You Have A Voice: USE IT!

Well Said Paris

2008-10-15T23:35:00.001-07:00

LOOSE LIPS: “Every woman should have four pets in her life. A mink
in her closet, a jaguar in her garage, a tiger in her bed, and a
jackass who pays for everything.”

One Word Meme.......Try It....

2008-09-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yourself: FUN
Your partner: asleep
Your hair: straight
Your Mother: hilarious
Your Father: darlin
Your Favorite Item: books
Your dream last night: hot
Your Favorite Drink: coffee
Your Dream Car: truck
Your Dream Home: beach
The Room You Are In: computer
Your Ex: remarried
Your fear: violence
Where you Want to be in Ten Years? breathing
Who you hung out with last night: family
What You're Not: ignorant
Muffins: craberry
One of Your Wish List Items: stone
Time: 9:29 pm
The Last Thing You Did: sigh
What You Are Wearing: undies
Your favorite weather: sunny
Your Favorite Book: all
Last thing you ate: tacos
Your Life: busy
Your mood: calm
Your Best Friends: irreplaceable
What are you thinking about right now: sleep
Your car: jalopy
What are you doing at the moment: typing
Your summer: lazy
Relationship status: hitched
What is on your tv: nothing
What is the weather like: cool
When is the last time you laughed: today

Woman Files Obscenity Complaint Over Library Book

2008-08-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

LEWISTON, Maine -- A Lewiston woman has lodged a formal complaint with police, claiming a children’s sex education book at the public library is obscene and should be taken off the shelves.

JoAn Karkos said the book, “It’s Perfectly Normal,” violates the city’s obscenity ordinance, and she wants police to issue a citation against the Lewiston Public Library.

Several weeks ago, Karkos checked the book out of the library and refused to return it, saying the book was inappropriate.

The library eventually had police issue a summons for the return of the book. Karkos will appear before a judge in December on that issue.

In the meantime, police are investigating her complaint.

Library Director Rick Speer said he is not pleased with Karkos’ latest move.

Police told News 8 they should reach a decision as to whether they will issue the citation within a few days.

________________________________________________________________

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME! WHO IS THIS WOMAN TO DECIDE WHO CAN OR CAN'T READ THIS BOOK, OR ANY OTHER BOOK FOR THAT MATTER? LADY YOU ARE NOT THE LITERARY POLICE AND HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE WHO CAN READ WHAT. IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. NO WONDER KIDS ARE SO MESSED UP THESE DAYS. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE SO ASHAMED OF YOUR BODIES AND THINK ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT SEX AND REPRODUCTION IS OBSCENE. YOUR MOTHER SHOULD BE ASHAMED AS SHE FAILED IN HER DUTY AS A PARENT TO INFORM AND EDUCATE YOU. THANK GOODNESS I WAS RAISED BY A FATHER WHO BELIEVED KNOWLEDGE WAS POWER AND WOULD NEVER HAVE BANNED A BOOK IN OUR HOME. THANK GOODNESS MY CHILD HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF PARENT. I FIND IT INSULTING THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY GET TO DECIDE (BY BANNING BOOKS) WHAT I AM ALLOWED TO READ. I CAN DECIDE FOR MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN THANK YOU.

Casey Anthony a liar? No?! Really?

2008-08-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- There are five big lies investigators said Casey Anthony told them. Even seasoned detectives were astounded over how she kept up the charade for so long at Universal Studios, where she said she works, but it was all part of a pattern of lying.

Lie #1: Casey Anthony told detectives that she last saw 2-year-old Caylee after dropping her off at Sawgrass Apartments #210 on South Conway Road (see map) on June 9, but the apartment has been vacant since February.

Lie #2: Casey told detectives that she's an event planner at Universal Studios. They brought her to the park telling her they were hoping to find clues in her locker. She told security she had lost her identification and then led investigators on a long walk through the park until she finally admitted she was fired two years ago.

Lie #3: Casey told detectives Caylee's babysitter had once lived in an apartment building in Orlando, which they found is for seniors only. It is across the street from her friend's home, where she even stayed after Caylee disappeared."I am very, very close to the family. I was close to Casey," Amy Huizenga told Eyewitness News.They were close, she said, until she recently accused Casey of stealing more than $700."I'm very worried for the child. Why not? She's been missing for a month. There's no reason not to be worried for this kid. I love her a lot. She's a great girl," she said.

Lie #4: Casey claims a woman named Zenaida Gonzalez is Caylee's longtime babysitter. When investigators talked to Gonzalez, she told them she doesn't know the Anthonys and has never been a babysitter.

Lie #5: Investigators say, during the time after Casey claims Caylee disappeared with the babysitter, she told her boyfriend Caylee was with the "nanny" at Disney.According to the police report, Casey admitted up to lying about working at Universal and to everything else except one. She still insists she dropped Caylee off at the Sawgrass Apartments unit for the babysitter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE BABY IS DEAD. THE MOM DID IT AND KNOWS WHERE SHE IS. MAKE HER TALK. STOP PLAYING THESE BLEEPING GAMES WITH HER AND MAKE HER BLEEPING TALK. REVOKE THAT BOND AND PUT HER LYING, MURDERING FANNY BACK IN THE POKEY WHERE SHE BELONGS.

Offensive Apology

2008-08-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Stephen Colbert apologized on air Tuesday night for offending residents of Canton, Kan.

Colbert, who is host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," jokingly insulted the town of 800 residents last week, saying, "You can smell that dump all the way from Topeka."

On Tuesday, Colbert played a CNN video clip of angry Canton residents, one of whom said she wanted to hit Colbert in the nose.

Colbert said it was a mix-up, and he meant to insult Canton, S.D."I hope you can accept my apology and I'm glad this whole business is over," Colbert said.
____________________________________________________________

Good gravy. Give me a break already. Grow some thicker skin people! What a bunch of crybabies. Jesus was insulted more times than any of us, and you didn't hear him tattling.

Mexican government protests Texas execution

2008-08-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The United States violated international law by putting a Mexican national to death in Texas, the Mexican government said Wednesday.

Protesters for and against Jose Ernesto Medellin's execution gathered before he was put to death Tuesday night in Huntsville, Texas, for raping and murdering two teens in 1993.

His death ended 15 years of legal disputes on a sour note.

"The government of Mexico sent the U. S. Department of State a diplomatic note of protest for this violation of international law, expressing its concern for the precedent that it may create for the rights of Mexican nationals who may be detained in that country," the Mexican government said in a written statement.

"The Ministry of Foreign Relations reiterates that the importance of this case fundamentally stems from the respect to the right to consular access and protection provided by consulates of every state to each of its nationals abroad."

Medellin's execution was also the first of what promises to be a busy month at the state's death chamber in Huntsville. Five other men are scheduled to die in the next four weeks by lethal injection, including Honduran native Heliberto Chi Acheituno on Thursday.

Mexico took the case of Medellin and four other Mexican nationals on death row to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The court ruled in 2004 that the United States had violated the Vienna Conventions of Consular Relations, which requires a country to notify another country when one of its nationals is accused of a serious crime.

Under the Vienna Conventions, arrested suspects are also eligible for legal assistance from their consulates.

After the ICJ ruling, President Bush reluctantly ordered Texas to comply with that decision and reopen Medellin's case. Texas appealed. In March the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Vienna Conventions were not binding on the United States, which is a signatory to them, because Congress had not passed a law requiring their enforcement.

The president cannot establish binding rules "that pre-empt contrary state law," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

The ICJ ruled again last month that the executions should not be carried out pending a ruling on a request for further interpretation of the 2004 ruling. But Texas, which had set Medellin's execution date immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, carried out the execution Tuesday night after the Supreme Court denied an appeal for a stay.

In June, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Attorney General Michael Mukasey asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry to delay the execution.

"We continue to seek a practical and timely way to carry out our nation's international legal obligation," wrote the Cabinet officers, "a goal that the United States needs the assistance of Texas to achieve."

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also asked Texas officials this week to delay the capital punishment.

Medellin's lawyers, who argued that Mexican consular officials were not able to meet with the man until after his conviction, condemned the execution.

"With this action, our nation has broken a commitment willingly made by our president and our Senate," the lawyers said in a written statement. "We must now hope that other nations stand stronger in their promises than we do, lest our own citizens be placed at risk elsewhere."

Journalists who witnessed the execution said Medellin apologized to his victims' families before he received the lethal cocktail.

Medellin was 18 when he participated in the June 1993 gang rape and murder of two Harris County girls, Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16.
__________________________________________________________

If you visit or live in Mexico and break the law, you are subject to Mexican justice. If you live or visit in the US, and break the law, you are subject to US justice. Period. Don't want the death penalty? DON'T MURDER. Period. The Mexican government should have came and got him. The fact that they didn't proves they wanted nothing to do with him. International law? Please.

Rosemary Kennedy's Lobotomy

2008-08-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

I ran across this story while reading about lobotomies, and I learned something about the Kennedy family I never knew (not that I know it all in the first place).

After reading this article, and more on the subject, I find myself realizing how frightening it must have been (and still must be) for families to have someone in their family who does not fit the 'normal' mode of being.

Is it really so wrong to be a little slow? To need a little more affection and praise? Why do families ignore or turn their backs on these children? I am appalled and utterly furious that this happened. Now we all know that lobotomies are nothing more than radical experiments, but back then? You would think someone would have said "Wait just a damn minute. This man is shoving ice picks into peoples eyes and calling it surgery". Why did so many people have to die or be injured before someone stopped this monster?

This story is credited to fatboy.cc.

Does this young woman look retarded to you?

She was Joe and Rose Kennedy’s third child, their first daughter. She was born in September 1918, two months before the end of World War I, during the Spanish influenza epidemic. Her name was Rose Marie Kennedy, but she became known as “Rosemary.” Later the Kennedys speculated that she was retarded because the nurse had prevented her birth until the arrival of the obstetrician, so that he could collect his full feee.

In his book, “The Kennedy Women,” Lawrence Leamer describes her as “painfully slow… a pretty child with green eyes that peered out on life directly.”

Leamer: “As Rosemary grew into a teenager she desperately wanted praise. She was happy for hours with a mere scrap of approval, and forlorn and discouraged at the hint of criticism…. Rosemary was slow, but she was not stupid and sometimes she would erupt in an inexplicable fury, the rage pouring out of her like a tempest from a cloudless sky.”

Perhaps she was angry at being treated as if she were somehow inferior to her siblings. At most, Rosemary was “mildly retarded,” as her obituaries would one day describe her, as well as the inspiration for her sister Eunice’s “Special Olympics.”

Shortly before World War II broke out in Europe, FDR appointed Joe Kennedy as ambassador to the Court of St. James – at the time the most important diplomatic post any American could hold. Joe of course moved to London, along with Rose and his two oldest daughters – Rosemary and Kathleen. As the American ambassador, Joe and his family would move in the highest circles of British society. And a decision was made: both daughters, the charming and brilliant Kathleen, and the “slow” Rosemary, would be “presented” to the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Rosemary spent endless hours practicing her curtseying – the bow she would have to make to the King and Queen. On the appointed evening, with the cream of British nobility (and the press) watching, Kathleen and Rosemary were presented. Everything went off without a hitch, until the very end.

“Suddenly,” Leamer wrote, “just as Rosemary was attempting to glide off, she tripped, nearly falling. It was a debutante’s worst horror, at the most important social moment of her life, in front of the king and queen, to make a public spectacle of her awkwardness, her ineptness. The kind and queen smiled as if nothing had happened, and there was not even a murmur from the assembly, and indeed, it was all over in a few seconds. Rosemary recovered and followed Kathleen out the door.”

But although no one ever mentioned Rosemary’s faux pas, it reinforced what everyone (at least in the family) understood: that Rosemary was somehow different. Increasingly, the problem was simply that Rosemary was too good-looking, even more striking than Kathleen, who was herself a knock-out. As long as older brothers Joe Jr. and Jack had been around, to arrange her dance card and to scare off the potential suitors “who took her cryptic silences and deliberate speech as feminine demureness,” she was okay. Later, in London she was often squired to social events by a young Embassy employee named, of all things, “Jack Kennedy,” who became known as “London Jack,” to distinguish him from JFK.

But as war clouds gathered, and Joe was recalled to the U.S. after his disastrous pro-Hitler remarks to the Boston Herald, Joe, Jr. and Jack joined the Navy. There was no one left to escort Rosemary. She was packed off to a Washington convent, which she quickly figured out how to escape from.

“At night she walked out into the dark streets looking for the light and life of the city… The family feared that she was going out into the streets to do what Kathleen called ‘the thing the priest says not to do.’… There was a dread fear of pregnancy, disease and disgrace.”

Joe Kennedy began talking to a quack physician from George Washington University named Walter Freeman, who was experimenting with a new form of brain surgery that would come to be known as a pre-frontal lobotomy. He sold Joe Kennedy a bill of goods – the biggest drawback for a female patient, Freeman wrote, was the fact that her head would have to be partially shaved, preventing her from going out socially for several weeks.

Not everything in the family was convinced, though. Kathleen Kennedy sought out a reporter friend of hers who had done research into the new procedure. The reporter told Kathleen that the whole procedure was “just not good” and that post-lobotomy, the patients “don’t worry so much, but they’re gone as a person, just gone.”

Which may have been what Joe really wanted all along. Soon thereafter, Rosemary was wheeled into the operating room. She received a shot of Novocain and when she regained consciousness, her head was on a sandbag.

Freeman and his associate drilled a hole in her skull and inserted a sort of spatula into her brain and began digging. They asked her to sing simple songs and perform basic addition and subtraction. As long as she could recite the doggerel, and handle third-grade arithmetic, they kept digging. Finally, though, Rosemary Kennedy fell silent, and the operation was over.

And so, for all practical purposes, was Rosemary Kennedy’s life.

“She had regressed into an infantlike state,” Leamer wrote, “mumbling a few words, sitting for hours staring at the walls, only traces left of the young woman she had been, still with flashes of rage. This was a horror beyond horror, an unthinkable, unspeakable disaster. Rose and her children had repressed so much, and now they repressed what Joe had done to his daughter, repressed it all and pretended that it had never happened and that Rosemary no longer existed.”

She lived in a series of private institutions, including years in the Craig House, a private hospital north of New York City. No one from the family ever visited her. In the 1970’s, she somehow escaped once more, from a Midwestern psychiatric home, into the streets of Chicago. The wire services carried photos of her in a wheelchair, being hustled into an ambulance by Chicago cops.

But Rosemary’s story, so horrifying in its casual, callous brutality, was never forgotten by millions of Americans, and certainly not by any members of the Kennedy family. In the late 1970s, Bobby’s doomed son, David, was reading a copy of the pro-drug magazine High Times when he came across a story on lobotomies. Naturally enough, one of the illustrations was a photo of his beautiful aunt Rosemary, pre-lobotomy.

“She had a new pair of white shoes on,” David recalled later for the authors Peter Collier and David Horowitz. “The thought crossed my mind that if my grandfather was alive the same thing could have happened to me that happened to her. She was an embarrassment; I am an embarrassment. She was a hindrance; I am a hindrance. As I looked at this picture, I began to hate my grandfather and all of them for having done the thing they had done to her and for doing the thing they were doing to me.”

David died of a drug overdose in 1984. His aunt outlived him by almost 21 years, finally dying in January 2005 in Fort Atkinson, WI, where she had been institutionalized for more than a quarter century. She was 86.

________________________________________________________________

Links : My Lobotomy
Physcosurgery

Flint Man Dragged To Death By Pickup

2008-08-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

FLINT, Mich. -- The search for suspects is under way in Flint after police said a man was robbed and then killed by being dragged behind a truck.The incident happened at the intersection of Gilispie Avenue and Buick Street around 4 a.m. Sunday.

Gary Dotson, 48, has been identified as the victim. Police said Dotson had multiple chest and head injuries.The vehicle is described as a gray newer model pickup truck with an extended cab, with rear tire fenders that stuck out.

Police said the truck was driven by a black male with a black female passenger.Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Flint Police at 810-237-6929.

____________________________________________________________________

If the victim had been black this would have been labeled a hate crime.

4-year-old killed in 'tragic accident'

2008-08-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) - A Kokomo family grieves for a four-year-old girl after her grandfather accidentally ran over her.

The tragic incident happened Sunday morning in the parking lot of Centro Cristiano Adonai Church.

Police said Jesus Martinez didn't see his four-year-old granddaughter Beatriz Arreola standing in front of his minivan when he put the van in drive and rolled over her.

"The four-year-old had apparently traveled to the church with an uncle, but once church services were over she apparently went to her grandfather's minivan and stood at the front bumper," said Sheriff Marshall Talbert of the Howard County Sheriff's Department.

Church members of the congregation witnessed the accident. They rushed to help get the van off Beatriz by using a jack, but by that time it was too late.

In May of 2005, 24-Hour News 8 reporter Gene Rodriguez did a story on the dangers of blind-spots in larger vehicles such as, SUVs, trucks and vans.

Since that story aired, more than 700 American children died in non-traffic accidents on private property. So far this year there has been 116 deaths.

Janette Fennell with Kids and Cars has lobbied for legislation that protects children.

"We know that as many as two children every week in the United States are being backed over and killed," said Fennell.

In this most recent case, it was a front over accident. And according to Kids in Cars between 2002 and 2006 there were 128 fatal front over accidents in the U.S.

"Often times when you step into a vehicle you are looking inside the vehicle and then as you take your seat look out drive forward he probably never saw her there," said Sheriff Talbert.

Martinez tested negative for drugs and alcohol. The sheriff said this was just a tragic accident and Martinez won't be charged.

Meantime, recent federal legislation aims to prevent these accidents by creating rear visibility standards for vehicles, requiring the federal government to collect data on non-traffic accidents like these and provide educational programs about these dangers.

____________________________________________________________________

I don't understand why people don't look before they get into their vehicles. I look for animals for crying out loud. Be aware of your surroundings.

Pakistani terror suspect due in U.S. court

2008-08-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Pakistani scientist accused of shooting at U.S. officers while in Afghan custody last month was due to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge Tuesday morning in New York.

Aafia Siddiqui allegedly shot at U.S. officers while in Afghan custody last month.

Aafia Siddiqui, whom the FBI had sought for several years for terrorism, faces federal charges of attempted murder and assault of a U.S. officer and U.S. employees, federal authorities said.

The 36-year-old American-educated neuroscientist is a suspected member of al Qaeda. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each charge.

On July 18 Siddiqui shot at two FBI special agents, a U.S. Army warrant officer, an Army captain and military interpreters who unknowingly entered a room where she was being held unsecured at an Afghan facility, officials said.

Siddiqui was behind a curtain when she used an officer's rifle to shoot at the group, officials said. She shot twice but hit no one, they said. The warrant officer returned fire with a pistol, shooting Siddiqui at least once. She struggled with the officers before she lost consciousness and was then given medical attention.

The day before the shootings, Afghan police arrested Siddiqui outside the Ghazni governor's compound where they found bomb-making instructions, excerpts from the "Anarchist's Arsenal," papers with descriptions of U.S. landmarks, and substances sealed in bottles and glass jars, U.S. officials said Monday.

Elaine Whitfield Sharp, an attorney representing Siddiqui, told CNN she found "a lot of the allegations implausible" and argued that the charges "don't pass the sniff test."

