Teacher Sentenced for Sex Crime

(Robinson, Illinois) In March 2004, former Robinson High School teacher Jennifer Brummett, 25, was arrested and charged with criminal sexual assault for having a relationship with a male student. Last month, Brummett pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse and, yesterday, she was sentenced.

Brummett was given four years probation, a $1,000 fine, and she must pay court costs. She will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

It appears the court decided not to take away her teaching credentials.

Horse Sex Fatality

(Seattle, Washington) No doubt, there is an entirely screwy subculture in society. The following report offers proof. Note that the story doesn't make it entirely clear who was pitching and who was catching.

From the Ottawasun.com:

A Seattle man died after engaging in anal sex with a horse at a farm suspected of being a gathering place for people seeking to have sex with livestock.

What!?

There's a gathering place for livestock lovers? Call me uninformed, but wouldn't a person want to be somewhat secretive about his facination with livestock? This place sounds like they have a club. Sheesh!

But, wait, there's more.

Although sex with animals is not illegal in Washington state, investigators were looking into whether the farm allowed sex with smaller animals that resulted in animal cruelty, which is a crime. "If you're talking about sheep or goats, there could be some issues," said Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's department.

Well, it appears that the sheriff just has to check the farm's rule book to see what's allowed and make sure that the animals being screwed meet minimum size requirements.

You know, the way the farm is described, it wouldn't be too surprising to learn that the farmer was charging for the time spent with his livestock. If so, it would give a whole new meaning to the term "Mustang Ranch."

Linked to COTT XX.

[Update 7/19/05]

From The News Tribune:

A state senator, horrified by what's been uncovered at a farm outside Enumclaw, is drafting legislation to outlaw bestiality in Washington, one of about 20 states where having sex with animals is not illegal.

Pam Roach, R-Auburn, said Monday she will introduce a bill later this year that would make bestiality a felony. Roach said she hopes to include provisions that also would make videotaping and disseminating sex acts with animals a crime.

Thirty states have laws that prohibit sex acts with animals, with six classifying it as a felony, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

According to the report, the livestock sex club is a massive operation with video production and sales and, apparently, perverts travel from all over the country to engage in livestock sex and to watch others do so. Roach wants to make bestiality a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. I wonder who would be opposed to the legislation.


[Update 01/14/07]

According to this report, the incident described above prompted one director to create a movie which will be presented next week at the Sundance Film Festival.

Excuse me for being a neigh-sayer, but is this really a triple-crown idea? Whoa, I say. Nevertheless, the public probably won't be stampeding to the ticket office anyway.


[Update 05/22/07]

Bestiality movie called Zoo shown at Cannes Film Festival.

U.S. Jets Kill 24 Taliban in Pakistan

Fairly fresh news that is thought provoking.

From The News International, Pakistan:

PESHAWAR: Twenty-four suspected Taliban fighters were killed in a missile attack by US planes near the Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan Agency and the Pakistan Army troops have recovered bodies of the killed persons, official sources said here Friday.

The report says there were hundreds of Pakistani troops and scouts engaged in the operation. More interesting, though,

The Pakistani and US forces, the officials said, were in contact with each other about the emerging situation before and after the operation and killing of the fleeing fighters. This is for the first time Pakistan has admitted that US planes targeted the fleeing Taliban inside its territory. The US forces stationed in Afghanistan's border areas and its warplanes have been blamed several times for crossing over into Pakistani territory in the past.

A prudent observer would be led to assume that a working relationship has been developed between American forces in Afghanistan and the Pakistani military with regard to the border areas.

Magdy Elnasher

Here's some information regarding Elnasher's life that is worth knowing. Magdy Elnasher was born in 1972 in Egypt.

1994
Graduated from Cairo University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree,

1998
Received Masters in Science in Organic Chemistry from Cairo University,

1999-2000
Studied chemical engineering at North Carolina State University,

2000-present
University of Leeds, UK, Postgraduate.

