Gang Busted - Updated

(Paris, France) Three females, dubbed the Booby Trap Gang, who allegedly committed repeated robberies by distracting victims with bared breasts and crotch grabs, have been arrested.

French police have arrested two teenage girls they say stole hundreds of euros from unsuspecting cash machine customers - after distracting them by flashing their breasts.

The 14-year old girls were taken to the Paris prosecutor's office to face charges while a 12 year-old accomplice was placed in a home, police said.

Unarmed robberies?

* * * * *
Woman Flashes During Theft
[Previous 8/16/10 post]
(Paris, France) Here's a new scheme to steal money from men at cash machines.

A pair of thieves in Paris have come up with a cunning new way of distracting their victims in order to get their hands on their cash: using their feminine charms.


The unsuspecting victim was entering his PIN when one of the women flashed her breasts at him. The second woman put her hands on the man’s crotch whilst stealing his cash.[…]

The women are described as good looking women in their early twenties. French police are now on the look out for an attractive pair hanging around cash points.

Frankly, I suggest there was more than one attractive pair hanging around during the commission of the crime.

In follow-up news, the rumor that the man followed the women after the theft, offering additional cash for a do-over, is believed to be false.

No Prosecution in USS Cole Bombing



(Washington, D.C.) The Obama administration has ordered a halt to the prosecution of alleged USS Cole bomber, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

In a filing this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said that "no charges are either pending or contemplated with respect to al-Nashiri in the near future."

Justice delayed or justice ignored? Readers can make the call.

Fun on the Farm (NSFW)



Combining work and play. Caution: NSFW (nakedness).

Tip: Ronin at TJR

Just Try

In your wildest dreams, even if pharmaceutically-assisted, you could not make this story up. Just try to think of something even comparable.

Heh.

Pennsylvania Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(Montgomery County, Pennsylvania) In May 2010, 37-year-old married mother-of-three and former math teacher at North Penn High School, Heather Zeo, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor corruption of minors stemming from a sex tryst with one male student and Internet sexting with another.

As a result, Zeo was sentenced to one to 23 months in the Montgomery County Prison.

Documents indicate that Zeo communicated with two 17-year-old boys via Facebook, one sexual in nature.

The student involved in the affair allegedly “made out” with the woman a half-dozen times in her homeroom class, E-139, during the second and fourth periods when no one else was there, according to the affidavit.[…]

During the second week of May 2009, Zeo and the teen arranged to meet at a shopping center where a Giant Food is located in Montgomery Township. The teenager drove his family car there; Zeo a green minivan.

After rendezvousing in the parking lot in front of a vacant store at about 8:30 p.m., the teacher invited the student into her minivan. Once inside, the two sat on a rear bench seat, kissing and fondling one another for about a half-hour, then split up and went home, authorities allege.

The two arranged a second meeting via Facebook a few days later and again rendezvoused at the shopping center. During sexual foreplay, Zeo offered the teen a condom and they had sexual intercourse. She reportedly retrieved the condom afterward and put it in a grocery bag.

[episode revisited]

"Here, let me offer you a condom."

(tick, tick, tick, tick, ....)

"Finished? Give it here so I can pack it with my groceries."

That's different. Zeo starts her sentence on September 27. The delay wasn't explained.

* * * * *
Teacher Accused of Sex Relations with Male Student
[Previous 5/21/09 post]
(Montgomery County, Pennsylvania) A 36-year-old math teacher at North Penn High School, Heather Lynne Zeo, has been accused of having a sexual relationship in and out of school during April with a male student.

Zoe faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of minors.

According to a press release from the Montgomery County District Attorney:

She and the student met several times in her classroom through the middle of this month, the release said.

Zeo also had an inappropriate relationship over the Internet with another male North Penn student, according to the press release. That relationship involved sexually explicit Internet chats and several invitations from Zeo for him to visit her classroom when she was alone so they could have sex, the release said.

When asked about the allegations of inappropriate conduct with students, Zeo admitted having a sexual relationship with one of the students, the news release said.

Zoe has been suspended from her teaching position. Her arraignment is scheduled for today.


[Update 5/23/09]

According to this report, Heather Lynne Zeo is a 37-year-old married mother-of-three who has admitted to contacting a teen student via Facebook and developing a relationship which included sexual activity in a minivan at different parking spots.

The NYT stands truth on its head

See below. Dr Goebbels call home. The NYT has a propaganda job for you.

Republican insurgents from the far right did well in Tuesday’s primaries. What their campaigns lack in logic, compassion and sensible policy seems to be counterbalanced by a fiercely committed voter base that is nowhere to be seen on the Democratic side. …….

Much of the G.O.P’s fervid populist energy has been churned up by playing on some people’s fears of Hispanics and Muslims, by painting the president as a dangerous radical, by distorting the truth about the causes of the recession. Far too many Republican leaders have eagerly fed that destructive anger.

And where are the Democrats in all of this? Last time we checked, they were fleeing solid accomplishments on health care, financial reform and the economy. President Obama and his party have little time left to gin up enthusiasm and a lot more committed voters.

More HERE

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

Leftist thugs attack political freedoms

In the modern world, political speech that is not funded is speech suppressed

"MoveOn.org is up to its usual tricks rallying support for a boycott of Target because Target gave $150,000 to gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota. They try to demonize Target for using corporate monies to support Emmer and influence democracy.

This is the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling which allows corporations to donate unlimited sums of money directly to political candidates."

Source

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

EPA to Ban Lead Bullets

Several environmental groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

In banning the use of 'toxic' lead in bullets, a precedent will likely be set for the EPA to also ban plutonium, generally recognized as a most toxic substance, in ballistic missile warheads. Bullets, warheads, pretty much the same, eh?

Tip: Kenny Solomon

Principal Bans "Happy Birthday"

How is it that the densest of intellects often gets promoted to principal of a school?

Chesterfield Elementary School Principal Jodi Davidson banned the singing of "Happy Birthday" due to "sensitivity of all student beliefs." She said the school cafeteria should be a "calming environment" and singing makes it loud.

Ms. Davidson is qualified to be the poster girl in the campaign to eliminate tenure in education.

Sheesh!

Japanese Panty Thefts - Updated

Here's another panty theft report. Unlike most other countries, panty thefts in Japan occur and are reported with regularity. It's arguably a cultural anomaly.

(Kagawa, Japan) Police said Wednesday that they discovered around 100 pairs of women’s panties at the home of an elementary school teacher’s home in Sakaide city on Tuesday after using a hidden camera on the victim’s terrace to record the thief in the act.