Don't Miss

"This is a very intelligent woman. What is she doing outside of the governor's residence? The woman is a Ph.D. Is a woman like this really that stupid? There is an incongruity and I have trouble accepting the government's claims," the attorney said.

"If she was carrying fluids and was considered dangerous, then why was she left unattended in a room behind a curtain? And this dangerous, hardened criminal picks up a gun and misses?"

Speaking to reporters in Pakistan, Siddiqui's sister, Fowzia Siddiqui, is urging authorities to presume her sister is innocent and is demanding that the government be required to prove any charges against her "beyond a reasonable doubt."

"I fear a political prosecution to protect the United States from embarrassment, rather than from 'terrorism,'" Fowzia Siddiqui said.

Since 2003, Siddiqui's whereabouts were the source of much speculation. She and her three small children were reportedly apprehended in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2003 after the FBI issued an alert for information about her location earlier that month, according to Amnesty International.

It was the first time the FBI issued a worldwide alert for a woman in connection to al Qaeda.

Several reports indicated that Siddiqui was arrested in Karachi in 2003 and was in U.S. custody at a base outside Kabul, Afghanistan. And initial reports from U.S. officials said Pakistani officials indicated she was in custody there.

But the FBI later said she was missing, and in May 2004 then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller identified Siddiqui among several sought-after al Qaeda members.

However, Amnesty International included her on a June 2007 list as someone for whom there was "evidence of secret detention by the United States and whose fate and whereabouts remain unknown."

Government sources have said that al Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed named Siddiqui among al Qaeda's operatives.

__________________________________________________________

Do people really think a woman can't be a terrorist? And bleep....we are EDUCATING them. How's that for ironic.

Ohio Inmate Says He's Too Fat to Execute

2008-08-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug. 4) - A death row inmate scheduled for execution says he's too fat to be put to death, claiming executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.

Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey -- 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds -- had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.

Cooey, 41, is sentenced to die for raping and murdering two young women in 1986. His execution is scheduled for Oct. 14.

His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender's Office, said in documents filed with the court.

Heath says Cooey's weight, combined with the potential drug resistance, increases the risk he would not be properly anesthetized.

"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn't work, the execution is going to be excruciating," Cooey's public defender, Kelly Culshaw Schneider, said Monday.

Prison system spokeswoman Andrea Carson and Jim Gravelle, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, both said Monday they hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.

Last year, Carson cited the obesity of condemned inmate Christopher Newton as one of the reasons prison officials had difficulty accessing his veins before his execution. Newton was 6 feet tall and weighed 265 pounds.

Two years ago, convicted killer Jeffrey Lundgren was put to death after a federal appeals court rejected his claim that he was at greater risk of experiencing pain and suffering because he was overweight and diabetic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why is this even an issue? Why is this piece of filth allowed to even clog up the court system with a lawsuit? It might hurt? The first round of drugs might fail and he may feel some pain upon his execution? Boo hoo mother lover. What about those girl's pain? What about their hurt? You weren't too fat to rape and kill them. You weren't too fat to disregard their fear and pain. You are being punished. It is supposed to hurt. And if there was truly any justice in this country, the death penalty wouldn't be so humane. You are getting off easier than your victims did. You were man enough to commit the crime. Be a man now. Cry baby.

Eva Mendes CK Ad Banned in the US? WTF?!

2008-08-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Spoilsport American TV network bosses have banned this advert featuring EVA MENDES for being TOO sexy.

In the steamy commercial for Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession perfume, the gorgeous actress writhes topless on a bed in

Eva admitted she was "thrilled" that the ad was considered too saucy for US broadcast.

EEva admitted she was “thrilled” that the ad was considered too saucy for US broadcast.

Eva, 33, said: “I love it. That means the ads are totally Calvin, totally provocative and a little controversial.”

She continued: “In the commercial you’ll see me rolling around in bed a lot, that’s basically all I do. I have been a fan of Calvin Klein’s Obsession ads since I can remember.”

She added: “I love to feel super-feminine. I love dresses and skirts and dislike jeans.

“I think what makes a woman sexy is confidence.”

Creative Director of the advert Fabien Baron said: “This country really needs a new president — this country is so messed up.

“It’s such a joke and it’s quite upsetting, frankly, how hypocritical this country has become. It’s OK for children to see people killed by guns? Spreading a little love right now would be a good idea.

“She is being a little sexy, but they are not provocative.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

See the video here. Why do we Americans pretend to be so damned prudish? We have people having sex on street corners, actresses who wear next to nothing on national television, bikinis that barely cover your tits and cooch, and we are banned from seeing a woman's breast on tv? No wonder girls are getting pregnant at young ages. No one talks about the tits. Stop being a closet boob looker. At least stand up and say you aren't afraid of the breast already. Good grief! And we wonder why other countries don't take us seriously.

Bali bombers seek 'execution without pain'

2008-07-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Three militants awaiting execution for the 2002 Bali bombings plan to challenge the legality of death by firing squad, but it was unclear if the move would lead to a last-minute stay, their lawyer said Tuesday.
Imam Samudra, one of three militants sentenced to death over the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings.

Imam Samudra, one of three militants sentenced to death over the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings.

Mahendradatta, who goes by a single name, said he would file a petition next week at the Constitutional Court arguing that convicts who go before a firing squad sometimes do not die immediately, causing unnecessary suffering.

"We're seeking an execution without pain," said the lawyer, who in the past has argued that his clients would prefer to be beheaded, which they say is more in line with Islamic teachings.

Ali Ghufron, Imam Samudra and Amrozi Nurhasyim were convicted in 2003 of planning and helping to carry out the Oct. 12 suicide bombings targeting two packed nightclubs on Bali island, killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The three, who have admitted taking part in the attacks, already have exhausted the appeals process.

Attorney General spokesman Bonaventura Daulat Nainggolan declined to say whether the petition would result in an automatic last-minute stay in their executions, which authorities have said would likely be carried out before September.

Mahendradatta acknowledged the executions could well go ahead even if the case was lodged at the Constitutional Court, but said it would be "murder" if they did.

The Bali attacks were carried out by members and associates of Jemaah Islamiyah, a local network of mostly Afghan trained militants, with al-Qaida providing money and some expertise, police and former militants have said.

Islamic militants have carried out three other major attacks on Western targets in Indonesia since then, the last in 2005, also on Bali, when three suicide bombers killed 21 people in restaurant attacks.

__________________________________________________________________

WHAT ABOUT THE UNNECESSARY SUFFERING OF THE VICTIMS IN THE BOMBING THAT DID NOT DIE IMMEDIATELY? CRY ME A RIVER.

Apologize for slavery? WTF?!

2008-07-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.

The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.

While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.

By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow," the period after slavery was abolished in which African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties. The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day."

"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," the resolution states.

The House would also commit itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future," if it passes the resolution.

The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

MONEY. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MONEY. LISTEN BLACK FOLKS, STOP USING YOUR SKIN COLOR AS A CRUTCH,A ND STOP EXPECTING ME TO PAY YOU FOR WHAT SOMEONE DID TO YOUR ANCESTORS. I DIDN'T DO IT, YOU HAVEN'T SUFFERED. GET OVER IT. YOU DON'T HEAR NATIVE AMERICANS BLAMING US FOR WHAT OUR ANCESTORS DID DO YOU? AT LEAST THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES. IF YOU ARE POOR, GET A FUCKING JOB LIKE THE REST OF US POOR ASSES.

FUCKING LAZY CRY BABIES. THROW DOWN THAT CRUTCH AND DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF. LIKE GET A JOB.

Report: Children Left Mom's Body To Rot

2008-07-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

MIDDLEFIELD, Conn. -- A brother and sister who left their mother's corpse to rot in her ramshackle house may not be charged with a crime for keeping her death a secret for more than seven years.

While John and Diane Simmeck acknowledged they allowed Ann Simmeck's body to decompose and did nothing about it, the state law that makes failing to report a death a crime does not require private citizens to contact officials when a relative is discovered dead.

The statute only applies when a body has been officially reported dead.

"I'm not aware of any crime that would clearly apply to their conduct," Todd Fernow, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law.

"There really isn't anything that requires a regular citizen to report a death or dispose of a dead body in accordance with a procedure," Fernow told The Hartford Courant, in an article published Sunday.

A 100-page state police case file, recently released to the newspaper, details how the brother and sister made biannual trips to their mother's Middlefield home, stepping over her mummified remains on the floor.

Police believe Ann Simmeck died in late 1999 or early 2000. They discovered her body in June 2007 after an estranged son, Michael Simmeck, had grown worried about his mother's well-being. She was probably 72 when she died of natural causes.

Her remains were so badly decomposed that she was identified by comparing her DNA to Michael Simmeck's DNA.

After spending six months investigating the elderly woman's death, investigators applied for warrants charging John and Diane Simmeck with failing to report a death and improper disposal of a body. But Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford refused to sign them because he did not feel their actions "fit within the parameters of the crimes," according to state police reports.

"It's an odd set of facts," Fernow said. "I don't see the legislature doing a lot to create a statute for something like this because people don't expect this to happen every day."

John Simmeck Jr., in interviews with state police, said he didn't report his mother's death because "he was scared and in trouble with the law in both New Hampshire and Connecticut," according to police documents.

He is facing an identity theft charge in connection with his alleged use of his father's identity in 2003 to set up a cell phone account.

To protect the secret of his mother's death, Simmeck continued for years to pay property taxes on the house and the electric bill because the freezer was stuffed with food. Water was cut off to the house.

His sister, Diane Simmeck, could not provide police with a reasonable explanation for her actions.

___________________________________________________________

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY HERE. THIS IS DISGUSTING AND SHOULD BE A CRIME.

Iowa asks: Is stripping an art?

2008-07-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa doesn't have any all-nude strip clubs -- but it does have performing arts centers where women dance naked.
A loophole in Iowa's public indecent exposure law allows nude dancing at "art centers."

A loophole in Iowa's public indecent exposure law allows nude dancing at "art centers."

However, the loophole in the state's public indecent exposure law that allows nude dancing at "art centers" is under attack in the small community of Hamburg, a town of 1,200 just across the Missouri River from Nebraska.

The case pending before a Fremont County judge effects only one business in Hamburg, but if he agrees with the prosecutor, it could eventually threaten the legal standing of nude dancing clubs across the state.

District Judge Timothy O'Grady heard arguments in a one-day trial on July 17 and took the case under advisement.

It all began on July 21, 2007, when a 17-year-old niece of Sheriff Steven MacDonald climbed up on stage at Shotgun Geniez in Hamburg and stripped off her clothing. Owner Clarence Judy was charged with violating Iowa's public indecent exposure law.

Judy responded that the law doesn't apply to a "theater, concert hall, art center, museum, or similar establishments" devoted to the arts or theatrical performances.

"Dance has been considered one of the arts, as is sculpture, painting and anything else like that. What Clarence has is a club where people can come and perform," said his lawyer, Michael Murphy.

Murphy noted that the club has a gallery selling collectible posters and other art, and it provides patrons with sketch pads.

Nonsense, said Fremont County Attorney Margaret Johnson, an underage girl danced naked at the club, and that's illegal.

"Are you saying that minors can't be protected? Can a group of 12-year-olds come down and go in and dance nude and it's OK? I don't think that's what the Legislature had in mind when it made those additional provisions," Johnson said.

Johnson said the intent of the law is to allow movies in a theater where there's brief nudity or for an art gallery displaying paintings of nudes.

Murphy said Judy bans anyone under 18 from entering the five-year-old business. The problem, he said, was "a group of girls snuck in a 17-year-old."

"While she was there, she felt like dancing so she got up and danced on the stage and then she took her clothes off. Trouble with that is she's the sheriff's niece," he said.

Johnson denied that the teen's relation to the sheriff was connected to the charges filed against Judy.

"Her parents were absolutely appalled with the situation," Johnson said.

The sheriff declined to comment. There was no comment from his niece, whose name wasn't given.

As part of his defense during trial, Murphy cited a 1998 ruling that found nude dancing is a form of art. In that case, the owner of the Southern Comfort Free Threatre for the Performing Arts in Davenport was charged under the public indecent exposure law for allowing nude dancing. A judge found owner not guilty.

The current case deals only with Judy and Shotgun Geniez, but there could be an appeal if either side loses.

Johnson said that would take it to the Iowa Court of Appeals and perhaps the Iowa Supreme Court. That would make it a statewide case that could affect dozens of other clubs in the state.

______________________________________________________________________

MAIN POINT HERE: "Her parents were absolutely appalled with the situation," Johnson said. AS THEY SHOULD BE: WITH THIER DAUGHTER, WHO SNUCK INTO AN 18 & OVER ESTABLISHMENT, AND TOOK OFF HER CLOTHES IN PUBLIC. THE FACT THAT SHE IS UNDERAGE IS NOT THE OWNERS PROBLEM. IT IS HER AND HER PARENTS PROBLEM. CHARGE HER FOR PUBLIC NUDITY,SNEAKING INTO A PLACE SHE HAD NO BUSINESS BEING IN, AND GET OVER IT. DANCING IS ART. BARE BODIES IS ART. HELL, WE ALL HAVE EITHER TITS, PUSSIES OR DICKS. DEAL WITH IT.

Rapids: Family's Weight A Factor In Accident

2008-07-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

FAMILY ATTORNEY: RAPIDS RESPONSIBLE FOR POLICING PEOPLE'S WEIGHT

Less than 24 hours after an emergency in the water, the Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach re-opened for business as usual. Park-goers swarming the slides, enjoying the sun, perhaps not knowing what happened on the Black Thunder yesterday.

An entire family of four, the Lenghan's visiting from New York, rushed to the emergency room after their raft flipped over. Their injuries severe enough that they are still hospitalized dealing with a myriad of bumps, bruises, and cuts. Marc Gottlieb, the Lenghan's attorney said: "The hospital is treating them like they had severe head trauma."

The Rapids went on the defensive Thursday with spokeswoman Tina Hatcher saying: "weight was a factor in the accident that took place." The water park says signs like this one clearly spell out that the weight on the rafts, which can carry up to 4 people, cannot exceed 700 pounds. Hatcher claims ride operators question people if they seem too heavy, but then she said this: "It's the same thing when you go to Disney. They're not going to ask you if your pregnant, do you have seizures or medical conditions? That's why every attraction at every park has signs up at their rides for the rider to read."

The family's attorney, however, told us by phone it's the park's responsibility to police their rules. "When you go to a park like this you are not thinking what your personal responsibility and personal liability is," said attorney Marc Gottlieb. An attorney, not involved in the case, put it this way: "If the ride operator is aware of the fact that participants are not following the rules , it certainly would seem they have some responsibility," said David Sales with Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, & Shipley.

We checked in with the state and they say there is no administrative code that deals specifically with enforcement on water slides.

But the Bureau of Fair & Ride Inspections is fully investigating this accident. They plan to look into what the water slides manufacturer recommends for proper protocol.

_______________________________________________________________

THE FAMILY WANTS TO SUE BECAUSE THE RIDE OPERATOR DIDN'T ASK THEM HOW MUCH THEY WEIGH? WHEN THERE ARE SIGNS THAT CLEARLY STATE THE WEIGHT LIMIT? GET REAL. THESE FAT FOLKS WOULD SUE EVEN IF THE RIDE OPERATOR HAD ASKED THEIR WEIGHT. WHY? FOR OFFENDING THEM. IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE FAT, YOU CAN SEE YOU ARE FAT, AND A SIGN CLEARLY GIVES A FAT LIMIT, DON'T OVER FAT IT. YOU TOOK A RISK BUDDY AND LOST. BE A MAN (OR WOMAN) AND BUCK UP AND DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS.

Charter Boat Murder Suspect Changes Plea

2008-07-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

MIAMI -- One of two men accused of hijack and murder aboard a Miami Beach fishing charter has pleaded guilty.

In Miami federal court Thursday, Kirby Archer -- absent without leave from the military and wanted by authorities in Arkansas -- exchanged his guilty plea for a life sentence with no chance of parole. He was facing a possible death sentence.

"Did you, in fact, do what the government said you did in this case," Judge Paul Huck asked. "How do you plead?"

"Guilty," Archer replied.

Prosecutors have no witnesses and no bodies as evidence in the deaths of Jake Branam, captain of the fishing vessel, "Joe Cool;" his wife, Kelly Branam; crewmember and Jake Branam's half-brother, Scott Michael Gamble; and first mate Samuel Kairy.

The victims' families begrudgingly agreed to the plea so as not to chance a jury trial in a case without witnesses or bodies.

"We all came to the realization that no one's going to come back," said Jonathan Branam, Jake's cousin. "It is what it is. We'd rather have him spend his life in jail than walk."

Kirby's attorney said the plea deal was a best-case scenario for his client.

"We were able to save his life and he pled guilty to do so," said Allan Kaiser as he left the courthouse.

Archer and Guillermo Zarabozo, a then-19-year-old Hialeah resident, initially claimed pirates commandeered the "Joe Cool" and killed the crew.

In open court, prosecutor Karen Gilbert detailed the events of September 2007, beginning with Archer's intended flight from the law. He convinced Zarabozo, whom he had met while stationed in the Cuban refugee tent camp at Guantanamo Bay, to escape with him to Cuba, Gilbert alleged.

They scouted marinas for a charter they could commandeer and offered the crew of the "Joe Cool" $4,000 for a purported one-way trip. At sea, when Archer gave the signal, he shot the Branams on the fishing bridge as Zarabozo shot Kairy and Gamble on deck, Gilbert claimed.

Those were among the details the victims' family members had not yet learned.

"I wasn't aware that, according to Archer, Archer shot Jake and Zarabozo supposedly shot Scott," said Scott's sister, Amie Gamble, who is also half-sister to Jake Branam.

Zarabozo has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in his case.
_______________________________________________________________

WHAT BURNS ME UP ABOUT THIS CASE IS THAT THE FAMILY IS PROBABLY RIGHT. WITHOUT BODIES, IT WILL BE HARD TO PROVE THE CASE. LIFE IN PRISON IS TOO GOOD FOR THESE MURDERERS, BUT AT THIS POINT, IT IS THE BEST TO HOPE FOR.

CPS: Protocol Not Followed In Slain Boy's Case

2008-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A social worker did not follow protocol in the case of a boy who was allegedly killed at the hands of his mother's boyfriend, the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.

The department's director, Lynn Frank, said Jahmaurae Allen, 4, was the subject of a Child Protective Services case that was opened on June 16, 2008.

Frank said the social worker affiliated with the case did not follow established department procedures and has been put on administrative leave pending further review of the circumstances.

She released the following statement Thursday:

"Although Child Protective Services intervened in this case and did take some steps to protect Jahmaurae, we could have -- and should have -- done more," Frank said. "In the majority of cases, records show our workers make the right decisions. In the case of Jahmaurae Allen, we did not adhere to our own high standards."

Frank said the social worker did take some steps to ensure the boy's safety, but it wasn't enough.

"I'm really horrified by the situation and by the death of this child. I don't understand how with the focus that we've had, how this could have happened again," Frank said.

CPS said it would implement immediate changes. It will now review all 921 current investigations of children ages 5 and younger; have supervisors accompany social workers over the next 30 days to assess their skills; reach out to law enforcement and other experts to improve the system and accountability of employees; and increase quality assurance reviews from quarterly to monthly.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office said Allen died of blunt-force head and stomach injuries.

Jonathan Lamar Perry, 26, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of murder and child endangerment.