Elnasher's schooling has put him at the forefront of study in the fields of biological catalysts and enzyme immobilization.

To refresh everyone's memory, enzymes are protein substances that act as triggers for various biological processes. So, Elnasher's expertise appears to be associated with seemingly mundane applications like improving water treatment facilities or manufacturing processes that rely on enzymatic actions.

Now, going back to my previously-stated bother, if Elnasher, as a terrorist, wanted to apply this expert knowledge, he could, but only in a convoluted manner. I believe that a biological threat could only exist if Elnasher was working out of his house or in a garage creating something nefarious. His line of study and work does not lend itself to anything other than access to chemicals and biologicals for easy theft. To put anything together, he'd need a lab - and time.

One other thing - Elnasher has some sort of link with the University of Graz in Austria which is associated with his biochemical work.

All in all, I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that there have been no reports of a laboratory being found in the investigation by the British authorities. Without one - somewhere - I don't see Elnasher's biochemical expertise being a threat right now. Of course, don't trust me. I'm just a guy with a computer.

Saudi Woman Gets Commercial Pilot's License

Recently, it was announced that a Saudi Arabian woman, Hanadi Zakariya Hindi, 24, had earned a commercial airline pilot's license. Hindi is the first Saudi woman to achieve the distinction and congratulations be upon her.


Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi
Subsequently, Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal hired Capt. Hindi to work for his company's fleet of private jets. As a result, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Ahmad, an associate professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, protested that the hiring of a Saudi woman was illegal and "un-Islamic." Al-Ahmad, who teaches Shariah law at the university, stated that "Hindi's job would require her to travel without a male guardian and would therefore lead to her mixing with men."

The controversy of what role women should play in Saudi society is ongoing and Capt. Hindi's circumstance just adds fuel to the bonfire. As men in the West know, the issue will not be resolved until the women have complete control, but Saudi Arabia is a long way from that point. In fact, women in Saudi Arabia have few rights and are put in prison for just driving a car. Therefore, we have the ridiculous situation where Capt. Hindi can pilot an aircraft around the world but can't legally back the car out of the driveway.

School Employee Ordered to Stay Away From Witness

(Stamford, Connecticut) Last month, Eagle Hill School employee Beth Raymond, 31, was charged with sexual assault of a juvenile male. Yesterday, Raymond appeared in state Superior Court in Stamford and was ordered to stay away from the student she is alleged to have assaulted.


Beth Raymond
Contrary to the court's instructions last month, Raymond has been visiting the alleged vicitim. Consequently, a witness protection order was issued against her which, if she violates, will put her in jail. She is currently free on $50,000 bond.

Few details of the Raymond case have been made public. However, since the Eagle Hill School serves disabled children ages 6 to 13, one logically assumes the alleged victim is 13 or younger and disabled. If 31-year-old Raymond actually committed the alleged sexual assault, she should be punished harshly, very harshly.


[Update 07/31/06]

Raymond sentenced to 18 months.

Homo Light

(Oslo, Norway) Homosexuals in Norway want to raise their profile in society by marketing a gay soft drink called Homo Light. It's pink and pear-flavored.

Just think. After a sweaty day at the factory or the construction site, pass on the bottle of Bud and pop open a refreshing cold Homo. (via Country Store)

British Muslim Refused Entry into U.S.

(Washington) Dr. Zaki Badawi, prominent head of the Muslim College in Britain, traveled from London to New York on Wednesday but was not allowed to enter the U.S. and had to return home.

From Sky News:

US Customs have said only that Dr Badawi was "inadmissible."

Leah Yoon, a spokeswoman in Washington, said when he was initially processed, his answers to basic questions were not "in alignment" with his background check or documentation.

"He was questioned further and after a thorough interview he was deemed inadmissible," she said.

"He was given several options but chose to withdraw his application." The options presented to Dr Badawi could not be disclosed, she said.

Strange? I think so.

