NY Republican Announces Candidacy

7Online.com:

(White Plains-WABC, May 23, 2005) -- Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Monday that she will not run for re-election this year. Instead, she's going bigger, and will run for statewide office in 2006.

Pirro told The Associated Press that she has not decided which office to seek. But she mentioned three possibilities: state attorney general, the office being vacated by Democrat Eliot Spitzer; the Senate; and governor, if Republican George Pataki decides against another term.

Asked if she thought she could beat Clinton, Pirro refused to answer directly but said, "I have never been afraid of challenges, no matter how daunting. I have really been a person who actually seeks out challenges. The more you say I can't do something, the more I want to do it. ... Whatever office I run for, I will run to win and for no other reason."

You just have to admire her confidence. It doesn't hurt that she's also a favorite of the White House political wizards.

She mentioned that she wasn't seeking re-election because she didn't want to deceive her supporters into voting for her, only to do an about-face a week later and run for another office. Someone needs to remind Pirro that honesty in New York politics is usually a losing combination. But, then again, there's always the remote possibility that it will work.

Endangered Koala Sterilization Program

From ABC News Online:

The South Australian Government has allocated an extra $4 million in Thursday's Budget to control koala numbers on Kangaroo Island.

The money will be used to step up the sterilisation program and to transport the animals to several spots in the state's south-east.

Premier Mike Rann says the campaign will avert an environmental disaster, but he has ruled out the possibility of a cull.

Being too cute to actually kill, the koalas will undergo a $160 operation to sterilize them. Notably, the koala sterilization program has been ongoing since 1996, so the practice is not new. However, with the new funds allocated, the story gets rerun on the front page.

The koalas being targeted live on predator-free Kangaroo Island, about 30 miles off the coast of South Australia, and there are too many for the environment to sustain. On the mainland, koalas have natural predators and human pressures to control the population. They also suffer from widespread infectious chlamydia which causes infertility in females.

Oddly, attempts to limit the population of koalas would be illegal in the U.S. since they are listed as an endangered species. This is despite the fact that the Australian government "sees no scientific evidence that it [the koala] is likely to become endangered anytime soon." Here's today's pop quiz. Since there are no indigenous koalas running wild in the U.S. and since, in Australia where they do run wild, the government sees no reason to believe that they will become endangered in the foreseeable future, then why would the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service place them on the Endangered Species List?

Interestingly, in a closely related story the House Resources Committee recently announced the results of a review of the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act. According to Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo,

"The ESA has not achieved its original intent of recovering species," the California Republican said. "In fact, there is little evidence of progress in the law's 30-year history."

The ESA was also faulted for containing a "wealth of erroneous data" on some species that has led to millions and millions of public and private dollars being wasted. One glaring example is the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse. Disregarding the fact that the vermin was obviously named by an Earth-Is-My-Mother biologist, the Preble's mouse was listed as "threatened" and millions of dollars were spent on stalled and canceled projects and creation of a protected habitat. After a second look it was discovered that the Preble's mouse was no different than any other grub-eating, burrowing, and hanta virus carrying field mouse. OOPS!

In summary, the Australian Tree-Killing Koala population is being reduced while the, rarer-than-Sasquatch, American Cuddly Soft Koala population is protected just in case they sprout wings and fly to the United States.

Sex Offenders Get Viagra Paid by Medicaid

(Albany, New York) According to Alan Hevesi, the New York State Comptroller, during an audit, the names on the state's sex offender registry were compared to the names listed as receiving Medicaid-paid Viagra. Results of the review indicate that almost 200 sex offenders, including child rapists, had received taxpayer-funded Viagra between 2000 and 2005.

Well, it didn't take long for the politicians to make a statement. Senator Hillary Clinton said that the news was "deeply disturbing" and that she would explore possible legislative action. Senator Chuck Shumer said he didn't think that giving sex offenders Viagra was done intentionally and, if necessary, he's prepared to introduce legislation to correct the situation.

It's certain that this story will get a lot of coverage and it should. The last thing society needs is to be the free-of-charge enabler for sex offenders to easily grow and sustain an erection. It's like putting gasoline on a fire.

In closing, it's noteworthy that this episode has demonstrated at least one unforeseen benefit of maintaining a sex offender registry.

