Hopefully, this will morph into a recurring thread that memorializes the idiocy that surrounds us ~ ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original of this first post ~ Sooz

New Rule Prohibits Voters In Miami-Dade County From Using The Restroom, No Matter How Long The Line
By Nicole Flatow on April 10, 2014 at 12:17 pm

During the 2012 presidential election, voters reportedly waited on line for upwards of six hours. That wait alone is enough to deter would-be voters from going to the polls. But now residents in Florida’s most populous county will have another disincentive: they won’t be able to go to the bathroom.

Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities, according to disability rights lawyer Marc Dubin. Dubin said the policy change was in “direct response” to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.

“I was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,” Dubin said.

Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated. “[T]he Department’s policy is not to permit access to restrooms at polling sites on election days,” Assistant County Attorney Shanika Graves said in a Feb. 14 email. Elections Department officials did not immediately respond to ThinkProgress inquiries.

Dubin said he was “shocked” at this response, and not just because it suppresses the vote for everybody. The Americans with Disabilities Act also requires entities to make “reasonable accommodations” to those with disabilities. For those with a number of conditions, including diabetics and those taking diuretics, closing the restroom will make standing in that line impossible, and thus discriminate against disabled voters.

But those with disabilities are not the only ones who would suffer disproportionately from this policy. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis found that blacks and Hispanics waited almost twice as long to vote as whites in the 2012 presidential election. Another analysis found that this “time tax” also impacted young voters. And this would be one of a number Florida voter suppression policies that have a particular impact on the elderly.

The state’s next-most populous counties, Broward and Palm Beach, told the Sun Sentinel they would not implement this policy.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/10/3425252/new-rule-prohibits-voters-in-miami-dade-county-from-using-the-restroom-no-matter-how-long-the-line/

Must be a Repugnant decision... as usual.

Florida.....

OK, everybody in line, the bathrooms are closed so if you have to go, just do it where you are.

Yeah, that'll work.

Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,”

Really. Really???

Violation of the building codes/by-laws, I should think.

What could possibly go wrong here??? ~ ~ Sooz

Armed Right-Wing Militia Members Descend On Nevada To Help Rancher Defy Court Order
By Ian Millhiser on April 11, 2014 at 1:37 pm

“We provide armed response,” according to a Montana militia member named Jim Lordy. Lordy traveled to Nevada in order to support a local rancher for believes that he should not have to follow federal court orders. When he arrived there, he told a local reporter that “[w]e need guns to protect ourselves from the tyrannical government.”

Lordy belongs to a militia group called Operation Mutual Aid, which provides “[d]efense of public and private property, lives, and liberty to exercise God-given rights, seen plainly in the laws of Nature, and codified in the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, at the request of such parties in need of such defense,” according to a website associated with the group. Although only three militia members had arrived at the Nevada ranch by late Wednesday, when the latest reports came out, other militia groups reportedly “inundated the [rancher's] household with calls and pledges to muster at the site.”

The Oath Keepers, a right-wing law enforcement organization that warns about the government “disarm[ing] the American people” and “blockad[ing] American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps,” also announced that it will send people to support the defiant rancher.

This conflict arises out of rancher Cliven Bundy’s many years of illegally grazing his cattle on federal lands. In 1998, a federal court ordered Bundy to cease grazing his livestock on an area of federal land known as the Bunkerville Allotment, and required him to pay the federal government $200 per day per head of cattle remaining on federal lands. Around the time it issued this order, the court also commented that “[t]he government has shown commendable restraint in allowing this trespass to continue for so long without impounding Bundy’s livestock.” Fifteen years later, Bundy continued to defy this court order.

Last October, the federal government returned to court and obtained a new order, providing that “Bundy shall remove his livestock from the former Bunkerville Allotment within 45 days of the date hereof, and that the United States is entitled to seize and remove to impound any of Bundy’s cattle that remain in trespass after 45 days of the date hereof.” A third federal court order issued the same year explains that Bundy did not simply refuse to stop trespassing on federal lands — he actually expanded the range of his trespassing. According to the third order, “Bundy’s cattle have moved beyond the boundaries of the Bunkerville Allotment and are now trespassing on a broad swath of additional federal land (the “New Trespass Lands”), including public lands within the Gold Butte area that are administered by the BLM, and National Park System land within the Overton Arm and Gold Butte areas of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.” The third order also authorizes the federal government to “impound any of Bundy’s cattle that remain in trespass.”