The suspect, Ryosuke Iwasaki, 28, was arrested for stealing after he was recorded snagging a pair of panties from the clothesline of a 27-year-old local woman some time between 5 a.m. on July 23 and 9 a.m. on July 24. A search of Iwasaki’s home later revealed a stash of around 100 undergarments.

According to police, the woman had noticed her underwear had gradually gone missing since March, and after making a complaint in June, authorities decided to hide a camera on her balcony to try and catch the perpetrator.

Interestingly, the women's panty thefts occur with such predictability that many Japanese women actually take precautions to prevent it.

In any event, burglarizing women's unmentionables has been cited as a precursor to more serious crimes of a sexual nature. The fact that it occurs so often in Japan is ominous.

* * * * *
Transvestite Schoolteacher for Blind Students
[Previous 8/25/10 post]
(Fukuoka, Japan) A 43-year-old transvestite schoolteacher for the blind, Tsuyoshi Hirano, dressed in a miniskirt and blonde wig was arrested for allegedly stealing panties from a 22-year-old woman.


The unmentionables were allegedly taken from a dryer in a laundromat.

When she saw Hirano get into a car parked outside, she reported the licence plate number to police, Kyodo News reported.

"At first glance, I knew 'she' was a 'he,'" she reportedly told police.

A police search of Hirano's home resulted in finding 150 female garments, including panties, bras, and knee-high boots.

Media blackout on NYC mosque protests finally breached

Mr. Kelly, who is a political satirist, wrote in his column: “Sometimes a subject is so serious that even we need to take a step back and let the story tell itself. This is one of those times. … Despite public opinion, the mainstream media has virtually ignored the protests against the WTC mosque. According to internet reports, not one major TV network or camera crew covered this recent protest. … Uncredited photos of the New York protests have surfaced, bypassing the mainstream media’s unbalanced reporting, and have since caused a stir on the internet. Few words are necessary. The photos of the mystery photographer speak louder than any words ever could.”

Kelly wrote those words on August 12, more than two months after the “feminist AynRandian” blogger and human-rights activist Pamela Geller led a massive rally at Ground Zero in New York. The purpose of that rally was to draw attention to grassroots opposition aimed at the proposed mega-mosque headed by the controversial Imam Feisal Rauf. This past week, the story that the dominant liberal establishment media tried to keep from you has gone international and become one of the defining issues of recent times.

With a recent Rasmussen poll showing 62% of Americans are against the 13 story mosque, Geller’s efforts to inform public opinion have been more than vindicated as mainstream. The 38% who support Rauf’s plans include the Democrat leadership, the elite mainstream media and the radical 1960s left, who together have formed an arrogant, chauvinistic machine, pushing the mosque project and vilifying those who oppose it.

Imam Feisal Rauf is the man who heads the Cordoba Initiative. He plans to build a Sharia-promoting Islamic complex and mosque 560 feet from where 9/11 terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers.

New Yorkers and the American public are becoming aware that there are many Islamic groups like Rauf’s who claim to be moderate, but are fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood. Imam Rauf is a radical extremist cleric who plays to the sensitivities and ignorance of those who live in the liberal/left media and academic bubble. They fall over each other praising him and attacking anyone who questions his motives. Time magazine online, in the space of two weeks, ran four articles characterizing anyone opposed to the mosque as being racist bigots.

More HERE

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

Life Sentence for Illegal in DWI Death

(Grand Rapids, Michigan) Last month, Leonel Franco-Avina, a 39-year-old Mexican illegally in the United States, was found guilty by a Kent County jury on charges of second-degree murder and drunken driving causing death.

The conviction stemmed from a November 2009 incident when Franco-Avina was driving while extremely drunk, blood alcohol level measured at 0.425 percent.

While heading south in a northbound lane, Franco-Avina's pickup truck collided with a vehicle driven by 30-year-old elementary school teacher Aaron Haynes. It happened at 7:15 AM and Haynes died on impact.

Yesterday, Leonel Franco-Avina was sentenced to life in prison by Kent County Circuit Court Judge George Buth. Through an interpreter, Franco-Avina expressed remorse.

"I apologize to the family, and I feel bad," Franco-Avina said. "Believe it or not, I lost my family, too. Because of this, I'm here alone, and my family is in Mexico."

Franco-Avina wept as he talked about his ailing mother and the children he will never see again.

Meanwhile, the Haynes family is devastated by the loss of Aaron Haynes, first-grade teacher, husband and father. Sadly, his 10-month-old son is destined to grow up without ever knowing his daddy.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Time to Eat Words



There are those momentous times when certain leftist (and sometimes conservative) individuals need to literally eat their words. They won't, of course. They never do.

You Need to See This!

So, questions must be asked. Where are the "moderate" followers of the religion of peace? Does a "moderate" follower carry less than four pounds of anthrax? Since when is the proposed murder of 300,000 people worthy of applause?

Tip: Moonbattery

British Spy Found Murdered

(London, England) Police have cordoned off the street where a British spy was found murdered and decomposing. Detectives believe he could have been killed up to two weeks ago.

The body of the agent, who was in his 30s, was discovered stuffed in a large sports bag in his bath in a flat just a few hundred yards from the headquarters of MI6. It is understood the man had been stabbed, possibly several times, and his body was decomposing when it was found.


Elsewhere in the top-floor flat - in a bizarre ritualistic scene - his mobile telephone and a collection of SIM cards were carefully laid out.

The dead man was understood to have been employed as a communications officer at the Government's ' listening post' - better known as GCHQ in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. But it is thought he was on secondment to the headquarters at MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, near the flat.

MI6 gathers secret information about Britain's overseas enemies, making the spy a possible target of terrorists.

The victim, thought to have a doctorate in maths from Cambridge University, was described by neighbours as mild-mannered and a keen cyclist.

The man lived in a street where houses sell for more than £1million, and it has been cordoned off at both ends since Monday night. Access is being granted only to residents.

It's curious that it took a couple weeks before anyone noticed he was missing. Or, maybe they didn't notice. It's a mystery.

[Add.] The deceased has been identified as Gareth Williams.


Gareth Williams, 31
According to this source, Williams was an MI6 worker on loan from the Foreign Office. An autopsy is being performed.

Interestingly, the entire block where the murder occurred is owned by a private company, New Rodina.

Its details are hidden because it is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is not listed with Companies House.

The word "rodina" means "motherland" in Russian and Bulgarian.

Heh.