Perry was supposed to be arraigned Thursday but did not appear in court because of a psychological condition. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon.

He is facing murder and assault charges.
__________________________________________________________

THIS IS A SAD STORY. HOWEVER, IT IS IGNORANT TO BLAME DCS. HAVE YOU ANY IDEA OF THE CASE LOAD THESE WORKERS MAINTAIN? NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR SERVICE IS, SOMEONE IS GOING TO SUFFER. IT IS A FACT OF LIFE. PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. NAMELY, THE MURDERER WHO KILLED THIS BABY. END OF STORY.

'Extreme Home Makeover' House Threatened With Foreclosure

2008-07-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- An Extreme Home Makeover may be going bust. The first metro family who got a new home is facing foreclosure.

Channel 2 followed the progress as an army of volunteers swarmed a Clayton County neighborhood to build a new home for a deserving family on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in 2005. When the show came to town, no one could have predicted what would happen less than four years later -- foreclosure.

A foreclosure notice appeared last Friday, a $450,000 second mortgage they took out less than 15 months ago was in default.

Patricia Harper, the homeowner, told Channel 2 she and her husband had struck a deal with Chase Home Finance to rescue their "extreme" home. Chase said they couldn't confirm that claim.

“I didn't really know what the circumstances were, I was kind of surprised. I was really surprised to read that,” said neighbor Doris Rhodenizer.

Lake City mayor Willie Oswalt was among the 1,800 volunteers helping "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" build the Harper’s new home 3 ½ years ago. Beazer Homes of Atlanta was the main sponsor. The mayor said he is baffled.

“Beazer gave them $100,000 cash, paid their mortgage off and they still can't make it," said Oswalt.

Harper told Channel 2 they invested the loan proceeds in a construction business and the business hasn’t been good. She didn’t say how much of the money is left.

“What’s going to happen is instead of keep paying my mortgage, I’m going to take my money and not pay my mortgage because I’m being harassed,” said Harper.

Atlanta law firm McCalla Raymer represents Chase. They wouldn’t talk about it except to say federal law bars Chase from talking without Harper’s permission. Harper said that if Channel 2 wanted proof the foreclosure is off, we should show up at the courthouse next month to watch it not happen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

THEY BUILD YOU A NEW HOUSE, PAY OFF YOUR MORTGAGE, AND GIVE YOU $100,000. THEN YOU TURN AROUND AND WASTE THAT MONEY, TAKE OUT A $450,000 MORTGAGE ON YOUR NEW, FREE HOUSE, AND THREATEN NOT TO PAY BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING HARASSED? YOU HAVE SOME FUCKING NERVE. YOU DESERVE TO LOSE THIS HOUSE. LET SOMEONE HAVE IT WHO WILL ACTUALLY PAY FOR IT, AND APPRECIATE IT. FUCKING COMMON ASS ********.

Authors to Read

2008-07-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Leanne Burroughs
Diana Gabaldon
Lynn Kurland
Deborah Macgillivray
Donna Fletcher

Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder

2008-07-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Editor's note: CNN agreed to change the names of the two men in this article to protect their identities.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad, stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But the real terror was about to begin.

The men realized he was gay, Kamal said, when he took his shirt off and they saw his chest was shaved.

"They told me to take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. This moment was the worst moment in my life," he told CNN, weeping as he spoke of the 2005 ordeal.

"I was watching them taking off their clothes, preparing to rape me. I did not know what to do, so I started shouting loudly, 'Please do not do that! I will ask my family to give you whatever you want.'" Watch the tormented life of gays in Iraq »

His pleas went unheeded. "The other two kidnappers took off my clothes by force and, at that time, I saw them as three dirty animals trying to tear my body apart."

He was held for 15 days, released only after his family paid a $1,500 ransom. He was raped every day. Only once, he said, was he allowed to talk to his family during captivity. "I told my family that I was beaten by them, but I did not dare to tell my family that I was raped by them. I could not say it, it's too much shame."

CNN spoke with Kamal, now 18, and his 21-year-old friend, Rami, about what it's like to be gay in Iraq. Coming out as gay is not easy in any country, but to do so in Iraq could mean a death sentence or torture.

The two men rarely show feelings toward each other in public. They spend a lot of time in Internet cafes in Baghdad, surfing gay chat rooms and seeking contacts with other gay men in Iraq and elsewhere.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the situation for gays and lesbians in Iraq has deteriorated. Ridiculed under Hussein, many now find themselves the targets of violence, according to humanitarian officials.

Lesbians are also victims of harassment and violence, but not nearly as often as gay men.

It's unknown how many homosexuals have been killed by militias in the lawless streets of Iraq's cities, but some Web sites post pictures of Iraqis they say were killed for being gay.

One photo on the Iraqi Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender site shows a group of men standing around three male bodies sprawled on a street, blood pouring from their heads. "Gay Iraqi victims of the police and death squads," the site says.

A U.N. report on human rights in Iraq reinforces the accusations of violence. Although gays are supposed to be protected by law in Iraq, it says, they face extreme brutality.

"Armed Islamic groups and militias have been known to be particularly hostile toward homosexuals, frequently and openly engaging in violent campaigns against them," the report said, adding that homosexuals have been murdered.

"Militias are reportedly threatening families of men believed to be homosexual, stating that they will begin killing family members unless the men are handed over or killed by the family," it said.

The report was issued at the end of 2006 and is the last U.N. study to touch on the subject.

Human rights experts say homosexuals are targeted for cultural reasons as well.

"Gay men and lesbians in Iraq face a lot of risks right now, because homosexuality is sometimes interpreted by people in Iraq as being a Western import," said Scott Portman with the Heartland Alliance, a group that promotes human rights worldwide. "So they can sometimes be targeted by insurgent groups or militias, in part, because of animosity toward the West and, in part, because homosexuality is not well-accepted in Iraqi society."

He added, "The biggest threats right now are from militia organizations, who will attack and actually sometimes kill gay men and women."

Kamal and Rami say the dangers are all too real in Baghdad -- and they live in secrecy not to shame their families.

"I would rather commit suicide than allow my family to find out I am gay," Rami said.

Kamal said he often pretends to have girlfriends in social settings and tells his friends he's dating girls. "I am also careful with the way I dress -- not to show them that I am gay, especially my family."

What would his family do if they found out?

"They will force me to give it up, and I cannot do that," he said. "The 'normal' people cannot live in Iraq. Imagine how the life is for gays."

Rami added, "I do not know why people hate gays even though so many have this tendency. But still they hate it."

Homosexuality is a touchy subject for many Iraqis. When CNN asked Iraqis in Baghdad how they felt about homosexuals, we found intolerance to be widespread.

One man said he considers gays no different from "criminals and terrorists." Another claimed homosexuality was "illegal under Islamic law, and they [gays] should be punished by law like criminals."

Rami said he once fell in love with a man who was part of the Mehdi Army, a Shiite insurgent group loyal to the radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Their relationship eventually soured.

"One day he told me he would come over to my house and kill me in front of my family," Rami said. "I told him I would come outside and be killed in the street because I do not want my family to find out I am gay."

Both men hope to escape Iraq. They say their ideal destination would be San Francisco, California. For now, both of them keep their feelings secret.

Kamal is still tormented by what happened to him nearly three years ago.

"During my sleep, I only see nightmares and I start crying. My family thought it was because they were beating me."

He paused, "Only my close friend Rami knows about this secret."

______________________________________________________________________

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? IRAQIS CONSIDER BEING GAY A DEATH OFFENSE, A CRIME AGAINST NATURE...AND THEIR SOLUTION IS TO RAPE THEM? HELLO...IF YOU PUT YOUR DICK IN A MAN, YOU ARE GAY. SO...RAPING A GAY MAN AS PUNISHMENT SEEMS A BIT HYPOCRITICAL TO ME. MORONS. ALL THIS DOES IS GIVE GAYS IN IRAQ A LEGAL WAY TO BE GAY WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES TO THEIR LAWS.

NZ judge backs girl over 'embarrassing' name

2008-07-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- A New Zealand judge has made a 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name can be changed from Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, the country's national news agency reported Thursday.

Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt listed a series of unusual names that New Zealand parents had given their children, and said he was concerned that such strange monikers would create hurdles for them as they grew up.

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," the New Zealand Press Association quoted the judge as saying.

Among the names Murfitt cited: twins named Benson and Hedges -- after a brand of cigarettes; Violence; and Number 16 Bus Shelter.

Some parents had named children after six-cylinder Ford cars, the news agency reported.

The Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages said in a statement that it had rejected names including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi -- a staple food in Polynesian cuisine -- and Sex Fruit.

A lawyer for Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii said the girl is so embarrassed by her name that friends know her as "K."

Last month, an judge in the U.S. state of Illinois allowed a school bus driver to legally change his first name to "In God" and his last name to "We Trust."

But an appeals court in the state of New Mexico ruled against a man -- named Variable -- who wanted to change his name to a two-word phrase that contains a four-letter expletive and expresses opposition to censorship.

_________________________________________________________________

STOP GIVING YOUR KIDS IGNORANT NAMES. ARE YOU STUPID? OR DO YOU JUST NOT CARE THAT YOU ARE FUCKING YOUR KIDS MIND UP?

CHILD MOLESTER DOES NOT SERVE TIME

2008-07-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- For nearly two years, the South Florida middle school art teacher forced the boy to have sex in a classroom supply closet.

Aaron Mohanlal, here in his sex offender registration photo, was allowed to stay out of prison on bond.

Sometimes, Aaron Mohanlal would call in sick to work, take the boy to his home for sex and drop the seventh-grader back off at school at the end of the day.

To keep the abuse secret, Mohanlal bought the 13-year-old a cell phone and created nicknames for their genitalia. When police arrested him, the teacher was caught on hidden video trying to destroy letters threatening the boy if he ever told.

Last summer, a Broward County jury convicted Mohanlal of 13 counts, including child abuse, molestation and lewd battery, and a judge sentenced him to 43 years.

But a year later, Mohanlal has yet to spend a day in prison.

"I can't understand why he isn't behind bars," said the victim, now 18. The network is not disclosing his name because it doesn't identify sexual assault victims.

"I want to move on with my life. I'm trying to graduate high school and forget about this," he said. "I try not to think about it, but it's hard, because all I can think about is, what if he's out there around other kids?"

Weeks after the trial, Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold, who presided over the trial and sentenced Mohanlal, granted the teacher a rare bond that allows him to remain free while his case is tried on appeal, a process that could take years.

During the two months CNN has investigated this story, Mohanlal has been working a construction job in Broward County and spending time at a house in Sunrise, Florida, 15 miles from where the boy and his family live, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

He resigned from his teaching job in 2005 after his arrest.

"The idea of that monster being that close to my family again is outrageous," said the boy's father, who is often so overwhelmed with rage and sadness that he drives to a park, leans against a tree and sobs.

"What did we go through a trial for?" he said.

A man who identified himself as Mohanlal hung up on a CNN reporter who called his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, his address on record with the state's sex offender registry.

Mohanlal's appellate attorney, Tom Odom, refused to comment on the case beyond saying, "Everyone has a right to a first appeal."

Gold gave Mohanlal the right to live, work, travel and attend church in South Florida, according to numerous interviews and documents CNN has obtained. The judge ordered Mohanlal to wear a GPS device, register as a sex offender and surrender his passport.

He stipulated that Mohanlal cannot contact the boy and his family but did not order him to stay away from children, according to a transcript of the July 2007 bond hearing. Read the entire bond hearing

Mohanlal was allowed to post the $610,000 bond using his relatives' properties as collateral, the transcript shows.

Post-conviction bonds are rarely given in criminal trials, but judges occasionally grant them if there was a procedural error during trial that would make a conviction reversal at the appellate level likely, legal experts say.

But there were no procedural mistakes during Mohanlal's trial, both prosecutor Anita White and defense attorney Steve Rossi said.

Under Florida statute, defendants without prior felonies are eligible for post-conviction bond unless they have committed first-degree murder or sexual battery. Mohanlal wasn't convicted of first-degree sexual battery. He was convicted of second-and third-degree felonies, and he had no prior felony record.

Gold refused to talk on record about why he granted the bond. He would only give this statement: "The simple truth is that I had to rule based on what was presented to me during that hearing. And I took everything into consideration and felt a bond was appropriate."

"For a judge to delay jail is highly unusual, but it's especially unusual when you have someone convicted of a serious crime like sexual molestation of a child," said CNN legal analyst and criminal attorney B.J. Bernstein. "One of the concerns is that you have someone who commits a sex offense who, by their employment, seeks to be around children. They have abused that trust between a student and teacher."

A dozen legal experts, including criminal attorneys based in Florida, said they agree with Bernstein. None could recall a single case of a violent offender receiving the same kind of treatment.

Information on how many offenders are out on post-conviction bonds in Florida is difficult to find. There is no entity in the state, including the Florida Department of Corrections, that keeps track.

Last year, the boy's family won $300,000 from the school district after a civil claim that the district failed to protect the student.

Other students in Mohanlal's class testified that their teacher handed them fliers, with the boy's picture and phone number, that falsely accused the teen of having sex with animals. Caught on surveillance camera at a grocery store copying the fliers, prosecutors say Mohanlal had become a disturbed lover scorned when the boy entered high school and began rejecting his advances.

And there was evidence that Mohanlal was grooming other children. One middle-schooler told police that Mohanlal rubbed his arms and back during class; another testified at trial that his teacher gave him his cell phone number, money and hair conditioner.

"This was one of the most disturbing cases I've ever worked on, and there's no doubt in my mind that Aaron Mohanlal is a dangerous person," said Miramar Police Sgt. Jeff Armiento.

The investigator learned that Mohanlal was released on bond when he randomly searched for him on the state's correctional Web site.

"I was astonished, flabbergasted," Armiento said. "I called the state attorney's office to see if it was some kind of mistake. I don't see what would stop him from doing this to other kids."

Mohanlal's GPS device is monitored 24 hours a day by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, meaning his location appears on a computer screen. Otherwise, there is no police agency watching him.

Kristina Gulick, who oversees the electronic monitoring system, said Mohanlal gives the agency weekly itineraries to help police follow his whereabouts.

But 70 days of itineraries from March to June that CNN obtained from the Broward Sheriff's Office are not detailed; for example, some say Mohanlal intends to leave his home at 6:30 a.m. and return at 9:30 p.m. but do not say where he will be or what his plans are.

"We are confident that he is doing what he's supposed to be doing," Gulick said. "We have had no reason to think otherwise."

Because Mohanlal was required to register as a sex offender, he must provide the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with his home address. That home is in Port St. Lucie, about two hours from Broward County. See Mohanlal's sex offender registration

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department is required to make four visits to the home each year and verify that Mohanlal is living there based on what he tells deputies, according to department spokesman Mark Weinberg.

"This guy has all the reason in the world to take off," said Florida state criminologist Tom Blomberg, who conducted a 2006 study of sex offenders who are monitored by wearable GPS devices. "He's looking at prison for the rest of his life, and child molesters are almost always victimized in prison. He has to know that.

"This is not effective monitoring. In fact, it's a little bit beyond imagination what's going on here," Blomberg said. "The [GPS] technology works; that's not the problem. Police can only do so much. The question is whether this guy should be out of prison.

"This seems like a system failure on down."
__________________________________________________________________

THIS IS OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM AT IT'S BEST. WHY BOTHER GOING TO TRIAL? WHY BOTHER PUTTING THE VICTIM THROUGH IT? PUT THE ASSHOLE IN JAIL WHERE HE BELONGS.

Attorney For Missing Girl's Mom Grilled; Family Negotiating Jail Release

2008-07-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The family of a missing 2-year-old Orlando girl is believed to be working with a bail bondsman Thursday to free the child's mother as a national search for the child continues.
Sources said the bail for Casey Anthony, 22, could be paid as early as Thursday.

Anthony did not report her daughter, Caylee, missing for five weeks, detectives said, and the 22-year-old has been called a person of interest in the child's disappearance.

A judge set a $500,000 bond for Anthony earlier this week but changed the conditions of her bond release order Wednesday.

She's now been ordered to home confinement with an electronic monitoring device and no GPS bracelet.

A bondsman said the change in conditions raises the risk, but also gives Anthony the freedom to roam.

Attorney Grilled During Interview

Meanwhile, CNN's Nancy Grace grilled Casey Anthony's attorney Jose Baez and asked why his client did not report her daughter missing and why she lied to police.

"Don't you think your client should know the last time she was with her own daughter?" Grace asked.

"Since it was so long ago…" Baez said.

"It was last month, it was last month," Grace said.

"Where was your client during the four weeks Caylee was missing?" Grace asked.

"Part of that is some of the things that I simply can't discuss because it is protected by attorney-client privilege," Baez said.

"But why?" Grace said. "Why is that a secret if she wants to find her little girl alive."

"You are an attorney as well and you wouldn't want to violate the attorney-client privledge," Baez said.

"I would want to find the little girl alive," Grace said.

"I'm a little confused why you would ask that question," Baez said.

"Because I want to find Caylee alive and obviously you and your client do not," Grace said.

"She does not know where Caylee is," Baez said.

Baez said rumors that Anthony would talk to police in exchange for immunity were not true.

Billboards Planned

Caylee's grandparents, Cindy and George Anthony are trying new ways to bring in tips in the case.

Local 6 reported that the Anthony family will be putting up 14 billboards across the state asking for help in the case.

They've also organized volunteers to call people in Central Florida to spread the word.

Plus, a $225,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the return of a missing Orlando 2-year-old girl.

About $200,000 of the reward is from Skyview Aviation and Exotic Car Rental and the remaining money is from the Never Lose Hope foundation.

Tipster Questioned

Wednesday night, investigators spoke with a woman who believes she recently spoke with Caylee at Orlando International Airport.

The woman said she spotted the girl boarding a flight to Atlanta and even talked with the girl.

Detectives created a composite sketch but said they would not release it until they firmly believe the tip is credible.

Possible Connection Between Car, Yard

Investigators said similar human decomposition smells found in a yard and a car during a search for a missing Orlando girl indicate the source may have been moved.

Last week, cadaver dogs searched the Orange County back yard of Cindy and George Anthony for signs of their missing granddaughter, who was not reported missing for five weeks.

During the search, cadaver dogs found the smell of human decomposition in the yard, Local 6 learned.

The dogs also hit on the same smell in the trunk of the car the Casey Anthony had been driving, police said.

"We had two different dogs from two different counties that hit on the same exact spot," Orange County sheriff's investigator Carlos Padilla said.

The sheriff's office believes it is possible that whatever produced the decomposition smell could have been in the back yard and then moved to the car, Bolden reported.

"Could it have been a body or could it have been clothes?" Padilla asked. "Again, that is something that has to be investigated."

The investigation includes processing other items found in Anthony's car.

"Because they found hair samples in the trunk of the car that are similar in color and length to that of Caylee and they also found a stain in the trunk that came up under black light that is questionable," Orange County Detective Yuri Melich said. "They also found some dirt inside the car that needs to be processed."

Detectives said they don't have enough evidence to file additional charges against Anthony but it could become a potential homicide investigation.

"Is it something that could later on bring more charges?" Padilla said. "That is a possibility. But right now, we have to process that evidence."

