Father sentenced to prison for biting son's toes

Just as I was starting to wonder if this would be an almost sick fuck-free week, I run into this story.

An Arkansas sick fuck has been convicted and sentenced to six years in prison for disciplining his young son by biting his toes.

Where does someone get such an idea?

Todd Wayne Hall, 36, was found guilty Tuesday afternoon of battery in the second degree, a class D felony that is punishable with up to six years in prison; however, he will be eligible for parole in one year. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Hall bit his 6-year-old son's toes as a form of punishment. Jurors saw photographs of the boy's injured toes, which had bruises and cracks in the toenails. The boy, now 9, testified that his father bit his toes.

Hall admitted to biting his daughter, but claimed he was innocent and did not bite his son. Several years ago, Hall was placed on probation for four years and sentenced to 30 days in jail for biting his 10-month-old daughter on the buttocks.

Testimony revealed that Hall and his wife placed surveillance cameras in their son's and daughter's bedroom, and the children would be punished for blinking their eyes or moving while they were supposed to be napping.

They got their toes and butt bitten for blinking their eyes. This is fucked up on so many levels.

Hall did not testify during the trial, but his wife, Virginia Hall, did testify on behalf of her husband, denying ever seeing bruises on her son's toes. She testified to seeing her husband biting their son's toes but claimed it was a playful act instead of abusive. She admitted that her son said the biting was painful.

*sigh* Either she's a liar or a moron. Playful and painful isn't much of a match--is it?

The children were removed from the Halls' home and are now in the custody of their grandparents. Hall lost his parental rights to the children.

The grandmother testified during the sentencing phase that her grandson still suffers as a result of the abuse from his father. The boy continues to have nightmares and has anxiety about his feet.

Her grandson also bites and hits, according to the grandmother. "He told me he could be like his daddy, hit and bite," the grandmother said.

Oh...the magical circle of life...I can just see this kid biting his way through life.

Hall described growing up in an abusive home. He was placed in six foster homes during his teenage years, Hall said. How does that translate to biting kids' toes?

"I've heard what a good father is supposed to be in this courtroom more today than in my whole life," Hall said. "If my children were here, I would apologize to them for all the times I disciplined them instead of loving them," Hall stood and said after hearing the jury's decision.

The judge ordered Hall to have any contact with his son, with one exception: Hall can write one letter to his son.The letter must encourage his son not to resort to violence and must contain an apology.

He was arrested Aug 24, 2007, and it took this long to convict him--why? You'd think this was a multiple homicide case with no leads.

I can't help but wonder if this man's actions stem from some kind of ill-channeled foot fetish. Maybe he'll get to rub, lick and lovingly bite enough feet in prison to be rehabilitated.

Sources: The Associated Press, The Benton County Daily Record
Copyright © 2009

Judge seals jailhouse video of Casey Anthony

Casey Anthony with lawyer Jose Baez in court. (Photo source unknown)

Hmm, looks like she got away with it...for now, at least.

A judge ruled Wednesday to seal the jailhouse video of Casey Anthony on the day she learned a child's remains were found near her house, WFTV reported.

The video shows Anthony reportedly doubling over and hyperventilating on Dec 11 after learning her daughter's remains were found as she watched Channel 9.

"Her hands started to sweat. She started rubbing them profusely. She was in waist chains and handcuffs and she kept saying, 'The waist chains are getting tighter and tighter on me, please loosen them,'" Jail Lt. Tammy Unser told Detective Philip Graves during an interview on the afternoon of Dec 11.

Judge Stan Strickland issued a three-page order to seal the video. "While the Court is loathe to shield any public record, an argument can certainly be made that the contents of the video are highly inflammatory," he wrote in his order.

"Considering the matter and penalty at hand, it does seem too great a restraint to limit access to the video in question. Therefore, the defendant's Motion to Seal the videotape is granted, and it must not be released for viewing by the general public or media, until further order of the court," he said.

The Orlando Sentinel, however, filed a motion to intervene, which Judge Strickland granted Wednesday.

Casey's defense team argues their client's rights were violated when she was videotaped and that releasing the surveillance video would violate Anthony's right to privacy since it was filmed while she was in a medical office at the Orange County Jail, seeking medical treatment.

The attorneys also allege that her jailers worked with the Orange County Sheriff's Office to have the TV news on in the medical office so Anthony's reaction could be recorded. The Sheriff's Office denies such claims.

Sources: WFTV/Channel 9, Fla.
Copyright © 2009

Ensign quits Senate GOP leadership post

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. spoke about an extramarital affair at a news conference Tuesday in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada has stepped down from his leadership post one day after admitting he carried on a marital affair with a woman who was on his campaign staff, AP reported Wednesday.