The pathetic Leftist faith in verbal magic rolls on

Don't label heroin users as 'junkies'

"People should stop calling heroin users "junkies" or "addicts", an influential think tank on drugs has said. The UK Drug Policy Commission said such names stigmatised users and made it more difficult to get off drugs.

Its report suggested that the policing of drugs on the streets and methadone programmes forcing users to go to chemists were "publicly humiliating".

Instead, the study said that British society needed to show more compassion towards drug users. Authors of the six-month report said the terms "junkie" and "addict" were distrustful and judgmental and led to feelings of low self-worth among drug users.

"The crux of this problem, I'm afraid, is the persistent view that drug addiction is the problem of the addict," he said. [It isn't??]

Source

Drug addicts have for some time been referred to simply as "users" in professional circles -- but even that vague term has already acquired a tone of contempt.

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

Gas Found Off Greenland


(Copenhagen, Denmark) Reportedly the first oil or gas discovery in the Arctic Region, British company Cairn Energy has announced it found gas off the western coast of Greenland.

‘Although we are at the very start of exploration in the basin, the discovery of gas in thin sands is indicative of an active hydrocarbon system,’ said the statement. ‘The well has not yet reached target depth.'

Cairn Energy has two offshore rigs currently operating in the previously undrilled Baffin Bay Basin. Test drilling began about a month and a half ago.

The gas was found in an area between western Greenland and Canada, and the discovery has already caught the eye of other oil firms, governments, and environmental organizations, including Greenpeace and the WWF, who are heavily protesting against the drilling being permitted.

It appears that the environmentalists are not concerned about drilling if nothing is discovered. But let something be discovered and then they protest. One could argue that they are opposed to any exploitation of natural resources.

Nevertheless, the find is good news for Greenland, Denmark and, logically, Canada which holds dominion over territory adjacent to the gas find.

Oops! Prisoners Mistakenly Let Go

(Toronto, Ontario) A review of 143 heavily-censored reports indicated that at least 143 prisoners were able to mistakenly walk out of Ontario correctional facilities between 2003 and 2009.

The data fail to identify how many of the released prisoners are dangerous and how many are still fugitives.

There is much, however, that the reports do not reveal. Among the important details removed from them were the names of the mistakenly released prisoners, the names of the institutions they were released from, and significant facts about why the releases happened.

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said the disclosure of prisoners’ names would have violated privacy laws. Other information was not divulged, the ministry said, because some of the 143 prisoners were young offenders.

But asked how many were young offenders, the ministry said, “This information is not readily available.” And asked how many, if any, of the 143 had been in jail on charges of murder, attempted murder, sexual assault, armed robbery, assault with a weapon and other serious offences, the ministry also said this information was not readily available.

It issued the same response when asked how many of the prisoners were at large for more than one month, more than six months, or never rearrested at all.

Not good. Managerial controls need to be improved.

Russian Fears Confirmed by Wikileaks Docs

(Moscow, Russia) The deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Nazarov, visited Washington for a series of meetings with U.S. government officials and expressed concern regarding U.S.-NATO policies in Afghanistan.

Nazarov said Russia supports the U.S.-NATO operation but review of classified information released by Wikileaks indicates not enough is being done about terrorism and drugs.

"We would like to see more effective policies, primarily aimed at fighting terrorism and drugs," he said.

Drug trafficking from Afghanistan is raising concern in Russia; but the coalition forces are not focusing on it as much as they should, he said. Their anti-drug efforts should be more professional and involve more special forces and equipment.

This approach would have reduced civilian casualties, which are unacceptably high now. The secret documents on the Afghan war recently publicized by Wikileaks have confirmed Russia's fears. [ed. bold]

Russian officials have repeatedly warned the international community that regular armed forces are poorly suited for fighting terrorism; Russia has leaned that from experience.

According to Nazarov, Russia's contribution to the U.S.-NATO effort is the military transit agreement. Heh.

Ohio Babysitter Accused of Murdering Toddler

(Summit County, Ohio) A 21-year-old babysitter, Tiffani Calise, was arrested last week and subsequently charged with the murder of 23-month-old Aaliyah Ali whom she was babysitting.

Calise told police that she left Aaliyah in the tub for a few seconds to tend to her own child and heard a noise from the bathroom. She said that when she came back the toddler was limp and she immediately called 911, according to Summit County Sheriff Deputy William Holland.

But when Aaliyah arrived at the hospital, deputies were informed that he injuries did not support Calise's version of events and she was arrested Aug. 11 for child endangerment, according to WOIO.

Those charges have since been upgraded to murder following Aaliyah's death, according to a news release issued by the Summit County Sheriff's Office Tuesday.

The coroner's office would not confirm the cause of death but did say that Aaliyah suffered from bleeding on the skull and other head injuries that were not consistent with a fall in a bathtub, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Calise was booked into custody at the Summit County Jail with bond set at $500,000.

When It Comes to the Ground Zero Mosque: `Truth Is the New Hate Speech'

Excerpt below from Pamela Geller -- as she answers the hate speech against her emanating from Britain's Leftist "Guardian". Giving voice to the fact that most Americans are opposed to the mosque is "hate speech", apparently

The left is dismissive of the grief and offense caused by the prospect of a victory mosque at Ground Zero. Despite all the competition from its many rivals in this game, the Guardian took first prize for smear, slander, libel and personal destruction. The notoriously anti-Semitic Guardian took on the Jewish Atlas, and could barely contain itself.

My crime? Hate speech. And that proves once again what I have contended all along: "truth is the new hate speech." Knowledgeable conservative readers will get a charge out of the Guardian's story, which is a mixture of pure fiction and dangerous lies, all devoted to the marginalization of those who dare to expose the liberal media propaganda machine.

The anti-Semitism was open: "Geller," claimed Chris McGreal, the author of the piece, "writes for an Israeli media network based in the occupied territories that is the voice of the Jewish settler movement."

I do? They just make stuff up. I don't even know what they are talking about, but if Chris McGreal is in touch with this "Israeli media network," he should let them know that I would love to write for them - please point the way!

The rest of the piece is just as ridiculous. "Pamela Geller," the Guardian tells its mouth-breathing readers, "is on a mission to save the free world and she's doing it, on this occasion, in a bikini as she writhes around in the sea

The 2006 bikini vlog is back! I've recorded 400 vlogs and the sticky-fingered smear machine can't stop watching the one in which I'm wearing a bikini and wading in the ocean. I just hope they watch it with the sound on.

The Guardian does try to be serious, however, and to hurl some serious charges at me: "But while Geller has inserted herself into mainstream politics in America, she has also aligned herself with far-right causes across the globe including the English Defence League in Britain, white supremacists in South Africa and Serbian war criminals."

