Prison Bans D & D

MADISON, Wis. — A man serving life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide lost his legal battle Monday to play Dungeons & Dragons behind bars.

Kevin T. Singer filed a federal lawsuit against officials at Wisconsin’s Waupun prison, arguing that a policy banning all Dungeons & Dragons material violated his free speech and due process rights.

Prison officials instigated the Dungeons & Dragons ban among concerns that playing the game promoted gang-related activity and was a threat to security. Singer challenged the ban but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld it as a reasonable policy.

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures, often working together as a group, with the help of complicated rules.

Singer, 33, has been a devoted player of the fantasy role-playing game since he was a child, according to the court ruling. After the ban went into effect, prison officials confiscated dozens of Dungeons & Dragons books and magazines in his cell as well as a 96-page manuscript he had written detailing a potential scenario for the game that players could act out.

Prison officials enacted the ban in 2004 after an inmate sent an anonymous letter expressing concern about Singer and three other inmates forming a "gang" focused around playing the game.

Singer was told by prison officials that he could not keep the materials because Dungeons & Dragons "promotes fantasy role playing, competitive hostility, violence, addictive escape behaviours, and possible gambling," according to the ruling. The prison later developed a more comprehensive policy against all types of fantasy games, the court said.

The appeals court said the prison’s policy was reasonable and did not violate Singer’s rights.

"After all, punishment is a fundamental aspect of imprisonment, and prisons may choose to punish inmates by preventing them from participating in some of their favorite recreations," the court said.

Singer was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after being found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the killing of his sister’s boyfriend. The man was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer.

Department of Corrections spokesman John Dipko said the department was pleased with the decision and will continue to enforce rules that are designed to maintain a safe environment.

Word of advice to the Prison Officials: If Singer's D&D name was Black Leaf, don't let him near any rope! See Chick's DARK DUNGEONS.

US Postal Service Gives Mother Teresa Stamp

The US Postal service is issuing a Mother Teresa Stamp. The activist for the poor did win a Nobel Prize, but they seem to be passing those out to activists left and farther left these days. One group to object to the decision is The Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist organization that is organizing a boycott and letter-writing campaign against the stamp, which was one of 23 new issues the United States Postal Service recently unveiled for 2010. (Leave it to the atheists to think they can boycott the postal service best by starting a letter writing campaign. Duh...)

However, they are not the only ones disappointed by the new stamp. The Postal Service's own list of a dozen criteria for who can qualify for "stamphood," specifically item No. 9: "Stamps or stationery items shall not be issued to honor religious institutions or individuals whose principal achievements are associated with religious undertakings or beliefs."
As FFRF leaders Annie Laurie Gaylor told FoxNews.com, "Mother Teresa is principally known as a religious figure who ran a religious institution. You can't really separate her being a nun and being a Roman Catholic from everything she did."

Well, USPS spokesman Roy Betts tried.

"This has nothing to do with religion or faith," Betts said in response. "Mother Teresa is not being honored because of her religion, she's being honored for her work with the poor and her acts of humanitarian relief." (Actually, the Postal Service press release notes that she followed "a divine inspiration.")

At First Things, Joe Carter begs to differ and to side with Gaylor -- though with regret, and justifiable annoyance:
"Mother Teresa should certainly appear on a stamp -- but only after we change the law. We shouldn't look for loopholes that require denying the importance of her faith in order for her to qualify. Mother Teresa should be honored for who she really was -- a Catholic nun motivated by the love of Christ -- and not as a faux, secular saint."
Such a change in the law would also help avoid the Postal Service -- and groups like The Freedom From Religion Foundation -- from having to come up with tortured arguments justifying, or criticizing, certain honorees.

For example, previous postal honorees with obvious religious identities include Malcolm X, the former chief spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1986, the Post Office issued a stamp in honor of Father Edward J. Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, that is still widely used.

In explaining their conflicting positions on those, both the USPS and the FFRF get a bit tied up in contradictions.

Postal spokesman Betts said Flanagan was "honored for his humanitarian work." Annie Laurie Gaylor doesn't agree. But she doesn't have any problem with King or Malcolm X. Martin Luther King "just happened to be a minister," she said, and "Malcolm X was not principally known for being a religious figure."

Gaylor does object to the "darker side" of Mother Teresa's religious activism, chiefly her opposition to abortion. Then again, in its press release objecting to the Mother Teresa stamp, the FFRF urges its followers to buy the Katherine Hepburn stamps the Postal Service is producing this year, because Hepburn publicly described herself as an atheist and was featured in an FFRF ad campaign.

