Women With Troubles - August 2012

Here is a compilation of women with troubles reported in news stories during August 2012. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details.

For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link. Links to month-by-month compilations are displayed on the navigation bar at left.

(AR) Mandy Flynn, 33,
teacher's aide - Gets 28 days house arrest for sex with special needs student,

(AZ) Kimberly Ali, 28,
teacher - Accused of sex with female student, 14,

(AZ) Christina Carbone, 23,
teacher - Gets 30 days jail for sex with boy, 16,

(AZ) Carol Hatley, 42,
neighbor - Accused of killing her mother,

(CA) Kathia Maria Davis, 45,
hockey mom - Guilty of sex assault of boy, 16. Sentencing in November,

(CA) Chrissy Ann Dunn, 31,
neighbor - Gets year in county jail for sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Gay and Daniel Shepard, 60 and 63,
teacher - Guilty of sex with student. Sentencing in September,

(CA) Kelly McKenzy Watson, 34,
teacher - Accused of sex with former male student, 17,

(CO) Lauren K. Redfern, 25,
teacher - Gets 30 days jail for sex with male student, 17,

(CO) Denise “Miki” Spies, 45,
neighbor - Accused of hosting drinking party for minors,

(CT) Jessica Motulski, 28,
teacher - Accused of repeated sex assault of female student,

(DC) Suzanne Barr,
senior ICE agency staffer - Accused of sexual discrimination and retaliation,

(FL) Melissa Bailey, 29,
neighbor - Found guilty of molesting 18-month-old daughter. Sentencing in October,

(FL) Amanda L. Cooney, 26,
teacher - Gets 15 years in prison for multiple charges including sex with boy, 16,

(FL) Stacey Kerres, 47,
babysitter - Accused of child neglect,

(FL) Julia King, 34,
teacher - Accused of theft from school,

(FL) Debra Lafave,
former teacher - Sex offender probation reinstated on appeal,

(FL) Renee Mangini, 44,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Tina Michelle Norris, 39,
neighbor - Accused of domestic battery of boyfriend at swingers party,

(FL) Mandy Ramsey, 35,
teacher's aide - Accused of fleeing and eluding police while driving topless,

(FL) Maryann Verdi, 40,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with male student, 15, and witness tampering,

(GA) Thelma Lou Carter, 47,
neighbor - Gets four years in prison for killing boyfriend with high heel shoe,

(GA) Shayla Smith,
teacher - Fired in school cheating scandal,

(IA) Karen Bartelson, 43,
teacher - Faces marijuana, meth and paraphernalia charges,

(ID) Robin Hackney, 34,
neighbor - Gets 120 days jail for sex with boy, 15,

(ID) Stephanie Nicole Klein, 40,
prison worker - Accused of sex with inmate,

(IN) Bethany Appleton, 28,
teacher - Accused of child seduction and sex with several middle school students,

(KY) Andrea Conners, 34,
teacher - Gets 90 days jail for sex with male student,

(ME) Mandy Lynn Thibodeau, 35,
neighbor - Gets four years prison for sex with friend's son, 13,

(MO) Victoria Reinke, 29,
teacher's aide - Accused of sex with 16-year-old student,

(MS) Stacy Walker, 34,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with a male student, 16,

(MT) Melissa Debolt, 21,
neighbor - Accused of sex with girl, 14,

(ND) Jennifer Katherine Schultz, 25,
teacher - Gets 60 days jail for giving alcohol to minors,

(NE) Michelle Almonte-DeJesus, 27,
neighbor - Accused of sex with teen stepson,

(NE) Heather J. Geary, 23,
neighbor - Gets probation for contributing to delinquency of boy, 13,

(NE) Charlie K. Rogers, 33,
lesbian - Accused of hate-crime hoax,

(NH) Laura Faas, 51,
neighbor - Accused of long-term sex with boy, 11,

(NY) Nicole E. Hargis, 28,
neighbor - Accused of sex with two teen boys, ages 15 and 16,

(NY) Jill Nickerson, 34,
neighbor - Gets two years prison for rape of boy, 13,

(NY) Dawn Planty, 45,
neighbor - Accused of raping boy, 14,

(NY) Jacquetta Simmons, 26,
neighbor - Accused of assaulting 70-year-old Walmart greeter,

(OH) Michelle Blosser, 44
teacher - Gets 10 days jail in student sex case,

(OH) Alexa Nasonti, 25,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student, 17. Sentencing TBD,

(OH) Constance Yacobozzi (aka Yacabozzi), 29,
teacher - Gets hand slap for sex with male student, 17,

(OK) Amy Lynn Daugherty, 25,
neighbor - Accused of child neglect after infant ingested methamphetamine,

(OK) Jimi Harvey, 24,
neighbor - Accused of child endangerment and eluding police,

(OK) Wendy Hickman, 40,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(OK) Michelle Diane McCutchan, 40.
teacher - Guilty of rape and sodomy of three teen boys. Sentencing in September,

(PA) Vickie Jo Mills, 33,
neighbor - Accused of poisoning her boyfriend with Visine eyedrops,

(PA) Tiffany Sherry, 24,
neighbor - Accused of aggravated assault for stabbing boyfriend,

(PA) Christine Noelle Starry, 40,
neighbor - Faces additional child sex charges,

(PA) Brittany Lenay Weyandt, 20,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14, and birthing his child,

(SC) Kayla Renee Walters-Merrian, 18,
neighbor - Accused of sex with three boys, an 11-year-old and two 12-year-olds,

(TN) Sherri Baffa, 37,
teacher - Gets eight years prison for aggravated sexual exploitation of minor,

(TN) Stacy Hopkins, 29,
teacher - Gets probation for statutory rape of two male students,

(TX) Brittni Colleps, 28,
teacher - Gets five years prison for improper relations with five male students,

(TX) Judy Lynn Langford, 35,
teacher - Accused of sex assault of child and online solicitation,

(TX) Percy Melton, 40,
teacher - Busted with 53 pounds of marijuana during traffic stop,

(UT) Brenda Christine White, 36,
neighbor - Guilty of aggravated assault for hitting husband with SUV. Sentencing scheduled for January 2013,

(WI) Andrea L. Ebert, 31,
teacher - Guilty of sex assault of two teen boys. Sentencing in November,

(WI) Tessa Gray, 35,
neighbor - Gets 21 months jail for sex with 3 teen boys.

Thanks to all the helpers.

Arizona Teacher Gets 30 Days in Sex Case - Update

(Tucson, Arizona) Former Flowing Wells High School teacher Christina Carbone, 23, pleaded guilty last month to sexual conduct with a minor under 18. Today, she was sentenced in Pima County Court to 30 days in jail and three years of probation.

* * * * *
Arizona Teacher Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 5/5/12 post]
(Tucson, Arizona) A 23-year-old teacher with the Flowing Wells School District, Christina Marie Carbone, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Carbone is detained on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

They say Carbone teaches special education in the Flowing Wells School District and the 16-year-old boy wasn't one of her students and attends a school in a different district.

Authorities began an investigation on May 2 and say Carbone met the teen at a social function in March.