Officers said they still have not ruled out the possibility that Caylee could still be alive.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Caylee is urged to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

______________________________________________________________

I THINK THE CHILD IS DEAD AND THE MOM KILLED HER. THERE IS NO REASON WHY A MOTHER OF A MISSING CHILD WOULD NOT REPORT THE KID MISSING. AND IF SHE KNEW WHERE THE KID WAS, WHY WOULDN'T SHE SAY SO? SHE IS A MURDERING LIAR. OUR LAWS ARE TOO DAMN SOFT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS TYPE OF THING. SHE NEEDS A GOOD OLD FASHIONED BEATING UNTIL SHE TALKS. PERIOD. 5 MINUTES WITH HER IS ALL I ASK.

Killed In Afghanistan

2008-07-18T09:30:00.001-07:00

U.S. soldiers killed

The Defense Department on Wednesday identified the U.S. soldiers killed Sunday when their outpost was overrun in Afghanistan.
• 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Aiea, Hawaii.
• Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, California.
• Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Georgia.
• Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, Washington.
• Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tennessee.
• Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Georgia.
• Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, North Carolina.
• Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Missouri.
• Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Kentucky.

_________________________________________________________________

Let them in Peter, for they are very tired;
Give them couches where the angels sleep and light those fires.
Let them wake a whole again to brand new dawns fired by the
sun not war time's bloddy guns. And may their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie --
God knows how young they were to have to die!
Well, God knows how young they were to have to die!
Give them things they like. Let them make some noise.
Give dance hall bands not golden harps, to these are boys,
Let them love Peter, -- for they have had no time --
They should have bird songs and trees, and hills to climb
The taste of Summer in a ripened pear,
Girls sweet as meadow wind, with flowing hair --
And Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear;
It's going to be alright with us down here.

Let them in Peter, for they are very tired;
Give them couches where the angels sleep and light those fires.
Let them wake a whole again to brand new dawns fired by the
sun not war time's bloddy guns. And may their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie --
God knows how young they were to have to die!
Well, God knows how young they were to have to die!

Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear;
It's going to be alright with us down here.

Drug Maker Found 'Not' Liable in Motrin Trial

2008-07-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

MALIBU -- Jurors in the $1 billion Motrin lawsuit have decided that Johnson & Johnson is not liable for damages suffered by 11-year-old Topanga Canyon girl who claims she was blinded by Children's Motrin in 2003.

"There will be no award," a disappointed plaintiff attorney, Browne Greene, said.

Although jurors found for the plaintiffs in seven of eight questions, on the ninth question they decided it was not proved that Motrin caused the girl's injury.

Corporate responsibility is the major theme of the $1 billion claim made by the Johnsons, whose lawyers contend that Children's Motrin triggered an extremely rare, nearly fatal allergic reaction in the first-grader that caused chemical-type burns in her eyes, mouth and other mucous membranes, eventually blinding her.

The company, facing similar allegations stemming from about 60 cases of the reaction -- ironically called Stevens-Johnson syndrome -- among the billions of doses of Motrin sold annually, has fought back with a message that Motrin is safe and effective.

Company attorneys claim that Sabrina Johnson's illness was not caused by the widely used drug, and that the package labels were federally approved and had adequate warnings.

Lawyers representing the 11-year-old girl said her Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a painful illness that makes the inside of a her eyelids feel as if they are made of sandpaper.

During the trial, Sabrina testified that she spent months living inside a large cardboard box during daylight hours to keep her eyes from erupting in pain.

But doctors testified that there is a one-in-a-million chance of a person who takes ibuprofen having a severe allergic reaction.

Johnson & Johnson and McNeil Laboratories insisted that ibuprofen in general and Motrin in particular are safe and effective, and are used billions of times a year for pain relief.

Sabrina Johnson's family is asking for $14 million in actual damages and $103 million for the girl's and the family's pain and suffering, as well as punitive damages of $950 million.

____________________________________________________________________

SADLY I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE JUDGE. DRUGS COME WITH WARNINGS. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE WHO IS ALLERGIC TO A DRUG. IT IS A FACT OF LIFE. EVERYONE'S BODY IS DIFFERENT. 60 CASES OUT OF BILLIONS OF USES? IT IS SAD THAT THE CHILD IS SUFFERING, AND I HOPE THE DOCS CAN DO SOMETHING TO EASE HER PAIN. BUT THE DRUG COMPANY IS NOT AT FAULT. HER BODY'S CHEMICAL MAKE UP IS.

Missing Child Investigation Turns To Mother's Home

2008-07-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A search for a 2-year-old girl led investigators near the back yard of the house of the toddler, her mother and the child's grandparents Thursday.

Caylee Anthony has brown hair and hazel eyes and stands about 3 feet tall. The girl has been missing for more than a month, but it was only reported Tuesday.
Click here to find out more!

Sources have told WESH 2 News that K9s and crime scene investigators are at the scene digging near the family's home in East Orlando. Neighbors led investigators to the back yard and told them that they recently saw Anthony at the home without her parents.

Investigators also removed a shovel covered with a paper bag from a neighbor's home earlier on Thursday afternoon.

The toddler's mother, Casey Anthony, 22, said she dropped off her daughter with a friend and babysitter on June 9 and hasn't heard from her since. Investigators later deduced that no one had lived in that apartment for almost five months. They also said they spoke with a Zenaida Gonzalez, the alleged babysitter, and she said she has never met Anthony or Caylee and has never baby-sat for anyone. Anthony said she did not report her daughter missing because she wanted to find the child herself to spare her parents the sadness of their grandchild being missing.

Anthony was arrested Wednesday night and has been a focus in the search and investigation in the case. She made a first appearance in court on Thursday on child neglect charges. The arrest was made after authorities said the child's grandmother called deputies to report the toddler missing.

Earlier on Thursday, investigators removed a computer hard drive from the Anthonys around the same time a judge was conducting Anthony's first court appearance. The judge scolded the young mother for her apparent lack of cooperation in the investigators' attempts to find her daughter.

"You left your child with someone who doesn't exist at an apartment you cannot identify. You lied to your parents. It appears you care so little for your child you didn't report her missing until five weeks later," Judge John Jordan said.

"All I want is to put the word out and show her picture as many places as we can," grandmother Cindy Anthony said.

Cindy Anthony said finding the girl is where the focus needs to be. She said Casey Anthony told her she was going to Tampa for a job. She said she talked to the toddler on the phone around July 11.

"As every hour passes, I get a little bit more nervous," she said.

"It's not about my daughter or what part or role she has played in any of this this, if anything. It's about bringing this little girl home," she said.

"At this point, we don't have any information that the child has been spoken to by the grandparents in some time. The child's grandparents have been very cooperative with us. They seem very concerned about their granddaughter. I think more than anybody they would like us to find that child and return the child to them," Sgt. John Allen of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives said Anthony claimed she lost track of the babysitter and her own child.

"The most important step for us at this point is to try to find the missing girl. You know, is she out there with somebody? If so, where is she?" Allen said.

In an arrest report, investigators said Casey Anthony told friends repeatedly that her child was with a nanny. They said Casey Anthony has told them "repetitive lies."

While her 2-year-old is missing, detectives claimed Casey Anthony has "laughed at the situation" and failed to show any outward signs of remorse or concern. That's why they want her held without bond until the child is located.

"She's a 2-year-old child, and nobody knows where she is," Allen said.

The arrest report indicated a friend of the mother contacted authorities and told them he spent the weekend with Casey Anthony in late June, and at that time, according to the friend and the arrest report, the child was with a nanny.

In addition to confiscating Anthony's computer, investigators said they plan to scour Anthony's car for any clues on the child's whereabouts.

Anthony agreed to take detectives to Universal Studios, where she claimed to work, so they could speak to her co-workers, but while leading them to her alleged office, she stopped in the middle of a hallway and admitted to them she lied and no longer worked there.

Investigators said the best-case scenario at this point may be that the mother gave the child away or possibly even sold her. A judge ordered a mental-health evaluation for Casey Anthony on Thursday, and she is being held without bond.

Allen said the child's father has not been located, but many leads have come in.

Several Web sites through MySpace have been set up to help locate Caylee Anthony with phone numbers to call if anyone has information about her whereabouts.

Casey Anthony is being held without bond in a cell by herself and is expected to be transferred into protective custody because of the high-profile nature of the case.

________________________________________________________________________

ANOTHER ONE? THE MOTHER DID IT WHETHER SHE KILLED HER, OR SOLD HER. I HOPE THE KID IS OK, BUT I DOUBT IT. THE MOM AIN'T TALKING, SO MORE THAN LIKELY THE KID IS DEAD. THE MOM NEEDS TO BE MADE TO TALK.

Toddler Dies After Being Left In Truck

2008-07-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Police in Livingston County's Green Oak Township say an 18-month-old girl is dead after being left unattended inside a pickup truck for more than two hours.

Chief Bob Brookins says police and fire crews responding to a call about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday found the girl unconscious and overheated.

National Weather Service data show the temperature in nearby Howell was 88 degrees at the time.

Brookins said that it doesn't appear any windows were cracked while the girl was in the truck in the driveway on Riviera Court.

Investigators said the girl's father was the last person to drive the pickup truck and her mother was at work in the morning. Investigators said at some point, both parents realized the child was in the car.

It is unclear what events led to the child being inside the vehicle.

Family members are cooperating with investigators.

Authorites have not released the names of the parents, who are both in their late 20s, but they did say the victim's name was Alyssa. The couple also shares a 3-year-old child.

One woman's daughter who lives in the neighborhood told her about it and she felt compelled to bring the family a card.

"She called me later on and told me the circumstances. My heart just goes out to them," said Sharon Burmeister.

An autopsy is to be conducted soon.

_____________________________________________________________________________

MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILY. MY QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILD IS AT ALL TIMES? WHEN YOU GO TO THE GROCER, DON'T YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVED ALL YOUR FOOD? WHY IS IT SO HARD TO DO THE SAME WITH YOUR KID?

Scott Peterson Uses The Internet On Death Row

2008-07-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Scott Peterson was convicted November 12, 2004, for the deaths of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn child. He may be locked up in San Quentin State Prison and facing the death penalty, but he is not cut off from the outside world.
Sharon Rocca, mother of Laci Peterson, says Scott Peterson shouldn't be blogging from San Quentin.

Sharon Rocca, mother of Laci Peterson, says Scott Peterson shouldn't be blogging from San Quentin.

Peterson has a personal Web site that includes photos of him and Laci. It also links to his family's Web site and that Web site includes a blog message from Scott discussing what he calls his "wrongful conviction."

Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson's mother, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday to talk about his Web site and what she thinks of her former son-in-law.

Some highlights:

Larry King: What do you make of all this?

Sharon Rocha: Well. First of all, I think I could say that being on death row is supposed to eliminate a lot of rights and privileges of the inmates. In the whole scope of things, this is a very minute matter, but it isn't right that they should have access to the Internet, either direct access or through somebody else. Video Watch Rocca discuss Scott Peterson with Larry King »

King: How and when did you first find out about Scott having this Web page?

Rocha: Just a couple of days ago. A friend of mine had told me about it.

King: Have you seen the page?

Rocha: I have. And I understand it's the family blog, which, you know, they're entitled to have that. But I still feel that it's not right that Scott has the ability to speak on the Internet through his family or friends or whomever.

King: So you think a family blog is OK?

Rocha: Everybody's entitled, you know, to their opinion, and I see nothing wrong with having a family blog.

King: He has only two blog entries on his personal page. One says he's encouraged by the mail he receives and he enjoys hearing from people. His prison mail address is also posted. What do you think of that?

Rocha: Well, I think that is public knowledge. There are different Web sites that you can go to get that prison. But as far as being encouraged from other people, I'm sure he is. But the point is I don't think he should be able to access the Internet, either directly or through anybody else.

King: Do you have any qualms about people writing to him? Does it bother you at all?

Rocha: No, it doesn't bother me. To be perfectly honest with you, Larry, I really don't spend a lot of time thinking about Scott. I think about Laci all of the time, but I don't give a lot of thought to Scott.

King: In his first blog posting, Scott writes, "some people have done things to profit off my wife and son having been taken from me and murdered." How do you react to a statement like that?

Rocha: Well, that's true. There have been a lot of people who have profited from that. But I don't feel that he should be one of those because he's responsible for Laci not being here. I know many inmates are claiming that it violates their rights, their right to freedom of speech not to be able to have communication with, through the Internet or what have you. But they are there for a reason and that reason is that they took the right of their victims. They took their freedom of speech away from them and literally slammed the lid on their opportunity to ever speak again.

King: Have you complained to the prison or anybody in authority about all of this?

Rocha: No, I haven't. It's not something that I've even thought about. I read an article in "The (Los Angeles) Times" about victims in other states who attempted to have legislation passed only to have it ruled as unconstitutional by a judge. So I don't know if there's really anything that can be done about it.

King: So you have no recourse, in a sense.

Rocha: At this time, it seems to be that way, unless there's some new legislation that can actually be passed and not ruled unconstitutional.
advertisement

King: Frankly, Sharon, you don't seem outraged.

Rocha: Well, it is outrageous for this to even be happening. I just feel that, you know, it just does a great injustice to the victims and their families. They can no longer speak for themselves. And being on death row is supposed to eliminate an inmate's privileges. And this just flies in the face of justice, as far as I'm concerned, that OK, so they said they can't use the Internet, they go around it and they use it in another way. It is outrageous. I am outraged.

____________________________________________________________________

IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL THING, BUT I AGREE WITH LACI'S MOM. IT IS OUTRAGEOUS THAT SOMEONE ON DEATH ROW FOR MURDER CAN BASICALLY MAINTAIN ALL ASPECTS OF LIVING AS THOUGH HE IS AT HOME ON THE SOFA. HECK, HE IS FED 3 HOTS PER DAY, HAS A FREE BED, CLOTHES, CABLE, USE OF A LIBRARY AND INTERNET ACCESS. EXACTLY HOW IS HE BEING PUNISHED? WHAT EXACTLY HAVE THEY TAKEN FROM HIM? HIS FREEDOM? HELL...HE AIN'T MISSING IT. HE SURE AS HELL AIN'T SUFFERING. WHAT ABOUT HOW LACI SUFFERED? WHAT ABOUT CONNOR'S SUFFERING? OUR LEGAL SYSTEM IS A JOKE. IT IS NO WONDER OTHER COUNTRIES THINK WE ARE PUSHOVERS.

Slurs Revisited

2008-07-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ok. The word of the hour: NIGGER. Say it with me now: NIGGER. NIGGER. NIGGER. I don't really care for the word either, BUT......let's be reasonable here for a minute. This word has been around for years. As has the word honkey, bitch, cunt, slut, etc. Nol matter how you dress it up: nigga, biotch etc, you are still insulting someone. There is nothing cool about being called biotch or nigga. You look stupid and uneducated. Just like when you wear your pants around your hips and show your ass.

So...if you want people to stop calling you NIGGER, BITCH, CUNT, HEIFER, SLUT, HO ETC...STOP CALLING YOURSELF AND YOUR FRIENDS THAT. I don't buy into the whole "only my homies can call met hat" bullshit. It is either a slur or it isn't.

Period.

Long-Haired Boy Denied Entry Into Kindergarten

2008-07-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

HOUSTON -- A Houston-area school board will decide if a boy's long hair should keep him from attending school after a superintendent denied the request, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

The Needville Independent School District said 5-year-old Adriel Arocha's long locks violate school rules.

Adriel's parents said long hair is a sacred tradition in their Native American culture.

Kenny Arocha, Adriel's father, said long hair is a religious symbol for the Apache tribe that should only be cut at the time of a life-changing event.

"It's part of who we are. It's part of what we believe in. It's part of what makes us Native American," he said. "To strip our hair would be to strip our spirit, which is far beyond stripping any religion."

Adriel said he knows that his long hair, which is often kept in braids, is about more than style.

"It tells me how long I've been here," he said.

But Needville ISD officials said a dress code guideline would require Adriel to cut his hair before he can enroll in kindergarten.

Needville superintendent Curtis Rhodes decided in June that the district would not make an exception in the case.

But Kenny Arocha plans to appeal the ruling before the school board on Wednesday.

"You have policies and procedures. Every district has them -- various variations, and to make exceptions, you have to be provided evidence of something, and to this point, I don't feel I've been provided evidence to make an exception," Rhodes said.

Arocha said he provided a DNA test to prove that he is Native American. But he said there is not much else he can do to plead his case.

"They want it in text somewhere, and unfortunately, there is none. All of our traditions were passed down orally, and it's really hard to provide them with something that doesn't exist," Arocha said.

The Arocha family lives in Stafford, but their home in Needville should be completed by next week.

They said they hope their son will be able to enter school with his hair and his beliefs in tact.

"We chose to make that our community and I just honestly hoped for more. I hoped for more tolerance, more understanding," Kenny Arocha said.

"If we have information provided to us that requires an exception be made, we're going to make that exception," Rhodes said.

School officials said that this is the first time anyone has challenged the dress code on the basis of religion.

The school board meeting will take place Wednesday at 7 p.m.

________________________________________________________________

ANYONE WHO PAID ATTENTION IN HISTORY (AND THIS IS A SCHOOL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD) SHOULD KNOW THAT A NATIVE AMERICAN'S HAIR IS SACRED TO THEM. WHY IS THE SCHOOL BOARD EVEN MEETING ABOUT THIS? SO NOW KIDS HAVE A HAIR LIMIT? FIRST IT WAS ROCK BANDS AND WRESTLERS ON TSHIRTS, THEN IT WAS JELLY BRACELETS, THEN IT WAS EARRINGS, NOW IT IS HAIR. AND WE WONDER WHY AMERICAN KIDS ARE BEHIND IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF EDUCATION. WE SPEND SO MUCH MONEY DECIDING IF A KIDS HAIR IS TOO LONG TO ATTEND SCHOOL THAN PUTTING THAT MONEY WHERE IT BELONGS: IN THE FREAKING SCHOOL ITSELF. I HATE THIS TYPE OF SHIT. ARCHOAS, IF THE SCHOOL BOARD DENIES HIM, SUE FOR DISCRIMINATION. THIS AIN'T THE 1800'S OR EARLY 1900'S ANYMORE. FORCING SOMEONE TO CONFORM TO ONE SET OF BELIEFS IS DONE. OR IT SHOULD BE. OR WOULD BE IF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WOULD BE TOSSED OUT WITH THE REST OF THE STINKY TRASH.

I SWEAR. SOMETIMES I WOULD RATHER LIVE IN BRITAIN.

Gay, Lesbian Group Kicked Off Campgrounds

2008-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. -- A gay and lesbian group who said it was kicked out of a Longview Lake campground plans legal action.

The group, Pride Revolutions, rented about a dozen campsites Friday, but said it was harassed and that on Saturday morning, it was told to leave by Jackson County park rangers and park attendees.

"We're human beings like everyone else, and we just wanted to get together with our friends and have a nice weekend. We weren't trying to cause any trouble," said one of the campers, who didn't want to be identified.

A representative of Jackson County Parks and Recreation said the campers were asked to leave because they were drinking alcohol, had dogs without leashes and committed other campground violations.

The camper said one member of their group violated the rules, not all of them, and she felt as if they were being watched and she felt unwelcome.

"We're just going to move forward," she said. "This shouldn't be tolerated. It's 2008. This is ridiculous."

Jackson County officials released a statement saying they were reviewing the incident to "ensure that all of our staff met the high standards and expectations we set for them in terms of friendliness, respect and professionalism."

They added that Jackson County was the first local government to establish domestic partner registry and domestic partner benefits.