And the Virgin Mary? She has been on Christmas stamps since the 1960s. But she's principally known as a mom... )except to Chick Fans, who also see her as Semiramis. Haw-haw!) See Chick's WHY IS MARY CRYING?

China Attempts To Bully US Policy

China suspended military exchange visits with the United States on Saturday in protest over $6.4 billion in planned U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and warned the U.S. ambassador that the sales would harm already strained ties.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency cited the Defense Ministry as saying the suspension is due to the "bad impact" of the arms sales on the two countries' military relations.

China took a similar step in 2008 after the former Bush administration announced a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan. The latest arms sales could complicate the cooperation the U.S. seeks on issues ranging from Iran's nuclear program to the loosening of Internet controls, including a Google-China standoff over censorship.
Details of arms sale were posted Friday on a Pentagon Web site. It would include 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, 114 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles, mine-hunting ships and information technology. U.S. lawmakers have 30 days to comment on the proposed sale. Without objections, it would proceed.

Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations. China claims the self-governing island as its own, while the United States is Taiwan's most important ally and largest arms supplier. Twaiwan has been independent for over half a century, when Chinese fleeing communists escaped there in 1949.

Though Taiwan's ties with China have warmed considerably since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 20 months ago, Beijing has threatened to invade if the island ever formalizes its de facto independence.

Earlier Saturday, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei warned U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman that the sale would "cause consequences that both sides are unwilling to see." The vice minister urged that the sale be immediately canceled, it said.

The U.S. is "obstinately making the wrong decision," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, Susan Stevenson, confirmed that China expressed its views, and said the embassy had no comment on the suspension of military visits.
Jin Canrong, a professor of international studies at China's Renmin University, said the sale would give Beijing a "fair and proper reason" to accelerate weapons testing.
Beijing has test-fired rockets in recent weeks for an anti-missile defense system in what security experts said was a display of anger at the pending arms sale.

Communist China invaded Tibet in the 1950s, claiming that country belonged to China as well. They have been eyeing Taiwan since the mid 1970s, when they convinced the Carter Administration to abandon America's treaty to protect the Island nation. See Chick's KINGS OF THE EAST.

Obama Bows To Gays In Military

First, it was promising to retreat in disgrace from Afghanistan. Then, it was giving terrorists citizen rights in US courts. Now, Obama's latest unpopular plan for the military is placing openly homosexual soldiers in fox holes with straight men. It was the same plan that cost Clinton a lot of popularity in the first year of his Presidency.

Obama signaled his intent It was just one sentence, buried deep within the State of the Union address. But for gay rights advocates, they were thrilled.

"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," Obama said.

Obama's pledge comes after a year of mixed blessings for gay rights supporters, who have criticized the president for ignoring or moving too slowly on their issues.

The president's renewed commitment to end "don't ask, don't tell" prompted strong opinions from the military and several members of Congress as well.

In Congress, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., surprised some when he issued a statement against the repeal. "This successful policy has been in effect for over 15 years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels," he said. "At a time when our armed forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy."

Such a change would also inspire further hatred against our military in strong Islamic countries, which consider homosexuality an grave insult to God and Islam.

And Elaine Donnelly, founder of the Center for Military Readiness, called the president's renewed vow to end the policy "the biggest mistake since he called for the closing of Gitmo. There will be political consequences." An outspoken critic of gays in the military, Donnelly said there could be "radical, harmful effects" on the military. "If the military is forced to accommodate all different kinds of sexual minorities," she said, "you are asking for a triple increase in sexual misconduct incidents."

The president has vowed twice before to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which requires gay and lesbian service members to remain in the closet if they want to stay in uniform. But calling out the goal in his annual address to Congress signaled that he intended to follow up on his pledge to his gay supporters.

More than 13,500 service members have been discharged from the U.S. military due to their sexual orientation since 1994, when the law went into effect. President Bill Clinton had made lifting the ban one of his first priorities as president, but a backlash from voters and the military forced a compromise that allowed gays to serve as long as they did not advertise their sex preferences.

Under pressure from the President, Pentagon leaders have been quietly meeting in recent weeks to work out the details of ending the ban on openly gay and lesbian service members. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters today, "We continue to work this problem. But I'm not going to get into it with any more specificity than that."