Ensign conveyed his decision in a phone call with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said he had accepted the resignation.

Ensign was chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking spot in the leadership.

He remained away from the Capitol during the day, and aides declined to answer additional questions about the affair.

A timeline issued Tuesday said Ensign was involved in a "consensual affair" from December, 2007 through August, 2008. There has been no indication of why the senator decided to announce his infidelity when he did.

While I'm not one to call for the resignation of public officials when the mess up their personal lives with usually sex-related scandals, especially if they're doing a good job at their posts, given how he reacted during Sen. Craig's (R-Idaho) ordeal, I'm glad Ensign is in a way practicing what he preached. Good luck to him.

Sources: The Associated Press
Copyright © 2009

Obama vows U.S. will protect South Korea from North's nuclear threats

President Obama and South Korean leader Lee Myung Bak head for a news briefing at the White House on Tuesday in which they vowed to make North Korea think twice about its nuclear threats. (Alex Wong, Getty Images)

President Obama vowed Tuesday to protect South Korea from North Korea's nuclear threats, and end the North's longtime habit of firing off test missiles to win economic assistance, USA Today reported late Tuesday.

Obama said that, in recent years, N. Korea's provocations have been "rewarded" as Western countries offered fuel, food and loans in exchange for promises of good behavior that are eventually broken.

"We are going to break that pattern," Obama said after a White House meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak. Obama told reporters assembled in the Rose Garden that N. Korea "will not find security or respect through threats and illegal weapons."

Lee, via a translator, said he is less fearful of a North Korean attack because of a "new plateau" of support with the U.S.

"When they look at the firm partnership and alliance that we have between our two countries, they will think twice about taking any measures that they will regret," Lee said.

The two leaders were less united with regard to a long-stalled free-trade agreement. Obama said officials are trying to work out differences over terms of trade for Korean beef and American cars.

Lee's visit came after weeks of aggressive actions by North Korea. They include a nuclear test, missile tests, the arrest of two American journalists and renewed threats against South Korea.

Sources: USA Today
Copyright © 2009

Same-sex partners of fed workers to get benefits

Right: President Obama (Photo source unknown)

It's good news for gays.

President Barack Obama is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Obama plans to make the announcement in the Oval Office Wednesday, a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Tuesday.

The decision is a political nod to a reliably Democratic voting bloc that in recent weeks has grown frustrated with the White House's slow movement on their priorities.

Several powerful gay fundraisers withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee event where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak. Their exit came in response to a June 12 Justice Department brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for gay and lesbian criticism. Justice lawyers argued that the law allowed states to reject marriages performed in other states or countries that defy their own standards.

The legal arguments, including citing incest and sex with minors, sparked rebellion among gay and lesbian activists who had been largely biting their tongues since Obama won election. They had objected to the Rev. Rick Warren's invitation to participate in the inauguration despite his support for repealing gay marriage in California.

Gays and lesbians later fretted as the White House declined to intervene in the cases of enlisted military members facing courts martial for defying the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policies. White House officials say they want Congress to repeal the policy as part of a "lasting and durable" solution, instead of intervening on individual cases.

In the meantime, the administration has tried to make small, quiet moves to extend benefits to gays and lesbians. The State Department has promised to give partners of gay and lesbian diplomats many benefits, such as diplomatic passports and language training.

Gay and lesbian activists had expected Obama to take action some time in June, which is gay pride month.

Sources: The Associated Press, Reuters
Copyright © 2009

Foreign coverage restricted in Tehran

Left: Al-Alam footage shows Ahmadinejad supporters rallying Tuesday in central Tehran. (AFP/Getty Images)

As thousands took to the streets again on Tuesday, Iran's government banned international journalists from covering rallies and blocked access to some online communication tools in the wake of last week's disputed presidential election, CNN reported Tuesday.

Reporters working for international news outlets, including CNN, could talk about the rallies in their live reports but were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms and offices.

The decision was an apparent reaction to video showing violence at recent demonstrations in support of Mir Hossein Moussavi, who is disputing the results of Friday's presidential election. The government has criticized some of that coverage and the images, describing them as biased.

Iran also blocked access to certain online communication tools, text and video, but many Iranians were able to find a way around the restrictions.

Iran's all-powerful leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appealed to the citizenry on Tuesday to stand behind the Islamic republic.

"Some people are against the unity of the Iranian nation and the solidarity of the Islamic system," Khamenei said in a meeting with representatives of the four presidential candidates, government-funded Press TV reported.

"Such acts and vandalism and some crimes that were committed are not related to the candidates' supporters, but to disturbers of peace, and all should stand against them," Khamenei said.