_____________________________________________________________________

WHY DOES THE FACT THAT YOU ARE GAY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU BEING ASKED TO LEAVE FOR BEING DISRUPTIVE AND DISOBEYING RULES? I WANT TO KNOW IS HOW DID ANYONE KNOW YOU WERE GAY UNLESS YOU ADVERTISED IT OR WERE ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY IN PUBLIC? ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE ACTING UP IN PUBLIC, AND THEN WANTING TO SUE AFTER.

Family ordered to leave restaurant because of crying child

2008-07-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

JACKSON, SC (WIS) - At first, Gail Martin says she wasn't sure who was yelling at her to leave the Buckhead Café in Jackson. It turned out to be Jackson Police Chief Dennis Rushton, asking Gail and her family to leave.

"I didn't know what he was doing," Gail's daughter Lauren said.

The family was just about to order when 4-year-old Alyssa began crying; she suffers from autism.

Gail says Chief Rushton yelled across the restaurant again.

"He said, ‘You need to pick her up and you need to get out of here now,'" Gail said.

Lauren is upset with the chief.

"That was very mean to say -- just very mean," Lauren said.

The embarrassment was too much for Gail and her daughters, who soon left the restaurant.

"I wasn't embarrassed of Alyssa's behavior, I was embarrassed of the way it was handled," Gail said.

Chief Rushton would not make a statement, but he did say he felt Mrs. Martin's daughter was being extremely loud and bothering other customers.

Even though he knew the child was autistic, he said he did ask the Martins to leave.

Gail says she feels like Chief Rushton should have been more understanding about what was going on with her autistic daughter.

"We can't just lock them up, they have every right to be out in public like everyone else," Gail said.

Now Gail hopes her story will bring more awareness about autism.

"If it can happen in a small town in Jackson, it can happen anywhere," Gail said.

Chief Rushton says he is open to going through training through the South Carolina Autism Society to help him better understand the condition.

Rushton also says his police commissioner has invited the Martin family to meet with them at City Hall.

The Martins say they are open to meeting with the commissioner.

As you can imagine, people have had plenty to say about this story.

Viewer Roger said, "The family should have known better than to take an emotionally disturbed child into a restaurant. When customers pay to enjoy a nice meal the last thing they want to endure is an uncontrollable child."

Viewer Amanda wrote, "I know what it's like to have one or both of your autistic children start crying for reasons that other people could not possibly understand. I'm not saying children with autism should get a free pass on their behavior. I'm just saying that people should be more understanding because most of these kids can't communicate their needs verbally."

__________________________________________________________________________

ONE, VIEWER ROGER IS AN IDIOT AND PROBABLY NEVER GOT LAID LET ALONE HAS KIDS. SOMEONE SHOULD REMIND HIS ARROGANT ASS THAT HE TOO WAS ONCE A SQUALLING KID.

SECOND, IT IS A CRYING KID. GET OVER IT. WHEN DID WE BECOME SO IMPATIENT AND RUDE THAT A CRYING BABY OR CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL ISSUES ANNOY US? IF I WERE THE MOM, I WOULD SUE THE OFFICER. SHE HAD AS MUCH RIGHT TO EAT THERE AS HIS ASS DID. BEFORE YOU START BEING OBNOXIOUS, PUT YOURSELF IN OTHERS SHOES. WHAT IF IT WERE YOUR CHILD?

Video Of Man In OKC Zoo Jaguar Pen Posted Online

2008-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City Zoo officials are seeking legal advice after a video was posted online of an unidentified man who entered a pen to taunt a jaguar.

Officials say they are worried others, especially children, will try to mimic the video.

E-mails from KOCO to the poster of the video have not been answered.

Zoo director Dwight Scott said, "Jaguars are extremely strong, powerful, stocky animals, and the potential for serious injury is there in a case such as this one."

Scott said the zoo will reexamine the jaguar pen, but he emphasized the difficulty in stopping people who want to break the rules.

______________________________________________________________________

WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT IF THE CAT HAD ATTACKED AND INJURED OR KILLED THIS IDIOT, THE CAT WOULD HAVE BEEN BLAMED AND KILLED FOR DOING WHAT COMES NATURAL. WHAT A FUCKING MORON.

How about a teeny, tiny home?

2008-07-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - Jay Shafer has spent the past decade living in tiny homes, so he knows a thing or two about living in tight spaces.

"I was fed up with taking care of more space than I had to," he said.

He built a 96-square-foot house two years ago.

"There is the freedom of not having to vacuum or do much maintenance and having everything at arm's reach is great," he said.

Now Shafer is sharing his knowledge with like-minded people up and down the West Coast.

"What's too small? What's too big? It's very subjective," he said.

Shafer is in town for a two-day seminar, teaching people how to design and construct their own tiny homes that range from 70 square feet up to nearly 1,000.

He'll also build them for customers for about $40,000.

On Sunday, his students were encouraged to walk through his house, which he drove up the interstate from California, before they began the task of designing their own tiny home.

"I think the idea of it is wonderful. Because I don't think we need that much space. I don't need that much space," said Basha Brownstein of Seattle.

"Everything is just really simple. It's just clean, it's open," said Ethel Sohl of Vashon Island.

"All of the pieces of information that I've gathered over the years, they actually start to make sense in a context, especially seeing his house and actually seeing how he has edited his life down to such a tiny, tiny space," said Brian Gant.

Shafer says living in a tiny home is good both for the environment and for his finances. Utility bills are miniscule, and rent and mortgage woes are a thing of the past.

He can list only one disadvantage.

"I've always tried to come up with a disadvantage. I guess I can't have a large party," he said.

_______________________________________________________________

I GIVE PROPS TO ANYONE WHO CAN LIVE IN THIS LITTLE AMOUNT OF SPACE. I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT HAVING ROOM TO MOVE AROUND IN. WHERE WOULD YOU PUT THE BATHROOM.

Stripper, 80, still taking her clothes off

2008-07-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Tempest Storm is fuming. Her fingers tremble with frustration. They are aged, knotted by arthritis and speckled with purple spots under paper skin.

But the manicure of orange polish is flawless and new, and matches her signature tousled mane.

She brushes orange curls out of her face as she explains how she's been slighted.

She is the headliner, you know. She is a star. She is classy.

"I don't just get up there and rip my clothes off," she says.

Indeed, the 80-year-old burlesque queen takes her clothes off very slowly.

More than 50 years ago she was dubbed the "Girl with the Fabulous Front" and told by famous men she had the "Best Two Props in Hollywood."

Since then, Storm saw the art that made her famous on the brink of extinction. Her contemporaries -- Blaze Starr, Bettie Page, Lili St. Cyr -- have died or hung up the pasties.

But not Storm. She kept performing. Las Vegas, Reno, Palm Springs, Miami, Carnegie Hall.

Her act is a time capsule. She knows nothing of poles. She would never put her derriere in some man's face. Her prop of choice is a boa, perhaps the occasional divan.

It takes four numbers, she says adamantly, four numbers to get it all off. To do it classy.

But the producers of tonight's show, just kids, they want her to go faster. She gets just seven minutes.

"I did seven minutes when I started," she says.

They gave her trouble last year, too. They even cut her music before she finished.

There may not be a next time for this show, she says. The threat lasts just minutes.

"No, no. I'm not ready to hang up my G-string, yet. I've got too many fans that would be disappointed."

Dated Elvis, other celebrities.

Stardom and fandom feature prominently in Tempest Storm's life -- and in her neat, two-bedroom Las Vegas apartment.

Visitors are greeted by photos of a young Elvis, her favorite rock 'n' roller and, she says, a former lover.

He met her after her show in Las Vegas and fiddled with her skirt as he introduced himself. The relationship ended about a year later because Elvis' manager didn't approve of him dating a stripper, she says.

But she could not change who she was. Stripping already had made her famous.

It put her in the room with Hollywood's heavyweights. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Mickey Rooney, Nat King Cole.

She dated some, just danced for others. The evidence is framed and displayed on tables and the living room wall.

That's Storm and Vic Damone. Storm teaching Walter Cronkite to dance. Storm and her fourth and last husband, Herb Jefferies, a star of black cowboy films who swept her off her feet in 1957 when such unions were instant scandals. They divorced in 1970.

"When I look at this picture I say, 'What the hell happened between this gorgeous couple?"' she says.

The moment is brief.

Storm is rarely wistful. She has no doubt she still is what she once was. Although she performs just handful of times a year, she would do more, if asked. She chides those who think age takes a toll on sex appeal.

"Ridiculous," she says.

There are just as many recent photos in the room: Storm and her daughter, a nurse in Indiana. Storm and her fiance, who died a few years ago. Storm and a beaming older gentlemen, just a fan who approached her for a photograph.

In others, the petite beauty with the long lashes and glamorous hair is alone, out of focus, in full makeup and smiling wide. In one, she is perched on her living room couch in a red hat and low-cut black suit.

"I took that picture of myself," she says proudly. "I have a self-timer. I took these, too."

Sharecropper's daughter fled abuse.

"That stage saved me," she says as she leaves a sound check hours before the night's performance.

She had been expecting a much smaller space and she is relieved. She's a "walker," she explains. She needs room to move.

It is a direct and once-racy style, the signature work of Lillian Hunt, the choreographer at the Follies Theater in Los Angeles where Storm became a star.

She was Annie Blanche Banks then. The 22-year-old sharecropper's daughter had fled sexual abuse, two loveless marriages and poverty in small-town Georgia, she says.

She was working as a cocktail waitress but wanted to be a showgirl. First, she needed her teeth fixed.

"Do you think my bust is too big for this business?" she asked Hunt at her audition.

Hunt put her in the chorus line, told her not to gain a pound and called a dentist.

In Storm's telling, she didn't stay long in the background. She got a new name. ("I really don't feel like a Sunny Day.") She took to the spotlight quickly. Then and now, she blossomed to the chorus of hoots and cheers.

The trick is having a warm presence, an inviting smile, she says.

When she takes the stage, she lets her mind float back to "Georgie." She imagines herself as a little girl, in her best dress, running down the road to meet her daddy coming home from work.

"I feel that I am that little girl dressed up out there. I got a picture in my whole mind of it. I can see that little girl," she says.

On stage, the image is frozen there.

But it's not the end of the story Storm tells. If she plays out the memory, the little girl is stopped in her tracks as an aunt blurts out a truth that pains her today.

"That's not your real father."

Doesn't smoke or drink, gets religion on TV

On Sundays, Storm tunes in to a televangelist who tells her anyone can overcome odds. It's the only religion she's ever taken to.

She believes this is the lesson of her life. Be a survivor. Never stop doing what you love, it makes you who you are.

"If you want to get old, you'll get old," she says.

There have been men who disappointed her, financial strain, brain surgery.

After it all, she sits on her couch and exercises in front of the television on a small stationary bike. She doesn't smoke or drink or eat much.

"I'm just blessed, I think. And I know when to push myself away from the table."

If some might see all this as chasing after lost youth, she says she cares little. Younger dancers tell her she is an inspiration to them, and she has no reason not to believe them.

"I feel good about myself. And I enjoy it," she says. "I have fun when I'm onstage, and the audience loves it. Nobody ever said it's time to give it up. Why stop?"

Cheers and whistles.

Indeed, no one is dreaming of telling Tempest Storm to give up stripping when she slithers onto the casino nightclub stage for her seven minutes.

"Something in the way she moves ..." pipes through the speakers. Her live drummer, the Ringo Starr on loan from the Beatles tribute show on the Strip, picks up the beat.

The burlesque queen emerges stage right. A slinky purple gown hangs off her shoulders. A rhinestone necklace envelops her decolletage. The snakelike boa pours into her hands.

For a few seconds, her face flashes her nerves.

And then she hears the cheers.

When she performs, Storm smiles, leans back and walks on her heels, leading with her pelvis. Her hands float back and forth as if in water, until they fall below her hips and sweep up in tandem with a full frontal thrust.

More cheers. Whistles.

The boa disappears stage right.

The next number picks up the tempo, letting Storm cock a hip on the down beats. She loses the gloves and steps off stage to put on the negligee. It's gone almost as quickly as it came.

And with two flicks of her orange fingernails, the dress goes, too.

Two-finger whistle. Hollers. Applause.

Staring up at the 80-year-old woman in fishnets, a sheer rhinestone bra and a G-string, a young woman turns to a young man and declares:

"I want to look like that when I'm her age."

_________________________________________________________________

GO GRANNY! TAKE IT OFF AS LONG AS THOSE MEN STICK THOSE DOLLARS DOWN YOUR G STRING. :) THIS IS ONE STORY THAT I LOVED TO READ!

Killer Granny

2008-07-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- Jeff Carstensen was spooked when he learned his grandmother planned to buy him a $100,000 life insurance policy -- and name herself the beneficiary.
Betty Johnson Neumar is shown at her booking. She is being held in a North Carolina jail on $500,000 bond.

Betty Johnson Neumar is shown at her booking. She is being held in a North Carolina jail on $500,000 bond.

"She told me that people of our stature have insurance policies on each other," he said. "That way, if something happens to you, you take care of me, and if something happens to me, I take care of you. It was all too suspicious. So I got out of there any way I could, as soon as I could."

As he and everyone else who came into Betty Neumar's orbit have learned, he apparently had good reason.

The 76-year-old Georgia woman sits in a North Carolina jail, accused of hiring a hit man to kill fourth husband Harold Gentry.

Authorities are re-examining the deaths of her first child and four of the five men she married, including Gentry.

No motive has been discussed, but records and interviews with relatives and police officials paint Neumar as a domineering matriarch consumed by money.

Said Al Gentry, who pressed North Carolina authorities for 22 years to reopen their investigation of his brother's death: "You can't trust her. You can't believe a word she says."

She collected at least $20,000 in 1986 when Harold Gentry was shot to death in his home. A year earlier, she had collected $10,000 in life insurance when her son died.

She also had a life insurance policy on husband No. 5, John Neumar, who died in October. The official cause of death was listed as sepsis, but authorities are investigating whether he was poisoned.

Betty Neumar's attorney has declined requests for comment. A North Carolina judge on Monday refused to lower Neumar's $500,000 bond at a hearing in Stanly County, about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte. Prosecutors called her a flight risk and said other jurisdictions were ramping up their investigations into her past.

To the outside world, family members said, she was Bee -- a friendly woman who operated beauty shops, attended church and raised money for charity.

But Carstensen saw another side: fist fights at family functions, use of obscenities and belittling of relatives, how she would act "one way in public -- especially church -- and another behind closed doors."

Police in Ohio are looking into the death of Carstensen's stepfather, Neumar's son Gary Flynn, who was found shot to death in his apartment in November 1985. It was ruled a suicide, but his family has questions. A decision on whether to formally reopen the case is pending.

Law enforcement authorities told The Associated Press they have struggled to piece together details of Betty Neumar's life because her story keeps changing. But interviews, documents and court records provide an outline of her history in North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Georgia, the states where she was married.

'We trusted her'

She was born Betty Johnson in 1931 in Ironton, a hardscrabble southeastern Ohio town along the West Virginia border. She graduated from high school in 1949 and married Clarence Malone in November 1950. She was 18, he was 19.

In December 1951, she claimed in court papers that Malone abused her. It's unclear what happened to that complaint or when the marriage broke up. Their son, Gary, was born March 13, 1952.

Malone remarried twice. He was shot once in the back of the head outside his auto shop in a small town southwest of Cleveland in November 1970. His death was ruled a homicide, although police said there were no signs of robbery.

Gary was eventually adopted by Betty Neumar's second husband, James A. Flynn, although it's unclear when she met or married him. She told investigators that he "died on a pier" somewhere in New York in the mid-1950s. She and Flynn had a daughter, Peggy, and his death is the only one officials are not reinvestigating.

Records from Florida show she was living in Jacksonville when she enrolled in beauty college in 1960 under the name Betty Flynn.

At some point, she met her third husband, Richard Sills, who was found dead in his apartment in the Florida Keys in 1965. Neumar told police they were alone in a room arguing when he pulled out a gun and shot himself. Authorities who ruled it a suicide are now reinvestigating.

Three years later, Neumar married Gentry. Five years after he died, she married John Neumar.

It was while living with him in Augusta, Georgia, in the mid-1990s that, former friends and family members said, she persuaded more than 200 people to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme.

She told them they would receive up to $100,000 for every $100 they put toward the legal expenses of a rich European family that had died with no heirs.

Word spread, and people brought money to her beauty shop near Belvedere, South Carolina, near the Georgia border. Her husband's son, John K. Neumar, invested $1,000.

Months later, more than 200 antsy investors met with Betty Neumar at the Augusta Civic Center. She said lawyers in Europe needed more time and their money was safe. It wasn't true. Seven ringleaders in the scam pleaded guilty in 1997, but Neumar was never charged.

"We were rather stupid. I know," said Mary Miller, an investor who lost $500. "But we believed her. We trusted her."

It appears they weren't the only ones.

John Neumar was worth more than $300,000 when he and Betty married in 1991. But nearly 10 years later, they filed for bankruptcy and listed more than $206,000 in debts on 43 credit cards. It's unclear where the money went.

"Before he met her, he always saved his money," said John K. Neumar. "That's what he taught us. So it was a big surprise when I found out he was having financial trouble. It wasn't like he bought anything. She just took all his money."

__________________________________________________________
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. DAMN GRANDMA. EYE FOR AN EYE. ANOTHER ONE WHO DESERVES THE NEEDLE.

Husband charged with murdering soldier wife

2008-07-14T19:41:00.001-07:00

(CNN) -- The Marine husband of a slain Fort Bragg soldier was charged with murder Monday and another Marine was charged with aiding the crime, a local police chief said.

Authorities have been searching for the missing soldier, Army 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, 24, since a fire torched her North Carolina apartment on July 10.

Marine Cpl. John Wimunc and fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden were initially charged with arson, but after police interviews Wimunc was charged with first-degree murder, said Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine.

Alden was charged with felony accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, Bergamine said.

Both were taken to Cumberland County's jail and held without bond, he said.

Earlier, a witness found a charred body in woods, but Detective Jeff Locklear told reporters that police were still awaiting a positive identification from the medical examiner and could not say for certain it was Holly Wimunc.

The lieutenant's father released a statement about the death Monday in which he said his daughter was a nurse at a military hospital and had two children.

"It is with profound sadness that our family just received the news from authorities that our beloved daughter Holley is dead," Wimunc's father said in a statement released to CNN affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Since last Thursday's shocking news about Holley's burned apartment and her missing person status, our family through the country has nonetheless been holding on to a thin thread of hope that she would be found alive."

Military officials said both Marines were stationed at Camp Lejeune, which is about two hours away from Wimunc's Fayetteville home.

Joe Lenczyk -- resident agent-in-charge for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- said Wimunc and her husband were estranged and lived apart.

Wimunc is the second female soldier from Fort Bragg to die under suspicious circumstances in recent weeks.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma, 23, was seven months pregnant at the time of her death in June, authorities said. Investigators say they are treating that death as a homicide.
advertisement

Camp Lejeune also has had a suspicious death of a female soldier this year. Twenty-year-old pregnant Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach's charred body was found January in the back yard of another Marine stationed at the base.

That suspect, U.S. Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, is being pursued by prosecutors.