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "don't ask, don't tell" with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, currently has 187 co-sponsors in the House (all Democrats). There is no equivalent measure pending in the Senate. It remains to be seen if the recent loss by election losses Democrats has made bold enough to continue such controversial legislation. If such a move is made, it will almost certainly be attempted after the November election when sponsors of the bill will feel safer from a public backlash. See Chick's SIN CITY.

Justice Calls Obama Out On Untruth

It wasn't quite "You lie!" but a shaking of the head and a muttered rebuke from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has called attention to one of President Barack Obama's more daring exaggerations during the State of the Union address Wednesday night.

The moment came a little more than halfway into Obama's speech, when the president criticized the high court's landmark decision last week overturning limits on campaign spending by corporations.

"With all deference to the separation of powers, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections," Obama said, before calling on Congress to pass a law in response to the ruling that "helps to right this wrong."

Alito, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush in 2005, voted with the majority in the decision, and as Obama voiced his criticism, he shook his head repeatedly and appeared to mouth "not true."

Obama's attack on the court was a sharp break on the unwritten rule of presidential addresses to Congress, since it is the President's duty to execute the law as interpreted by the court, and not undermine it publicly. Moreover, Obama's spin of the opinion was more fiction than fact. The reversal of the restrictions does not allow foreign owed companies to spend money in elections, although partially owned subsidiaries maybe eligible. (However, Congress is expected to address that loophole.)

The response by Alito immediately drew hackles from liberal bloggers, who compared it to the moment in Obama's health care speech to Congress in September when Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted "You lie!" at the president. Such a comparison is probably valid, since Obama's remark in both instances was less than truthful.

Another notable departure during the campaign finance section came from the president himself. The qualifying line, "with all deference to the separation of powers," was not included in the official text of the speech sent to reporters. Perhaps Obama added it when he realized he would be criticizing the court with the justices sitting mere feet away from the podium. This was his first State of the Union speech, and he apparently didn't know how the court members were also invited. See Chick's NO LIARS IN HEAVEN.

Edwards Splits From Wife, Hits On Waitress

The former two-time (and two-timing) Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife, cancer victim Elizabeth Edwards, are legally separated, according to her spokesperson. The Edwardses reside in North Carolina, which allows for divorce after a couple lives separately for 12 months.

Edwards' spokesperson would not give information on the date of the filing of the legal separation documents.

Custody and visitation arrangements for the couple's youngest children, Emma Claire and Jack, are unclear, as is their financial arrangement during the separation period.

"She said, 'I've had it. I can't do this. I want my life back,' " her sister, Nancy Anania, told People magazine in an article appearing in an upcoming issue.

Elizabeth and John Edwards have been married since 1977 and have four children together, including daughter Cate and their deceased son Wade.

Elizabeth Edwards has stage four metastatic cancer, which John Edwards claimed was in remission during his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter, which he denied at the time.

The legal end to the Edwardses' tumultuous marriage comes the same week that a book by John Edwards' former staffer Andrew Young, "The Politician," is being released. Young had previously lied for Edwards, falsely claiming paternity of Rielle Hunter's daughter. John Edwards put out a statement last week admitting that he is indeed Quinn Hunter's father. He then left the country to join other celebrities providing relief efforts in Haiti.

In early January, the National Enquirer reported that John Edwards was living in the family's vacation home on Figure Eight Island near Wilmington, N.C. The paper interviewed Stephanie Breshears, who is a bartender at the Kornerstone Bistro, located five miles from the vacation house. Breshears said Edwards came in the restaurant on Dec. 30 and for the next four nights, trying repeatedly to get her to go back to his house and have sex. Breshears told the Enquirer that after she refused his appeals, he flirted with another woman at the bar. "He told her he was 'separated, soon to be divorced,' " according to 34-year-old Breshears. What he's really doing in Haiti is unclear, as he's not been seen publicly since he left.

See Chick's THE ROYAL AFFAIR.

Pope John Paul Was Into Spanking Himself

Pope John Paul II whipped himself with a belt, even on vacation, and slept on the floor as acts of penitence and to bring him closer to Christian perfection, according to a new book by the Polish prelate spearheading his sainthood case.

The book "Why He's a Saint" also includes previously unpublished speeches and documents written by John Paul, including one 1989 signed memo in which he said he would resign if he became incapacitated.