Carbone has been placed on leave by her employer.

Rachel Corrie believed in Israel

I don't know if anybody else has pointed this out -- they probably have -- but the Israel-hating Rachel Corrie showed by her actions that she recognized Israel's moral superiority. Why didn't she hop out of the way at the last minute instead of getting run over by the bulldozer? I certainly would have in her shoes.

But the reason why she did not is clear: She clearly had absolute confidence that the bulldozer would stop at the last moment. Her only mistake was in assuming that the driver would see her lying on the ground in front of him. Had it been a Palestinian bulldozer I cannot imagine anyone not being prepared to hop out of the way. But Rachel Corrie was clearly not so prepared.

By her own actions she betrayed more than any words could do that she knew Israel was not the moral monstrosity that she claimed it was. Her death was an unintentional tribute to Israel. She knew in her heart where the virtue was. And coming from an enemy of Israel, the tribute is all the more impressive. She was hate-filled but she knew the truth.

A trenchant comment from Israel about her here.

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

National Atheist Party Cancels Convention

No money.

Pennsylvania Woman Sees Added Sex Charges - Update

(East Donegal Township, Pennsylvania) Christine Noelle Starry faces additional charges.

Starry, 41, of 313 Rivermoor Drive, is charged with Statutory Sexual Assault, Unlawful Contact w/ a Minor, Corruption of Minors, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Furnishing Alcohol to Minors for the one month sexual relationship she had with the boy.

Police say the sexual assault involved both intercourse and oral sex.

Additionally, Starry is charged with Endangering the Welfare of Child for allowing a juvenile under her care to also have sexual relations with a male while she was present.

Starry currently resides in Lancaster County Prison with bail set at $100,000.

* * * * *
Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Sex Assault of Boy
[Previous 7/1/12 post]
(Lancaster, Pennsylvania) A 40-year-old local woman, Christine Noelle Starry, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy after giving him drugs and alcohol.

Starry faces charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a minor.

The boy's mother told police June 2 that her son had admitted having sex with Starry, according to a criminal complaint.

The boy told police she had sex with him four times in the prior two months.

He said Starry offered alcohol and marijuana to him and he consumed both at her home, the complaint states.

Starry admitted to police that she had sex with the boy several times.

She also admitted to allowing juveniles, including the boy, to smoke marijuana and drink alcohol in her home, the complaint states.

Starry was booked into custody and released on $25,000 bail.

Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Claysburg, Pennsylvania) A 20-year-old local female, Brittany Lenay Weyandt, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy and giving birth to his child.

Weyandt faces felony charges that include statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors.

Weyandt had sex with the boy repeatedly from December to March, meeting with him at a mutual acquaintance's house on Hilltop Road, Claysburg, police said in an affidavit.

In June, the alleged victim's mother approached Greenfield Township police after Weyandt reportedly told her about the pregnancy and showed her a sonogram image of the fetus.

The teen victim had frequently accompanied Weyandt to Altoona Regional for appointments throughout her pregnancy, police said.

Weyandt gave birth to the child last week, Greenfield Township Police Chief Ron Givler said Wednesday.

Weyandt was booked into custody at the Blair County Prison with bail set at $20,000.

Oh No! The Swedish Chef Actually Speaks Norwegian!




(Stockholm, Sweden) Reportedly, the Swedish Chef of Muppet fame allegedly speaks a language more like Norwegian than Swedish.

“Hurdy gurdy gurdy” and “bork bork bork.”

These are the two gibberish phrases most people tend to use when imitating a Swede - and it’s all thanks to the Swedish Chef from The Muppets.[…]

Stockholm University linguistics professor Tomas Riad explains that the language of the chef certainly might sound Scandinavian, but that the intonation is actually far closer to Norwegian than any Swedish dialect.

“I can see where it comes from, but it doesn’t sound like Swedish to me,” he told the paper, adding that Norwegian has two tonal peaks in the spoken language, making it sound more “sing-songy”.

Interestingly, some Swedes consider the puppet character to be insulting, "like a slap in the face."

Alleged Airline Shaming Incident

(Norfolk, Virginia)

A gay couple has sued Continental Airlines for emotional distress, alleging that the airline shamed them with a dildo.

Christopher Bridgemann and Martin Borger sued the airline this week, claiming that baggage workers removed a sex toy from their luggage and taped it to the outside of the suitcase for all to see, according to SF Weekly.

The men flew from Costa Rica to Houston on May 21, 2011, the newspaper reported. The men retrieved their luggage, then rechecked their bags onto a flight to Norfolk, Va.

At the baggage claim in Norfolk, they discovered, "to their horror, that a private sex toy had been removed from one of their bags, covered in a greasy foul-smelling substance and taped prominently to the top of their bag," according to the newspaper.

The couple claim severe emotional distress and further claim that they were singled out for the hazing because they are gay.

I'm skeptical. To believe this story one has to accept the contention that Continental Airlines employees routinely or fortuitously rifle through the baggage of targeted homosexual passengers looking for sex toys. I doubt that occurs.

Tip: slwlion

More on the death of a Jew-hater

There is a lot of outrage on the net today over an Israeli court giving the "wrong" verdict over the death of a pro-Palestinian protester, Rachel Corrie, in March, 2003. She was run over by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to be a "human shield" to protect a Palestinian terrorist site. The IDF has always held that the driver of the bulldozer did not see her before he ran over her. He was driving a large and heavily armored bulldozer with small slits for vision. The court upheld the driver's account.

The interesting thing to me is the close-up picture that accompanies many of the stories. It portrays her as a quiet and serious young woman in what could be a studio portrait (though even in a studio portrait they could not get her to smile). You can search high and low on the net to find a picture that gives any other impression of her. Being an old guy, however, I have certain records and one of them has produced a picture of her that is what the bulldozer driver would have seen if he had been looking down. A picture is worth a 1,000 words, I think. The stock picture followed by the "forgotten" picture below. The forgotten picture shows her at a rally shortly beforehand.


Even in the above picture she looks rather angry


A face of hate

If anyone is to blame in the matter it is the parents who indoctrinated her with their Leftist hates. May their grief help them to repent. The love of Christ would not have led them into the Devil's kingdom.

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

Twin Babes Rocking Out




Smiling cuties eating peas. Guaranteed smile-worthy.

Georgia Teacher Fired in Cheating Scandal

(Atlanta, Georgia) Scores of teachers have been implicated in the city-wide school cheating scandal that has garnered headlines for many months.

One teacher, Shayla Smith, unintentionally revealed the reason she helped students cheat.

Smith, who was fired after a tribunal found her guilty of willful neglect and immorality, was overheard explaining to another teacher why she provided her students with an answer key to a test.

“The words were, ‘I had to give your kids, or your students, the answers because they’re dumb as hell,’” Schajuan Jones, the teacher who heard the conversation, told the newspaper.

Since many teachers have been accused, one can easily conclude the entire school system is failing to do its job.

Porta-Potty Peeper

(Boulder, Colorado) Add this story to your "Now I've Heard Everything" list. It's from earlier this month.