__________________________________________________________________

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS LOOK AT THE SPOUSE FIRST!!!!!! WHAT WAS THE FIRST CLUE? THE DIVORCE? THE ORDER OF PROTECTION? SHE DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR WORK? IT'S THE ARMY PEOPLE. YOU CAN'T JUST CALL IN SICK HERE. YOU CAN'T JUST NOT SHOW UP! ANOTHER FUCKER WHO DESERVES THE NEEDLE BUT WILL GET A LIFE SENTENCE SO HE CAN SIT ON HIS ASS AND WATCH CABLE ALL DAY, GET 3 HOT MEALS, AND MOOCH OFF THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES WHO ACTUALLY DO NOT COMMIT CRIMES.

WE REALLY NEED TO START EXECUTING THESE FUCKERS. THEN MAYBE THE WIFE BEATERS AND CHILD MURDERERS WILL GET A CLUE.

Husband charged with murdering soldier wife

2008-07-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- The Marine husband of a slain Fort Bragg soldier was charged with murder Monday and another Marine was charged with aiding the crime, a local police chief said.
Fayetteville, North Carolina, police released this undated photo of 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc.

Fayetteville, North Carolina, police released this undated photo of 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image

Authorities have been searching for the missing soldier, Army 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, 24, since a fire torched her North Carolina apartment on July 10.

Marine Cpl. John Wimunc and fellow Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden were initially charged with arson, but after police interviews Wimunc was charged with first-degree murder, said Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine.

Alden was charged with felony accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, Bergamine said.

Both were taken to Cumberland County's jail and held without bond, he said.

Earlier, a witness found a charred body in woods, but Detective Jeff Locklear told reporters that police were still awaiting a positive identification from the medical examiner and could not say for certain it was Holly Wimunc.

The lieutenant's father released a statement about the death Monday in which he said his daughter was a nurse at a military hospital and had two children.
Nancy Grace
Nancy Grace tackles the case of another dead female soldier from Fort Bragg.
Headline News, 8, 10 p.m. ET
see full schedule »

"It is with profound sadness that our family just received the news from authorities that our beloved daughter Holley is dead," Wimunc's father said in a statement released to CNN affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Since last Thursday's shocking news about Holley's burned apartment and her missing person status, our family through the country has nonetheless been holding on to a thin thread of hope that she would be found alive."

Military officials said both Marines were stationed at Camp Lejeune, which is about two hours away from Wimunc's Fayetteville home.

Joe Lenczyk -- resident agent-in-charge for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- said Wimunc and her husband were estranged and lived apart.

Wimunc is the second female soldier from Fort Bragg to die under suspicious circumstances in recent weeks.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma, 23, was seven months pregnant at the time of her death in June, authorities said. Investigators say they are treating that death as a homicide.
advertisement

Camp Lejeune also has had a suspicious death of a female soldier this year. Twenty-year-old pregnant Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach's charred body was found January in the back yard of another Marine stationed at the base.

That suspect, U.S. Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, is being pursued by prosecutors.

__________________________________________________________________

TSA launches leak investigation

2008-07-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Federal officers charged with keeping terrorists off planes are now searching their own ranks for staff who told CNN that few flights were protected by air marshals.
Iraq war veteran Jeff Denning says a TSA investigator called him trying to find out if he spoke to CNN.

Iraq war veteran Jeff Denning says a TSA investigator called him trying to find out if he spoke to CNN.

The Transportation Security Administration rejected as a "myth" CNN's report that less than 1 percent of the nation's daily flights carry armed federal air marshals. Now the agency is conducting an investigation into who talked to CNN and who encouraged other agents to do the same.

A spokesman for the TSA confirmed the investigation.

Spokesman Christopher White said a TSA investigator is looking into the "possible unauthorized release of sensitive and classified information to the news media by covered parties."

"As part of this ongoing investigation, several individuals, both current and former employees, have been contacted as is typical in any investigation," he said in an e-mail to CNN.

CNN spoke to more than a dozen current and former air marshals, pilots and federal law enforcement officials for the report, which aired in March on "Anderson Cooper 360º." Repeatedly, the sources told CNN that as few as 280 of an estimated 28,000 daily flights had armed federal air marshals aboard. That amounts to less than 1 percent.

"That number is absolutely wrong," said Kip Hawley, the head of the agency.

He was speaking earlier this year before Congress, which held hearings into the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) in the wake of CNN's reporting.

CNN learned of the TSA investigation from a former federal air marshal and Iraq war veteran, Jeff Denning. He was not connected to the original story.

Denning said he was called by TSA investigator Greg Neiderer a few days after he came back from the front lines of Iraq.

Denning said Neiderer grilled him on an e-mail he received on his personal account while he was in Iraq.

The e-mail discussed plans to expose corruption in the air marshal service. The e-mail encouraged recipients to contact CNN correspondent Drew Griffin if they had information about the hiring of airport screeners as air marshals, the elimination of mandatory psychiatric tests for new hires and managers lying to Congress. Read the e-mail »

CNN only recently received a copy of the e-mail. CNN did not have it when the report aired in March.

Denning said he forwarded the e-mail to current and former air marshals.

Denning said Neiderer wanted to know who sent him the e-mail.

Nothing in the e-mail contained sensitive security information, Denning said, nor did it encourage anyone to disclose information that could endanger the public.

"I was petrified," Denning said of Neiderer's phone call, explaining how he contacted CNN full of dismay that the TSA was harassing him and his family to find out which of his former colleagues had talked to the media.

"In Iraq, there were a lot of dangerous things, but never have I been so scared [as] when the federal government called me on my home phone and said I want to know about your personal e-mail account and what you have been sending."

TSA's Hawley refused repeated requests to be interviewed by CNN. Neiderer did not return repeated calls or e-mails.

In an e-mail, TSA spokesman White confirmed Neiderer's involvement, but denied that the TSA or the Federal Air Marshal Service had accessed anyone's private e-mail accounts, via subpoena or otherwise.

However, he added that "all e-mails sent to government employees on a government system are always eligible to be read and reviewed as is outlined on every computer in TSA, including the FAMS."

White did not say how much the investigation is costing taxpayers or how long it would last.

With a few phone calls, CNN was able to find the author of the original e-mail.

The author is an air marshal who asked that his identity be concealed for fear of retribution by the TSA.

The marshal said he sent the e-mail because for six years, his colleagues have been trying to alert Congress about continuing problems in the air marshal service. Many have left, he said, because of low morale and complaints about management.

A May 2008 report from the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General said that the agency "currently experiences a 17% voluntary attrition rate and low employee morale."

"Congress doesn't want to hear it," the marshal said. "They stick their heads in the sand. We tell them about the corruption. We give them examples and proof and I think they are scared of what they see. And they don't want to deal with it."

The marshal said he had done nothing wrong by sending an e-mail.

"The only thing in my e-mail was my telling these other air marshals that CNN was willing to expose the corruption in the federal air marshal services and Mr. Griffin's e-mail address," he said.

"That's not sensitive security information. That's freedom of speech."

He said he sent another e-mail urging air marshals to contact members of Congress investigating the air marshal service.

Meanwhile, the air marshal service is undergoing a management change.

Shortly after CNN aired its first report, director Dana Brown announced plans to retire. He has since decided to stay with the air marshals in a newly created position of Integrity Officer.

His successor is Robert Bray, current deputy director, who, like Brown and Neiderer, is a former Secret Service employee.

According to the TSA, Brown's job is to ensure that "disciplinary measures and other personnel actions are administered uniformly throughout the organization."
advertisement

Former air marshal Denning said he thinks the TSA should spend its time tracking down terrorists instead of former employees' e-mails.

"If they want to tap into someone's personal e-mail because they were going to destroy the Pentagon or kill the president, I could see reasons for contacting someone," Denning said. "But they're contacting me on my personal e-mail that I apparently forwarded to someone else's personal e-mail account. It's outlandish."

_________________________________________________________________________

AGAIN, OUR GOVERNMENT FAILS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND SAFETY FOR US. THEN HAS THE NERVE TO TRY TO COVER IT UP. NOW, WE GOT PEOPLE TELLING THE WORLD JUST HOW UNPROTECTED WE ARE. WAY TO GO. JUST OPEN THE DOOR AND INVITE THEM IN.

Another Female Soldier Missing in NC

2008-07-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

CNN

Authorities are searching for a female soldier, missing after a fire at her apartment near Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Investigators Thursday morning found evidence of arson at the Fayetteville apartment of 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, 24.

A neighbor, Roland Petty, told CNN affiliate WRAL-TV that he saw a man running from the area on Wednesday night and smelled smoke, although he didn't associate it with the building at the time.

In a court filing for a protective order, Wimunc said that in May her husband had knocked her down, held a loaded gun to her head and then threatened to commit suicide, WRAL reported. Video Watch police at work at Wimunc's complex »

The court documents indicate that John Wimunc is a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune, the station reported.

A Camp Lejeune spokesman told WRAL that police had spoken to John Wimunc on Thursday about his wife's disappearance.

"I haven't seen any violence. I know [Wimunc's husband] was not living here anymore, but that's all I know," a neighbor told WTVD-TV, another CNN affiliate.

Both stations reported that Holley Wimunc's car was still in the parking lot at the apartment.

Her disappearance is considered a missing person case.

Holley Wimunc's family, from Dubuque, Iowa, released a statement Friday saying they are "still trying to absorb the impact of this week's stunning events."

"First and foremost, our concern is for our daughter, Holley -- that she will be found and restored to us," the James family wrote.

"When you read about or watch television news reports of incidents like this, you can hardly believe that it could happen to you. But it has -- we are so grateful for the thoughts, support and prayers of friends today -- something we're leaning on heavily right now."

The family said they would not be making any further comments, citing the investigation.

No one was inside the apartment at the time of the fire, police said.

Wimunc is assigned to Charlie Company, Womack Army Hospital at Fort Bragg, police said.

A statement from Fort Bragg said Wimunc is a nurse from Lafayette, Louisiana, who works at the hospital's mother and baby ward.

"Womack Army Medical Center staff is very concerned about our soldier and her safety," Col. Terry Walters, commander of WAMC, said in the statement. "The staff and members of her unit are being supported by the command and with counseling available through our unit chaplains."

The blaze comes nearly three weeks after the body of a pregnant soldier was found in a hotel near Fort Bragg.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma , 23, was seven months pregnant at the time of her death, authorities said.

Investigators say they are treating Touma's death as a homicide.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BETTER START HAMMERING THE HUSBAND NOW. THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS THAT HE KILLED HER. MESSY DIVORCE, THREATS OF VIOLENCE....IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE PEOPLE. WE NEED HARSHER PENALTIES FOR THIS SHIT. THE DEATH PENALTY NEEDS TO BE USED MORE OFTEN. AND BE CARRIED OUT MORE OFTEN.

Fort Lauderdale mayor makes controversial comments on radio show

2008-07-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Fort Lauderdale's mayor is no stranger to controversy. Jim Naugle's comments about the gay community have attracted national attention in the past, and now he's at it again.

Naugle spoke about the two gay mayoral candidates vying for his position Thursday morning on an AM radio talk show, on 850 WFTL, offending more people with what some of them are calling more anti-gay comments.

The radio host asked Naugle about the protests he inspired last year when he said public restrooms needed to have a timing device that unlock to deter gays from using them as places for sexual relations. "Do you want to be remembered as the guy who said no gay sex in public restrooms?" the radio host asked. Naugle instead said that he wanted to be remembered as the mayor who rallied against political correctness.

Naugle also said City Commissioner Dean Trantalis and newcomer Earl Rynerson, both openly gay candidates running for his position at the end of his term in 2009, might have a chance if "they were responsible homosexuals running for office that reject that kind of activity, recognizing that promiscuous activity has a heavy cost on human life and dollars. Then I think they would have a chance.''

Both candidates said Naugle is gay bashing by insinuating gays are sexually reckless. "I'm outraged, as everyone in this community has become with the continued obsession this mayor has with gay male sex," said Dean Trantalis.

Earl Rynerson said becoming the next mayor has nothing to do with sexual orientation. "I don't think it matters," he said. "I think what matters is you get a leader in office that can balance the budget, control costs, recognize and appreciate diversity."

When asked to clarify his statement, Naugle spoke at a park he said is known for gay cruising, where men can meet to have sexual relations. "It does matter if they don't think it's wrong that this park is advertised on the Internet as a place where men can meet to have sex," he said. "That is a big problem, and that's going to be the key for someone to get elected in Fort Lauderdale."

One gay resident said the best way to deal with these latest inflammatory comments was to not even talk about it. "I don't think we should even protest any more," said resident Giovanni Calcaterra, "just ignore him, ignore him, ignore him."

Ned Skubie, another gay resident, said Naugle's comments about the candidates was plain irresponsible. "I think the assumption's that all people act in a bad way, and all of us don't," he said.

There has been bad blood between Naugle and the gay community for awhile. Last year he caused another stir when he said he preferred the term "homosexual'' to "gay'' since gays are "unhappy.''

Earlier that year, gays organized a "flush Naugle" campaign after he portrayed bathroom trysts as part of the gay lifestyle. "He says a lot of ridiculous things, and he's wrong," said Calcaterra.

Naugle has reached the end of his term limits as mayor and will leave office in March 2009. Despite his past comments, Naugle insists that he is not anti-gay and when asked if he would endorse one of the gay candidates he said "possibly."

__________________________________________________________________

IF YOU ARE GAY, BE GAY AND SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY. NOT EVERYONE HAS TO KISS YOUR ASS ORSMILE AND PRETEND THEY ACCEPT OR AGREE WITH YOU. SOME PEOPLE DON'T AND WON'T.GET OVER IT. ANTI GAY MY ASS. "YOU CALLED ME A HOMOSEXUAL" AND "YOU SAID A RACIAL SLUR". i AM SO SICK OF ALL THE FUCKING WHINING.

Zondervan faces $60M federal lawsuit over Bible, homosexuality

2008-07-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- Christian publisher Zondervan is facing a $60 million federal lawsuit filed by a man who claims he and other homosexuals have suffered based on what the suit claims is a misinterpretation of the Bible.

But a company spokeswoman says Zondervan doesn't translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations. Instead, she said in a statement, the company relies on the "scholarly judgment of credible translation committees."

That is to say, setting aside whether the federal civil rights lawsuit is credible, the company says Bradley Fowler sued the wrong group.

His suit centers on one passage in scripture -- 1 Corinthians 6:9 -- and how it reads in Bibles published by Zondervan.

Fowler says Zondervan Bibles published in 1982 and 1987 use the word homosexuals among a list of those who are "wicked" or "unrighteous" and won't inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Fowler says his family's pastor used that Zondervan Bible, and because of it his family considered him a sinner and he suffered.

Now he is asking for an apology and $60 million.

"To compensate for the past 20 years of emotional duress and mental instability," Fowler told 24 Hour News 8 in a phone interview.

He claims the company is misinterpreting the Bible by specifically using the word homosexuals. Fowler admits that every Bible printed is a translation, interpreted in some way, but he says specifically using that word is not a translation but a change.

"These are opinions based on the publishers," he said. "And they are being embedded in the religious structure as a way of life."

Fowler says he came across the discrepancy while researching a book. He says Zondervan Bibles published in the 1980s use the word homosexuals in the Corinthian passage in question, but earlier and later ones don't.

24 Hour News 8 went to a library to do some research of our own, and found Zondervan Bibles published both in the 80s and post-2000 use the word homosexuals in the passage.

Some translations, like the New American Standard, use the word. Others don't.

The (regular) American Standard version uses the phrase "abusers of themselves with men." The King James says "abusers of themselves with mankind." Still others, like the New American Bible, use the word "sodomites."

Fowler says the idea that those phrases are another way of saying homosexuals is a misinterpretation as well.

The Zondervan statement says the company never alters the text of translations it is licensed to publish.

24 Hour News 8 contacted a law professor and several biblical scholars for comment but they have not returned our calls.

___________________________________________________

NO MATTER WHAT WORD YOU USE, IF YOU ARE HAVING SEX WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX AS YOU ARE, YOU ARE A HOMOSEXUAL. PERIOD. WHATEVER TERMINOLOGY THE BIBLE TRANSLATIONS USE, IT ALL MEANS THE SAME THING. YOU ARE GAY. DEAL WITH IT AND SHUT THE HELL UP. NO ONE IS GOING TO PAY YOU. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED, STOP BREAKING THE BIBLE'S LAWS AND GO STRAIGHT AS GOD INTENDED.

When will our military learn to STOP BRAGGING!!!??

2008-07-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada (CNN) -- From a desert outpost northwest of Las Vegas, elite fighter pilots journey to a war zone in Afghanistan, some 7,500 miles away.

The Air Force's new unmanned bomber, the "Reaper," commutes from Nevada to Afghanistan.

It might be the world's longest commute, except that these armchair pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada never leave the air-conditioned comfort of their command center.

Air Force pilots are employing remotely controlled fighter-bomber aircraft -- known in military parlance as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs -- to fly combat missions over Afghanistan, hunting for insurgents bent on undermining Afghan President Hamid Karzai's fragile government.

This is the future of aerial combat.

Sitting in a virtual cockpit is not as exciting as flying a fighter jet, but unmanned attack-plane pilots can enjoy a normal workday schedule -- more or less.

"Seeing bad guys on the screen and watching them possibly get dispatched, and then going down to the Taco Bell for lunch, it's kind of surreal," says Captain Matt Dean.

The original drone was the "Predator," armed with a pair of Hellfire missiles. It was followed by its bigger and far more lethal cousin, "the Reaper," which carries four times as much firepower. The Reaper can carry the same bomb load as an F-16 fighter plane, but its pilots are not put in harm's way.

The Air Force once employed jerry-rigged missiles strapped to unmanned spy planes. Now military commanders see remotely piloted aircraft as the model for the way future wars will be fought.

For over a year, Reapers have been flying two separate round-the-clock patrols over eastern Afghanistan, controlled from the Creech AFB command center, which has been strictly off-limits to the media until now.

Reaper pilots so far this year have launched 64 missiles and dropped seven 500-pound bombs in Afghanistan.

Originally a spy plane, the Predator was converted to a strike aircraft shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Air Force technicians strapped two Hellfire missiles -- one under each wing -- and turned the unarmed "surveillance platform" into a remote-controlled killing machine.

By the weekend following September 11, the Predator's operators believe they had Taliban leader Mullah Omar in their sights, but never got the authorization to pull the trigger.

Nonetheless, from that experience a new strategy was born -- one of employing an increasing fleet of armed, unmanned aircraft. Unmanned spy planes have always provided an unblinking eye in the sky, but now they offer untiring combat capability, too.

The pilots stay safe and rotate in shifts to prevent fatigue, guiding incredibly lightweight planes that can stay aloft for more than a day at a time. Even after some 30 hours of flying time, upkeep of UAVs is minimal when compared with that of F-16s.

"Sometimes it's a matter of putting gas in it and it goes right back up," says Master Sgt. Aaron Hauser, who oversees daily maintenance of the Predator fleet at Creech. "It's a far simpler aircraft to maintain, and that's the whole point."

The success of this new concept of aerial power has created a huge demand for the aircraft. Every commander wants one, but there aren't nearly enough to go around.

But not for long: the Air Force is shifting its budget toward buying dozens more remote-controlled killer Reapers.