Romanian Hostages Freed

(Baghdad, Iraq) Kidnapped in March, Prima TV reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, cameraman Sorin Miscoci, reporter Ovidiu Ohanesian, and translator Mohamad Munaf have been released by their captors. It still not clear who the hostage-takers were but, apparently, Romanian officials have been in contact with them for several weeks. Negotiations with the Romanian government, along with appeals from Romanian and Iraqi Islamic groups, are believed to have prompted the release of the journalists.

It's being reported that the Romanian government adamantly refused to negotiate foreign policy with the kidnappers nor would they pay a ransom. Bravo! However, I'm still a bit skeptical about whether we are getting the whole story on the kidnapping and release. Maybe it's because kidnappers are frequently proud of their hostage-taking and take credit. In this case, the kidnappers haven't been identified at all.

(via In The Bullpen)

Scholars Demand Islamic Trial for Koran Abusers

Gulf Times:

RIYADH: Eighteen Saudi Muslim scholars and thinkers demanded yesterday that those involved in the alleged desecration of the Holy Qur'an at the US detention facility of Guantanamo Bay be tried by an Islamic court.

"It won't do any good if the State Department (eventually) apologises or if it rejects this act, or if its authors are tried," they said in a statement.

"That would amount to throwing dust in the eyes as was the case in the trials of those who committed the crimes (of abusing prisoners at Iraq's) Abu Ghraib jail ... The Islamic nation will not settle for less than the trial (of the Guantanamo culprits) by an Islamic court," said the signatories.

So, it really doesn't matter at all if the allegations were true or not. The eighteen "Muslim scholars and thinkers" want heads to roll. Apparently, they won't be satisfied until the actual people responsible for what didn't occur are punished.

In all honestly, when the Muslim "scholars and thinkers" want to prosecute an offense that didn't happen, it becomes a little easier to understand why the everyday lay followers of Islam are exceedingly intolerant towards differing viewpoints. They are going to believe and will believe what they desire to believe. The truth and facts merely set the stage for their manufactured vision of reality.

Navajos to Regulate Power Plants

(Farmington, New Mexico) According to this report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is transferring regulatory authority governing emissions from a coal-fired generating facility, the Four Corners Power Plant, to the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA). A signed agreement specifies that the Navajo Nation will monitor air-quality emissions only and the U.S. government will retain other regulatory authority.

Situated on the Navajo Reservation, the Four Corners Power Plant continuously generates over 2,000 megawatts of electricity by burning 28,000 tons of coal daily. Burning that amount of coal obviously creates a huge amount of effluent smoke and gases which are released to the atmosphere through the smokestacks. According to the agreement with the U.S. EPA, the Navajo Nation will be responsible for monitoring emissions from the facility to assure compliance with federal standards until the Navajo environmental agency establishes its own standards. At that time, the Navajo Nation will be the permit issuing agency for the power plants.

At first glance, this change seems fine except that it places a Native American tribe in an odd political position between the environmental extremists and the large corporations. Typically, Native Americans line up with the environmentalists so it will be a challenge for them to be in the middle. Of course, although it's not often mentioned, Native Americans have historically, traditionally, even spiritually, been pro-smoke. Think about it. The peace pipes, smoke signals, and tribal dances around a smoky bonfire provide a basis that suggests it's a good fit for the Navajo to be in charge of the smoke emissions from the power plants. However, their historical affinity toward smoke may portend less restrictive emissions requirements in the future.

Joking aside, the actual agreement signed by the Navajo leaders specifies that they will administer and enforce applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act and Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Also, the NNEPA operates on grant funds from the federal government so it will function more as a subcontractor than an independent body. All in all, it appears that the whole scheme just removes a chunk of work from the purview of Washington and sends it to a local group, the Navajo Nation.

Blogger on Flight Diverted Due to Terrorist Threat

I apologize for being late in relaying this story but, late or not, it's an interesting read. Nick Genes of Blogborygmi was aboard the trans-Atlantic flight last week that was diverted from its intended destination of Boston to Bangor, Maine, because one passenger had been identified as a possible terrorist threat. A man was escorted off the plane at Bangor and Alitalia Flight 618 continued on to Boston. The FBI said later that the man was not a suspected terrorist. [ed. note: He was for a while.]