On Saturday of last week, the government hired wranglers to round up Bundy’s livestock. As of Wednesday, they’d impounded a total of 352 cattle. That’s when a tense standoff broke out between a group of Bundy’s supporters and federal rangers armed with stun guns and police dogs. In one video, a ranger tackles Bundy’s sister away from a moving vehicle (she later admitted that she was blocking the path of government trucks shortly before this incident). Another video shows rangers using a stun gun on a protester immediately after he kicks a police dog.


Bundy, for his part, claims that “our Constitution didn’t provide for anything like the federal government owning this land.” He’s wrong. The Constitution provides that “[t]he Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/11/3425659/armed-right-wing-militias-descend-on-nevada-to-help-rancher-defy-court-order/

The full post, accessible by clicking the Photography Is Not A Crime "live link" below, is well worth reading ... if only to get the full story of just how stupid this arrest and conviction are and how apparently ignorant this "judge" is ~ ~ Sooz

Salon / By Elias Isquith
Police Charge High School Student with Disorderly Conduct for Using an iPad to Prove He's Being Bullied
The teen sought proof that school administrators were ignoring his plight. So they had him arrested.

April 15, 2014 | Trigger-warning if you hate incompetent bureaucrats and the abuse of power.

Photography Is Not A Crime has flagged a story out of McDonald, Pennsylvania about a high school student whose attempts to prove he was the victim of bullying ended up landing him in front of a judge and charged with disorderly conduct.

According to reports, a high school sophomore at South Fayette High School had grown so sick of having teachers and administrators look the other way whenever he was being bullied that he decided to record some of the routine abuse with his iPad. When school administrators found this out, they took swift action — against him, not his bullies.

Officials at South Fayette High School allegedly told the student to delete the recording and threatened to have him arrested on charges of felony wiretapping. By the time the police arrived at the school, however, the student had already deleted the file.

But rather than leave it there, the police chose to charge the student for disorderly conduct. About a month later, a judge convicted him. No disciplinary actions have been taken against either the administrators and teachers who ignored the bullying or the bullies themselves.

In her remarks defending her decision to convict the bullied child, Judge Maureen McGraw-Desmet claimed that the student’s recording of his abusers’ taunts was an “extreme” move. It would’ve been better, the judge said, if the child had opted to “let the school handle it” instead.

Here’s her full statement, which Photography Is Not A Crime describes as “almost incoherent”:


Photography Is Not A Crime also notes that the judge is herself the daughter of a judge, a family relationship which likely helped secure her own election to the bench.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/police-charge-high-school-student-disorderly-conduct-using-ipad-prove-hes-being

Well like, you know, it is , you know, a little hard to believe that this, you know, judge has any, you know, education. You know?

Holy shyte!

Blaming the victim seems to be the new game in town. Rape victims, abuse victims, bullying victims, and even shooting victims (stand your ground).
We wonder why young people don't take responsibility for their actions? Why should they, since they can blame their victim?

Up is down.

WHEW! ~ here's an update to my prior post ~ this child did NOT deserve being charged with anything ~ and I hope he doesn't let the school or the "judge" off-the-hook so easily ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original ~ Sooz

Thu Apr 17, 2014 at 06:20 AM PDT.
Charges dropped against PA teen who recorded himself being bullied
by Christian Dem in NC

Yesterday, I mentioned the appalling ordeal of Christian Stanfield, a 15-year-old boy with ADHD who finally had enough of the bullying he'd had to endure for most of the year at his high school south of Pittsburgh since at least October. Back in February, he recorded several of his classmates bullying him in the middle of math class. However, when his mom showed the video to school officials, it was Christian who ended up taking the heat--in the form of a criminal charge for disorderly conduct. A local judge sided with the school and fined Christian $25 plus court costs. Read all about this travesty here.

Well, this story has a happy ending. Christian had been planning to appeal the judge's ruling in common pleas court on April 29. But late yesterday, he learned that hearing won't take place. The Allegheny County district attorney's office has announced that all charges against Christian will be dropped.


Cliff Notes version: the DA rightly concluded that these charges should have never been filed. Christian was initially accused of violating Pennsylvania's law against recording people without consent. However, the recording showed several kids tormenting Christian in full view of his math class and teacher--which means there was no expectation whatsoever of privacy. But even without that to consider, there is one whopper of an extenuating circumstance--the nature of the bullying that Christian and his mother, Shea Love, say that he had to endure.