Right: A protester injured during Monday's demonstration in Tehran is carried to a hospital. (European Press Photo Agency)

Iranian government-run television was not affected by the media restrictions. It aired live coverage of Tuesday's rally in support of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose supporters crowded the streets of central Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran's Guardian Council--an unelected panel of 12 top clerics and judges--agreed Tuesday to recount some votes in the disputed presidential election. But Moussavi asked instead for fresh elections.

Moussavi asked his supporters to forgo their planned rally Tuesday in the same area as the pro-Ahmadinejad gathering at Vali Asr Square in central Tehran. Instead, his supporters gathered at another location in Tehran, according to video footage of the rally.

Moussavi has contested the results of Friday's election, which showed an overwhelming victory for Ahmadinejad. His supporters have taken to the streets every day since the election, often clashing with police and Ahmadinejad's backers, asking for fresh elections. An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a recount would provide another opportunity for the government to manipulate the results.

Source: CNN
Copyright © 2009

Carrie Prejean's lawyer: 'She was wet up'

Dethroned pageant queen Carrie Prejean isn't finished playing the blame game.

Nooo way! Really?

As foreseen, Carrie's lawyer, Charles LiMandri, is going on the offensive against state pageant organization and director Keith Lewis, claiming Lewis plotted the downfall of the former Miss California by knowingly sending her lists of events and opportunities that were beyond the typical expected duties.

"There was really a lack for trust and a lack of respect," LiMandri told E! News. "He was trying to set her up. Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler wanted her out, pure and simple. They finally found a way to get their way."

At the time of firing Carrie, Lewis said she skipped more than 30 appearances and that her inability to live up to the terms of her contract was the reason she was fired.

He said the Playboy spread was part of the setup.

"She had just gotten a request to do a Playboy shoot with partial nudity—this was several days after [Donald] Trump reinstated her," LiMandri said. "[Lewis] knew she wouldn't do that stuff, and he was trying to set her up, saying, 'You can pick your photographer. You can pick the photos.' And then he'd be able to fire her for sure."

LiMandri also claims Lewis sent Prejean a list of Hollywood events recommending that she try to attend some, though her presence was never requested by the event organizers.

"Some of the things were such short notice, like that day or the next day, that they couldn't expect her to do it anyhow," he said. "When I read through the list with her, she said there was a lot of stuff she would like to go to, but it's not 'Miss California' stuff."

Stuff?

During her various TV interviews last week, Carrie declared she wasn't just "Miss Hollywood."

"What we expected her to be doing…it's community service events, it's charitable organizations, rotary conventions, avocado festivals, fairs," LiMandri said. "When she got the Hollywood list she said 'OK, but what about from Sacramento to San Diego?' "

Miss California USA Pageant executive directors Keith Lewis (left) and Shanna Moakler (right) held a Miss California USA Pageant press conference on May 11 during which they criticized Prejean for having appeared semi-nude on pictures prior to pageant and for making public appearances with groups opposed to same-sex marriage. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

One specific event Prejean rejected was in blatant opposition to her politics: a movie premiere about same-sex marriage.

"[Lewis] wanted her to go to the debut of a docudrama supporting same-sex marriage," the attorney said. "The people [who] produced it were going to be there explaining their journey as gay men toward same-sex marriage. She said, 'I'm just not comfortable doing that.' I wrote back to [Lewis'] attorney saying, 'She won't do the pro-traditional marriage stuff as Miss California. But don't ask her to do the pro-same-sex marriage stuff either.'"

More stuff?

LiMandri insisted that if Lewis and the Miss California organization do not stop speaking ill of Prejean, he will have no choice but to file a lawsuit against them.

Did or didn't we see this coming?

What exactly does "stop speaking ill" mean in this case? She was fired, end of story. No more speaking needed. This is BS...the lawsuit is coming whether people keep talking or not.

"We think she's got a great case," he said. "She just has to weigh her other options and see if that's what she wants to be doing for the next couple years—being involved in litigation—as opposed to taking advantage of these other offers or opportunities that are presenting themselves to her...At the same time, she doesn't feel that she can just stand by and let herself be continually defamed by Keith Lewis, saying things that are not true."

LiMandri suggested a tell-all book about her time as Miss California may be one of those current opportunities.

How original.

For additional background information on this story see Trump to Miss California: You're fired! published on June 10 and Um...girl, shut up already!...no wonder you lost posted on June 13.