Yes, I stand with the EDL, who are resisting the Islamization of Britain, and the Serbs, who are resisting the Islamization of the Balkans. I also stand against the genocide in South Africa. White supremacists? War criminals? This is the genocidal Guardian at its mendacious best. Nice work, goosesteppers.

Source (See the original for links)

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

Miss Universe 2010 Crowned



Miss Universe 2010 - Jimena Navarrete
(Las Vegas, Nevada) Crowned Miss Universe 2010 last night, 22-year-old Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete received a perfect 10 on the hubba-hubba scale.

Hitler Had Jewish and African Blood

According to this report, Adolph Hitler likely had Jewish and African ancestors.

Samples taken from relatives of the Nazi leader show that he is biologically linked to the 'sub-human' races he sought to exterminate.

Journalist Jean-Paul Mulders and historian Marc Vermeeren used DNA to track down 39 of the Fuhrer's relatives earlier this year.

They included an Austrian farmer revealed only as a cousin called Norbert H.

A Belgian news magazine has reported that samples of saliva taken from these people strongly suggest Hitler had antecedents he certainly would not have cared for.

A chromosome called Haplopgroup E1b1b (Y-DNA) in their samples is rare in Germany and indeed Western Europe.

'It is most commonly found in the Berbers of Morocco, in Algeria, Libya and Tunisia as well as among Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews,' Mr Vermeeren said.

'One can from this postulate that Hitler was related to people whom he despised,' adds Mr Mulders in the magazine, Knack.

Heh.

Carter Going to North Korea

(Washington, D.C.) In January 2010, 30-year-old American teacher Aijalon Mahli Gomes entered North Korea illegally and was immediately offered free medical care, free education, social security and a path to citizenship arrested.

In May, Gomes was convicted and sentenced to eight years in a North Korean labor and re-education camp. He was also fined $700,000.

It's now reported that former President Jimmy Carter will travel to North Korea within a few days to try and free Gomes.

Alabama Woman Guilty of Raping Boy

(Decatur, Alabama) A 22-year-old local woman, Elizabeth Danielle Hurst, pleaded guilty yesterday to engaging in sex with a boy between the age of 12 and 16.

Hurst had been charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy. There was no plea agreement.

The sex charges stemmed from a complaint filed with the Morgan County Department of Human Resources that accused Hurst of rape of an underage boy, according to the district attorney’s office.

A grand jury indicted Hurst on Aug. 4, 2009.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 17 before Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson.

Florida Woman Accused of Sex with Boys

(Lake City, Florida) A 31-year-old local woman, Kristine Williams, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with two 15-year-old boys in separate incidents.

Williams faces charges of sexual assault and lewd and lascivious molestation.

Police were alerted to the sex with teens during investigation of a marital dispute.

Williams told deputies the mother of one of the boys her permission to have a relationship with the teen because the mother realized the couple would see each other behind her back anyway.

Williams was booked into custody at the Columbia County Jail.

Dirty tricks against Wikileaks quickly unravel

We read:

"Swedish prosecutors withdrew an arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks on Saturday, saying less than a day after the document was issued that it was based on an unfounded accusation of rape.

They said that for the moment Julian Assange remains suspected of the lesser crime of molestation in a separate case.

But Karin Rosander, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Prosecution Authority, told NBC News that the allegation of molestation remains. However, Rosander said that after a new prosecutor looked at the allegations, the arrest warrant was withdrawn because the severity of the case does not require an arrest at this stage.

A WikiLeaks spokesman, who says he goes by the name Daniel Schmitt in order to protect his identity, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Iceland that the "extremely serious allegations" came as a complete surprise and that efforts to find lawyers for Assange are under way.... "We were warned to expect 'dirty tricks.' Now we have the first one," it said.

Assange was in Sweden last week partly to apply for a publishing certificate to make sure the website, which has servers in Sweden, can take full advantage of Swedish laws protecting whistle-blowers.

Source

Secrecy is a prime weapon of tyrants and all governments use it to protect themselves so I am very proud of what my fellow Australian is doing.

It is however a pity that secrecy that is really needed -- in military operational matters -- can get caught up in the process. Assange has however held back a lot so far in an awareness of that consideration so is to be congratulated on those grounds too. There have so far been no established instances of his revelations actually leading to military problems

If they arrest him, however, his co-workers will let the lot flood out so Obama is obviously running scared. The swift reversal of the Swedish action sounds to me like a direct response to an urgent request from the White House

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

City Blog Tax

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) A source reports that residents of Philadelphia who run personal blogs are being assessed fees and taxes by the city.

Details are sketchy but it appears that a business privilege license costing $300 is mandated along with a pay wage tax, a net profits tax and a business privilege tax. A vague reference is made to a $50 per year plan for bloggers but the article gives no specifics.

Iran Unveils Drone Bomber



Karrar - Iranian long-range unmanned bomber
(Tehran, Iran) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled a long-range unmanned bomber aircraft earlier today to send "a main message of peace and friendship" and to be "an ambassador of death."

The range of the Karrar is 620 miles and it reportedly can carry up to four cruise missiles, two 250-pound bombs or one 500-pound bomb.

Ahmadinejad said the Karrar would "keep the enemy paralyzed in his bases." Strangely, Ahmadinejad's pronouncements have a quality of "déjà vu" about them. As I recall, there was another bombastic Middle East leader several years ago whose signature pronouncement was "The Mother of All Battles." Curiously, we haven't heard from that guy lately.

Woman Arrested for Endangering Children

(Iowa City, Iowa) A 21-year-old woman, Melissa Garcia, was arrested yesterday for allegedly allowing a 12-year-old to drive, placing herself, the 12-year-old and her three children in danger. Garcia faces charges of child endangerment and operating a vehicle without consent.

Reportedly, Garcia did not have the owner's permission to drive the vehicle.

During the investigation, officers discovered Garcia allowed the 12-year-old to drive her and her three children – ages three, two, and one — in a minivan. The officers found the children were not properly restrained in the vehicle and noticed a large amount of debris in the back seat.

Garcia, who is seven months pregnant with her fourth child, told officers the 12-year-old was weaving all over the road and almost went into a ditch. Garcia allegedly began yelling at the child and told her to stop driving the minivan. Garcia then began to drive the vehicle herself.

Garcia was booked into custody at the Johnson County Jail with bond set at $10,000.

I've got to ask, where's the husband? Or, in contemporary cultural patois, where's the baby daddy?