And yet, nothing seems to have been done about it. According to Love, the video shows that the teacher didn't even try to see if Christian was OK after a loud slamming sound was heard and one of the punks who was bullying him said, "What? I was just trying to scare him." There isn't a prosecutor in this country who could bring charges against someone for recording this type of bullying and still keep his job. Though I have to admit, seeing the administrators of this school have to explain under oath why they didn't do something earlier would have been worth the price of admission. Seen in that light, the DA did this school one whopper of a favor.

Christian has gotten a ton of support from his fellow students. Several parents have also risen up to support him as well. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a school board meeting on Tuesday saw school officials get kicked up, down and sideways by parents for the way they (mis)handled this affair.

This isn't the end of this by a longshot. Christian's lawyer, Jonathan Steele, told the Tribune-Review that he intends to file a complaint with the federal Department of Education about this incident--meaning that school officials are going to have to explain why they not only failed to protect Christian, but tried to punish him for standing up for himself. Additionally, the area's state representative, Jesse White, told KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh that he plans to introduce legislation that would allow a student to record bullying incidents and not face charges.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/17/1292664/-Charges-dropped-against-PA-teen-who-recorded-himself-being-bullied?detail=email

From today's Daily Beast Cheat Sheet ~ even after reading the original article [via The Verge link below], I still don't get how/why this was approved and I can't imagine the liquor industry's reaction ~ what could possible go wrong??? ~ ~ Sooz

Snortable Alcohol on Its Way

It still has to clear a few more hurdles before it’s available for general sale, but Palcohol, a powdered alcohol, will soon make it easy to sneak in liquor just about anywhere. Palcohol’s motto is “Take your pal wherever you go!” and its website reportedly encourages bringing it to movie theaters and college sporting events. Obviously, an alcoholic substance that is not only incredibly discreet but masks the bitter taste of liquor is prime fodder for underage drinking. It doesn’t help that Palcohol also makes it abundantly clear on its website “Yes, you can snort it,” and adds “you’ll get drunk almost instantly because the alcohol will be absorbed so quickly in your nose.” While it proceeds to note that’s a bad idea and to drink responsibly, most teenagers won’t read past the “instantly drunk” part. Despite these potential concerns, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the powder.

Read it at The Verge
April 21, 2014 7:35 AM

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheets/2014/04/21/cheat-sheet.html#10

Yikes! I can see a whole new group of alcoholics on the horizon. Gotta love the ATF's approval. Not surprising.

Update on the powdered alcohol.

Approval of powdered alcohol, Palcohol, gets reversed by regulators
Mark Heim | mheim@al.com By Mark Heim | mheim@al.com

powdered alcohol has been shelved ... for now.

It was reported "Palcohol," powdered alcohol that you add to water, was approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

However, Tom Hogue, a representative for the federal bureau, said in an email to CNNMoney late Monday that the approval was an error.

In an email message, Palcohol's parent company Lipsmark said "there seemed to be a discrepancy on our fill level, how much powder is in the bag." It said it will resubmit the labels for approval.

On its website, Palcohol says it plans to offer six varieties of powdered alcohol, including vodka, rum and four cocktails — Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita and Lemon Drop. The site says that a package weighs about an ounce and can fit into your pocket. It warns people that the powder should not be snorted.

According to the report, the Palcohol website originally suggested that consumers bring it into college football stadiums and concerts. It also recommended adding it to food, such as vodka and eggs.

Those descriptions have been taken down, and the company states on its site it was "experimenting with edgy marketing that was not meant to go public."

"As Palcohol is a new product, we have yet to understand its potential of being added to food," the firm said.

Per the site Palcohol.com:

"There was a page visible on this site where we were experimenting with some humorous and edgy verbiage about Palcohol. It was not meant to be our final presentation of Palcohol. Also posted were labels that were incorrect. ...

"For instance, outlets copied some of that old verbiage about taking Palcohol into venues to avoid high drink prices. But what they didn't include in their stories is that we mentioned on that same page, that you should check with the stadiums first to make sure they allow it because Palcohol shouldn't be used illegally.

"Even though the old verbiage was a bit edgy, we clearly stated then, and still remain adamant, that Palcohol should be used in a responsible and legal manner."

According to the site, the product will be available as soon as this fall.

The powder by itself is about 80 calories per bag and is to be mixed with 5 ounces of water.

http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/04/approva ... er_default

Thanks for that update, roseanne ~ powdered alcohol just may be the stupid-est product on record ~

Sooz

I'm trying to wrap my mind around killing a child and then suing he and his family for "emotional distress" ~ it just does NOT come together for me ~ ~ Sooz

Woman who killed teen on bike sues teen’s family for $1.3 million for ‘emotional distress’
By Tom Boggioni
Saturday, April 26, 2014 22:17 EDT

A Canadian woman who struck three teens with her SUV, killing one and injuring the others while they were riding bikes on a dark road, has filed a $1.3 million suit against the deceased teen, his family, and the two other boys claiming ‘emotional distress’ according to Toronto CVT News.