Sources: E! News, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Republican Senator admits to extramarital affair

I love it when a Republican falls from grace, not because I wish suffering on anybody but because right wingers tend to be on a bit (a bit?) on the self-righteous side, so I find it entertainingly ironic when their sins are exposed, especially if they think themselves to be "good" enough and "right" enough--vs. bad and wrong, like everyone else--to be presidential hopefuls.

Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, a leading Republican mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, admitted Tuesday he had an extramarital affair with a woman who was a member of his campaign staff, AP reported.

Uh, oh...

"Last year I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage," Ensign said at a brief news conference in his home state. "It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life. If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it."

What he's likely really sorry about is getting caught, if you ask me.

The affair reportedly took place between December 2007 and August 2008 with a campaign staffer who was married to an employee in Ensign's Senate office. Neither has worked for the senator since May 2008, AP reported.

Ensign said he would not mention the name of the female campaign aide involved in the affair, describing her and her husband as good friends.

"Our families were close," he said. "That closeness put me into situations which led to my inappropriate behavior. We caused deep pain to both families and for that I am sorry."

You all know he didn't write a word of this, right? That's what staffers are for, among other duties...

Ensign made it clear he does not plan to resign.

Ensign's wife, Darlene, also released a statement about the affair.

"Since we found out last year we have worked through the situation and we have come to a reconciliation. This has been difficult on both families. With the help of our family and close friends our marriage has become stronger," Mrs. Ensign (staffers) said.

The Ensigns have three children.

Ensign was first elected to the Senate in 2000 and has been a rising star among conservatives. He's also a member of the men-only Christian ministry Promise Keepers.

This hypocrite blasted former Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who served in Congress for 25 years, when he was arrested in an airport bathroom for *ahem* seeking some company there. Ensign stopped short of urging Craig to resign.

"I wouldn't put myself hopefully in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that's what I would do," Ensign said at the time. "He's going to have to answer that for himself." In the end, Craig served out his term.

Self-righteous BS.

Ensign is the latest member of Congress who has acknowledged infidelity. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is rebounding from being linked with a prostitute by appealing to the populism in his state.

How does the saying go? Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?

Source: The Associated Press, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Queenie forgives Lord Dave...Ugh

She's so kunty. (Sorry, but when it comes to this woman, I can barely contain myself.)

Alaska Gov. and president-wanna-be Sarah Palin said Monday night she has accepted late-night TV host David Letterman's apology over a sexually charged joke about her teenage daughter, Reuters reported.

"Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve," Palin said in a statement late on Monday night.

On behalf of young women, like my daughters? What makes her think that she's entitled to speak for all women? What makes her think all young women are like her daughters?

On behalf of...who hope men who joke about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve? Where did she get the idea that young women give a fuck about this? They're "hoping" for iPhones, designer handbags and anorexic bodies, not for men who joke a certain way to evolve. WTF?

Why, oh, why is this woman so outrageously presumptuous? Arg.

"Letterman certainly has the right to 'joke' about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction," she said, adding (of course) that "this is all thanks to our U.S. Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's Right to Free Speech--in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect."

Can someone please explain to me how 4,650 Americans dying in Iraq and 31,327 wounded (as of June 13) have anything to do with our constitutional right to free speech?

Did or didn't we know she had ulterior motives when she picked a fight with Dave?

Ugh!

For background on this story see check out Letterman seriously sorry for 'bad' Palin joke

Now, can we please get back to a world without Palin?

Source: Reuters, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Cloudy days ahead for Speidi

OK, it's official. Speidi is crazy.

Not that it wasn't sort of official before, but let's just say that we knew they were morons. Now, don't get mad at me--I'm by no means the first person to call them morons; as a matter of fact, I'm probably one of the last ones to notice. And though I don't like name calling (except when it comes to sick fucks, then I really let my hair down) I, too, must face the truth.

And that is that they're beyond morons. They're nuts: certifiable-looney-tunes in urgent need of a hardcore reality check, which in their case would mean a day without media coverage of any kind, no paparazzi, no designer clothes and handbags, no uber-expensive sports cars, no celebrity makeup and hairstyling, no followers on Twitter.

I'm no psychiatrist, but doesn't the key difference between a sane and an insane person lie in soundness of mind, in the inability of the latter to be and stay in touch with reality? Based on that definition, my friends, I say the Pratts, a.k.a. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, a.k.a. Speidi, are bonkers.

So the reality TV, fame-seeking couple was interviewed by Today Show co-host Al Roker, and they should be thankful for the attention because despite their impression that they're A-list celebrities (no doubt due to their poor assessment of reality), they are nothing of the sort. What they are, in my humble opinion is a couple of buffoons who can't tell the difference between famous and infamous.

Heidi and Spencer had a few things to say to Al Roker after the interview, but they're still trying to figure out who he is.