__________________________________________________

AGAIN, WHY ARE WE TELLING THE ENTIRE WORLD WHAT WE HAVE?! HELL, LET'S JUST INVITE THE TALIBAN TO LUNCH AND SHOW THEM OUR ARTILLERY. WE TOLD THEM WHAT WE HAVE, MIGHT AS WELL LET THEM HAVE AN UP CLOSE LOOK. PEOPLE, STOP BRAGGING...LEARN TO KEEP YOUR WEAPONS QUIET.

Stolen Credit Card Used To Buy $40,000 Gem

2008-07-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a woman suspected of using a stolen credit card to buy a $40,000 diamond.

Investigators said the crime happened in March 2007 at a jewelry store at 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue. In addition to the diamond, a gem mounting was also purchased.

Investigators released a picture of the woman from a surveillance camera. The woman is described as being black and in her mid-30s. She is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and between 160 to 180 pounds. She had black hair that came around her chin in big curls.

Police said the woman was possibly driving a newer black Infinity SUV.

Anyone who can help identify the woman is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

_______________________________________________________

AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO CHECK ID AND GET A COPY OF A DRIVER LICENSE? HELLO!!!!!

Vermont girl's death ruled homicide

2008-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

BURLINGTON, Vermont (AP) -- A 12-year-old girl found dead last week in a shallow grave near her uncle's home was killed, a federal prosecutor said Monday at an initial appearance for the uncle on charges of kidnapping the girl.

Michael Jacques, the girl's uncle, was trying to recruit her for a child sex ring, an affidavit says.

Michael Jacques, who is accused of abducting his niece, Brooke Bennett, was ordered held until his trial on a federal kidnapping charge. His attorney, Michael Desautels, did not ask U.S. Magistrate-Judge Jerome Niedermeier to release Jacques.

"[Jacques] has a very serious criminal history, demonstrating an extreme danger to the community," Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan said.

Nolan said Brooke's death was a homicide, but he didn't say how she was killed. No one has been charged with her death. State police say it could take eight weeks before autopsy results are available.

Jacques could face the death penalty if convicted under federal law of kidnapping resulting in Brooke's death.

Prosecutors say Jacques, 42, abducted Brooke on June 25. After a weeklong search, she was found buried about a mile from his home in Randolph, about 50 miles southeast of Burlington.

Jacques is a registered sex offender. He was convicted in 1993 of kidnapping and raping a woman he supervised at a fast food restaurant. Citing statements from another underage girl, prosecutors claim in an affidavit that Jacques tricked Brooke into thinking she was going to a party and instead took her to his Randolph home to initiate her into a child sex ring on the day she disappeared.

At a hearing in the same court earlier Monday, Brooke's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, did not contest his continued detention on obstruction of justice charges related to the case. Gagnon, of San Antonio, is accused of having someone throw out his laptop computer while authorities were searching for Brooke.

Gagnon married Brooke's mother in 2000, but they later divorced.

During Gagnon's hearing, federal prosecutors in Alabama charged the 40-year-old with possessing child pornography at his former home in Cullman, Alabama.

In affidavits filed in Vermont, the FBI said Jacques changed a posting to Brooke's MySpace account the night she was reported missing. Gagnon also accessed the account that night, but denied changing the posting, according to the affidavit.

In announcing the pornography charge, federal prosecutors in Birmingham, Alabama, said Gagnon acknowledged trying to access the account again from a public computer in the Cullman library "on or about" June 26, the next day.

The complaint in Alabama said Gagnon flew from San Antonio, Texas, to Cullman that day and on to Burlington on June 27.

Neither Jacques nor Gagnon has entered a plea.

Both defense attorneys left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

Preliminary hearings on evidence against Gagnon and Jacques were scheduled for July 17.

______________________________________________________________________________________

SICK, SICK MOTHER SUCKERS. WHAT WAS THE FIRST CLUE? LET'S SEE...HOW MANY PEOPLE JUST DROP A 12-13 YEAR OLD OFF AT A CONVENIENCE STORE TO MEET A FRIEND AND NOT WAIT FOR THE FRIENDS PARENT TO ARRIVE? HELLO. PARENTING 101 HERE. AND WHAT PARENT ALLOWS A REGISTERED (OR OTHERWISE) SEX OFFENDER NEAR THEIR CHILD IN THE FIRST PLACE? THE MOM SHOULD BE CHARGED TOO WITH CHILD NEGLECT. IT IS A SAD, SAD WORLD WHEN WE DON'T PROTECT CHILDREN. AND SADLY MOST OF THE TIME IT IS FAMILY THEY NEED PROTECTING FROM.

'Zero' chance lottery tickets stun some players

2008-07-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- When Scott Hoover bought a $5 scratch-off ticket in Virginia called "Beginner's Luck" last summer, he carefully studied the odds. Even though he figured his chances of winning were a long shot, he felt the odds were reasonable.
Lottery tickets

In July, USA Today estimated about half of the 42 states with lotteries sold tickets after top prizes were claimed.

Hoover, a business professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, wasn't surprised when his tickets didn't bring him the $75,000 grand prize, but he was shocked to learn the top prize had been awarded before he bought the ticket.

"I felt duped into buying these things," Hoover said.

He discovered the Virginia State Lottery was continuing to sell tickets for games in which the top prizes were no longer available. Public records showed that someone had already won the top prize one month before Hoover played. He is now suing the state of Virginia for breach of contract.

"It's one thing to say it's a long shot to win the $75,000, but it's another thing to say you have no shot to win it," said John Fishwick, Hoover's attorney.

Through a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act, Fishwick's firm was able to obtain records that showed the Virginia State Lottery sold $85 million in tickets for which no top prize was available. Fishwick says the state should pay $85 million in damages.
Don't Miss

* Time: Sex offender wins lottery jackpot
* NY doorman wins millions
* Curse of the lottery winners
* CNN's American Morning

Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia State Lottery, said the state's games are fair and the top prize money is actually a small percentage of the money given out to lottery players. Most of the players win through the second, third or fourth-place prizes, she said. Otto also said it's no longer possible in the state of Virginia to purchase tickets with no top prizes available.

"We absolutely have always been very open and honest with our players about the way our scratch tickets are distributed," Otto said. "Yes, there were times when there was a scratch game out there that might've said "zero" in terms of the number of top prizes, but our players knew that."

Otto would not comment on the lawsuit, but said she stands by the integrity of the games in Virginia and looks forward to vigorously defending them.

Virginia isn't the only state to sell tickets that have no top prizes available. USA Today estimates that about half of the 42 states that have lotteries were, as of early July, continuing to sell tickets after the top prizes are claimed. Lottery officials from some states say the practice is fair because lesser prizes are still available, and they say tickets and lottery Web sites make that clear.

In New Jersey, tickets for the "$1,000,000 Explosion" scratch-off game were still on sale last week, even though the million-dollar grand prize was already awarded.

Lottery ticket buyers outside a New Jersey convenience store were stunned to hear the news.

"Oh really? I didn't know that," one shopper told CNN. Another added, "That's just not right."
advertisement

Dominick DeMarco, a spokesman with the New Jersey Lottery, said information about winning tickets and prizes is readily available on the lottery Web site and at retail outlets. However, officials are still looking for ways javascript:void(0)
Publish Postto improve on their procedures.

Still, Hoover hopes his lawsuit will alert lottery players in all states to be careful before they place their bets.

___________________________________________

OK. YOU HAVE NEARLY NO CHANCE OF WINNING THE TOP PRIZE ANYWAY, SO WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING? THE TOP OR GRAND PRIZE IS NOT THE ONLY WINNING PRIZE IN THE SCRATCH OFF GAMES. THE FACT THAT ONE PERSON MAY HAVE WON DOESN'T MEAN THE REST OF THE TICKETS, WHICH SOME ARE WINNERS BY THE WAY, SHOULD BE PULLED AND DESTROYED. YOU DIDN'T WIN. GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP BUYING LOTTERY TICKETS IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A SORE LOSER.

'Boys Don't Cry' killer in death row dilemma

2008-07-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

TECUMSEH, Nebraska (AP) -- For more than 10 years, John Lotter has faced death in Nebraska's electric chair for the grisly 1993 triple murder that spawned the movie "Boys Don't Cry."

John Lotter leaves court after receiving a death sentence in a case made famous by the film "Boys Don't Cry."

But the state Supreme Court made that sentence uncertain for Lotter and the nine other men on death row in its February ruling that electrocution -- Nebraska's only means of execution -- is cruel and unusual punishment.

Lawyers involved in those death-row cases are now asking if an inmate who is sentenced to die in the electric chair can be executed by another means.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning says yes.

"They're still sentenced to death," Bruning said recently. "Their punishment remains death and the punishment has not changed."

Attorneys for the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy -- who represent many of the men on death row -- disagree. Not only does the law specify electrocution, many of the actual sentencing orders specify that method, said James Mowbray, chief counsel for the commission.

Complicating the situation is that months after the court's action, the governor hasn't proposed a new execution method and the state legislature hasn't met to consider changing the law.

"If someone tells you with confidence that they know how this will come out, you should get an ounce of what they're smoking," said Bob Schopp, a law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who specializes in criminal law and capital punishment.

Gov. Dave Heineman says he doesn't want to rush. For one thing, he waited until the U.S. Supreme Court upheld lethal injection in April in a Kentucky case.

Heineman has asked Bruning, the Nebraska attorney general, to look into the possible methods of execution, a process he says could take several months. Lethal injection is the most likely, although firing squad, hanging and the gas chamber could be options.

The governor has the power to call state senators back for a special session to try to change the law this year. Heineman said that wasn't likely.

"They know that it would be pointless," said Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature's staunchest death penalty opponent.

The longer the delay, said attorney Jerry Soucie, the more questions.

"The Legislature had an opportunity to do something this session and has elected not to," said Soucie, who works with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy. "The governor could call a special session and has elected not to. How long can the Legislature and executive branch do nothing before the courts intervene?"

Even with the uncertain situation, another death penalty case is winding its way through the courts. In April, jurors in Omaha found Roy Ellis, a convicted sex offender, of killing 12-year-old Amber Harris and burying her body. Amber had vanished in November 2005 on her way home from school.

Jurors found there were aggravating factors making Ellis eligible for the death penalty. Three judges will decide soon whether Ellis should be put to death.

Meanwhile, Lotter remains on death row for his role in the "Boys Don't Cry" case. He was sentenced to death for killing Teena Brandon, Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine in a farmhouse near Humboldt after Brandon reported that Lotter and another man had raped her. Brandon was born a female but for a time lived as a man.

In a prison interview, Lotter said he doesn't buy suggestions that lethal injection is more humane than electrocution. A drug that paralyzes the body likely just hides the suffering, he said.

"You put a cover over it," he said. "How is that humane?"

"Being dead is dead."

He said he will continue to try to prove that his sentence should be overturned because Nissen changed his story last year and now says he, not Lotter, committed the murders. Nissen had earlier testified that Lotter fired all the shots. A county district court judge turned down Lotter's request for a new trial, but Lotter is appealing that ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Brandon's mother, JoAnn Brandon, said there's no doubt in her mind that Lotter was the killer and said she'd be angry if he avoids the death penalty because of a change in method. Lethal injection almost seems too humane, "like putting to sleep a cat or a dog," Brandon said.

"They didn't take any pity on the three people they killed," Brandon said of Lotter and Nissen. "They were cruel and unusual."
___________________________________________________________

EXACTLY. THE DEATH PENALTY AIN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HUMANE. IT IS SUPPOSED TO KILL YOU FOR ABHORRANT CRIMES. STOP KILLING & RAPING AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. IN MY OPINION, A CONVICTED KILLER/RAPIST DESERVES ONLY THE PITY HE/SHE SHOWED HIS/HER VICTIMS AND NO MORE.

Booted Mom goes public

2008-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK -- The Gwinnett County mother kicked off an airplane with her 19-month old son tried to tell her side of the story Friday morning, but her son's crying drowned out part of the interview.

Garren Penland, 19-months old, got so unruly during his mom's chat with 'Good Morning America' anchor Diane Sawyer, co-anchor Chris Cuomo had to take the toddler off the set.

While Kate Penland explained her child was well-behaved on the Continental Express flight, little Garren kicked, wiggled and squirmed out of his mother's arms.

At one point he climbed up on a coffee table and rifled through Sawyer's scripts.

When Sawyer handed him a model Space Shuttle to distract him, Garren rolled it off the table and onto the floor.

Kate Penland said she and Garren were booted from the flight last month by a flight attendant who suggested she use benadryl to calm her son down.

-------------------------------------------------------

And the kid shows his arse on television. I am LMAO. And what is wrong with giving a child a little tylenol or benedryl before flying? People do this to animals before letting them be put in the cargo holds of airplanes. If it is wrong to do it to a kid, it should be wrong to do it to an animal.

Independence Celebration

2008-07-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, our 4th of July was quite interesting! We went to the fire chief's house for the annual cookout, which consisted of bbq chicken (on the smoker), smoked shoulder, ribs, burgers and hot dogs. Potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and corn on the cob completed the meal. All I can say is WHOA! It was tasty!

The firework display was better than anything the city puts on. It was awesome too! Well, except for the part where one of the large roman candles fell over, and shot the missiles at us! Yep, I got hit. In the knee. Lol....I am fine. Just a bit sore and bruised. Luckily, there were plenty of firemen and first responders there in case of emergency! Hope your 4th was as interesting and fun!

Student charged with trying to sell vote on eBay

2008-07-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (AP) -- A college student claimed it was all a joke when he put his vote in this fall's presidential election up for sale on the Web auction site eBay. But prosecutors didn't see the humor.
Prosecutors say a college student put his vote up for sale on eBay in return for voting for the bidder's candidate.

Prosecutors say a college student put his vote up for sale on eBay in return for voting for the bidder's candidate.

University of Minnesota student Max P. Sanders, 19, was charged with a felony Thursday in Hennepin County District Court after allegedly asking for a minimum of $10 in exchange for voting for the bidder's preferred candidate.

"Good luck!" Sanders wrote under the eBay handle zepdrummer612. "You're (sic) country depends on You!"

Sanders was charged with one count of bribery, treating and soliciting under an 1893 state law that makes it a crime to offer to buy or sell a vote.

According to a criminal complaint, the Minnesota secretary of state's office learned about the offering on the Web site and told prosecutors. Investigators sent a subpoena to eBay and got information that led to Sanders.

The student told investigators he made the eBay posting, adding, "That was a joke. It's no longer listed," according to the complaint.

"We take it very seriously. Fundamentally, we believe it is wrong to sell your vote," said John Aiken, a spokesman for the office. "There are people that have died for this country for our right to vote, and to take something that lightly, to say, 'I can be bought.'

"It's a real shame," he said. "I can imagine the conversations being held in American Legion Clubs and VFWs about whether this is a joke or not."

The scarcely used law had its heyday in the 1920s, when many people sold their votes in exchange for liquor, Assistant County Attorney Pat Diamond said.

"There are two things going on here in terms of why it's a crime," he said. "One is the notion that elections should be a contest of ideas and not of pocketbooks -- at least not in the sense of straight-out 'I can buy your vote.' The second notion is that everybody gets one vote, and you don't get to buy another one."

Sanders and his attorney, Steven Levine, declined to comment Thursday. The charge carries up to five years' imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

As for the offer on eBay? It got no bids.

----------------------------------------------------

Exactly how much money and resources were spent on this? Give me a break. With the crime and the state of our country and government and the economy right now, don't you think we have more important things to worry about than some kid's idea of a joke? And worrying over someone buying a vote? Better look at your electees. They BUY AND SELL their ideas all the time. It is called CAMPAIGNING.

PETA vs Bar Owner Over Lobster Game

2008-07-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

Bar owner refuses to give up lobsters
PETA says lobster's tank is unethical

July 3, 2008

CENTENNIAL (KWGN) — A local bar owner and his lobsters are caught in the middle of a boiling debate.

The owner of JD's Bait Shop is being asked by PETA to remove his lobster tank because they feel it's unethical and abusive. But he says a majority of his customers don't want it to go. The tank is actually a game where people can pay to catch a lobster with a claw and if they do, they get a free lobster dinner.

A customer made a complaint about the game several weeks ago. "I wanted to take it out just for this lady because it offended her and I don't want to offend anyone, but when PETA got involved, I said I'm going to leave the machine here until they get off my back," said owner Dennis McCann.

PETA contacted McCann about the machine. They sent a letter, asking him to get rid of it but he said once they started calling his home to bully him, he had enough. "I don't have nothing against them, I just don't want them telling me how to run my business," says McCann.

PETA responded by saying, "incarcerating lobsters in filthy tanks inside of a boisterous bar and making an abusive game out of their capture and then finally ending it all by boiling them alive is as reprehensible as abusing cats, dogs or any other animal."

McCann says he has a vending license for the machine and isn't breaking any laws. An inspector even looked at the tank and found nothing wrong with it. Several customers say they don't understand the controversy over the crustaceans and if they don't stay, they're not coming back.

"I had all these phone calls saying don't take it out, don't bow down to these people," said McCann. PETA says several other establishments in Denver have similar tanks and they too will be contacted to remove them.

__________________________________________________________________

PETA, get over yourself. The lobsters are there to be EATEN. Eat all the grass you want, but leave us MEAT eaters the HELL alone!

2008-07-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Government agents posing as rebels tricked a gang of armed desperados into handing over 15 hostages during a rendezvous deep in Colombia's unforgiving jungle.

Gen. Mario Montoya leads freed hostages across the tarmac Wednesday at the Bogota, Colombia, airport.

The Colombian government's bloodless rescue of the hostages Wednesday was the product of a perfectly executed ruse that depended on old-school spy games rather than high-tech gadgetry.

Agents spent months worming their way into the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, an insurgent force that has waged war on the Colombian state for 40 years, Gen. Freddy Padilla de Leon told CNN.

The agents gained the rebels' trust and rose to the top of FARC's leadership council as well as a team assigned to guard the hostages.

When the time was ripe, the moles used the authority they'd gained within the group to order the 15 hostages moved from three separate locations to one central area, and the game was on. Watch how the operation went down »

"We convinced the FARC that they were talking to those of their own," said Gen. Mario Montoya of the Colombian army. "It was all human intelligence."

Once the hostages -- including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors -- were gathered, the agents ordered a 90-mile march through the steamy jungle, Montoya said.

Such relocations were not unusual for the hostages or the rebels, who constantly move about to avoid detection by the Colombian military.

Little did the rebels know that the military was about to pull off a bait-and-switch that would leave them standing in a jungle clearing, not realizing they'd just been hustled out of their most valuable assets. See former hostages, officials exult »

The agents told their FARC comrades that an "international mission" -- such as the Red Cross or a U.N. delegation -- was coming to visit the hostages, Montoya said.

At the appointed hour, an unmarked white helicopter set down in the jungle along the trekkers' path. Colombian security forces posing as FARC rebels jumped out, some wearing shirts emblazoned with the likeness of revolutionary icon Che Guevara.

The helicopter crew told the 60 or so real rebels that the chopper was going to ferry the hostages to the meeting with the "international mission," Montoya said.

During their 22 minutes on the jungle floor, the government pilot and co-pilot spoke in code with their colleagues, authorities said, using phrases such as "Generators OK" that carried a secret meaning to the security forces.

All 15 hostages were handcuffed and placed aboard the helicopter, along with two of their guards, leaving the rest of the FARC detachment on the ground.

Once the chopper was up and safely away from the landing zone, the fake rebels persuaded the real ones aboard to hand them their weapons. Moments later, both rebels were on the floor of the aircraft, cuffed and blindfolded by their erstwhile comrades, Betancourt said.