Badawi previously was given an honorary knighthood by the Queen, so somebody vouches for the guy, yet he can't answer questions posed by Customs officials. There's something screwy here.

Companion post at In The Bullpen.

Leeds Chemistry Student and Bombing Suspect Arrested

(Cairo, Egypt) Both Reuters and the AP are reporting that Magdy Elnashar (aka Magdy el-Nashar) has been arrested in Cairo and is being interrogated by Egyptian police.

[Update]

It needs to be noted that Elnasher has been reported to be a chemistry student, a chemistry lecturer, a biochemistry researcher, and a chemistry professor. Right now, it's not really clear what he is, but it has something to do with chemistry.

What bothers me is the possibility that he is a biochemist. If so, and he's found to be a terrorist, there is the likelihood that he may have been working on biological weapons.

Fourth London Bomber

As a convert to Islam, Jamaican-born Lindsey Germaine began using the name Jamal. He's also used Lindsey Germail, Lindsey Jermaine and Lindsey Jamal.

From Life Style Extra:

Some reports suggest that Germaine may have been on an FBI terrorist watch list as Germaine Lindsey when he travelled to Cleveland in 2000.

Police raided the house he rented in Northern Road, Aylesbury where he lived with his wife Samantha Lewthwaite, 21, also an Islamic convert, and their 15-month-old son, Abdullah. Samantha, who is eight months pregnant is said to be under police guard as she prepares to give birth.

The pair met in Luton, where Miss Lewthwaite was studying, but she quit her course and moved in with Germaine and is thought to have changed her name to Sheraflyah when she took up the Muslim faith.

There's currently no confirmation that Germaine was actually on a terror watch list. If he was listed, it would be nice to know the reason. It would also be nice to know why he traveled to Cleveland, especially since it's in my neighborhood. If Germaine was firing up anyone locally, I would like to know.

Lastly, it's hard to conceive of the infectious evil that permeated Germaine. He was young, had a baby son, and a pregnant wife and he gives it all up and becomes a bomb to indiscriminately kill and maim innocent people.

Woman Gets Prison for Sexually Assaulting Teens

(Greene County, Ohio) After pleading guilty to giving teens alcohol and then sexually assaulting them, a 33-year-old woman, Kelly Smith, was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Stephen Wolaver. As a result of being convicted on five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, Smith will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

In court, Smith was apologetic, but Judge Wolaver wasn't buying it.

"While I have heard you apologize today I find that to be more in the line of someone whose sorry they got caught. The impact that you've had upon the victims in this case is significant and the court gives great weight to that factor."

As a sex offender, upon her release from prison Smith will be prohibited from living within 1000 feet of any school.

Transvestite Athlete Jailed

This guy claims he was born a female, but developed male sex organs after a witch doctor cast a spell on him for not paying his bills.

From ABC News Online:

A male Zimbabwean athlete who won several awards in women's competitions in southern Africa has been sentenced to four years in jail for offensive behaviour, the prosecutor said.

Samukeliso Sithole, 18, was arrested in February after a female friend lodged a complaint to police, saying that she had undressed in full view of the athlete, thinking that he was a woman.

"He has been convicted of six counts of impairing the dignity of female athletes who undressed in his presence after he made them believe he was a woman," prosecutor Tapfumanei Nkonde told AFP.

As a criminal offense, "impairing the dignity" really shouldn't be worth four years in jail for Mr. Sithole. That seems harsh.

The Arthur Ravenel Bridge

(Charleston, South Carolina) The longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States has been imagined, designed, built, and it opens this weekend. It connects Charleston with Mount Pleasant over the Cooper River. At a cost of more than $600 million, it's been a subject of intense interest for South Carolinians.


Arthur Ravenel Bridge
Tonight, as part of the opening celebration, there will be a fireworks display and a ceremonial first lighting of the bridge's cables. With those clean lines, it's a fine looking structure. I have spies in the crowd of celebrants, so there may be more information forthcoming.