Nick's post relays the sense of apprehension he and others experienced during the entire episode and cites some valid concerns about the way the situation was handled. As I mentioned, it's a worthwhile read. Be sure to visit.

Fred Flintstone's Voice

(Los Angeles, California) Veteran character actor and voice-over artist Henry Corden has died at the age of 85 from complications of emphysema. Corden was known for providing the voice of Fred Flintstone.

Teacher Has Sex With Mentally Disabled Student

(Logan County, Colorado) Donna Sue Lopus, 39, was working at a video store because she was fired from her teaching job at Merino Elementary School. School officials suspected that something inappropriate was occurring, but they couldn't prove it. Fortunately, the prosecutor thinks he can. Specifically, the prosecutor aims to prove that Lopus was sexually assaulting a mentally disabled student throughout 2004.


Donna Sue Lopus
Lopus is charged with sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. The alleged assault began in her classroom, behind a bookshelf, with groping and kissing when the 16-year-old came to her for homework help. It became more serious and advanced to late-night rides in her car, sex in the back seat, and sleeping together.

Interestingly, Lopus blames the boy for "coming onto her." Presumably, she found the magnetic charms of a 16-year-old mentally disabled boy (in elementary school, no less) to be irresistible. She also blames the boy for lying to her about his age. The boy, however, indicated that Lopus was the aggressor in the relationship. He told investigators that Lopus arrived in class once without underwear and placed his hands under her dress. Holy-moly! Not only are normal everyday kids at the mercy of sexual offenders and predators, but, with special education teachers like Lopus (assuming she's convicted), the mentally disabled are also at risk.

Lopus is being held without bond, probably to keep her from doing something even more stupid than she already has. Her husband hasn't weighed in on the situation thus far.


[Update 07/05/06]

Lopus sentenced to two years in jail.

Terrorist Dies in Custody From Self-Inflicted Wounds

ABC Online:

The suspected leader of a cell that attacked tourists in Egypt last month has died after sustaining self-inflicted injuries while in police custody, the prosecutor general's office said on Saturday.

The Interior Ministry had identified Ashraf Said Youssef as the man who recruited a suicide bomber who killed two French people and an American man in a Cairo bazaar blast on April 7.

"On the evening of May 19, the prosecutor was informed by a police report of the death of the accused Ashraf Said Youssef," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

A security source said Youssef died on Thursday, May 19.

"The prosecutor general's office was informed by a police report that the accused Ashraf Said Youssef was afflicted, while in the room he was detained in, by a state of agitation, during which he purposefully hit his head on the wall of the room," the statement said.

It's generally known that torture is used in Egyptian prisons. However, this story won't get much coverage because the U.S. wasn't to blame. I should be careful with my assertions, though, because the MSM may be able to figure a way to point a finger at President Bush. Nevertheless, the fact that the world has one less terrorist because he banged his head against the wall (or someone banged it for him) is good news.

Louisiana Church Sex Cult Arrests

(Ponchatoula, Louisiana) The FBI, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Ponchatoula Police Department are investigating allegations of cult-like deviant practices, including sex with children and animals, by members of the Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula. Thus far, the following eight people have been arrested and charged.

Austin Bernard III, 36, was charged with allegedly forcing a girl under the age of 13 to perform a sex act and admitted to knowing about alleged sexual acts involving children, dogs and cats that occurred at Hosanna Church.

Nicole Bernard, 36, was charged with aggravated rape of a juvenile under the age of 13

Paul Fontenot, 21, was charged with aggravated rape of a juvenile under the age of 13.

Deputy Christopher Labat, 24, was charged on one count of aggravated rape, one count of crime against nature, and one count of malfeasance in office. Being a law officer, Labat was not put with the general prisoner population. He is, however, on suicide watch.

Louis Lamonica, 45, was charged with two counts of aggravated rape and one count of crime against nature after he confessed that he had sex with children and animals. The entire sex cult case broke wide open when Lamonica walked into the Sheriff's office and confessed. He is the former pastor of the Hosanna Church.

Robbin D. Lamonica, 45, was charged with one count of aggravated rape after a male victim told deputies that he had been having sex with Robbin Lamonica from the time he was 4 years of age until he was 13.

Lois Ann Mowbray, 54, was charged with obstruction of justice, failure to report a felony, and accessory after the fact to aggravated rape.