A crew member turned and spoke to the hostages.

"We are the national military," he said, Betancourt recalled. "You are free."

________________________________________________________________

So now that you have pulled a fast one, why don't you brag a little louder? I don't think they heard you over there. All your bragging has done is guaranteed that the next hostages will be killed instead of held. Do you think they will let this happen twice? Why is it so important to flaunt your coup? You did a great job and saved lives. But use your common sense. You just killed the future hostages by opening your big fat mouth.

Kindergartener's fight for long hair

2008-07-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

FORT BEND COUNTY (KTRK) -- The parents of a kindergartener in Fort Bend County are fighting for his right to have long hair in school. They say it's about freedom of religion. The Needville Independent School District says it needs proof.
When Adriel Arocha, 5, was born, his father, Kenney, vowed to teach him his heritage.

"We feel that it's important to raise him as Native American until he's able to make a choice," said Kenny. And part of that heritage meant he would not to cut his son's hair, believing hair holds spiritual meaning

"It tells us how long I've been here, by your hair, so it's your history," Adriel said.

"It's our tradition it's what we do," Kenney said.

All that was fine until Adriel's parents planned to enroll the five-year-old at Needville Elementary School. Despite promising to keep his hair neatly braided, the district refused to accept him.

"I knew they would probably be a little difficult but I didn't expect it to be this bad," said his mother Michelle Betenbaugh.

District policy clearly states student's hair needs to be kept out of the eyes.
No hair can cover any part of the ear, a standard collar and no tufts or tails are allowed. The superintendent says exceptions are made for religion, but Adriel's parents have yet to provide proof of their beliefs.

"I was trying to find out what recognized religion they are that discusses they cannot cut their hair and the information I received then was basically it's their choice," said Needville ISD Superintendent Curtis Rhodes.

Near the school some residents felt the district was going too far.

"I don't think longer hair than their ears is going to hurt their education," said Needville resident Jana Hausler.

"If it has to do with his religion, I don't think anyone should infringe on their religious rights," resident Jamie Hausler said.

Adriel's parents say they plan to appeal the decision, even if it means going to court.

"You can't deny a person their rights," Kenney said.

As for Adriel himself, he's pretty clear what he wants.

______________________________________________________________

THE DAYS OF FORCING A NATIVE AMERICAN TO CUT THEIR HAIR TO CONFORM TO WHITE STANDARDS IS LONG PAST. THIS IS 2008, NOT THE 1800'S. AND WHO THE HELL IS ANYONE TO TELL ANYONE TO CUT THEIR HAIR. THIS IS NOT A MILITARY INSITUTION. IT IS A SCHOOL. GET OVER IT. LONG HAIR NEVER STOPPED ANYONE FROM GETTING AN EDUCATION.

AND WHO THE HELL DOES THE SCHOOL BOARD THINK THEY ARE? NO ONE HAS TO PROVE THIER RELIGION TO ANYONE EXCEPT THIER GOD. GET OVER YOURSELF.

Mom Charged With Denying Son Cancer Meds

2008-07-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

SALEM, Mass. -- A Beverly woman faces charges for allegedly withholding cancer medication from her 8-year-old son.

Jeremy Fraser, who is autistic, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2006. He was treated and went into remission, but the cancer has returned. Jeremy's doctors said that would not have happened if he were on his medications.

Prosecutors said his mother, Kristen Anne LaBrie, 36, failed to fill more than half of those prescriptions. The boy's father, Eric Fraser, said that he is outraged.

"There was no medication found in his system for his at-home chemo that was supposed to be given to him at night," Fraser said.

Doctors and Salem police hold LaBrie responsible. They said she has not filled the boy's prescription since last summer and she canceled or delayed hospital treatments. Now instead of being in remission from non-Hodgkin's with a 90 percent chance of survival, he has leukemia with a 10 to 20 percent survival rate. Treatment has stopped on the advice of doctors.

"I am beyond the point of being angry and being mad. Right now, I am taking care of my son and enjoying every second I spend with him," Fraser said.

LaBrie was released on personal recognizance after Monday's arraignment. Phone calls to LaBrie and her attorney Tuesday were not returned.

Fraser's father and sister are helping with Jeremy's care.

Fraser said that he had to stop seeing his son last year because every contact with his former wife was volatile.

"If I had those answers, this would be a lot easier for me to handle. This is something I am going to take to my grave," Fraser said.

Fraser now has full custody of his son. He said that right now, Jeremy's life is a waiting game and that every day is a gift.

---------------------------------------------------------

WTF!? I want 5 minutes with this woman. Just 5.

Victim's Parents Find Justice In Schwab Execution

2008-07-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

STARKE, Fla. -- The man who was convicted of raping and killing a Brevard County boy was executed at the Florida State Prison on Tuesday.

Mark Schwab's body was taken from the prison in Starke in an unmarked hearse. His victim was Junny Rios Martinez, 11, who had a passion for baseball and was tied up and strangled. His body was stuffed in a footlocker.

"I'm sure that the victim did not die as peaceful as he did today. The torture, the last few minutes of his life, were nothing like this," father Junny Rios Martinez said.

Schwab, who was described as an emotionless killer, remained expressionless to the last. When the warden asked Schwab if he had a final statement, Schwab ignored the question.

But WESH 2 News reporter Dan Billow watched the execution and said his rapidly blinking eyes appeared to be blinking back tears. Schwab then closed his eyes and never moved again.

"You have no idea how hard it was for me not to get up and pound on that glass just to make sure that he knew we were there," Rios Martinez said.

Junny and Vicki Rios Martinez sat about 6 feet from Schwab during the execution. The father had vowed that his face would be the last one Schwab ever saw.

The mother had spent 17 years praying that she would someday be able to find peace and joy again.

"His realm of evil has come to an end. The universe has brought about balance, justice and the law of consequence. I have closure," Vicki Rios Martinez said.

Executions Resume At Florida State Prison

The state of Florida's new execution procedure passed its first test.

"We should all be so lucky to go this way," Vicki Rios Martinez said.

It was Florida's first execution since 2006.

Most executions draw demonstrations, and Schwab's was no exception. About 50 people were there. Some of them were for and others against the death penalty.

Schwab began his day with a last meal of fried eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, buttered toast and chocolate milk.

It was the same meal he refused to eat in November when the state delayed his execution.

Family, Friends Remember Junny

The day began with a remembrance service for Junny. Family and friends said they opted to focus on the boy's life and not on Schwab.

Friends tied blue ribbons to a tree in front of his parent's yard in Cocoa. Blue was Junny's favorite color.

Some who knew the boy well said even though his life was cut short, he's still helping children everywhere.

"This was a very unusual boy, just a top, top kid ... His life has saved the lives of many, many others because of the change of laws. Pedophiles like Schwab can't get out on half time anymore," the Rev. Tony Fadely said.

The community erected signs to honor Junny at a park named after him. The signs show 17 years of frustration with one meaningful message, justice for Junny.

Schwab's execution leaves 78 inmates from Central Florida on Death Row. Almost one-third of those committed crimes in Orange County. Fifteen inmates are from Volusia County, and Lake and Brevard counties each have 11 inmates on Death Row.

------------------------------------------------------------

Another child killer pays the fiddler. Bout time. ALL child killers deserve the death penalty. It is the ONLY way to ensure they NEVER commit this crime again.

Veteran dies, family notified 38 days later

2008-07-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- A family is looking for answers, wanting to know why a veterans home never told them that their loved one had died at the facility. The man was laid to rest before they were notified.

John Brookner is buried at a Grand Rapids veterans cemetery. Wilted flowers and a stake in the ground mark the 66-year-old's grave.

Brookner died May 20 at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. But it wasn't until more than a month later that his family, which lives in Grand Traverse County, was notified of his death.

"They actually had a service for my father. They had a viewing. He had an honors burial down there and we weren't even included in that," said Karin Cascadden, Brookner's daughter.

Brookner's family found out about his death when Spectrum Hospice sent them a condolence letter offering grief counseling and services. But the family says they have yet to receive a call from Grand Rapids Home for Veterans where Brookner lived for 10 years.

24 Hour News 8 obtained a copy of Brookner's Kent County death certificate, which states he suffered from lung problems and seizures. The cause of death was ruled natural.

The family didn't make it to Grand Rapids much to see Brookner, so they appointed a guardian from the courts to better manage his affairs. They say he was not always mentally stable.

Brookner's family believes he may have requested that they not be notified of his passing.

24 Hour News 8 went to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans for answers. The facility's director told us Brookner had indeed requested that the family not be informed of his passing and they respect his wishes. Whether that request was ever put in writing, the director is not sure.

The family argues Brookner was in no state to have such a request taken seriously.

"I just can't imagine my dad in his right mind doing that, or how someone who's in his right mind letting him make a decision like that," said Cascadden.

24 Hour News 8 spoke with two different attorneys to get some clarity, both of whom said if a court-appointed guardian was assigned for mental capacity then the family should have been informed about his care.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW MANY TIMES IN THAT 38 DAYS DID YOU CALL AND CHECK ON YOUR DAD? HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU VISIT HIM?

Man who killed burglary suspects cleared

2008-07-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- A Texas man who shot and killed two men he suspected of burglarizing his neighbor's home was cleared in the shootings Monday by a grand jury.
Joe Horn shot and killed two men last November after he saw them crawl out a neighbor's window.

Joe Horn shot and killed two men last November after he saw them crawl out a neighbor's window.

Joe Horn, 61, shot the two men in November after he saw them crawling out the windows of a neighbor's house in the Houston suburb of Pasadena.

Horn called 911 and told the dispatcher he had a shotgun and was going to kill the men. The dispatcher pleaded with him not to go outside, but Horn confronted the men with a 12-gauge shotgun and shot both in the back.

"The message we're trying to send today is the criminal justice system works," Harris County District Attorney Kenneth Magidson said.

Horn's attorney, Tom Lambright, has said his client believed the two men had broken into his neighbor's home and that he shot them only when they came into his yard and threatened him.

The two Horn suspected of committing burglary, Hernando Riascos Torres, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30, were unemployed illegal immigrants from Colombia. Torres was deported to Colombia in 1999 after a 1994 cocaine-related conviction.

The episode touched off protests from civil rights activists who said the shooting was racially motivated and that Horn took the law into his own hands. Horn's supporters defended his actions, saying he was protecting himself and being a good neighbor to a homeowner who was out of town.

"I understand the concerns of some in the community regarding Mr. Horn's conduct," Magidson said. "The use of deadly force is carefully limited in Texas law to certain circumstances ... In this case, however, the grand jury concluded that Mr. Horn's use of deadly force did not rise to a criminal offense."

Lambright did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment from The Associated Press.

Texas law allows people to use deadly force to protect themselves if it is reasonable to believe they are in mortal danger. In limited circumstances, people also can use deadly force to protect a neighbor's property; for example, if a homeowner asks a neighbor to watch over his property while he's out of town.

It's not clear whether the neighbor whose home was burglarized asked Horn to watch over his house.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I got nothing against those who protect themselves and their property. I even applaud those who care enough to watch out for their neighbors. But, am I the only one who caught this "Horn called 911 and told the dispatcher he had a shotgun and was going to kill the men. The dispatcher pleaded with him not to go outside, but Horn confronted the men with a 12-gauge shotgun and shot both in the back.". So, he premeditated 2 murders, AND shot the men in the back. Now I ask you: how threatening are 2 men who have their backs to you? And the law let it slide? Only in Texas. 2 things come out of Texas. I will let you draw your own conclusions.

JOURNEY from the Vault.....

2008-06-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

I was on my way home from work Friday, and heard "Lights" on the radio, and thought...hmmmm...haven't heard THAT in awhile. So I get home, and pull out the Journey cds. (I have a large CD collection, and anytime I pull something from my 'generation' from it, my oldest daughter says "Oh Lord, mom's in the vault again".) Spent ALL day listening. I kid you not. Steve got quite the work out let me tell you. I even spent 3 hours by the pool surrounded by the crooning of all my favorites. Man, those were the days weren't they?

Teenaged with no bills, no worries, no responsibilities aside from homework and feeding the dog/cat.

I remember when I first 'met' Journey. It was around 1980-1981 was about 10-11 years old, and my uncle Mike had a record collection to put my cd one to shame. I am talkin hundreds of albums. I came from a girly house living with my mom listening to Andy Gibb and watchin Solid Gold for crying out loud. My soul was screaming for something, and Mike turned me onto the drug of my youth: rock and roll. That summer, I Journeyed, got Kissed, and learned that Deep Purple was NOT a color. I was in guitar heaven.

Journey was my first love, and Steve my first crush. My favorite has always been 'Anyway You Want It', and I still sing it as loud as I did when I was younger.

So Steve, don't worry about growing older darlin. You are like a fine wine...you only get better with age. You are still the sexiest man I never met.

In honor of my youth and Steve Perry....ANYWAY YOU WANT IT THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT ANYWAY YOU WANT IT!

Housing Official's Bumper Sticker Draws Ire

2008-06-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

CECIL COUNTY, Md. -- A Maryland housing official is coming under fire for a bumper sticker that takes a derogatory shot at poor families.

Dave Mahanney, who runs Cecil County's Housing Authority, has a bumper sticker on his car that reads "Can't Feed 'Em? Don't Breed 'Em." GOOD FOR YOU. I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

"He's the director, driving around with this bumper sticker saying if you can't feed them, don't breed them?" said Niakkia Battle, a mother of five. "Am I supposed to be sorry that I had my children? I love my children." NO. BUT GET A JOB AND STOP EXPECTING US TO PAY FOR YOUR KIDS UP BRINGING.

Battle told 11 News she will be evicted from Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 program. She has a friend babysit her kids when she's in her nursing class.

"Because of an assumption that I had an unauthorized person living with me they, Section 8, terminated my assistance," she told 11 News reporter John Sherman. IF YOU HADN'T HAD 5 KIDS, YOU MIGHT NOT NEED THAT ASSISTANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Confronted about the bumper sticker, Mahanney said he would not comment.

Sherman: "Your bumper sticker says, 'Can't feed 'em, Don't breed 'em. A lot of the people you deal with did just that. Naikkia Battle said she was offended by that. Could you understand why?"

Mahanney: "I don't do interviews." ME EITHER. BUT I STAND BY WHAT I SAID ABOVE.

Cecil County Delegate Michael Smiegel said he is outraged by what has happened.

"Here you have a mother of five, who's going to school to be a nurse, who's doing everything she can to improve her life, and you'd hope she'd be on the system a short time," he said. "And yet you're going to now complicate it by throwing her and her children out on the street. It makes no sense if you want to use government dollars wisely."

Michael Peters, a disabled man also set to be evicted, is getting help fighting back.

Trey Perkins and Luciene Parsley at the Disability Law Center have taken up his cause. Parsley said all Peters did was forget to fill out a form.

"We've had problems with the housing authority before," Parsley said. "And in my discussions with other housing advocates, it's clear this agency has been a problem in the past."

The Disability Law Center has asked in five different ways for an expanation of Mahanney's actions, Sherman reported, and hasn't had a call returned. When Sherman asked Mahanney about that, Mahanney again repled that he doesn't do interviews.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

MY THOUGHTS:

I understand things happen and sometimes you need help. Been there, done that. But how many years did she pay into the tax system to justify getting that money? I paid in 17 years by working and paying taxes. Then when I lost my job, I only qualified for $100 in food stamps. After paying a hell of a lot more than that in 17 years in taxes. Give me a break. You have people with 5 plus kids living in the low income housing paying little to no rent or utilities, yet they are driving around in Caddys and Lexus'wearing diamonds and gold. See a pattern here?

Adult Store Customers Filmed For YouTube

2008-06-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

VACAVILLE, Calif. -- Customers heading into Secrets Lingerie Boutique in Vacaville are sometimes met by protesters and a sign saying, "Smile, you're on YouTube."Youth pastor Jim White said the protesters gather to film shoppers entering the store because they think Secrets "is a shop that is profiting from pornography and other materials that we feel are degrading to people and exploitative."But local business owner Curt Fargo defended the store, which sells lingerie and gifts in front and adult movies in the back.

"From what I've seen so far, it's no worse than Victoria's Secret, or worse than Hanes Underwear store across the way in the factory stores," he said.

The Vacaville City Council passed a law last week that bans adult businesses. According to a city representative, Secrets is not breaking any laws.But Heather Nelson said the business creates a bad image for Vacaville."I believe Vacaville is a wonderful place to live and to raise a family, but shops like this are going to bring in negative attention," she said.Protest organizers said they haven't posted any video of customers on YouTube, but they plan to.

-------------------------------------------------------
I find this hilarious. As an adult, married woman who has SEX with her husband, I think these people are annoying. When our adult bookstore opened a few years ago, we had protesters doing similar things. My question is this: do NONE of these "Christians" engage in sex with their spouses? Please. Of course they do. If I want to get nasty with my husband, I will. If I want to buy play toys to enhance that experience, I will. Put me on YouTube. At least I am not afraid to SAY I get naughty naughty with my hunny. Morons, all of them.

Teacher Duct Tapes Kid To Chair

2008-06-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Oakridge, Oregon (KEZI) - A nine-year-old student in Oregon says his teacher taped him to his chair with duct tape. His mother says she wants an explanation.

"I don't want her teaching anymore."

Becky Faile is upset. She says her nine-year-old son, Austin, told her some disturbing news last Wednesday night. "Right before we put Austin to bed he said 'by the way mom, I was taped to my seat today at school' and I was like what? What happened."

Austin told his mom he wasn't obeying his teacher when she asked him to stay seated, so she used wide duct tape to tie Austin to his chair. "She just walked over with a roll of masking tape and tape me down," Austin says.

Becky says her son sat like that for over an hour.

Austin's parents had him tell the story to the superintendent. "He called us he told us he had talked to her she admitted that she did it," says Don Kordosky. "They escorted her off the grounds on Friday. We placed the teacher on paid administrative leave were doing an investigation and we are going to meet with the teacher on Thursday."

Becky says she's worried the teacher will be back to work soon, and Austin is scared to return. "We tried taking him to class and he just started crying, he was really upset just about being left there at all. We didn't realize how emotional he was about it till we tried leaving him at school, so we brought him home."

Kordosky doesn't want to share many details until after the investigation is complete.

As a mother, Becky says she just want Justice served. "If I personally as a parent did that as a child (protective services)would come take the kid out of my house. If I could lose custody of my kid, if that happened in my house, why should a teacher be allowed to do that to a student? And they're gonna give her 10 days of leave and slap her on the hand?"

---------------------------------------------

NOW...my thoughts on this.
If parents would discipline their kids and teach them respect, teachers would not have to come up with inventive ways to get kid's attention. If the state and local governments would stop telling parents HOW to discipline their kids, MAYBE more parents would start whipping their kids heinies and the little snots would behave.

We didn't act up in school when I was a kid. Whatever punishment the teacher would have given us would have been play time compared to what my dad would have given us. Back then, we respected our teachers. Parents, stop leaving it to the teachers to punish your kids and teach them to mind. If you don't care to discipline them, don't start crying when someone else DOES.

Barak Obama: WHAT did he say?!

2008-06-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

My mother emailed this video to me, and I could NOT believe what I was seeing and hearing. Do we REALLY want this man running our country? Watch, and YOU decide.

Obama Video