Deal Working for U.S. Military in Bulgaria

(Sofia, Bulgaria) With the drawdown of American forces in Germany, Bulgaria is a desirable Eastern European location to have U.S. influence. Strategically, there are port facilities on the Black Sea and short air travel distances to both Central Asia and the Middle East.

From the Stars and Stripes:

The United States expects to finalize negotiations with Bulgaria in the fall that may grant U.S. troops additional access to military bases in the country, U.S. and Bulgarian officials announced Wednesday.

James Pardew, the U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria, said he expected to reach an agreement about use of the Novo Selo training area, about 25 miles from Sliven, and nearby Bezmer Air Base, as early as September, when Bulgaria’s new government is slated to take power.

It's certain that Bulgarians are anxious to develop stronger economic ties with the U.S., however, it's also certain that they will want to move slowly. Ilko Dimitzov, deputy defense minister for Bulgaria, stressed that "the deal would not create a large, permanent presence of U.S. military forces."

"They will become U.S. bases, but not in the sense of U.S. bases in Germany," said Col. Yordan Yordanov, a Bulgarian Defense Ministry official who oversees cooperation with the U.S. military, in an interview with Stars and Stripes. "It will not be building cities, building PXs (post exchanges), commissaries, fitness centers and swimming pools."

It is still unclear whether the Bulgarian bases would serve as forward operating bases that could be used for deployments or if they would simply be cooperative locations for training, Dimitzov said.

It's a foot in the door. Now I have to find an English-Bulgarian dictionary.

Archbishop Tutu Blames Terror on Poverty

Is it me, or does Desmond Tutu remind anyone else of a wind-up doll?

From The Courier-Mail:

ANTI-APARTHEID icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu condemned last week's "dastardly acts of terrorism" in London but warned today attacks would persist as long as poverty and ignorance blighted the world.

"We are not going to win the so-called war against terror as long as there exist conditions in the world - conditions of poverty and disease and ignorance that make people desperate and so cause them to perpetrate dastardly acts of desperation," Archbishop Tutu told a head teachers convention in Cape Town.

"To strive for the eradication of poverty, disease and ignorance is not to be altruistic, it is ultimately the best form of self interest," he said in a published speech sent to journalists.

Frankly, I think it's time for the archbishop to become the newspaper-reading archbishop. Last I heard, the terror in London was caused by Brits who were not poverty-stricken, nor uneducated, nor lacking health care.

The esteemed cleric was also shocked by the treatment of prisoners at Gitmo, comparing it to the prisons in apartheid South Africa. My only question is who's going to compare Gitmo to the Bastille or Devil's Island. Somebody's bound to continue the Dick Durbin trend.

Nonetheless, Archbishop Tutu really needs to loosen his tie and take a blood thinner. It's obvious that sufficient oxygen isn't getting to his brain.

Taliban Spokesman: Al-Qaeda Escapees Are Safe

Apparently, the terrorists who escaped from the Bagram detention center are now in the southern part of Afghanistan.

From Reuters:

Four Arab al Qaeda militants who escaped from a heavily fortified U.S. detention center in Afghanistan this week reached a Taliban haven safely on Thursday, a spokesman for the guerrilla movement said.

"The Taliban found and recovered four al-Qaeda mujahideen (holy warriors) this morning," Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said from an undisclosed location.

Hakimi, whose information has often proved unreliable, declined to say where the escapees were, but added: "They are far away from Kabul. They are safe and now taking rest."

The Pakistani-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency quoted another, unnamed, Taliban spokesman as saying the men were in the south of the country. "They are alright. They had some bruises to their feet ... they are being given medicines."

Wait a minute! The Taliban has a spokesman? And, he's often unreliable? Say, whatever happened to Baghdad Bob?

Anyway, the escapees have been named and they come from four different countries, Syrian Abdullah Hashimi, Kuwaiti Mahmoud Ahmad Mohammad, Saudi Mahmoud Alfatahni, and Libyan Mohammad Hassan.