Brandon Majewski died after being struck from behind by an SUV driven by Sharlene Simon while cycling with two friends at 1:30AM on Oct. 28, 2012. He was 17 at the time.

Simon, a mother of three, has filed suit against the dead teen and his family, and the two other boys, Richard McLean and Jake Roberts, both 16, asking for $1.3 million for ‘emotional distress,’ citing psychological suffering, depression, anxiety, irritability and post-traumatic stress.

In her suit Simon blames the boys for the accident claiming, “They did not apply their brakes properly… They were incompetent bicyclists.”

The lawyer for Majewski’s family expressed shock at the lawsuit.

“In all of my years as a lawyer, I have never seen anyone ever sue a child that they killed,” said Brian Cameron. “It’s beyond the pale. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell them on the phone.”

Cameron met with Majewski’s parents and step-parents in his office to inform them of the suit.

“I’m devastated, I’m in shock,” said Brandon’s mother, Venetta Mlynczyk. “She killed my child and now she wants to profit from it? She says she’s in pain? Tell her to look inside my head and she will see pain, she will see panic, she will see nightmares.”

Simon’s lawyer, Michael Ellis, asserts that she is traumatized and has been unable to return to work since the accident.

“She relives the terror of this incident every day. Ms. Simon has been unable to return to work since the collision. She has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She is also a victim,” Ellis said in a statement.

Simon is also suing the County of Simcoe, where the incident occurred, for failing to maintain the road where Majewski was struck.

According to police, Simon was driving down the darkened country road at 90km in a 80km zone when the accident occurred.

Simon’s husband, a York Regional police officer, was following her in another car. No breathalyzer test was given at the scene of the accident and her husband was allowed to drive her home.

The family of Majewski has asserted that Simon may have been drinking and that she was on her cellphone at the time of the accident.

The Majewski family has already filed suit against Simon seeking $900,000 in damages for the “emotional trauma and shock” of their son’s death.

In that suit, Simon, Simon’s husband Jules — who is the owner of the car– and the County of Simcoe are named as defendants.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/26/woman-who-killed-teen-on-bike-sues-teens-family-for-1-3-million-for-emotional-distress/

That'll get tossed and the court should nail her for a frivolous lawsuit.

oskar576 wrote:

That'll get tossed and the court should nail her for a frivolous lawsuit.

Probably but she still may have a case.

'Unfortunately, the cyclists were not riding in a careful and prudent manner. They were riding in the middle of an unlit road at 1:30am,' Mr Ellis said.


'Their bicycles were not properly illuminated, nor did they have the proper reflectors. An independent accident reconstruction completed by law enforcement officials found that there was nothing Ms Simon could have done to avoid the collision.'

He added: 'While everyone should feel sympathy and compassion for the families of the cyclists, we must also remember that there is another family who is hurting as well.'

Brandon's father rejects the notion that his son had been negligent, saying: 'They're kids. They have the right to make mistakes.' 4

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... n-him.html

While it's easy to feel sympathy for the families and think she is nuts, the fact is those same families are suing her as a result of an accident their sons probably responsible for.

It depends on how the law is written, jim ~ here, if you hit a cyclist for any reason, you are responsible ~ also, apparently she was speeding and there is a question on whether or not she had been drinking ~

Sooz

If that's the way the law is written in Chicago, Sooz, it's a bad law. Some kid rides out his family driveway directly into your car doesn't make you responsible. Also, the only people claiming she may have been drinking are the families. The police didn't think so.

It seems to me that what is happening is that the families are trying to find someone to blame for their son's stupidity. It's a natural reaction but not necessarily right.

It's an ages-old fight here, jim ~ it's especially annoying because the city is urging people to ride bikes everywhere, but the police don't police the bicyclists ignoring the "rules of the road" ~

I agree with your "It seems to me that what is happening is that the families are trying to find someone to blame for their son's stupidity. It's a natural reaction but not necessarily right." ~ but reality is that their child is dead ~ and I think your comment can be reversed as well ~ I, thankfully, cannot even imagine what she is suffering ~ but she is obviously trying to find someone to blame too ~

No "happy" endings ~

Sooz

WHOA!!! ~ it does not get more INAPPROPRIATE than this ~ ~ Sooz

Middle school teacher provides ‘full-contact’ lap dance in front of class for birthday boy
The Daily Caller
April 25, 2014 4:30 PM

Prosecutors in Houston, Texas charged a middle school teacher because she gave a full-on lap dance to a boy for his birthday in front of an entire class of no-doubt impressed preteens.