Speidi thought he was too aggressive when he asked Heidi if she was proud of her behavior on NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here reality TV show being filmed in a bug-infested Costa Rican jungle. If you're not familiar with the show, check out Speidi: "The devil made us do it!" posted on June 4. (Above: Heidi Montag and Al Roker -- Getty Images/Extra composite)

"People keep on referring to this weatherman like I'm supposed to know who he is," Spencer told US magazine (oh, sweet jesus...). "So a shout-out to Weatherman, who I guess got to even hang out with us this morning."

One has to laugh...

Spencer thinks--and felt confident enough to say it out loud--that Al is lucky to have had the opportunity to be in their royal presence and "hang" with them, as though this interview would be pivotal in Al's career. Yes, Al Roker, NBC's Today Show Al Roker. The weatherman.

My friends, if this doesn't prove these two are out of their minds--out as in they ran out of anything resembling a mind-- then I don't know what will.

"This weather guy was definitely out of line, and he should stick to predicting cloudy days," Heidi told US. "Maybe someone rained on his little parade today."

*LOL!*

"Please do not be rude to women in the future," she said as a message to Al. "Please do not be rude to me. Please watch your tone, especially if you have a mother or a wife or a daughter. I don't think that they would appreciate you talking to them like that."

In her quest to be more like Mother Teresa (which she stated was her goal during a confessional at the jungle), she added: "I forgive you, you don't even have to ask me, I already forgive you. It's okay. The devil gets into all of us sometimes. You're forgiven. It'll be a sunny day tomorrow, Weatherman!"

Tuesday morning on the Today Show Al defended himself against allegations that he "persecuted" the Pratts. He told co-host Meredith Vieira, "I believe I asked what a lot people wanted to know."

Roker then slammed Speidi's fame: "There are a lot of celebrities who come on the show who've actually done something, who act civil."

In response to Spencer saying that it was only by the grace of God (lord have mercy on us all!) that he didn't physically attack the weatherman, Al said: "If he had tried to come across, I would have dropped him like a bag of dirt."

*ROFLMAO!*

Either Speidi gets some sort of smoke-upstairs-bigheaded-celebrity intervention, I'm afraid their next fashion statement to make the tabloids will be his-and hers straight jackets. Now, that's an idea for Chanel, if you ask me!

Source: US Magazine, ExtraTV, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Letterman seriously sorry for 'bad' Palin joke

Late night talk-show host David Letterman. CBS photo

If Sarah Palin had a penis (as she secretly wishes), she would be feeling several inches longer today.

The maverick-wanna-be governor of Alaska has always struck me as somebody who thinks a bit too highly of herself, and bringing David Letterman to his knees can only feed that narcissism, if you ask me.

Sorry, I call it like I see it, and I saw more of Palin I would want to see in a lifetime during the presidential campaign and multiple debates last year. My mind's made up.

After a week of controversy over a joke he made in his show about one of Palin's daughters getting "knocked up" by a baseball player, Letterman said Monday it was a lousy joke, no matter how you cut it, and that he's sorry--for real.

Still, the late-night host insisted that what upset some people was the misconception over which of Palin's daughter the joke was about. He explained that the risque joke thought by some to have targeted Palin's underage daughter, Willow, was actually referring to 18-year-old daughter Bristol.

By the way, what's up with those names? The first one seems taken from a Lord of the Rings-like saga or Fleetwood Mac song, while the second one calls forth visions of a pink Pepto Bismol bottle or Bristol-Myers Squibb pills. Sorry my friends, but that's what these names do to me.

Letterman told viewers that it was "a coarse joke...a bad joke," noting, however, that he never thought it was about anybody other than the older daughter, "and before the show, I checked to make sure, in fact, that she is of legal age, 18."

What irks me about this situation is that it was Palin who assigned the joke to her younger daughter, not Letterman. She was the one who perverted the joke, wasn't she?

Clearly, the joke was about the older daughter, who got pregnant at 17 and had a baby. I can't help but think that Palin conveniently interpreted the joke to be about 14-year-old Willow just to use it as a springboard to make a big and calculated stink about jokes too liberal for her taste and, in her opinion, bad for American values.

Sarah Palin charged Letterman with "sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity." And Todd Palin issued a statement last week that said "any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable."

Please tell me that people can see thought this bullshit. This right-wing ass--yes, IMO she proved she's an ass during her race to the White House--simply wants to get the liberal Letterman out of the way.

She couldn't win against Obama, so she's taking on a talk-show host. Lame.

Letterman said Monday: "I'm wondering, 'Well, what can I do to help people understand that I would never make a joke like this?' I've never made jokes like this, as long as we've been on the air, 30 long years."

