Legal Commentary

Open Season: Fight Breaks Out At The U.S. Open Tennis Competition

Posted on September 03, 2010
Tennis has always struggled with the absence of crowd-pleasing violent outbursts as in hockey. The U.S. Open was able to overcome that liability this week with a full fist fight that erupted in the stands as Novak Djokovic and Philipp Petzschner watched on as spectators...

Police Officer Allegedly Refuses To Perform CPR On Girl Who Later Dies

Posted on September 02, 2010
The New York Police Department has suspended Officer Alfonso Mendez, 30, who is accused of refusing to help Carmen Ojeda revive her daughter, Briana Ojeda, 11. Mendez allegedly refused to perform CPR on the little girl who later denied. The NYPD had to hunt down Mendez who did not report the incident...

West Virginia School District Bans Playground Swings

Posted on September 02, 2010
This is a curious story. A West Virginia school district has dismantled all swing sets because of the danger of lawsuits. Cabell County cites a single such case that was settled. Cabell County schools safety manager Tim Stewart says a lawsuit in the past year involved a child who broke his arm jumping off a [...

Remember the Oil Rigs That Obama Insists Really Don?t Cause Spills? Another One Just Exploded

Posted on September 02, 2010
Remember those oil rigs that President Obama assured us really do not cause spills? Well another one just exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion of the rig 80 miles off the Louisiana coast further undermines Obama’s insistence on lifting the long moratorium on drilling off our East Coast...

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Former Sen. Simpson Under Attack for Criticism of Vietnam Veterans For Agent Orange Claims

Posted on September 02, 2010
The Republican co-chair of President Obama?s Deficit Commission, former Sen. Alan Simpson, has a certain knack for controversy. Recently he described the Social Security system as a ?milk cow with 310 million tits.? Now, Simpson has taken on Vietnam veterans claiming Agent Orange injuries as people who are “not helping us to save the country...

Golfer Swings and . . . Starts Massive Fire

Posted on September 02, 2010
One California golfer (not the one shown here) is in need of a major Muligan after his swing started a fire that burned 12 acres of the course and surroundings. It appears that the unnamed golfer hit a rock (presumably with a chipper) that sparked and started the fire...

Report: Large Amounts of Oil Skimmed From Sewers Being Used in China?s Food System

Posted on September 02, 2010
If you are visiting Beijing, you might want to go for energy bar and a bottle of Evian. The Chinese are dealing with their latest food scandal. After “toxic beans, contaminated milk and pork, pesticide-laced dumplings, [and] chemically-tainted chicken,” they now have to deal with reports that a large number of restaurants and food vendors [...

Republican Governors Association Ordered To Pay Former Texas Democratic Candidate Two Million Dollars

Posted on September 01, 2010
Travis County Judge John Dietz has issued a rare order to the Republican Governors Association to pay Chris Bell, the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, $2 million because of flagrant campaign contribution violations to support Texas Governor Rick Perry...

Hamas Kills Four Israelis (Including Pregnant Woman) on Eve of Negotiations

Posted on September 01, 2010
In the wake of the controversy of a powerful Rabbi calling for a plague to kill all Palestinians before the start of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, Hamas has found its own way of contributing to the peace process by killing four Israeli settlers, including a pregnant woman...

Seattle Police Shoot and Kill Whittling Man

Posted on September 01, 2010
The Seattle police have another controversial shooting on their hands. In this case a man was sitting on a fence and whittling what looked like a wooden doll’s head. A police officer stopped and demanded to know what he was doing. According to an eyewitness, the man stood up and walked toward the officer despite [...

Word to the Wise: Washington Post Columnist Suspended For Fabricating Story on Twitter

Posted on September 01, 2010
Washington Post sports columnist Mike Wise has been suspended for fabricating a story on Twitter. His one-month suspension came after Wise admitted that he fabricated a story about Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger to show how fast a story is picked up today through the new media...

Doctor Dies Trying to Break Into Home by Crawling Down Chimney

Posted on September 01, 2010
Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac, 49, came to a bizarre end in Bakersfield, California when she tried to break into the home of her “on-again, off-again” boyfriend by climbing down his chimney. She was found three days later by the housekeeper stuck in the chimney...

Civil Rights Groups Challenge Obama?s Assassination List

Posted on August 31, 2010
Civil liberties groups have long objected that President Barack Obama has continued and even expanded on many of George Bush’s abuses in the area of national security, including blocking any investigation into the torture program. Now, civil liberties groups are targeting Obama’s continued use of an assassination list and his assertion that he can simply [...

With Friends Like This: Juror Faces Contempt Charge After Suggesting Defendant Was Guilty on Facebook Before The Verdict

Posted on August 31, 2010
Hadley Jons of Warren, Michigan may want to look at who her “friends” are on Facebook. One of them blew the whistle when she indicated that a defendant was guilty in a trial for resisting arrest before the verdict in the case. Now, she faces a possible contempt charge...

Rep. Johnson Accused of Nepotism and Abuse of Scholarships

Posted on August 31, 2010
Dallas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson has been accused of nepotism and abuse in the awarding of thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide’s two children. Scholarships came from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation...