In the same report, a member of the Taliban leadership council, Mullah Dadullah, told Al Jazeera television that the group possessed anti-aircraft weapons and was seeking to obtain even more powerful arms.

Would it be possible to get spokesman Hakimi back on the line for a lengthy chat?

Community Service for Sexually Abusing 5-Year-Old

(Bentonville, Arkansas) This story is an example of the criminal justice system merely slapping the hand of a sexual offender and, thereby, guaranteeing that it will happen again.

From the Daily Record:

It was the most devastating day of her family's life when she found out her 5-year-old daughter was being sexually abused, according to the mother of a sexual-abuse victim.

The mother was in court Wednesday as a teenager pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the girl. "You totally destroyed (the girl's) life and devastated my husband's and mine," the woman said as she addressed the court. "The person who will be paying the most is my daughter. You ripped the innocence straight out of her."

The 15-year-old boy was charged with sexual assault in the second degree, a class B felony. At Wednesday's hearing, he changed his plea to guilty, and he admitted to engaging in sexual contact with the child on Jan. 31.

Interestingly, the little girl's father attempted to present information regarding the likelihood that the boy would repeat his crime but Circuit Judge Jay Finch refused to hear it. The girl's parents then walked out of the court only to be ordered back. Finch admonished them and told them to basically forget about the experience. After that, Circuit Judge Jay Finch sentenced the boy to probation and 72 hours of community service.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.

Convicted Child Molester Strikes Again

(San Jose, California) It's astonishing that the criminal justice system ever allows child molesters out of prison. Everyone knows they will do it again.

From The Mercury-News:

Fred Everts, a convicted child molester, now faces 15 felony counts and one misdemeanor count involving three boys that could result in a sentence of more than 1,000 years.

Deputy District Attorney Steve Fein presented the amended complaint against Everts at a Wednesday morning court hearing. The complaint alleges the 34-year-old molested two boys in 2004 -- who were 3 years old and 11 years old at the time.

Everts was previously convicted twice for child molestation in Oregon in 1992. Obviously, he wasn't rehabilitated prior to being released. Now, it will be up to a California judge and jury to decide how long he should be incarcerated. Does anyone think he'll get 1,000 years? I sure don't.

You watch. This pervert will be back on the streets in less than ten years and he'll pick up where he left off. If he follows the pattern of many of the perverts that the criminal justice system doesn't take seriously, he'll murder his future victims.

By the way, Everts is the former roommate of Dean Schwartzmiller, the 64-year-old pedophile who was discovered to have seven notebooks containing the names of 36,000 boys who may have been molested.

London Bombers

The following four individuals have been identified as the terrorists directly responsible for the London bombings.

Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, from Beeston, Leeds, recently moved to Dewsbury, married with baby. ID found at Edgware Road blast site.

Hasib Mir Hussain, 18, lived Holbeck, Leeds. Missing on day of bombings. Reportedly turned very religious two years ago. ID found in No. 30 bus.

Shehzad Tanwee, 22, born Bradford, lived Beeston, Leeds. Studied religion in Pakistan. Forensic evidence links him to Aldgate bomb.

Lindsey Germaine, Jamaican-born, lived in Buckinghamshire.

Additionally, police are searching for Leeds University chemistry professor Magdi el-Nashar, an Egyptian who disappeared only days before the bombings.

Teen Prostitution in Paradise

For years there has been a global law enforcement effort to eradicate the underage sex trade in developing nations and typically, though not exclusively, countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America are mentioned. As such, I found it rather interesting that the problem occurs on an island group in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Kiribati (formerly called the Gilbert Islands).

The situation described involves nubile Micronesian island girls conducting business with Korean deep-sea fisherman. The Korean National Youth Commission (NYC) wants the fisherman to be punished when they return to Korea the same as if they had committed the crimes in Korea. Unfortunately, there are no current laws on the books covering the subjects of overseas child sex tourism and prostitution.

Robert Koehler has all the story at The Marmot's Hole.