The book also reported for the first time that John Paul forgave his would-be assassin in the ambulance on the way to the hospital moments after he was shot on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square. And it reported that he initially thought his attacker was a member of the Italian terrorist organization the Red Brigades.

The book was written by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the postulator, or main promoter, for John Paul's canonization cause and was released Tuesday. It was based on the testimony of the 114 witnesses and boxes of documentation Oder gathered on John Paul's life to support the case.

At a news conference Tuesday, Oder defended John Paul's practice of self-mortification, which some faithful use to remind them of the suffering of Jesus on the cross. "It's an instrument of Christian perfection," Oder said, responding to questions about how such a practice could be condoned considering Catholic teaching holds that the human body is a gift from God.

In the book, Oder wrote that John Paul frequently denied himself food — especially during the holy season of Lent — and "frequently spent the night on the bare floor," messing up his bed in the morning so he wouldn't draw attention to his act of penitence. "But it wasn't limited to this. As some members of his close entourage in Poland and in the Vatican were able to hear with their own ears, John Paul flagellated himself. In his armoire, amid all the vestments and hanging on a hanger, was a belt which he used as a whip and which he always brought to Castel Gandolfo," the papal retreat where John Paul vacationed each summer.

While there had long been rumors that John Paul practiced self-mortification, the book provides the first confirmation and concludes John Paul did so as an example of his faith.

Pope Benedict XVI put John Paul on the fast-track for possible sainthood weeks after his April 2, 2005 death by waiving the customary five-year waiting period before the process can begin. Last month, Benedict moved John Paul a step closer to possible beatification — the first major milestone in the process — by approving a decree on his "heroic virtues."

The Vatican must now confirm that a miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession occurred in order for him to be beatified — a step which many Vatican watchers have suggested may come as early as October.

The book goes on sale in Italy on Wednesday. See Chick's THE POOR POPE.

John Edwards Scandal Gets Creepier

Just when you thought the John Edwards sex scandal couldn't get any creepier, it does. The Senator's former staffer, Andrew Young, claims Edwards made a video tape of himself having sex with his employee, Rielle Hunter. Young was later convinced by Edwards to claim he was the father of the resulting baby, so that the Senator could dodge the scandal.

Young now insists that he became disillusioned when he discovered the sex tape in 2007...in the very house Edwards had bought his mistress and her phony lover to live in. He's claiming to reveal more gory details of Edwards and Hunter's affair in his new book," The Politician," which will be released February 2.

Hunter was paid by the Edwards presidential campaign to make videos of the candidate, but no one suspected she was making one of them having sex. The tape reportedly shows Hunter "behind the camera at first" and then the two of them engaging in "several sex acts." The New York Daily News reported last June that Young's book proposal mentioned a sex tape, as did the National Enquirer in July.

Young is said to have felt that the sex tape was "kind of the last straw for people who had sacrificed savings and jobs to lie for John." At that point, Young had already helped Edwards cheat on his cancer-stricken wife, and helped him deny his own new born daughter.

The Enquirer reported that Young found the tape while helping Hunter unpack when they lived together – along with Young's own wife and children -- in the hideaway house in California. Having her move in was all part of the PR ruse to convince the public Young was actually the father. Young is said to have found it in a stack of DVDs in Hunter's house by accident. Even though John Edwards and Bill Clinton basically did the same thing (having sex with employees while campaigning for the nation's highest office, then denying it when caught), at least Clinton had the common sense not to video tape it. Then again, Edwards didn't perjure himself in Court over his affair. So it's still hard to say which one is worse. See Chick's CAUGHT.

Bin Laden Brags About Christmas Bomb Plot

Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas in a new audio message released Sunday threatening more attacks on the United States.

The message suggests the al-Qaida leader wants to appear in direct command of the terrorist group's many affiliates around the world at time when some analysts have suggested he is mostly a figurehead.

In the minute-long recording carried by Al-Jazeera Arabic news channel, bin Laden addressed President Barack Obama saying the Christmas attack was meant to send a message similar to that of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"The message delivered to you through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of the previous messages sent by the heroes of the Sept. 11," he said. "America will never dream of security unless we will have it in reality in Palestine," he added.

"God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support for the Israelis continues."

On Christmas Day, Nigerian Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up his Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit Metro Airport. But the explosive powder he was hiding in his underwear failed to detonate.

Under the new administration's policy, the bomber has been given full Miranda rights, including a taxpayer paid lawyer who will be present during any interrogation to warn him that he is not required to answer any questions, and that anything he says will be used against him in a court of law. See Chick's SKY LIGHTER.