MoDo: Flush the Trauma of 9/11

Maureen Dowd knows how to compound insults. In today's NYT column, she attributes the ground zero mosque controversy on "national lunacy" founded on the inability of Americans to "flush the trauma of 9/11 out of their systems."

The dispute over the Islamic center has tripped some deep national lunacy. The unbottled anger and suspicion concerning ground zero show that many Americans haven’t flushed the trauma of 9/11 out of their systems — making them easy prey for fearmongers.

Dowd goes on to claim that America is Islamophobic and prejudiced which she blames on radio-host Rush Limbaugh and evangelist Franklin Graham.

Frankly, I suggest it's insulting to label Americans as Islamophobic and prejudiced lunatics. Also, it's offensive and disrespectful to say we should flush the trauma of 3,000 murdered Americans.

In all candor, the person who professes a philosophy that Americans should pretend that 9/11 didn't happen, flushing it from memory, is notches closer to the top of the ladder of lunacy than most Americans.

Of course, if I've misunderstood what Ms. Dowd is saying, I encourage her to leave a comment and provide clarification.

Arrests for 3-Way Sex with Girl, 13

(Land O'Lakes, Florida) An 18-year-old female, Olivia Bowns, and a 25-year-old male, Joseph D. Ferrera II, were arrested Friday for allegedly engaging in three-way sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Bowns and Ferrera were each charged with lewd and lascivious battery and lewd and lascivious exhibition.

A report states the adults "smoked marijuana" with the girl before they had sex with her and each other.

Bowns and Ferrera were booked into custody at the Pasco County Jail. Bowns was subsequently released. Ferrera is being held on $20,000 bail.

Muslim medical care

Mohamed Fathy, a brilliant journalist and a talented writer, recently went on holiday to Alexandria with his two children, his wife and her sister Nashwa. They all had a wonderful time and then suddenly an unfortunate incident took place. A speeding car hit Nashwa as she was crossing the road and she suffered serious injuries and fractures, her clothes were torn and she lost consciousness. Because she was alone at the time of the accident some passers-by took her to a government hospital in the centre of the city.

What happened after that is beyond imagination. Nashwa and dozens of other injured people were dumped into a place which bore the name “Emergency Unit” and she stayed there for two hours without any first aid or treatment and without any doctor examining her. Mohamed Fathy arrived at the hospital and found Nashwa on death's door. He asked for a doctor to examine her but nobody paid any attention. With the passage of time and the apathy of the hospital staff, Fathy lost his temper and started shouting at everyone he met: “We need a doctor … I beg you … The patient is going to die.”

After intensive contacts Mohamed Fathy managed to get in touch with the director of the hospital, Dr Mohamed el-Maradny, who appeared extremely upset at the idea that anyone might contact with him about patients. Dr Maradny said: “Delays with scans are quite normal. Even if you're in a private hospital and you pay the doctors' fees scans can be delayed.”

The hospital director was trying to remind Fathy that Nashwa was receiving free treatment so her family did not have the right to complain about anything. Fathy spoke to the director at length about humaneness and the doctor's duty to tend the sick, and after a long conversation between Fathy and the director, he did order scans for Nashwa.

At this point a new problem arose. A janitor came up to Nashwa, whose condition had greatly deteriorated, and was about to carry her in his arms to the scans department. Mohamed Fathy objected, arguing that carrying patients with fractures required a trained medic because moving the patient's body carelessly could lead to death. The staff at the hospital ridiculed Fathy's idea, which seemed very strange to them. “What do you mean, medic? We don't have that kind of thing here. Either this man carries her or we leave her where she is,” they said. The janitor gave Nashwa a violent yank and her screams resounded throughout the hospital.

After all this negligence, which was close to criminal, it would have been natural for Nashwa to die in the government hospital, but luckily she survived and almost miraculously Mohamed Fathy managed to move her to a private hospital where she underwent an emergency operation which saved her life.

More HERE

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

Seneca Nation Wants Bloomberg Out Over 'Cowboy Hat and a Shotgun' Comment‏

We read:

"A Native American tribe is calling on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to either apologize or resign after he said on a radio show that Gov. David Paterson -- who's trying to rustle up millions in cigarette taxes from the tribes -- should grab "a cowboy hat and a shotgun" and demand the money.

The mayor made the comments last week during an on-air discussion about the cigarette tax the state of New York wants to impose on Indian tribes starting Sept. 1. The hike has already touched off a court battle, but Bloomberg called for Paterson to flex some frontier justice.

That didn't sit well with the New York tribes. "If it were any other race of people, he would really have been ridiculed over the words that he said," said J.C. Seneca, a Tribal Council member with the Seneca Nation of Indians.

The nation said that the mayor should resign "effective immediately" over his "inflammatory and racially insensitive" remarks -- or at least apologize.

But Bloomberg is not backing down. Spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti said the mayor is not planning to apologize or resign. "There will not be an apology forthcoming," she said. "What the New York City mayor's office is looking to do is to have the tribes follow the law."

Source

That IS rather surprising language from Bloomers and it would certainly get a conservative called racist -- but Bloomers is Left-leaning so he can say what he wants

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

Wikileaks' Julian Assange Accused of Rape

(Stockholm, Sweden) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been accused of rape and sexual harassment by two women in their twenties who alerted Stockholm Police.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority released a statement on Saturday morning in which it revealed that the warrant was based on “one report of rape and one report of harassment. A warrant has been put out for the person's arrest since there is a risk that he could hamper the investigation.”

Assange spent time with one of the women at an apartment in Södermalm in Stockholm on Saturday night, while he met the other women in the nearby town of Enköping, according to Expressen. The prosecution authority said Assange was suspected of rape in the Enköping case and harassment in Stockholm.

Assange sent an email to a Stockholm news source denying the allegations.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, a colleague of Assange, hinted that right-wing forces are behind the accusations and there's a desire "to do harm to Wikileaks." So far, there's no evidence to support the assertion.

In any event, it's ironic that Assange is once again accused of fingering through confidential dark corners but this time it's illegal.

[Update 8/21/10, 1PM EDT] Charges against Assange dropped by prosecutor.

Indiana Woman Accused of Sex with Boys

(Corydon, Indiana) A 27-year-old Greenville woman, Stephanie Jean Marsh, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual relations with three different juvenile males.

Marsh faces four counts of felony sexual misconduct with a minor.

A complaint to the Harrison County Division of Family and Children led to an investigation and an arrest.

Marsh was booked into custody at the Harrison County Jail.