The alleged “porta-potty peeper,” Luke Chrisco, pleaded not guilty Friday.[…]

Chrisco, 31, was arrested last summer after a woman at Boulder’s Hanuman Festival reported seeing something moving in the portable toilet she was using. She then reported seeing a feces-stained man emerge from the tank and run away.

Several days later, police in Vail arrested Chrisco during an unrelated traffic stop according to court records.

So, Mr. Chrisco allegedly crawls into porta-potty waste tanks to enjoy the sight of people relieving themselves.

If any readers understand the allure of watching people evacuate their bladders and colons while immersed in a stinking stew of urine and feces, leave a comment. And then, seek help.

Junk psychology about skeptics

Having a large background in published psychological research myself, I had to laugh at the nonsense below. It is difficult to know where to start but let me make just one point: Lewandowsky seems never to have heard of sampling. "Samples" gathered online tend not to be remotely representative. A major source of bias is that libertarians tend to be greatly over-represented and libertarians are very skeptical folk indeed. That they reject anything that the establishment (including scientific establishment) says is almost a given for many of them.

In the absence of representative sampling from any specifiable population, NO generalizations from the findings are warranted. There is no way of knowing if what was true of the group studied is true of any other group.

But Lewandowsky is a frantic Warmist so one could have predicted his conclusions even before he did his "research". You can read the whole thing here. It is very much a polemic -- from its heading onwards. No sign of scientific detachment or caution about evidence at all

Researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) have examined what motivates people who are greatly involved in the climate debate to reject scientific evidence.

The study, Motivated Rejection of Science, to be published in the journal Psychological Science, investigated what motivates the rejection of science in visitors to climate blogs who choose to participate in the ongoing public debate about climate change.

More than 1,000 visitors to blogs dedicated to discussions of climate science completed a questionnaire that queried people’s belief in a number of scientific questions and conspiracy theories, including: Princess Diana’s death was not an accident; the Apollo moon landings never happened; HIV causes AIDS; and smoking causes lung cancer.

The study also considered the interplay of these responses with the acceptance of climate science, free market ideology, and the belief that previous environmental problems have been resolved.

The researchers, led by UWA School of Psychology Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, found that free market ideology was an overwhelmingly strong determinant of the rejection of climate science. It also predicted the rejection of the link between tobacco and lung cancer and between HIV and AIDS.

Conspiratorial thinking was a lesser but still significant determinant of the rejection of all scientific propositions examined, from climate to lung cancer.

“There has been much research pointing to the role of free market ideology in rejecting climate science, but this is the first time it’s been shown that other scientific facts, such as the link between HIV and AIDS, are also subject to ideological rejection,” said Lewandowsky.

By contrast, a major determinant of the acceptance of science was the perceived consensus among scientists. The more agreement among scientists, the more people were likely to accept the scientific findings.

“It is important to understand the role of perceived consensus because it highlights how damaging the media’s handling of climate issues can be when they create the appearance of a scientific debate where there is none: More than 90 in 100 climate researchers agree on the basic fact that the globe is warming due to human greenhouse gas emissions,” he noted.

SOURCE

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

NY Woman Gets Jail for Sex with Boy - Update

(Watertown, New York) In June 2012, Jefferson County woman Jill Nickerson pleaded guilty to rape and criminal sex act with a 13-year-old boy.

Yesterday in Jefferson County Court, Nickerson was sentenced to two years in jail and 10 years of probation.

Jill M. Nickerson, 33, whose last known address was 218 Seymour St., was sentenced to consecutive one-year terms at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building and the probation supervision for June 26 guilty pleas to second-degree rape and two counts of second-degree criminal sex act.

She was also ordered to register with the state as a Level 1 sex offender.

Reactions from the courtroom haven't been reported.

* * * * *
NY Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 4/11/11 post]
(Watertown, New York) A 33-year-old local Jefferson County woman, Jill Nickerson, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Nickerson faces charges of rape, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child.

Nickerson was arraigned in Village of Glen Park Court. She posted $1,000 cash bail and was released pending Grand Jury action.

Details of the alleged criminal behavior await release.

Arguably, if Nickerson is at risk of conviction and serious prison time, $1,000 bail likely will not assure she shows up in court.

Cooking the Books on Deportation Numbers

From House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas):

Internal Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee reveal that President Obama and other administration officials have falsified their record to achieve their so-called historic deportation numbers.

Administration officials claim that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported a record number of illegal immigrants but the facts show that they have fabricated their deportation statistics by illegitimately adding over 100,000 removals to their deportation figures for the past two years.[…]

It seems like President Obama is trying to trick the American people into thinking he is enforcing our immigration laws. But no amount of spin can cover up the facts. It’s bad enough that the President has neglected to enforce our immigration laws but it’s even worse that his Administration would distort statistics to deceive the American people.

Makes one wonder if there are other distortions.

Israeli Court Denies Rachel Corrie Lawsuit

(Haifa, Israel) Back in 2003, a 23-year-old student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Rachel Corrie, traveled to the Gaza Strip to participate in the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement (ISM) effort against the Israelis.

During a protest in a war zone, Corrie died as she was run over by an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bulldozer.

On behalf of Corrie's family, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed. The case was decided earlier today.

A Haifa District Court invoked the "combatant activities" exception, and said on Tuesday that the US activist who was killed in disputed circumstances involving an IDF bulldozer on March 16, 2003, while protesting an IDF home demolition in Rafah, could have avoided the dangerous situation.

The court nonetheless called her death a "regrettable accident."

In the verdict, Judge Oded Gershon invoked the principle of the combatant activities exception, noting that IDF forces had been attacked in the same area Corrie was killed just hours earlier.

The combatant activities exception essentially says that a country's armed forces cannot be held liable for civil damages for physical or economic harm to civilians in an area defined as a war zone.

A major point of contention was whether the bulldozer operator saw Rachel Corrie before running her over. The court held that "the driver had not and could not have seen Corrie because the bulldozer has an obstructed view."

An appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court has been promised by the Corrie family lawyer, Hussein Abu Hussein.

Adapting to Euro Crisis




According to Spiegel.de, Europeans are looking at smaller packages.

Realism is the name of the game and some, such as the multinational consumer goods giant Unilever, have begun to adjust.

"Poverty is returning to Europe," Jan Zijderveld, Unilever's top manager in Europe, told the Financial Times Deutschland on Monday.

As a result, the company has begun offering smaller, less expensive packages so as not to put too great a strain on increasingly limited budgets.

Heh, poverty is returning. And big government socialism gets the blame since empirical evidence shows socialism usually leads to poverty. Granted, it's equally-distributed poverty but poverty nonetheless.

Sadly, there are cadres of policy-makers who believe that socialism leads to utopia. Of course, the policy-makers usually prosper while the masses typically suffer.

Patented Google Glove Cam



Glove Cam
From The Register:

US patent 8,009,151 plants the Google flag on “methods and systems for gathering and conveying information, for example, such as with a hand of a user[…]

Apart from the obvious application suggested by Google’s application image, the patent also seems to try to post the stay-off-my-lawn signs around the idea of embedding processors in gloves – including motion sensors, CPUs, storage and wireless comms.