Celebs Compete For Haitian PR, Edwards In Forefront

On the same day that John Edwards was in the papers admitting what he had lied about for two years, (that he'd fathered a child with mistress Rielle Hunter) the disgraced former presidential candidate also turned up to take bows for helping in Haiti.

"We're going to do a variety of things, we're gonna get our intelligence, make sure we know where the medicine needs to go, which facilities can do the most good, where are other supplies -- generators, food, water, water purifiers -- where they can go and be distributed in the best way," Edwards told CBS News shortly after landing.

A former Edwards aide, Andrew Young, dismissed Edwards' admission of paternity as "empty words" and "just a PR campaign" to preempt Young's tell-all book, "The Politician," which hits stores on Feb. 2. (Young is the campaign aid that Edwards paid off to claim that Young was the father instead of Edwards.) Of course, there's more than one way to do damage control. Like a fortuitously timed humanitarian effort, for instance.

And Edwards is only the latest celebrity to add a tabloidesque twist to Haitian aid efforts. These public figures have opted for other ways to pitch in. Some -- like the "We Are the World" remake organized by Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones -- hardly raise an eyebrow. Others, well, do:

George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio both pledged to donate $1 million of their movie made mega-millions to Haitian relief.

"Wild Hogs" star John Travolta has apparently funded a Scientology-chartered airplane that's en route to Haiti. Its 168 passengers include several doctors and about 80 volunteer ministers who can offer "spiritual first aid." (Voodoo beliefs are very common in Haiti, so Scientology might fit right in.)

Amy Fisher, best known as the Long Island Lolita, will spend the weekend stripping at Scene Restaurant & Lounge in Commack on New York's Long Island. Proceeds from her performance will go to Haiti relief efforts.

Tila Tequila, meanwhile, seem to be limiting herself to Tweeting well-wishes. "I am only ONE person who has ALWAYS tried her best to make the world a better place. To stand up for ppl. I am God's Angel sent down 2 watch." (She apparently believes God wants Lesbians to be his angels on Earth.)

If nothing else, such efforts succeed at doing what Edwards' trip alone could not: They make him seem less creepy, at least by comparison. Edwards has a long tradition of exploiting poverty and disasters for political gain. He ran for VP in 2004 with the slogan "Help is on the way", promising to help the poor and downtrodden with government aid, and in December, he spent three days building houses in El Salvador. Then again, during the El Salvador trip, he refused to acknowledge media requests for comment, a step he notably did not take in Haiti. See Chick's THE STAR.

John Edwards Finally Fess' Up

In a statement given to NBC News, former Democratic senator John Edwards admitted Thursday that he fathered a child with a campaign videographer during his 2008 presidential run. Edwards had previously denied paternity of Quinn Hunter, now 22 months old.

"I am Quinn's father," Edwards said in his statement. "I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace."

The admission comes just ahead of the release of a tell-all book by Andrew Young, the man who claimed paternity of Quinn Hunter to cover for Edwards during the presidential campaign. Young's book, "The Politician," is due out in early February.

Edwards had denied each detail of his affair with Rielle Hunter as it came out in the press, starting with the National Enquirer's first scoop in October 2007. Edwards dismissed the story as "tabloid trash," and would not admit to lying about it until nearly a year later. When he finally made his confession in August 2008, it was only partial: he still denied offering Hunter hush money, and even more strenuously denied paternity of her child. He also insisted that his transgression did not occur while his wife, Elizabeth, was being treated for breast cancer. Recently, he was rumored to be facing a paternity suit, and a federal investigation is examining the possible use of campaign funds to keep Hunter quiet about the affair.

Appearing on NBC's "Today," Edwards spokesman Harrison Hickman tried to spin the admission as the last step in Edwards' dutiful handling of the affair, saying that he has been accepting and caring for Quinn Hunter all along. Non-Spin Translation? He lied publicly about it, but privately, he paid the ex-girl friend money to pay for his child.

The story of Edwards' affair has remained in the public's consciousness long after it ended his political career. A new book about the 2008 campaign, "Game Change," reported wrenching conflict between Edwards and his wife over the affair, and between the candidate and his staff. Three aides left the campaign in disgust, and in one confrontation, Elizabeth Edwards reportedly ripped open her shirt to show him her scars from breast cancer surgery. See Chick's CAUGHT!