If the joke had been aimed at a 14-year-old, "I would be upset myself," he added.

"It doesn't make any difference what my intent was, it's the perception," the late-night veteran told his audience. "And, as they say about jokes, if you have to explain the joke, it's not a very good joke...I take full blame for that. I told a bad joke. I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception. And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke. It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault."

Uh...no Dave, it was her fault. Correct me if I'm wrong, was she or was she not the one who brought the younger daughter into the equation?

"So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it, and I'll try to do better in the future," he concluded.

Meanwhile, inspired by Palin, a conservative group is demanding CBS fire Letterman. Are you fucking kidding me?

*sigh*

Here's the thing: if the joke targeted my daughter, I wouldn't find it funny, so I can understand her indignation from that point of view. However, (a) I haven't chosen a public life, while she has pursued one relentlessly, (b) I don't have a daughter, so I can't truly relate, and (c) I don't care what she says, what I see is not a woman speaking from the point of view of a concerned mother but a politician hoping for a second change.

Source: The Associated Press, CNN, E! Online, US magazine
Copyright © 2009

Court orders $507.5-mil damages in Exxon spill

Twenty years have passed since the catastrophic oil spill in Alaska that led to haunting images of black beaches, wildlife drowned in oil and rescue teams desperately trying to save those still breathing under a thick layer of the black thick goo--20 freaking years and this company has yet to pay for its negligence.

Is the end of this court battle finally in sight?

A federal appeals court on Monday ordered Exxon Mobil Corp to pay $507.5 million in punitive damages stemming from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, plus 5.9% interest running from the 1996 trial judgment.

That's nickels and dimes given the massive damage the spill caused.

The amount is a fraction of the $5 billion in punitive damages originally awarded to fishermen, Alaska natives, business owners and other litigants by a jury in 1996, and equals the compensatory damages agreed to in a subsequent settlement, Reuters reported.

The opinion issued on Monday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set the punitive damages figure and determined the date from which the interest would run, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the maximum ratio of punitive to compensatory damages is 1:1 under maritime law, according to the report.

In a split decision, the appeals court ordered each party to bear its own attorney fees and court costs.

The oil spill from the Exxon Valdez supertanker in March 1989 was the worst in the nation's history, blackening more than 1,200 miles of Alaska's coastline. The clean-up alone cost around $2.5 billion.

At the time of the spill I thought this company would perish in the spill, not only because of the legal ramifications (which, as we can see, have been next to nothing in 20 years), but also because in the court of public opinion Exxon had been convicted, and many people vowed to never buy Exxon gas after the spill.

Well, Exxon is still alive and kicking, which suggests that people either never stopped buying from Exxon or eventually forgot about the incident.

I for one have never, ever purchased gas from Exxon since the spill, and I never will...not unless nothing but Exxon pumps remain, which isn't going to happen.

Maybe I'm better at keeping my word, or maybe I'm good at holding a grudge. In any case, I simply cannot forget the images of the death and destruction that tanker left in its wake. Source: Reuters, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Monday Bloody Monday underway...

So it's Monday, which I like waaaay better than Sunday, but which also means a stew of news of sick fucks at work hoping for at spot in the Sick Fuck Hall of Fame.

Woman set on fire in Houston

First we have the case of a 33-year-old woman in Houston who answered her front door Saturday "to an unknown person" only to be doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire.

Neighbors said they saw her running and described her as being on fire "from head to toe."

No one has been arrested.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized in critical condition with burns over most of her body.

Visual aid:

A 40-year-old Belgian mother of three of Congolese origin set herself on fire in 2007 in Luxembourg City, Belgium, to protest racism. (Photo by MediaTakeOut.com)

Woman webcasting live sexual abuse of her kid busted

British detectives said Monday an investigation into Internet child pornography uncovered a woman in the U.S. suspected of using a webcam to broadcast live sexual abuse of her young child.

Another one for the Mother of the Year award...

British police launched the investigation last Thursday when officers arrested an 18-year-old man in central England, who was later charged with possessing and distributing abusive images of children, Reuters reported. The following day, detectives contacted Britain's Child Exploitation Online Protection agency and the U.S. Embassy, leading to the arrest of the woman in Maine.

Police said the woman's four children, aged between 18 months and five years, had been taken into protective custody and she had been charged with gross sexual assault and was being held on a $20,000 bail.

"Our officers worked through the night on Thursday and Friday to ensure the identification and safety of these children across the other side of the world," said Detective Chief Inspector Dave McCrone of West Midlands Police.

That's all we know so far.