And if you like creepy suggestions and have a tinfoil hat handy, it’s right there in the patent application: why not use the Google glove to shoot videos around corners? “To allow a user to ‘see’ an inaccessible environment, a user may wear a device equipped with one or more detectors on one of his or her hands”, and since someone might circumvent the patent by putting cameras on the toes instead, “or on other areas of the user’s body”.

Interesting. It seems one could obtain a video image from any place a finger can possibly be situated.

Utah Woman Guilty of Ramming Husband with SUV

(Salt Lake City, Utah) A 36-year-old local woman, Brenda Christine White, pleaded guilty earlier today to driving her SUV through a glass door and hitting her husband.

Before the incident, White and her estranged husband, Jon White, had been arguing about money, child custody and other matters. White believed her then-husband was having an affair and was addicted to pornography.

Brenda White tried to talk to Jon White at his workplace about refinancing their home, but when he refused to sign certain documents, she apparently called the man a "parasite" and told him "she was going to wipe him off the earth," court documents state.

She left but returned four hours later, chased him in her vehicle as he ran for cover on foot, smashed the SUV through a Salt Lake office building's glass door and hit the man, throwing him about 10 feet.

She then pursued him once he got up and drove into him again, prosecutors say.

White will be sentenced on January 8, 2013, for convictions on aggravated assault and criminal mischief.

Tennessee Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Update

(Sullivan County, Tennessee) Former Sullivan East High School teacher Sherri Baffa has pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor in accordance with an agreement with the prosecution.

As a consequence, Baffa was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Baffa, 37, entered an Alford, or best-interest, plea of guilty to the charges Monday in front of Sullivan County Circuit Court Judge Jerry Beck.

The plea agreement required Baffa to agree to serve 100 percent of an 8-year prison term and pay a $2,000 fine.

Baffa must also undergo a sexual offender evaluation and will be placed on the Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry for a minimum of 10 years. After that, she may petition to be removed from the registry.

She must also pay a $3,000 sexual offender surcharge.

The authorities were initially alerted to Baffa's sex offenses by her ex-husband who, oddly, faces similar charges.

* * * * *
Tennessee Teacher Accused of Sex Offenses
[Previous 9/3/11 post]
(Sullivan County, Tennessee) A 36-year-old math teacher at Sullivan East High School, Sherri Baffa, has been accused of sex offenses involving a male juvenile.

Baffa faces seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office reports Det. Jason Hite presented evidence this week to the grand jury, concerning explicit photos of an adult female and juvenile male.[…]

SCSO Public Information Officer Leslie Earhart says police received an initial report of the alleged crimes in May of this year. She said the photos concerned were dated 2007, but declined to comment on Baffa's relationship with the victim. Police identified him as 16-years-old at the time of the alleged offenses.

Baffa was booked into custody at the Sullivan County Jail and subsequently released on $50,000 bond.

Chinese Hooligan Pigs

Chinese authorities are as confused as everyone else about what constitutes obscenity.

"Ten years ago, the Department of Industry and Commerce raided a jewelry store on Jianghan Road in Wuhan City and confiscated a set of indecent objects in the form of 'hooligan pigs.'"

Ten years ago

Recently, photos of the Zhengzhou city Central Plains Fortune Tower Plaza were posted on the Internet. One prompted controversy.


Last week

Commenters claimed that one of the photos displayed two pigs engaging in an indecent act. Local authorities disagree.

The Zhengzhou city urban management department responded to inquiries that there are 21 stone statues in Central Plains Fortune Tower Plaza, including ones of small monks learning martial arts; children reading books; children picking carrots; a polar bear carrying a small bear.

The particular statue of interest is that of a "small pig giving his mother a back rub" under the theme of filial piety.

So, in Wuhan City the sculpture is an indecent object while in Zhengzhou City, it's a pig back rub.

Readers can decide for themselves.

Chinese Hookers in Africa



(Lagos, Nigeria)

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja has paraded 13 Chinese nationals who were arrested for allegedly engaging in prostitution.

NIS spokesman, Joachim Olumba, said the suspects were apprehended in Lagos following a tip off from an informant.

According to Mr Olumba, the immigration service received a report on the activities of some Chinese nationals who connived with some Nigerians to traffic teenage girls into the country under the pretext of offering them jobs in factories.

“Having gathered intelligence information, operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service swooped on the operational locations of the syndicates at No. 18, 24 and 26B Emena Crescent, Ikeja, Lagos,” he said.

Allegedly, the women are victims of a human trafficking enterprise.

Border Patrol Agent Guilty in Arms Conspiracy

(El Paso, Texas)

A Border Patrol agent from El Paso pleaded guilty to firearms conspiracy Friday.

Ricardo Montalvo, 29, and his girlfriend pleaded guilty to conspiracy, firearms and smuggling charges in federal court.

According an indictment, between November 2010 and January 2011, Montalvo and girlfriend Carla Gonzales-Ortiz participated in a conspiracy to illegally purchase firearms, ammunition and high-capacity magazines of the type for which there was a ready market among Mexican cartels.

The indictment alleged Montalvo and Gonzales-Ortiz made the purchases knowing that they would illegally be exported to Mexico.

Sentencing for Montalvo is scheduled for November 9. when he faces five years in prison.

Gonzales-Ortiz faces three years in prison when sentenced. After her release, she will be deported.

Amusing "junk" food idiocy in the NYT

Economist Don Boudreaux has a laugh at some addled Leftist hatred in the letter to the New York Times below:

Asserting that “Not everyone can afford fresh fruits and vegetables,” Mark Bittman pleads for policies that would replace today’s large commercial farms with smaller farms (“Celebrate the Farmer!” Aug. 22). He writes: “The naysayers will yell, ‘this mode of farming will not produce enough corn and soy to feed our junk food and cheeseburger habit,’ and that’s exactly the point. It would produce enough food so that we can all eat well”.

Not all food experts agree with Mr. Bittman’s suggestion that agricultural markets and policies result in too little availability of fresh foods and, hence, prevent Americans – and especially poor Americans – from eating well. Only last September one expert found that “In fact it isn’t cheaper to eat highly processed food…. In general, despite extensive government subsidies, hyperprocessed food remains more expensive than food cooked at home. You can serve a roasted chicken with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or even six people” – a price, this expert reported, that is half of what it costs at McDonald’s for the same number of people to dine on burgers, fries, and soda. (This fact, of course, means that people who eat lots of hyperprocessed foods choose to do so, and even pay a premium to indulge that preference.)

Oh, I almost forgot: the expert who found that junk food is more pricey than are many healthier options such as “rice, grains, pasta, beans, fresh vegetables” is your very own Mark Bittman writing in your very own pages (“Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” Sept. 24).

SOURCE

The empty-headed self-righteousness of the original NYT article is nauseating so I am pleased that Boudreaux has exposed the author for what he is -- JR

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

Maine Woman Gets Prison for Sex with Boy, 13 - Update

(Farmington, Maine) Last June, 35-year-old Mandy Lynn Thibodeau pleaded guilty to two counts of gross sexual assault of a mentally-disabled 13-year-old boy with the understanding that she would only spend four years in prison.