Putin?em In Their Place: Russian Leader Defends Police Brutality as Just Desserts For Protesters

Posted on August 31, 2010
Vladimir Putin took time off this week from trying to become a Russian action figure as a firefighter, whale shooter, and Hells Angel to return to a common conventional role: Russian dictator. With protests scheduled around Russia concerning the loss of civil liberties and his own prolonged rule, Putin defended any use of police brutalilty [...

Sixty Percent of Americans View Palin As Unqualified To Be President ? Two Percent Say She Is A Muslim

Posted on August 30, 2010
According to a recent poll, sixty percent of Americans view Sarah Palin as unqualified to be President while a huge seventy percent lack confidence in her. My favorite aspect of the poll is that two percent believe she is a Muslim. However, when you move to simply Republicans, 47 percent believe she would be great [...

Afghan President Karzai Fires Top Prosecutor To Halt Corruption Investigations

Posted on August 30, 2010
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been widely denounced for rampant corruption, including reportedly huge amounts of money funneled to his family and particularly his powerful brothers. Now, he has dispensed with any semblance of neutrality (and honestly) and has fired his most senior prosecutor Fazel Ahmed Faqiryar for his insistence on investigating corruption...

Billions Wasted in Iraq As U.S. States Cut Back Basic Services

Posted on August 30, 2010
As U.S. cities and states closing or selling off parks (here and here) or suspending basic services, another report has confirmed billions of new hospitals and facilities were built in Iraq and then left to rot. The article below details such things as a $40 million prison, a $165 million children’s hospital and a $100 [...

Leading Israeli Rabbi and Shas Party Leader Calls for a Plague on President Mahmoud Abbas and The Palestinian People Before The Start of Negotiations

Posted on August 30, 2010
Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef called for a lethal plague on the head of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people — shortly before the start of negotiations with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday distanced himself from Yosef’s comments...

Family Reportedly Filmed Catholic Priest Have Relations With Teen Daughter In Their Home

Posted on August 29, 2010
A Pennsylvania family has revealed that they took a videotape of their teenage daughter having sex at their home with a Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Luis A. Bonilla Margarito. They allege that he is also the father of a child by the girl who was a senior at a Catholic high school in Reading...

War Veteran and Amputee Denied Handicapped Sticker Because He ?May Get Better?

Posted on August 29, 2010
In England, Lance Corporal Johno is facing a bit of a high demand from his government. After losing a leg in Afghanistan, Johno applied three times for a disabled parking badge. They finally informed him of the reason: he “may get better.” They are clearly a lot tougher in England in dispensing parking stickers...

Passing the D Cup: Politician Raffles Off Breast Implants to Raise Campaign Cash

Posted on August 29, 2010
Gustavo Rojas, a Venezuelan legislative candidate, is passing around the cup for campaign donations and hit upon a novel raffle: free breast implants. His website announces: “Raffle tickets on sale now: win a breast implant operation for yourself or your partner...

Husky Love

Posted on August 29, 2010
This is Meeska, the talking dog who will tell you what you need to know after a long day at work. I don’t care if she has no idea what she is saying, it is still the foundation for a wonderful relationship.

CIA Reportedly Bribing Large Number of Afghan Officials

Posted on August 29, 2010
The Bush and Obama Administration have made great public pronouncements about working to address the rampant corruption among Afghan leaders who have reportedly stolen millions of dollars. The Administration may want to start with its own bribes. A report has revealed that the CIA is making regular secret payments to members of President Hamid Karzai’s [...

Manhattan Judge Resigns After Pornography Found On Court Computer

Posted on August 29, 2010
Disgraced Manhattan judge James Gibbons, an ex-prosecutor, has resigned after court officials found a large amount of pornography on his work computer. Gibbons earlier had attracted controversy over fathering a son with a young Legal Aid lawyer. Criminal charges are being explored, but I am unsure of the basis...

I Have a Nightmare: Glenn Beck To Speak At Lincoln Memorial

Posted on August 28, 2010
Today is the day for Fox News commentator Glenn Beck to share his dream on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King delivered his “I Have A Dream” exactly 47 years ago and will now be the scene of Beck and his followers offering their own [...

Man Looking For ?Ghost Train? Killed By Real Train

Posted on August 28, 2010
In Statesville, North Carolina, Christopher Kaiser, 29, was looking for the famed “ghost train” of Iredell County when he encountered a real train around 2:45 a.m. Though tragic, in any litigation, his death would likely be treated as an assumption of the risk...

Urine in the Fast Lane: Researchers Discover Method of Powering Fuel Cells With Human Urine

Posted on August 28, 2010
We previously saw how researchers found a way to power cars with human waste. Now, chemistry experts have learned how to convert human urine into fuel cells. Dubbed “pee-power,” the advance could open up a literally free flowing force of energy...

American Airlines Hit With Record Fine For Safety Violations

Posted on August 27, 2010
American Airlines has been hit with the largest fine in history for safety violations which may cause customers pause before using the carrier. The $24.2 million civil penalty addressing American Airlines’ failure to properly inspect wire bundles in the wheel wells of its MD-80 aircraft...

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