Miami serial cat killer could face eternity in prison

Tyler Hayes Weinman, could face a maximum of 158 years in state prison if convicted on all counts stemming from a month-long horrific torture and killing spree of his neighbors' cats.

They 18-year-old punk was arrested Saturday and charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty, 19 counts of improper disposal of dead animals, and four counts of burglary.(See Serial cat killer caught, posted June 14)

Weinman lives in Cutler Bay and has lived with his parents in Palmetto Bay, the two towns where the 19 cats were killed.

Pet owners and police began discovering skinned and gutted cats May 13. Thirty-four cats have been found dead in the towns, but only 19 could be linked to the serial cat killer, as some of the cats were killed by dogs.

Weinman, who works odd jobs but spends most of his time at home and unemployed and whose sealed juvenile record includes two prior offenses, had been a person of interest for several weeks, police said.

"The cruelty of these crimes were horrific for the animal victims, but there were many human victims as well," Cutler Bay Mayor Paul Vrooman said."Let's not forget the children and the families who found their pets mutilated. These awful scenes inflicted a human toll."

More likely to come later...

Sources: The Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, CNN, Reuters
Copyright © 2009

More violence in Iran, militia shoots at protesters

Reformist presidential candidate Mir Houssein Mousavi, with his wife his wife Zahra Rahnavard, addresses supporters at a rally today in Tehran. (Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

It should be of no surprise that the unrest in Iran continues to be our top story.

We start the day with reports of shootings in Tehran with one person confirmed dead (I suspect this number will climb) and more panic spreading throughout the city, which has been "on fire" in the aftermath of presidential elections Friday Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief rival, Mir Hossein Moussavi, are protesting the election results, claiming fraud .

Tens of thousands of Mousavi supporters--more than 100,000 according to some reports--gathered for a rally in downtown Tehran calling for the annulment of the official result of Friday's election. Moussavi spoke to the crowd at the rally.

It has been reported that the pro-government militia opened fired at demonstrators at Azidi Square, but according to the latest reports shootings have now been heard in at least three districts of northern Tehran.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, said rally is the biggest demonstration in the Islamic republic's 30-year history and described it as a "political earthquake."

The U.S. State Department stated it's "deeply troubled" by the reports of violence in Iran.

So where is this clash heading to? Will people calm down and the issue die down in a couple of days? Hmm...I doubt it.

But Iran is not the U.S.--there won't be a "recount" there, and foreign nations have no say on Iran's elections. The opposition isn't powerful enough to be a threat to Ahmadinejad. So what are the protesters hoping to accomplish other than rant and vent? Not that there's anything wrong with ranting and venting...

"If Ahmadinejad remains president we will protest every day," the protesters are shouting. "We fight, we die, we will not accept this vote rigging," was another chant in the crowd, Reuters reported.

If indeed Ahmadinejad was the winner, the opposition is toast. But if the election was tampered with and this can be proven somehow, then democracy and justice could have a chance at prevailing in Iran...but I'm not holding my breath.

Sources: BNO News, Reuters, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Eyewitness account of violence in Tehran

A backer of Mr. Moussavi confronted riot police officers in Tehran. In recent days, Mr. Moussavi's supporters were predicting a wide victory, citing voter surveys. And Mr. Ahmadinejad, the hard-line incumbent, had appeared on the defensive. Photo: Caren Firouz/Reuters

This is terrible. I found it on the CNN website--an eyewitness account on the violence and brutality that has taken over the streets of Tehran in the aftermath of the presidential elections. Kudos to the photographers.

TEHRAN, Iran -- He was surrounded and pleading for them to stop but six men with clubs, batons and metal rods kept battering a young Iranian man with ruthless force. The swing that keeps replaying in my head was the black baton that smashed the man in the skull behind his left ear.

Seconds earlier the man had dared to stand up to the baton wielding men because they had shoved a 14-year-old girl. For his chivalry he got one of the most savage beatings I have ever seen at the hands of four Iranian riot policemen and members of the Baseej, Iran's plain clothed volunteer militia.

"To hell with Iran," he said as he sat beaten and battered along the sidewalk. "This is not my government. This is not my country."

A grown man who watched the beating burst into tears.

A Moussavi supporter was injured in a demonstration. Witnesses reported that at least one person had been shot dead in clashes with the police in Vanak Square in Tehran. Photo: Olivier Laban-mattei/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images

This was a glimpse of the ugly aftermath of Iran's presidential elections, which sparked outrage among supporters of candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi.

Moussavi's backers are calling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide victory a sham. They're demanding the vote be annulled. The government's response has been a ruthless and violent crackdown.