This week, Thibodeau was sentenced to four years of a 10-year prison sentence and six years probation.

Assistant District Attorney Joshua Robbins told the court that the victim and his family have been seriously affected and the impact is long lasting.

Thibodeau and the mother of the boy met in junior high school and had been friends for 22 years, Robbins said. She had been through a couple of rough patches in her life and the boy's mother brought her back into her life to help her.

The victim has Asperger's Syndrome and struggles with routine tasks, including communication, and relies on many people, Robbins said.

Since the assaults that occurred eight days apart, he has had suicidal thoughts and he thinks he is to blame, he said. That has caused a lot of stress to him and his family, he said.

Thibodeau cried while expressing sorrow during her sentencing.

* * * * *
Maine Woman, 34, and Boy, 13
[Previous 9/2/11 post]
(Farmington, Maine) A 34-year-old local woman, Mandy Lynn Thibodeau, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly engaging in sex with her friend's 13-year-old son.

According to Farmington Police Detective Marc Bowering, Thibodeau faces one count of gross sexual assault in Farmington.

Franklin County Sheriff's Detective David St. Laurent also issued Thibodeau a summons on a second charge of gross sexual assault pertaining to the Farmington case, Bowering said.

Thibodeau is an acquaintance of the boy. The assaults allegedly occurred in Farmington and northern Franklin County, Bowering said.

Thibodeau was booked into custody with bond set at $1,500.

Florida Teacher Accused of Theft

(Pinellas County, Florida) A 34-year-old teacher at East Lake High School, Julia King, has been accused of stealing an iPad from her former school and selling it to Best Buy.

King faces a felony charge of dealing in stolen property.

According to a report, the iPad was reported stolen in September. Detectives assigned to the Burglary and Pawn Unit in May discovered the iPad had been sold to a Best Buy on April 26 for $145 by King.

Detectives continued their investigation and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for King, who was arrested in Palm Harbor …

Details on booking are unavailable.

Neil Armstrong, b.1930 - d.2012




Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to set foot on the moon, died earlier today due to complications from a recent heart bypass operation. He was 82.

Billboard




(Stamford, Connecticut)

Metro-North Railroad is reviewing its advertising policies after the latest controversial billboard linking Islam to terrorist attacks that currently appears at a handful of New Haven Line stations.

Harsh criticism regarding a "lack of civility" has been voiced, however, there seem to be no complaints regarding accuracy. Apparently, only polite and cultivated accuracy is acceptable.

Source

Ohio Teacher Gets Hand Slap in Sex Case - Updated

(Swanton, Ohio) Former sociology and psychology teacher Michelle Blosser has been found guilty and sentenced for attempting to engage in sexual conduct with a student.

As consequences, Fulton County Common Pleas Judge James Barber gave Blosser 10 days in jail and one year community control.

Judge Barber also ordered her to pay prosecution costs, receive a mental health assessment, and have no contact with the victim. If she does not abide by those conditions, she could be ordered to serve a year in prison, authorities said.

Blosser was also ordered to surrender her teaching license.

* * * * *
Ohio Teacher Indicted in Sex Case
[Previous 3/23/12 post]
(Swanton, Ohio) A 44-year-old psychology teacher at Swanton High School, Michelle Blosser, has been accused of engaging in sex with a male student.

Blosser was suspended early this month and now it's reported that she has been indicted on one count of sexual battery.

Ms. Blosser, of Fayette, Ohio, was born in 1967, according to Ohio voter registration records. She teaches psychology, sociology, and advanced placement psychology and was the high school's teacher of the month in December.

"She is always willing to go the extra mile to help our students be successful," Principal Steve Gfell said at the time.

Rumors at the school led to the investigation of Blosser.

Tennessee Teacher Gets Probation in Sex Case - Updated

(Arlington, Tennessee) Former Arlington High School teacher Stacy Hopkins, 29, was sentenced Thursday to four years probation for engaging in sex with two male students.

In a plea agreement last month, Hopkins pleaded guilty to aggravated statutory rape involving two of the students.

The plea included a four-year prison sentence, but that was suspended Thursday when Criminal Court Judge James Beasley Jr. granted her request for probation. The request was not opposed by prosecutors.

She will be placed on the sex offender registry.

Hopkins' attorney C. Anne Tipton said her client accepts responsibility and wants to move forward.

In addition to probation, Hopkins is prohibited from having contact with the students and can hold no supervisory position involving children under 18, including as a teacher, youth counselor or even a baby sitter.

* * * * *
Tennessee Teacher Guilty in Sex Case - Updated
[Previous 7/26/12 post]
(Arlington, Tennessee) Former Arlington High School teacher Stacy Hopkins pleaded guilty yesterday to engaging in sex with two of her male students, ages 16 and 17.

Reportedly, Hopkins agreed to a four-year sentence.

How she serves that time will be up to Criminal Court Judge James Beasley Jr., who will make that decision next month during a sentence hearing.

Hopkins' attorney, Anne Tipton, said she plans to lobby for probation instead of jail time.[…]

Hopkins had faced up to 22 years in prison if convicted of all charges, including statutory rape by an authority figure involving two 17-year-olds and the 16-year-old.

During the plea agreement Wednesday, prosecutors dropped charges involving the photos, all charges involving one of the 17-year-old students and reduced the more serious felony charges of statutory rape by an authority figure involving the other two victims.

Hopkins was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.

* * * *
Tennessee Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Students
[Previous 5/6/11 post]
(Arlington, Tennessee) A 28-year-old physical education teacher at Arlington High School, Stacy L. Hopkins, has been accused of engaging in sex with two male students along with sending them nude images of herself.

Hopkins faces two counts of aggravated statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, "On May 5th, SCSO investigators were advised of a sexual assault involving two Arlington High School students. A complainant received a phone call from the suspect, Stacy Hopkins ex-boyfriend who stated Hopkins sent inappropriate text messages to two male victims.

Upon further investigation, both victims advised receiving text messages containing nude images. They also advised investigators they had sexual intercourse with the suspect which she did admit to."

Hopkins was booked into custody and subsequently released on $10,000 bond.

Mass Murderer Gets 21 Years in Prison - Update

(Oslo, Norway)

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik was jailed for a maximum term on Friday when judges declared him sane enough to answer for the murder of 77 people last year, drawing a smirk of triumph from the self-styled warrior against Islam.

An unrepentant Breivik, 33, gave the Oslo court a stiff-armed, clench-fisted salute before being handed the steepest possible penalty, 21 years.

His release, however, can be put off indefinitely should he still pose a threat to a liberal society left traumatized by his bomb and shooting rampage last July.

Justifying blasting a government building and gunning down dozens of teenagers at a summer camp as a service to a nation threatened by immigration, he had said only acquittal or death would be worthy outcomes. But his biggest concern was being declared insane, a fate he said would be "worse than death".

It's reported that Breivik apologized to "militant nationalists" for not killing more people.

What a douche. If it were up to me, Breivik would be executed.