The teacher, Felicia Smith, staged the lap dance in her classroom at Stovall Middle School on February 26, reports local CBS affiliate KHOU.

When police interviewed the unnamed student, he said Smith, 42, had seductively placed a school chair in front of the classroom after the tardy bell rang. Music began to play – from some undisclosed source – and several students in the class began yelling raucously that the birthday boy should sit down in the chair.

Once the kid sat down, the fortysomething teacher gave him what was perhaps his first full-contact lap dance. According to a police report, Smith did the thing where she turned around and swiveled her butt on the middle school student. She rubbed her hands all over his body. She also got down on her knees and stuck her head between the boy’s legs.

It’s not clear if the kid enjoyed the lap dance. However, he admitted that he did slap Smith’s ass a couple times.

The incident lasted a little over three-and-a-half minutes — presumably the duration of the song that was playing. It’s not clear which song was chosen for the special occasion.

At the end of the lap dance, Smith hugged the boy and told him, “I love you, baby. Happy birthday,” according to KHOU.

When police questioned Smith, she said she provided the lap dance at the urging of students in the class. She noted that she almost fell down a few times while performing the acrobatics required of the lap dance.

Somebody – it’s not clear who – apparently filmed the spectacle. The Harris County district attorney and the Aldine, Texas police department both have copies of the video.

Smith faces a single criminal charge: improper relationship with student. She is free on a $30,000 bond.

A statement released by the local school district explained that Smith “was removed from the campus during the investigation and has not returned.”

It’s not clear if she is still being paid while her criminal case meanders through the court system.

http://news.yahoo.com/middle-school-teacher-provides-full-contact-lap-dance-203041332.html

The law is the law, and we all must comply or face the consequences ~ but losing your home over $6.30 in unpaid interest seems overly harsh to me ~ what really bothers me is the practice of tax-sale buyers, lying in wait to profit off someone else's problems ~ ~ Sooz

Judge upholds county’s sale of widow’s home over $6.30 in unpaid interest
By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, April 29, 2014 8:15 EDT

A judge ruled that a Pennsylvania widow was given ample notice before her $280,000 home was auctioned off over $6.30 in unpaid interest.

Eileen Battisti had asked the court to reverse the September 2011 sale of her house near Aliquippa, and she told the Associated Press on Monday that she planned to appeal the judge’s ruling to the Commonwealth Court.

“I paid everything, and didn’t know about the $6.30,” Battisti said. “For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy.”

Beaver County Common Pleas Judge Gus Kwidis ruled last week that the county tax claim bureau followed all notification requirements before auctioning off the home.

The judge found that Battisti owed $235 at the time of the sale after she paid off some previously owed taxes.

But Kwidis found that Battisti had received notifications of the tax upset sale on July 7, 2011, and Aug. 16, 2011, and he also found that a notice of sale was sent to her Aug. 12, 2011, by first-class mail and not returned.

Battisti, who still lives in the home, said her husband had taken care of their taxes and other bills before he died in 2004, and the county’s chief solicitor expressed his sympathy for the widow but said the judge ruled correctly.

“The county never wants to see anybody lose their home, but at the same time the tax sale law, the tax real estate law, doesn’t give a whole lot of room for error, either,” said Joe Askar, Beaver County’s chief solicitor.

Battisti will be paid most of the home’s $116,000 auction sale price if her further appeals are unsuccessful.

An attorney for the purchaser did not respond to AP requests for comment.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/29/judge-upholds-countys-sale-of-widows-home-over-6-30-in-unpaid-interest/

Intellectually, I can almost [only almost!] understand the judge's thinking ~ but it shows a remarkable lack of understanding and compassion by the judge of the likely reactions from the victims using the rape crisis center's services ~ ~ Sooz

Judge In Texas Sentenced A Rapist To Volunteer At A Rape Crisis Center
By Tara Culp-Ressler May 2, 2014 at 12:13 pm Updated: May 2, 2014 at 1:43 pm

A 20-year-old in Dallas recently pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, a crime that could have landed him in jail for two decades. Instead, State District Judge Jeanine Howard sentenced him to just 45 days in prison — and, once he gets out, 250 hours of community service volunteering at a rape crisis center.