Allen R. Pierson, 46, was charged with one count of aggravated rape for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a girl who was 9 or 10-years-old at the time. The victim is now 13.

The investigation continues and authorities believe there may be dozens of victims ranging in age from infancy to adolescence. Computers were seized and the crime lab expects to find pictures of sex acts involving children and animals.

Notably, the laws of Louisiana consider sex with young children a capital crime punishable by death. If the evidence is sufficient, Scott Perrilloux, the 21st Judicial District Attorney, may seek the death penalty. Execution shouldn't be inconceivable. The enormity of the alleged crimes is bewildering.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Nicole Pomerleau Sentenced for Indecency with Boy

(Charlotte, North Carolina) Last February, it was reported that former Olympic High School English teacher Nicole Pomerleau, 31, pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 16-year-old student. She walked away with essentially a hand slap, some finger pointing, and a few tsk-tsks.


Nicole Pomerleau
Anyway, that's old news. However, I think something else must have happened and, for the life of me, I haven't been able to find out what. I base my assumption on the fact that I've received a rash of search engine hits in the last two days for Nicole Pomerleau. If anyone knows something fresh about her, please leave a comment.

Nine Die in Cleveland Fire

(Cleveland, Ohio) Nine people, including seven children, died in an early morning fire on Cleveland's east side. Eleven people were in the East 87th Street house at 3am when the fire started. Many of the children were there on a sleepover. One survivor is in critical condition at MetroHealth Medical Center.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sexual Seduction Case

(Wrentham, Massachusetts) About a week ago, FBI agents and local police arrested Jennifer L. Marshall, 34, for allegedly performing oral sex on a 15-year-old boy in Nevada. Las Vegas Metro Police plan to charge Marshall with statutory sexual seduction. In an updated report, Marshall pleaded innocent to a fugitive from justice charge and was released on $500 bail. Another court appearance is scheduled for June 8.

Interestingly, it's been disclosed that Marshall at one time accused former New England Patriot football player Ben Coates of assaulting her in a domestic dispute. The alleged assault case obviously isn't related to Marshall's current legal problems, but it's worth noting.

Student Newspaper Shut Down

(Marietta, Georgia) Principal Randolph Bynum of Pebblebrook High School in Cobb County has eliminated the school's journalism class and the student newspaper citing a "teacher shortage and the need to keep more popular courses like cosmetology." Bynum also admits to criticizing the paper for content that's unfavorable to the school.

Newspaper staffers believe that the shutdown decision was made to censor student opinion. As such, they approached the Student Press Law Center in Arlington, Va., with their complaint. Mark Goodman, the executive director, said they would be happy to pursue the case.

Developing ....

EU Officials Expelled From Cuba

(Havana, Cuba) According to this report, two European Union politicians visited Havana to speak at a pro-democracy conference but, instead, they were seized Thursday by police, driven to the airport, and expelled from the country. Czech Senator Karl Schwarzenberg and German MP Arnold Vaatz had arrived to address dissidents opposed to the Communist rule of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Two former Spanish senators and a legislator were also expelled on Thursday and two Polish members of the European Parliament, Boguslav Sonik and Jacek Protasiewicz, were denied entry. Four journalists were taken into custody, three from Poland and one from Italy.

Notably, the Spanish Socialist government encouraged the European Union to upgrade its relations with Cuba and it did so in January. Consequently, Europeans show up in Cuba to develop and foster a closer relationship with the government and people of Cuba. Unfortunately, it seems nobody cleared the upgraded relationship with Castro and he's not having anything to do with it.

There's currently a flurry of jabbering in European diplomatic circles with lots of complaints and official protests, but you know that nothing will happen unless Castro says it will or dies. The intentions and initiatives of the European Union are meaningless as long as Cuba is under the murderous iron fist of communism.

The dissident rally was held as planned with a reported 200 people attending. Organizers believe a number of people stayed away for fear of being arrested. Interested-Participant applauds those bold and brave souls who attended with three words of caution -- watch your back.

Female Afghan 'Veejay' Murdered

(Kabul, Afghanistan) After the fall of the Taliban, Shaima Rezayee, 24, immediately discarded her burkha and became a 'veejay' (video journalist) for Kabul's answer to MTV. In this capacity, she hosted an hour-long music and chat show airing videos of Western singers which outraged conservative Muslims. Two months ago, Rezayee was fired due to pressure from Islamic mullahs. This week, she was murdered in her home by an unknown assailant. The killing is believed to be linked to her time as a veejay.