* * * * *
Norway Attacks, Deaths at 91
[Previous 7/23/11 post]



Oslo city center, 7/22/11
(Oslo, Norway) Yesterday's attacks in Oslo and Utoya Island resulted in at least 91 deaths, seven in Oslo from the bombing in the city center and 84 teens and adults at the Labor Party Youth Camp on Utoya Island.

Norwegian television stations and newspaper reports have identified the suspect in Friday's attacks as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, though authorities have not released the identity of the man they have in custody.

Much more to come after investigators dive onto the case.

* * * * *
Update at 0500EDT

Source:

Survivors of Friday’s terror on Utøya told gripping tales of how campers approached suspected gunman Anders Behring Breivik, thinking he came from the police as a safety measure after the bombing in the Oslo, only to experience that he shot them in cold blood.

One young man told newspaper VG that he saw a girl shot in the head. Others ran for their lives, seeking refuge behind rocks or trees as the gunman continued his shooting spree around the small island in the Tyri Fjord.

Breivik, arrested by police and charged with the shootings, was described as a 32-year-old member of the Free Masons and a right-wing extremist who hates Muslims. It remained unclear what he thought he could accomplish by gunning down Norwegian teenagers at the Labour Party’s summer camp, but some speculated the shootings were politically motivated.

Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that the gunman reportedly used both a rifle, a hand weapon and an automatic weapon. Police also found explosives on the island that hadn’t been detonated.

Breivik had been observed in downtown Oslo just before a powerful bomb exploded in the heart of the government complex, killing at least seven others, injuring several more and causing widespread damage to government ministries and surrounding property. Police quickly linked the two incidents.

(More later….)

Florida Couple Accused of Domestic Battery


Tina Michelle Norris -- James Albert Barfield
(Spring Hill, Florida) Liquored up at an alleged swingers' party, 39-year-old Tina Michelle Norris and 56-year-old James Albert Barfield started smacking each other around.

Someone called the cops and naked duo were arrested for domestic battery. Feisty Norris was also charged with resisting arrest.

The female suspect was mad her boyfriend was having sex with another woman while the male suspect lost his temper about his girlfriend being in bed with two men, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Tempers flared and the woman suffered a bloody lip and the man sustained scratch marks on his neck and back, deputies said.

Norris and Barfield were booked into custody at the Hernando County Jail without bond.

Florida Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Citrus County, Florida) A 44-year-old local woman, Renee Mangini, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Mangini faces one count of lewd and lascivious battery involving a minor.

The boy reported in mid-May that he and Mangini had sex in mid-May on her couch. The said that they only had sex on two occasions, and that he had regularly visited her during the course of the summer.

Mangini was asked to come in for questioning, and after being read her rights, she agreed to be interviewed. When asked if she and the boy had engaged in sex, she at first said no. Later, she said they did have sex, but only once. She said she would like to apologize to the boy and realized that she made a mistake and would take responsibility for it.

Mangini was arrested and booked into custody with bond set at $5,000.

Former Player Plans NBA Franchise in Mexico

(Mexico City) Former professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats, Eduardo Najera, 36, has announced that he will dedicate his life to getting an NBA franchise in Mexico.

Najera retired from pro ball yesterday after a 12-year career.

“It something that’s difficult, but it’s not impossible. The NBA has its rules, but in the end this is a business and if Canada can do it, why not us? It would be a long process, for the future,” Najera said.

Mexico has been ready to have a professional basketball, football or baseball team for years because there’s a big market and a lot of fans, the 36-year-old Najera said.

“To achieve that goal, first I’ll have to go through a learning process and I’m ready to work and dedicate all my time to it,” Najera, a journeyman forward who averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds a game during his career, said.

Najera retired Wednesday to become the new head coach of the NBA Development League’s Texas Legends, replacing Del Harris. Under the deal, Najera will also become a minority owner of the Legends, a team co-owned by Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

In his role as a Development League coach, he will open doors for more Mexican players who want to play in the NBA, Najera said.

If Najera is successful, I propose that his team be named the 'Mexico City Amigos.' Or maybe the 'Mexican Calientes' with, of course, full credit for the idea being given to the Miami Heat.

EU Ban on Filament Light Bulbs

(Berlin, Germany) Although it appears that enforcement measures haven't been standardized and finalized, the nation of Germany will comply with a European Union directive to institute a complete ban on filament light bulbs, effective September 1st.

German state governments say they would have to employ extra staff to police the European ban on filament light bulbs if they are to make the checks called for by the European Commission.[…]

The commission has called on German authorities to carry out in-shop inspections to police the ban.

Germany's state market surveillance authorities, who would be responsible for these inspections, offered a mixed response to the EU's request.

Berlin and Brandenburg's authorities said they would need extra employees, while the North Rhine-Westphalia office said they had not planned any measures to police the light bulb ban so far.

At present, it appears that the light bulb police will only monitor retail sales of filament bulbs. However, it seems logical to expect that the police will ultimately conduct investigations of smuggling activity and black market sales.

Note that punitive measures for violations of the light bulb ban haven't been reported and possibly haven't been decided. In any event, I suggest the EU ban on light bulbs wasn't clearly thought through prior to being imposed.

In Obama's America .....





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

Ronald Reagan Jokes

The vid runs one minute, 19 seconds.




Tip: Rita and Eugene

Dakota Teacher Guilty of Distributing Alcohol - Update

(Mandan, North Dakota) Yesterday, a jury convicted former Hebron High School teacher Jennifer Katherine Schultz, 25, of distributing alcohol to minors but acquitted her on charges of sexual assault of students.

Schultz was a family and consumer science teacher at Hebron High School. She resigned during an investigation into her alleged actions last winter.

The state agreed to drop a charge of Class A misdemeanor corruption or solicitation of a minor when it concluded its case Wednesday afternoon at the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan.

Morton County Assistant State's Attorney Jackson Lofgren said this was because none of the state's witnesses could remember Schultz asking them for sex.

Closing out the case, South Central District Judge Thomas Schneider sentenced Schultz to one year in jail with all but 60 days suspended and fined her $500.

* * * * *
Dakota Teacher Accused of Sex with Student
[Previous 1/28/12 post]
(Hebron, North Dakota) A 25-year-old former teacher, Jennifer Schultz, has been accused of engaging in sex with one of her male students.

Schultz faces two counts of sexual assault, one count of corruption of a minor, and another count of delivery of alcohol to a minor.

Morton County Sheriff Dave Shipman says Schultz allowed four boys into her home in late October. Shipman says Schultz allegedly had sex with one of the boys while a second told her no. She provided them all with alcohol.

During the investigation Schultz refused to speak to authorities.

Schultz was booked into custody and released on $5,000.

Topless Babysitter Accused of Child Neglect

(Melbourne, Florida) A 47-year-old Fort Pierce woman, Stacey Kerres, has been accused of child neglect after being found topless lying in the River Palm Hotel parking lot when she was supposed to be babysitting.

Police talked to the child, who was sitting with the hotel staff playing a video game, told them his mother had gone to the “casino” and that his mother left him with a woman named Stacey. The child also indicated the woman was routinely put in charge of watching him.

Police searched the property and found Kerres, identified with a dagger and rose ankle tattoo, lying topless in the middle of the parking lot, not far from the room where the boy was staying with his mother, reports show.