Howard initially defended her light sentence for defendant Sir Young, saying that the young woman he assaulted “wasn’t the victim she claimed to be” and Young “wasn’t your typical sex offender.” The district judge said that the girl had had other sexual partners, had given birth to a baby, and had initiated contact with Young before he raped her. “There are rape cases that deserve life. There are rape cases that deserve 20 years,” Howard told the Dallas Morning News. “Every now and then you have one of those that deserve probation. This is one of those and I stand by it.”

Young’s community service assignment didn’t sit well with the employees at the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center. “It’s just not an appropriate place for him to do his community supervision,” Bobbie Villareal, the executive director of the organization, told a local ABC News affiliate. “There’s just so many problems with that. First of all, we would worry about our client safety and well-being… Just having a criminal defendant in the office could be a triggering effect for many of our clients.”

“That’s like saying a pedophile should do their community supervision helping at a pre-school,” she added.

Villareal told the probation office that the defendant would not be allowed to complete his community service at the rape crisis center. Now, the judge and the probation officers are working on modifying that portion of Young’s sentence. An alternative volunteer spot hasn’t yet been agreed upon, and Howard has declined to comment.

Even though the community service hours will be reassigned, victim advocates are still criticizing Howard’s light sentence for sending the wrong message about how seriously society ought to punish the people who perpetrate sexual assault. The victim’s mother pointed out that it’s obvious Howard didn’t want to ruin Young’s life. “But what about my daughter’s life?” she said.

The criminal justice system has a long history of sending problematic messages about the way our country should respond to rape cases, and Howard is hardly the first judge to spark controversy in this area. In 2012, a judge in California faced public admonishment after suggesting that women’s bodies can shut down rape. A Montana judge inspired protests in 2013 after he suggested that a 14-year-old rape victim was “as much in control” of the situation as her rapist, and sentenced her assailant to just a month in prison. An Alabama judge has repeatedly sentenced rapists to probation without doling out any jail time.

These judicial decisions are emblematic of a larger societal approach to sexual violence. Thanks to a persistent rape culture that teaches Americans that sexual assault is inevitable and rape victims are to blame for provoking the assaults against them, we don’t always take these cases seriously. In this context, it’s perhaps not hard to understand why so many sexual assault victims don’t want to report the crime to the police or navigate the legal system.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/05/02/3433662/texas-judge-rape-crisis-center/

It was only a matter of time ~ ~ Sooz

Florida town’s choice: Violate Supreme Court ruling or open meeting with Satanic prayer
By Scott Kaufman
Friday, May 9, 2014 10:56 EDT

Less than three days after the Supreme Court ruled in Town of Greece v. Galloway that prayers before town meetings did not violate the Constitution’s ban on endorsing religion, a self-styled Satanist in Deerfield Beach, Florida has asked city officials to let him open a meeting with a Satanic prayer.

Chaz Stevens — who made headlines last December when he forced Florida Governor Rick Scott to allow him to erect an 8-foot-tall Festivus pole made of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans next to Deerfield Beach’s nativity manger — told the New Times that he recently converted from “Pabstfestidian” because “Satan is a cool dude.”

“Think of all the people he’s in charge of,” Stevens said. “Do you want to be stuck listening to harp music in the afterlife? Hell no. I want to drink beer and hang with hookers.”

He then tacked to a more serious course, adding “I just want equal billing. We allow various religious nutjobs to give a prayer. They pray to Jesus who is make-believe, god who is make-believe, why not Satan who is make-believe?”

“Why discriminate against one make-believe god over another?” he continued. “Satan and I are being circumvented. The city of Deerfield Beach has once again declared war on religion — and this time it’s Satanism.”

Raw Story spoke to Stevens this morning, who said that he had contacted City Attorney Andrew Maurodis and was told that he had “no comment” on the status of the request.

The full text of Stevens letter to the Deerfield Beach city council reads as follows:


Stevens also shared with Raw Story a request he sent to Sherrie Routt, an Administrative Assistant with the Department of Management, to open a session of the Florida state Senate with a prayer to Satan:


According to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in Town of Greece v. Galloway, “[t]o hold that invocations must be nonsectarian would force the legislatures that sponsor prayers and the courts that are asked to decide these cases to act as supervisors and censors of religious speech,” meaning that prayers are allowed to invoke particular religious affiliations, including Satanism, without violating the Constitutional edict against state endorsement of religion.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/09/f ... ic-prayer/

Gotta love unintended consequences, at times.