Obviously, living in a democracy doesn't automatically guarantee freedom of expression.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

[Update] The Gateway Pundit has a photo of Rezayee. Also, there's reason to believe that her family was instrumental in her death.

MS-13 Gang Member Arrested in Columbus

(Columbus, Ohio) Today, it's expected that a member of the dangerous El Salvadoran MS-13 gang will appear in federal court. David Henriques was apprehended in April after a chase during which he ditched a 9 mm AB-10, known as a "gang-banger" gun.


David Henriques
It's believed that Henriques will face multiple charges tied to murder, drugs, and possible terrorism. Notably, Henriques is the second MS-13 member arrested in Columbus this year. In January, it was reported that El Salvadoran Nelson Flores, 34, was arrested after a minor traffic accident. Flores is a violent, previously deported felon MS-13 gang leader who had been convicted of participating in a drive-by shooting in Nevada. Ominously, police said that there are upwards of a dozen other MS-13 gang members in the Columbus area.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Teaching Too Much Blamed for Dropout Rate

(Toronto, Canada) When students don't learn enough to pass required tests, what can educators do? Well, they can follow the example of the Arizona School System and arbitrarily lower the minimum grade required to pass. Alternatively, they can dramatically decrease the amount of subject material the student is required to learn which is the option that Canada has decided to pursue.

Toronto Star (Reg. req'd):

Ontario has unveiled a kinder, gentler math curriculum it hopes will stem the rising tide of high school dropouts.

The government has made sweeping changes to Grade 9 math, in the more hands-on applied stream where staggering failure rates have been linked to a growing number of dropouts since the tough new four-year high school program began in 1999.

Starting this fall, Grade 9 students in applied math will be expected to master nearly one-third less material while getting more practical lessons. As well, teachers will get more tips on how to make math relevant to teens.

Gone are subjects teachers deemed too abstract for many Grade 9 applied students, such as analytical geometry, the study of the steepness of "slopes" and lessons on the algebra needed to plot a parabolic curve.

When marking, teachers will be encouraged to give more weight to a student's overall comprehension of math concepts, rather than simply follow a lengthy checklist of individual skills.

According to Stewart Craven, Toronto District School Board math expert, the reduction in content is "a phenomenal improvement." Students' learning will be enriched because the "clutter of abstract concepts" is removed and, instead, new Grade 9 students will learn about how math applies to cellphone bills and video rental charges. And, even though course content has been reduced by one-third, it hasn't been "dumbed down." Rather, the changes have removed the "biggest roadblock to graduation for Ontario teens."

One could say that Ontario is spearheading toward education by osmosis. All that's necessary is to reduce course content to a low-enough level whereby a half-asleep student can still absorb enough knowledge to pass the final exam. Interestingly, in addition to removing course content, the teachers are given guidance to forget about giving marks based on a student's skills and pay attention to math concepts. But wait, didn't math expert Stewart Craven state that the clutter of concepts was removed? I'm confused.

With respect to whether the system is "dumbing down," you make the call. Eh?

Debra Lafave Pretrial Hearing

(Tampa, Florida) According to this report, the state's psychologist has determined that Debra Lafave was legally sane when she allegedly adjusted the horns of a 14-year-old student on several occasions in her home, in the classroom, and in her private vehicle. This finding is contrary to the defense's assertion last December when it was claimed that Debra was crazy during sex.


Nonetheless, Lafave's attorney John Fitzgibbons plans to continue pursuing the insanity defense against the charges of lewd and lascivious battery. Fitzgibbons is apparently relying upon an evaluation conducted by his own psychologist who determined that Lafave has "issues."

 
She obviously does, but that doesn't mean she's crazy. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman has scheduled another pretrial hearing for June 16. I fully expect that the defense will offer to plea either before or at that time. Nobody really wants Lafave to be tried before a jury and Prosecutor Mike Sinacore has indicated a willingness to find a "resolution" in the case. However, if no plea agreement is reached, a tentative trial date has been scheduled for July 18.


[Update 11/22/05]

Debra Lafave pleads guilty and gets no jail.