Missouri Woman Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(St. Charles County, Missouri) In June 2010, a 23-year-old local woman, Elizabeth A. Raedeke, pleaded guilty to three counts of statutory rape and one count of statutory sodomy.

Assistant public defender Tracy Brown said Raedeke had no prior criminal offenses and was remorseful. She said an older couple from Raedeke's church had agreed to take her in if she were released.

Assistant prosecutor Rebecca Shaffar said the victim missed 52 days of school and had to receive extensive counseling. She said Raedeke should serve prison time. "I don't think she should be treated any differently because she's a female," she said.

As a result, Circuit Judge Ted House sentenced Raedeke to seven years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

* * * * *
Missouri Woman Accused of Doing Fiance's Brother, 13
[Previous 10/4/09 post]
(St. Charles County, Missouri) A 22-year-old local woman, Elizabeth A. Raedeke, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sex with a 13-year-old boy, her fiance's brother.

Raedeke faces charges of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.

According to St. Charles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Craig McGuire, Raedeke was arrested on September 30 and she admitted that she was depressed and had turned to the 13-year-old for someone to talk to. The talking allegedly led to intimate contact.

Raedeke was booked into custody at the St. Charles County Jail with bond set at $35,000.

Woman Trashes Truck for Nonpayment of Sex Bill

(Gastonia, North Carolina) A 32-year-old local purveyor of sexual services, Tillissa Michelle Wilkins, became upset when one of her customers didn't pay so she attacked the man's truck.

Wilkins faces charges of crime against nature, injury to personal property and obstruction -- for failure to comply with the officer's demands.

Wilkins "took the dog bowl from the front yard and admitting hitting (the man's) work truck. Hitting the driver's side door and busting out the front windshield."

Wilkins allegedly caused more than $200 damage to the truck. The warrant did not indicate how much Wilkins expected to be paid for the sex act.

Wilkins was booked into custody with bond set at $5,000. The man wasn't charged.

Semen-Tainted Water

(Santa Ana, California) This story is sick! On two occasions, a 31-year-old suspected degenerate, Michael Lallana, allegedly ejaculated in a female co-worker's water bottle without her knowledge and she drank it.

Lallana was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts each of releasing an offensive material in a public place and assault with consideration for committing a crime for sexual gratification.

If convicted, Lallana could receive three years in prison and mandatory registration as a sex offender.

Tip: slwlion

Naughty Florida Teacher Gets Probation - Updated

(Tallahassee, Florida) Former science teacher at Lincoln High School, Karolyn Nagel, 24, pleaded no contest Wednesday to one count of child abuse.

As a result, she was sentenced to probation and 45 days at the Sheriff's work camp.

Prosecutor Jack Campbell says he wanted to ensure that Nagel's record would serve as a warning to any future employers that Nagel should not work with children.

He says while the text messages sent between Nagel and the student were explicit and inappropriate, he could not prove that the two ever had sex.

The judge prohibited Nagel from having any contact with her victim or children (except her own).

* * * * *
Florida Teacher Allegedly Naughty with Student
[Previous 6/17/09 post]
(Tallahassee, Florida) A 24-year-old Earth Science teacher at Lincoln High School, Karolyn Nagel, was arrested last night for alleged inappropriate behavior with a 17-year-old male student. Nagel faces charges of traveling to meet a minor and computer pornography,

The Sheriff’s Office was first alerted to a possible sexual relationship between the teacher and student last November by the Department of Children and Families, [Leon County Sheriff's Sgt.] Drzewiecki said in a release.

During that investigation, detectives discovered that Nagel and the boy had called or texted each other thousands of times between Sept. 1, 2008, and Jan. 26 of this year, according to a report released Wednesday night. Many of the text messages between Nagel and the victim were sexually explicit, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

A detective interviewed both Nagel and the student about the allegations and both denied any sexual or inappropriate relationship existed or had occurred. [...]

During this investigation, Nagel and the victim maintained their relationship was not of a sexual or inappropriate nature; however, after an investigation, which included interviews and obtaining cell phone records of text messages, it appears Nagel and the victim were sexually involved, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Nagel was booked into custody at the Leon County Jail with bond set at $5,000 on each charge.

USN Boots Lisa Nowak, Former Astronaut

(NAS Jacksonville, Florida) Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak, famous for chasing a romantic rival across several states while wearing a diaper, is to be demoted to Commander and given a less-than-honorable discharge.

Nowak, who flew on a space shuttle mission in 2006, was arrested after making a 900-mile drive from Houston to Orlando in 2007 to confront a rival for the affections of space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein.

Nowak was terminated as an astronaut by NASA soon after her arrest, and she was reassigned to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

In November, she pleaded guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery. Nowak was given a year's probation on the civilian criminal convictions.

The Naval Board of Inquiry will send its recommendations to SecNav Ray Maybus who will make the final decision on Nowak.

In the meantime, it would be nice to hear a report that the psychological screening process for astronauts was reviewed and improved. Obviously, the screening of Nowak failed to alert on the facts that she acts irrationally and is prone to violent outbursts -- hardly attributes you want in an astronaut.

Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Utah Memorial Crosses Along Highway

We read:

"A federal appeals court says the 14 crosses erected along state highways to commemorate fallen Utah Highway Patrol troopers are a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the memorials had the effect of conveying a state endorsement or preference of a certain religion.

The ruling reverses a 2007 judge's decision that the crosses communicate a secular message about deaths and were not an illegal public endorsement of religion.

The Texas-based American Atheists Inc., sued to have the crosses removed from state property. The group claimed that without context the crosses imply that trooper who died there was a Christian. [Rubbish! All sorts of people who were not religious during their lives have Christian rites at burial for purely social reasons]

Source

A cross is a conventional marker of mourning in the USA and many other countries -- many of which (such as Britain) are only minimally religious -- so might well have been allowed on those grounds.

In any case, however, the crosses do NOT "establish" a religion. The State would have to be paying the clergy for that to be the case.

Next stop would be SCOTUS but that would be unlikely to be successful as SCOTUS does accept the spurious claim that the constitution demands a separation of church and State -- a much wider demand than forbidding an established church, which is what the constitution actually says

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

[Update by mp] A previous post on this blog (from 2005) provides a report of the issue at the time of filing by the atheists.

Muslim Group Fined for Holocaust Cartoon

(Arnhem, Netherlands) An appeals court in Arnhem has overturned a lower court verdict regarding a cartoon published by the Arab European League (AEL) in 2006.

Called "unnecessarily hurtful," the cartoon suggested that the Holocaust was fiction or exaggerated by Jews.