Kerres, who police said appeared lethargic and incoherent as she struggled to talk, managed to tell the patrol officers that the child’s mother had gone gambling that “I don’t even know where (the boy) is right now,” reports show.

Kerres was booked into custody at the Brevard County Jail.

Obama at the Bat

From TheDepartment7:




Tip: Rita and Eugene

Court: EPA Overstepped Authority

(Washington, D.C.)

A federal appeals court in Washington has overturned an Obama administration rule that requires aging power plants in Texas and several Midwestern states to sharply reduce emissions that contribute to unhealthy air in neighboring states.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority with the new regulation, which was one of the hallmarks of the federal government's recent efforts to improve air quality.

The decision keeps in effect an earlier version of the rule that is weaker but still requires cuts in air pollution that crosses state borders.

Okay.

Outcry after military veteran detained for anti-government Facebook posts

A former Marine involuntarily detained for psychiatric evaluation for posting strident anti-government messages on Facebook has received an outpouring of support from people who say authorities are trampling on his First Amendment rights.

Brandon J. Raub, 26, has been in custody since FBI, Secret Service agents and police in Virginia's Chesterfield County questioned him Thursday evening about what they said were ominous posts talking about a coming revolution. In one message earlier this month according to authorities, Raub wrote: "Sharpen my axe; I'm here to sever heads."

Police -- acting under a state law that allows emergency, temporary psychiatric commitments upon the recommendation of a mental health professional -- took Raub to the John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell. He was not charged with any crime.

A Virginia-based civil liberties group, The Rutherford Institute, dispatched one of its attorneys to the hospital to represent Raub at a hearing Monday. A judge ordered Raub detained for another month, Rutherford executive director John Whitehead said.

"For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon," Whitehead said.

Source

Florida Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Crestview, Florida)

A former teacher accused of fleeing Florida with a teenage boy has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and designated a sexual offender.

Okaloosa County Circuit Judge Michael Flowers sentenced Amanda L. Cooney on several charges, including unlawful sexual activity with a minor, grand theft, burglary and credit card fraud, according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.

After prison, Cooney will spend 10 years on sexual offender probation. She will have a curfew and be allowed no unsupervised contact with children.

She also will be required to register her sexual offender status with authorities and not allowed within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds or convenience stores, Chief Assistant State Attorney Bill Bishop said.

Fifteen years is a fairly stiff sentence and, arguably, it was earned.

* * * * *
Florida Teacher Guilty of Multiple Crimes - Updated
[Previous 4/19/12 post]
(Crestview, Florida) Yesterday, former teacher Amanda Cooney pleaded no contest to multiple crimes including burglary, theft, fraud and forgery, and unlawful sex with a minor.

A charge of interfering with the custody of a minor was dropped Wednesday because the teenager wasn’t forced to leave town with Cooney.

“Based upon his actions, that charge became a little questionable,” said Bill Bishop, the chief assistant state attorney in Okaloosa County. “ … He voluntarily went with the woman.”

When Cooney was brought before Circuit Judge Michael Flowers Wednesday, her responses were quiet as she stood next to [defense attorney] Stewart in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs.

“There will not be a jury trial,” said Flowers, who then looked up and added, “although you do have that right.”[…]

Bishop said the state will seek the minimum sentence allowed under law of 95.5 months in prison, but based on her plea Cooney could face up to 90 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

* * * * *
Florida Teacher on Lam with Teen Arrested in Ohio
[Previous 11/5/11 post]
(Montgomery County, Ohio) A 26-year-old reading teacher at Okaloosa Academy Charter School in Fort Walton Beach, Amanda Cooney, on the lam from Florida with a 16-year-old fugitive, has been arrested at a motel in Ohio.

While on routine patrol, officers took note of their vehicle in the Days Inn parking lot.

"Quite honestly [it had] quiet a bit of stuff inside it, almost like a hoarder," says Riverside Deputy Police Chief Michael Brown.

A run of the car's license plate showed the 16-year-old had warrants out for his arrest and that he might be armed and dangerous. So officers went to the pair's room where they took them into custody.

Cooney faces charges of aiding and interfering with a missing child. She and the boy await extradition to Florida.

New York Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Seneca Falls, New York) A 45-year-old local woman, Dawn Planty, has been accused of liquoring up and boffing a 14-year-old boy.

Planty faces charges of rape in the 2nd degree, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawfully dealing with a child.

Planty was arraigned in Village of Waterloo Court by Judge Dean Mattoon and was sent to the Seneca County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond.

A court appearance is scheduled for August 28.

Cheating at Texas Fishing Tournament

(South Padre Island, Texas) Earlier this month, the Ladies Kingfish Tournament was held in the waters around South Padre Island with over 200 female participants.

The women competed in a variety of categories for cash prizes, trophies and a boat worth $18,000.

Sadly, it's alleged that seven participants were cheating, a felony crime under a new law governing salt water fishing tournaments.




(Cameron County, Texas)

The tourney contestants are in hot water with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens and fellow contestants. The incident happened during the Lady Kingfish Tournament.

Fellow contestants said some will try stuffing ice and lead weights into the fish in an effort to win the tournament.

"I've heard of (people) keeping fishing tanks out in the bay somewhere ... (they) put fish in there and hold them," said fishing guide Corey Mock. "(Some) pay other people to go fish for them."

Seven people are behind bars accused of taking part in the scheme. Police said they attempted to use a fish they didn't catch to win the tournament.

Fishing guide Johnny Watts said the incident bothers him.

"I am (sun) burnt, and come to the weigh station (with) a decent stringer and place second or third. Then they are not burnt and they have a winning stringer ... that frustrates me," Watts said.

If convicted of fraud, the seven could face possible 10-year prison terms.

Minnesota Pol Faces Sex Scandal

(Duluth, Minnesota) Last month, 56-year-old state Representative Kerry Gauthier, D-Duluth, admitted to sexual contact with a 17-year-old boy at a Minnesota rest stop.

Rep. Kerry Gauthier, 56, hasn’t been charged in the July incident, and authorities said he wouldn’t be because the boy was older than 16, the legal age of consent, and no money was exchanged.

Police say the teenager responded to the lawmaker’s Craigslist ad for “no strings attached” sex.

Gauthier admitted to the liaison, according to police reports made public late last week. The teen told police the two had oral sex, according to the reports.

The scandal has hurt Democrats’ hopes of retaking at least one chamber of the Legislature. They need to pick up at least six seats in the House, and Gauthier’s Duluth-area seat usually is reliably Democratic. But if he drops out, any Democrat seeking to replace him would have to run as a write-in candidate, making the race much more difficult to win.

Minnesota Democrats have asked Gauthier to withdraw from the race for reelection while allowing him to collect pay and benefits for the remaining months of his term.

Republicans called for Gauthier to resign immediately.

New York Woman Allegedly Clobbers Walmart Worker

(Batavia, New York) A 26-year-old local woman, Jacquetta Simmons, faces assault charges for allegedly punching out a 70-year-old Walmart greeter, Grace Suozzi, last Christmas Eve.