For eight chaotic hours I saw the two sides clash throughout the streets of Tehran. These were Iranians versus Iranians, but the two sides were worlds apart in appearance, ideology and brute force.

Moussavi's supporters were mostly young 20-something men and women. They were college students, young professionals with degrees demanding social freedom, a better way of life, and better relations with the West.

Two teenage girls carrying bricks had French manicured fingernails and designer sunglasses. The protesters threw objects, burned trash bins, honked their horns and chanted "death to the dictator!"

They were loud, until they heard the roar of the motorcycles.

The motorcycles belonged to two groups of Ahmadinejad supporters: Iran's riot police and the Baseej.

The riot police looked like modern gladiators, muscular and menacing with camouflaged uniforms, black boots, black bulletproof vests and black shielded helmets. They rode in pairs. One drove while the other wielded a club or a baton. They swarmed crowds of rowdy protesters in packs of about 20, beating anyone who got in their way.

The landslide victory for Mr. Ahmadinejad came as a powerful shock to opposition supporters, who had cited polls showing that Mr. Moussavi had a strong lead in the final days of the campaign. Photo: Olivier Laban-Mattei/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images

On several occasions I saw female Moussavi supporters plead with their male counterparts not to run away. But they almost always did. They were clearly intimidated by the brutal show of force.

The Baseejis were just as ruthless. Those who didn't ride on motorcycles walked the streets in large packs carrying clubs. They didn't wear uniforms, so they could easily ambush protesters. They beat one protester so badly that he collapsed in the middle of an intersection and trembled uncontrollably. I saw one battered young man crawl into the lobby of an apartment building, curl up under the stairwell and sob. He had welts on his forehead and bruises up and down his arms.

"They hit me with everything," he said as he gasped for air. "They hit with clubs. They hit me with chains."

When the two sides weren't throwing objects at one another, they were hurling insults. I heard and felt the hatred on both sides.

During a Saturday afternoon news conference Ahmadinejad compared the violent crackdown against the protesters to a citation after a traffic ticket.

A few hours later thousands gathered in midtown Tehran to hear Ahmadinejad deliver a victory speech. The re-elected president said the elections belonged to Iran's people.

Never since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 have Iran's people appeared this divided.

Mr. Moussavi made clear in statements on Saturday that he rejected the results and called on supporters and fellow clerics to fight them. Supporters threw stones during clashes with riot police. Photo: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

Source: CNN

Israeli PM accepts limited Palestinian state

Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP photo)

Who knows where this is going...but I'm sure we'll be hearing about it all week. So here it goes:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for creation of a limited Palestinian state for the first time, saying it would have to be disarmed, AP reported Sunday.

Netanyahu made the call during a major policy speech about his Mideast peacemaking intentions.

"In any peace agreement, the territory under Palestinian control must be disarmed, with solid security guarantees for Israel," he said.

"If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state," he said.

Up to now Netanyahu has resisted endorsing the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a Mideast peace settlement, drawing intense pressure from the administration of President Barack Obama.

Netanyahu also said the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state, and he declared that the solution of the Palestinian refugee problem must be "outside Israel."

Palestinians claim that refugees from the 1948-49 war that followed Israel's creation and their millions of descendants have the right to reclaim their original homes.

"I call on you, our Palestinian neighbors, and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority: Let us begin peace negotiations immediately, without preconditions," he said. "Israel is committed to international agreements and expects all the other parties to fulfill their obligations as well."

Netanyahu also called for Arab leaders to meet him and contribute to Palestinian economic development.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the speech as "sabotaging" peace efforts, Reuters reported.

A senior Palestinian negotiator called on U.S. President Barack Obama to intervene to force Israel to abide by previous interim agreements that include freezing settlement activity in the West Bank. The alternative, he said, was violence.

"The peace process has been moving at the speed of a tortoise," negotiator Saeb Erekat said. (Above: Mahmoud Abbas)

"Tonight, Netanyahu has flipped it over on its back."

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said: "Netanyahu's remarks have sabotaged all initiatives, paralysed all efforts being made and challenges the Palestinian, Arab and American positions."

He noted Netanyahu's demand that Jerusalem be the undivided capital of Israel and that Palestinian refugees not be allowed into Israel: "This will not lead to complete and just peace," Abu Rdainah said. "His remarks are not enough and will not lead to a solution."

"President Obama, the ball is in your court tonight," Erekat said. "You have the choice tonight. You can treat Netanyahu as a prime minister above the law and...close off the path of peace tonight and set the whole region on the path of violence, chaos, extremism and bloodletting."

Just what we need from every side--more rhetoric...although something is better than nothing.

Source: The Associated Press, Reuters
Copyright © 2009