The cartoon shows two men in Auschwitz looking at several dead bodies. "I don't think they are Jews", says one man. The one man replies: "We have to get to the 6,000,000 (figure) somehow'. Six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

The court fined the AEL a sum of 2,500 euros and imposed a two-year probation period on its activities.

It's not clear how the probation is to be enforced.

Foster Mom Gets Prison for Sex with Foster Son - Updated

(Weber County, Utah) On Wednesday, former foster mom Jennifer Montag, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible sex abuse stemming from a four-month sexual relationship with her 14-year-old foster son.

As a result, Judge Ernest Jones sentenced Montag to prison, up to 15 years.

Montag said she made the confession to police after she had taken heavy doses of medication for her bipolar disorder.

“They were badgering me and badgering me,” she said, later adding, “This is not the first time I said things I didn’t do.”

Jones said Montag’s statements amounted to denial.

“There’s no remorse,” he said. “Not once does she say, ‘I’m sorry for what I put this 14-year-old through.’ It’s all about herself.”

Montag said the relationship with the boy began with her efforts to help him “not have sex.” She claimed the boy was removed from a previous state placement because of sexual activity.

“I was trying to help him sexually ... and it backfired, and it looks horrible,” she said. She did not elaborate on what she was doing to help him, and prosecutors said none of her previous statements explain that claim.

Interestingly, there have been a number of convicted female sex offenders who have been diagnosed or professed as bipolar. Is it possible that the bipolar condition leads to sexual perversion in women?

Oddly, male sex offenders rarely claim to suffer from psychological maladies and, frankly, nobody cares. They're deemed to be just ordinary perverts.

* * * * *
Utah Foster Mom Accused of Sex with Foster Son
[Previous 11/3/09 post]
(Weber County, Utah) A 40-year-old foster mom, Jennifer Ann Montag, has been accused of engaging in sex with her 14-year-old foster son.

Investigators report that Montag and the boy had intercourse and oral sex several times at her home between Oct. 10 and 26.

Montag faces three counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of rape.

Weber County sheriff's deputies were called to Montag's home in Hooper on Wednesday and told she'd been caught by a family member in her bedroom with her 14-year-old foster son, who was naked, according to court records.

Reportedly, Montag admitted to having sexual encounters with the boy.

Bruce Lee Statue to Rival Statue of Liberty



Bruce Lee
(Foshan, Guangdong Province, China) Artists plan to create a 30m-tall and eight-legged sculpture of kung fu legend Bruce Lee in Foshan. The intent is to have a landmark that is as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty.

According to the China Daily, the ceramic statue depicts an eight-legged Bruce Lee, known as Li Xiaolong in Chinese, balancing world famous monuments on each foot.

These include the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower, and the Bird's Nest, or National Olympic Stadium, in Beijing.

"We hope it can compete with the Statue of Liberty. But our sculpture, 'The Kung Fu God of 1,000 Legs', is meant to symbolize Chinese wisdom, creativity and health," an artist Shu Yong, said.[…]

The towering sculpture, which looks like a stop-motion capture of Lee doing one of his explosive high kicks, is expected to be ready by next year.

Eight legs, eh? It's easy to see why he was known as an ass-kicker.

Oklahoma Teacher and Male Student

(Hominy, Oklahoma) A 35-year-old special education teacher formerly at Hominy High School, Shelly Christine Fry, has been accused of raping a male student. Fry surrendered to deputies yesterday.

The Osage County District Attorney says he intends to file second degree rape charges against Fry on Monday.

A former student tells Osage county investigators he had sex with Fry at her home in Hominy last September, when he was still a student in her special needs class at Hominy High School.

Arrest affidavit show Fry's husband confronted the teen over the phone, after discovering text messages between the two. The teen says he ended their relationship following the confrontation.

After booking at the Osage County Jail, Fry was released. A court appearance is scheduled for August 27.

Belief in verbal magic rumbles on

"Retarded" was originally a neutral word replacing terms like "stupid", "dumb" etc. but it became a derogatory word because what it describes is unattractive. The same will rapidly happen to any new terms the do-gooders come up with. Reality bites no matter what you call it. "A rose by any other name..."

"A movement to eliminate references to the disabled as "mentally retarded" from laws and regulations gained steam this week after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation replacing the terms with "intellectual disability" and "developmental disability."

This month, the U.S. Senate passed a similar bill and the House will take up its version next month.

While advocates for the disabled have campaigned for years against the R-word, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel drew attention to the issue this year when he apologized for privately calling a group of liberal Democrats "retarded" last year. Sarah Palin, who has a son with Down syndrome, criticized Emanuel in a Facebook posting.

Source

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

No Burqa at Trial

(Perth, Australia) A judge ruled that a Muslim witness must remove her burqa while testifying in a trial. Reportedly, the decision by District Court Judge Shauna Deane applies only to the trial of Anwar Sayed, a Muslim school director accused of fraud.

Prosecution witness Tasneem, 36, who does not wish her surname to be published, has worn the burqa since the age of 17 and wanted to wear it while giving evidence.




The fraud trial of former Muslim school director Anwar Sayed is due to resume with a new jury in October.

Sayed is accused of fraudulently obtaining up to $752,000 in state and federal grants by falsifying roll numbers for the Muslim Ladies College of Australia in Kenwick, south of Perth, in 2006.

Defense attorneys raised the burqa issue fearing that jurors wouldn't be able to read the facial expressions of a witness.

Interestingly, if jurors need to see a face to know the full story, wouldn't the school director need to see faces to know the full enrollment? Readers can decide.

In any event, the burqa issue is a hot topic among the followers of the religion of peace. Sayed has been attacked and received death threats.

Iowa Woman Guilty of Sex Abuse

(Davenport, Iowa) A 40-year-old local woman, Angelic Navoris Roberts, pleaded guilty last Friday in Scott County Court to third-degree sexual abuse stemming from an incident where she threatened to kill a female victim if she didn't have sex with Roberts and her male friend, Lonnie Roy Bates Sr., 46.

The incident happened about 3 a.m. Feb. 20 at Roberts’ home at 604 1/2 Fillmore St. Roberts and Bates forced the victim to perform a sex act on both of them against her will, Roberts’ arrest affidavit states.

Roberts and Bates punched the victim numerous times and threatened to kill her if she did not do what they demanded, the affidavit states.

Roberts admitted to police that she punched the victim and told her she was not allowed to leave, the affidavit states.

The victim required emergency medical treatment at Genesis Medical Center, West Central Park, Davenport, the affidavit states.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16. Lonnie Bates is scheduled to go to trial next week.