Simmons faces felony and misdemeanor assault charges.

The 26-year-old faces up to seven years in prison after being charged under New York state's "Granny Law." The law makes it a felony to injure someone 65 or older if the defendant is at least 10 years younger than the victim.

Simmons is accused of knocking Grace Suozzi off her feet with a blow to the face while Suozzi was checking her receipt. Simmons' lawyer says Suozzi grabbed her bag.

A Genesee County Court jury will hear the case.

Phones to Avoid

From CNET TV:




You're welcome.

Canadian Church Boycotts Israeli Goods

Church members are instructed to avoid "any and all products produced in the settlements."

Canada's largest Protestant church has approved a boycott of products made in Israeli settlements.

Meeting in Ottawa, the governing General Council of the United Church of Canada's General Council on Friday supported a resolution calling for a boycott of goods produced in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

Restricting free trade is apparently the Canadian Christian thing to do.

Girls in the Clubhouse




Not any more. The all-male Augusta National Golf Club is now coed.

The home of the Masters, under increasing criticism the last decade because of its all-male membership, invited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in October.

Both women accepted.

Congratulations to the ladies.

Is libertarianism an infantile disorder?

In the excerpt below the very level-headed Mark Krikorian says it is:

I think libertarianism is an infantile disorder, an "ideology" in the worst, anti-Burkean sense of the word. That is not to say that many Americans who call themselves "libertarians" share that disorder — I think the appeal of the label comes from the Republican Party's pathetic big-government record over the past couple of decades. Despite the many patriotic Americans who call themselves "libertarians" as a kind of protest, the ideology of libertarianISM is a post-American creed that rejects national borders and nationhood itself.

Krikorian is of course alluding to "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder", a book by V.I. Lenin in which Lenin criticizes the more idealistic and less practical Communists of his day.

I am inclined to agree with Krikorian. The level of hate and fanaticism that I regularly read in libertarian publications can sometimes be quite nauseating. Ideas of moderation and compromise are a rarity. As I myself am very much a minimum government conservative I find a lot of libertarian analyses helpful so I will not go on a rampage of finger-pointing and naming names but some of the writers on Lew Rockwell's site (for instance) regularly sound distinctly unpleasant to me. Take this article by Karen de Coster for instance. It absolutely drips hate and dogmatism. She is admittedly an extreme food fanatic as much as she is a libertarian but that seems to pass muster among at least some libertarians. Their very Leftist contempt for the society they live in makes them disrespectful of scientific caution so food and health fads seem to flourish among them.

I will not go on but those who read much libertarian literature will know well why libertarians are and will remain a tiny minority in politics. Which is all the more a pity because a more moderate presentation might help in the great struggle against government and for the individual that is afoot in America today

An important caveat, however, is that there are as many versions of libertarianism as there are libertarians and there are a minority of libertarians who manage to keep their feet on the ground. There are, for instance, some libertarians who oppose unrestricted immigration, though that is far from the majority position among libertarians.

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

Arizona Woman Accused of Killing Mother

(Phoenix, Arizona) A 42-year-old local woman, Carol Hatley, has been accused of killing her 73-year-old mother, Deborah Hatley, and trying to dismember her body.

Hatley faces one count of second-degree murder.

Police said Hatley provided a statement regarding the circumstances that preceded the death of her mother and was taken into custody. Court paperwork indicates that what Hatley told officers did not mesh with what they were seeing at the scene or the time line provided by Martin.

Police said the mother and daughter lived together in the home and they had a very tumultuous relationship.

A court appearance is scheduled for September 28.

Gun Buyers at Firearms Turn-In



(Portland, Oregon) At a parking lot adjacent to the Memorial Coliseum, the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation conducted a four-hour firearms turn-in event yesterday.

Portland Police officers assisted foundation volunteers as gun owners surrendered their unwanted weapons for $75 gift cards.

Standing on the sidewalk across the street were a half-dozen gun buyers offering cash for the weapons. With bids starting at $80, the buyers shout cash offers to the gun owners, who typically do not know the resale value of their firearms.

Central Precinct Sgt. Tim Sessions said the police did not have a problem with the buyers on the sidewalk.

"They have a right to buy guns," Sessions said. "That's in the Constitution. So that doesn't bother me a bit."

Sessions dismissed the possibility that the sidewalk buyers would then sell to "undesirables. That's not the case. These people know what they're doing, They know the laws. They know they'd lose that right if they did sell to the undesirables."

Equally unlikely, said Sessions, who assisted the foundation with its guns buyback for nine years, is the notion that gang members would be among those turning in guns.

"They really would like to see the gangs turn in the guns," Sessions said. "And I tell them, 'Keep wishing that.' But it's not going to happen."

Gang members, first of all, want to hold onto their guns because "a gun means power. And two, they see us, the police, and they say 'We don't want to be caught with a gun.'"

Since criminals generally keep their guns, the value of gun buy-back/turn-in programs in reducing gun crime is questionable.

All charm



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

Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Poisoning Boyfriend

(Fulton County, Pennsylvania) A 33-year-old local woman, Vickie Jo Mills, has been accused of poisoning her boyfriend with Visine eyedrops.

Mills faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Vickie Jo Mills of 18250 Great Cove Road in Ayr Township was arrested Thursday after she admitted to Pennsylvania State Police in Fulton County she had put eyedrops in the drinking water of Thurman Edgar Nesbitt III, 45, 10 or 12 times over the past three years, starting in June of 2009.

“She related she had been putting Visine eyedrops in Nesbitt’s water since 2009. She never meant to kill him, only wanted him to pay more attention to her,” an affidavit of probable cause filed in Magisterial District Judge Wendy Mellott’s office reads.

Police were alerted to Nesbitt’s illnesses on July 17 when his doctor, Dr. Harry Johnston, told troopers he had been treating Nesbitt for various symptoms including nausea and vomiting, blood pressure fluctuation and breathing difficulties for years. He told police he suspected someone was putting Visine in his water.

Mills was booked into custody at the Franklin County Jail with bail set at $75,000.

Pizza Delivery Man Shot in Detroit

(Detroit, Michigan) A 19-year-old male college student, Tim McKenna, suffered a chest wound after being shot while delivering pizza.

In the wake of the shooting, a Jets Pizza franchise in Dearborn ruled it will no longer deliver to Detroit after dark. Before the shooting, they sent two drivers to every nighttime Detroit delivery, one of whom was armed, Joan McKenna said.

“They usually send somebody with a guy … who carries a gun,” she said. “Usually they have two go into Detroit after dark, if they have a delivery … One guy has a legal, he can carry a gun. That night, Timmy was the only one left, they had this one run to do, he said ‘yeah, I’ll do it.’ He’s a kid, he doesn’t think anything’s going to happen to him.”

Tim McKenna was shot in the ribs, and the bullet hit a lung, but he survived and plans to return in the fall to Adrian College, where he plays football. Pizza delivery was his summer job.

Police are searching for leads to the shooter.

The fact that an armed escort customarily rides along on after-dark pizza deliveries in Detroit is arguably a strong indication that violent crime is ubiquitous in the Motor City.