OK City Bomber Sues Over Prison Food

(Denver, Colorado) Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, doing life for the deaths of 168 people, filed a federal lawsuit claiming that prison food sucks and it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

Nichols' lawsuit asserts that the food is contrary to his religious beliefs and, therefore, it causes him to sin.

U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello dismissed the case.

As a perpetrator of mass murder, Nichols is the last person to lecture anyone on sin.

So, eat what is given to you and be happy about it, you murdering douche! If it were up to me, you'd have been executed like your buddy McVeigh.

Moscow Bans Late-Night Sale of Liquor

(Moscow, Russia) Russia is generally recognized as having a significant problem with alcoholism so it's not surprising that a partial prohibition is being attempted in Moscow.

According to a decree signed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, shops in the Russian capital will no longer be able to sell drinks containing more than 15 per cent alcohol between 10:00 pm and 10:00 am.

This will prevent Muscovites from buying strong spirits like vodka and cognac late at night but will not affect sales of beer and wine. It remains to be seen how the ban will be implemented.

I suspect the plan, slated to become effective on September 1, will fail to curb consumption. People will find a way to get their hooch.

Fred Phelps has a win

We read:

"Missouri's tight restrictions on protests and picketing outside military funerals were tossed out by a federal judge Monday, over free speech concerns.

A small Kansas church had brought suit over its claimed right to loudly march outside the burials and memorial services of those killed in overseas conflicts. The state legislature had passed a law to keep members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church from demonstrating within 300 feet of such private services.

Source

Phelps is of course offensive but he is setting precedents that may well help preserve the free speech rights of others

And Fred's slogan "God hates fags" is MASSIVELY "incorrect" so to see it protected by the courts is interesting testimony to the fact that free speech in America is not dead yet. And he DOES have the Bible on his side (Lev. 20:13 etc.). Theologically he is in a lot stronger position than the mainstream churches.

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

Florida Woman Gets 5 Years for Molestation - Updated

(Port St. Lucie, Florida) Yesterday, Josefina Tax Barrera was sentenced by Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn to five years in prison.

* * * * *
Florida Woman Guilty of Molestation - Updated
[Previous 8/6/10 post]
(Port St. Lucie, Florida) Yesterday, 23-year-old Josefina Tax Barrera, aka Diana L. Aguirre, of Port St. Lucie, pleaded no contest to lewd or lascivious molestation stemming from a relationship with a 14-year-old boy.

Barrera made the plea without an agreement with the prosecution, apparently just blurted it out. District Judge Dan Vaughn accepted the plea.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 17. Barrera faces a possible 15 years in prison.

* * * * *
Florida Woman Accused of Doing Boy
[Previous 12/2/09 post]
(Port St. Lucie, Florida) A 22-year-old local woman, Josefina Tax Barrera aka Diana L. Aguirre, has been accused of engaging in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. She has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery.

The mother of the 14-year-old teen reported Barrera to police on Monday, according to the arrest affidavit.

The teenager told police he and Barrera had sex numerous times between Aug. 20 and Nov. 17, the affidavit said. Besides the word of the teenager, investigators also found text messages from Barrera to the boy where she talks about their sexual activity, the Port St. Lucie police report said.

Barrera was booked into custody at the St. Lucie County Jail with bail set at $30,000.

Georgia Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Chickamauga, Georgia) A 28-year-old local wife and mother, Rebecca Scott, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy.

Scott faces charges of statutory rape, aggravated child molestation and child molestation.

Investigators claim that Scott engaged in episodes of sex with the boy last January in her home.

Interestingly, the Scott case appears in an article that claims this is a "rare type of child molestation." Heh, not from my perch. Cases such as Scott's are regularly reported in the media and this and other blog sites.

Michigan Woman Accused of Child Sex Crimes

(Cadillac, Michigan) A 42-year-old local woman and former substitute teacher, Patti Kaye Holdship, has been accused of multiple counts of child sex abuse and possession of child pornography involving two boys, ages 15 and 16.

Michigan State Police Trooper Marc Moore, the lead investigator in the case, said the allegations came to light in early May when the parents of the 16-year-old approached police with information that Holdship had had sexual contact with their son.

A followup interview substantitated (sic) the claim that Holdship did engage in sexual activity with the teenage victim in January, Moore said. In the course of the investigation, sexually explicit images of the defendant and victim were discovered. Moore said investigators found Holdship’s phone after getting a search warrant to search their residence, and they found evidence of the charges. Holdship was cooperative, and during an interview, disclosed the existence of a second victim, the 15-year-old. Her statements also revealed that inappropriate texts had been exchanged between herself and the second victim, Moore said.

The criminal sexual conduct charges stem from one incident with the 16-year-old, but in the case of the 15-year-old, the charges involve multiple sexual encounters and also texting and sexting during about 1 1/2 months between the fall of 2008 and March 2009. Although Holdship worked as a substitute teacher, Moore said he did not believe the relationship with the teenagers was linked to her position working for the Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District, which maintains a pool of substitutes which may be assigned to any school in the ISD. The lead investigator also said he did not believe Holdship used her position as a substitute teacher to persuade or entice the boys to become involved with her.

Holdship was booked into custody and released on $50,000 bond.

Mississippi Teacher Gets No Jail in Sex Case - Updated

(Rankin County, Mississippi) Former Northwest Rankin High School teacher Kelly Blossom, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery of a 16-year-old student and received a hand slap.

In accordance with an agreement that allows her victim to avoid testifying, Blossom received a 20-year suspended prison sentence and five years of probation. Rankin County District Attorney Michael Guest wanted jail time. He didn't get it.

The boy told investigators that he had sex with Blossom after school and on the weekends at the high school.

The investigation began in April 2009, after the teen's parents contacted the Flowood Police Department.

Authorities said there we're at least four sexual encounters between Blossom and the student.

Blossom will be required to register as a sex offender.

* * * * *
Mississippi Teacher and Male Student
[Previous 9/22/09 post]
(Flowood, Mississippi) A 38-year-old teacher formerly at Northwest Rankin High School, Kelly Blossom, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male student. Blossom has been charged with 10 counts of sexual battery.

According to Flowood Police Detective Billy Tucker:

Blossom allegedly had a relationship with the teen, whose name is not being released, that lasted several months.

Flowood police began an investigation in April and issued an arrest warrant for Blossom on Sept. 9, Tucker said. Blossom turned herself in to Flowood Police on Sept. 10, Tucker said.

Blossom was booked and released on $25,000 bond.