McCain's Wife Promotes Gay Marriage

Cindy McCain has posed for an ad released by the NOH8 campaign, a pro-gay-marriage effort that pictures celebrities with their mouths taped shut, the Associated Press reports. McCain appears in the usual format: dressed in white, with "NOH8" painted on her cheek and silver duct tape across her mouth. (H8 refers to the ballot measure passed by California voters in 2008 banning same-sex marriage.)

John McCain opposed gay marriage during his 2008 presidential run, and his wife rarely speaks out on particular issues. McCain's office issued a statement saying that the senator respects differences of opinion between his family members, but still "believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman."

Said spokesperson Brooke Buchanan: "The senator chaired the effort to successfully pass Arizona Proposition 102, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and his opposition to gay marriage remains the same."

On the NOH8 campaign's Web site, under the headline "Redefining Republican," NOH8 writes that Cindy McCain "reached out" to them about the ad.

The McCains' daughter, Meghan, has been outspoken in her support of gay rights, and currently features her own shot from the NOH8 campaign as the background on her Twitter page. Meghan McCain has spoken at a number of gay-rights events, and will be featured at National Equality Week at George Washington University next month.

Though both John McCain and Barack Obama opposed gay marriage during the 2008 campaign, same-sex unions have drawn fiercest opposition from the Republican base. In fact, Obama himself has promised to push for more gay-friendly agenda items in his remaining term. See Chick's SIN CITY.

Obama's Kid's Teacher Fired Over Sex Scandal

Police in Montgomery and Queen Anne's counties have charged a Sidwell Friends middle school teacher with sexual abuse of a minor and other sexual offenses, according to law enforcement officials. Sidwell Friends middle school is the highly exclusive private school that Obama's two daughters attend. (Obama himself opposes vouchers that help poor families afford access to private schools.) The current tuition to Sidwell is over $30,000.00 per student, per year.

On Wednesday, the private Northwest Washington school announced that it had fired social studies teacher Robert A. "Pete" Peterson, 65. Peterson taught seventh and eighth grades and was director of the school's Camp Corsica on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He was placed on leave shortly before the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Peterson has not been permitted on campus or at school-sponsored events since then, school officials said. He was dismissed Jan. 14.

According to Montgomery County charging documents dated Jan. 14, Peterson befriended a male Sidwell student and repeatedly invited him to his Silver Spring home. Peterson showed the student pornography and touched him inappropriately, the charging documents say.

He is charged with sex abuse of a minor and two counts of fourth-degree sex offense, the documents say. He was released on $250,000 bond.

Peterson had been director of Camp Corsica, the school's sleep-away camp on the Chester River just outside Centreville, Md., since 1993. From 1979 until 1987, he taught fourth grade; after that, he taught middle school. See Chick's HOME ALONE?

Now They Tell Us...

Julian Bond, Chairman of the NAACP, tells a reporter that Martin Luther King was a socialist. This claim had been denied for decades when the NAACP lobbied to give MLK a Federal Holiday. In fact, a boycott was organized by the NAACP against Arizona when its Governor, Evan Mecham, cancelled the MLK day holiday due to his "communist sympathies". Now they are extolling MLK's forethought for being a socialist before it was fashionable. See Chick's THE POOR REVOLUTIONIST.

Unhappy Anniversary For President

President Obama woke up this morning, the one year anniversary of his inauguration, with embarrassing news from Massachusetts. The heavily Democratic state has replaced Ted Kennedy's seat with a Republican, Scott Brown. Other Democrats in the House and Senate are shocked at the upset, which was until a couple of weeks ago, considered one of the safest seats on Capitol Hill. This places all of the President's most partisan agenda goals in danger, including socializing Health Insurance, providing Amnesty to illegal aliens, and removing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the Military. Clearly, the honey moon is now over for the President. Meanwhile, Democrats are bracing themselves for more blood letting in November, when all of the House and a third of the Senate are up for grabs. See Chick's BUSTED.

Pro-Lifer Heckles Obama Speech

A less than a full house attended Obama’s stump rally for Martha Coakley, the Democrat who is currently behind in the polls for Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat. Mr. Obama commanded the microphone before the Coakley supporters as she smiled nervously at his side, hands clasped together. But the interruptions were loud and frequent. Obama had to pause, begin, pause again, stutter a bit, laugh nervously, and move away from camera view until the crowd settled down. At one point, his speech was completely stopped by a heckler who was shouting while holding up a sign that read “Jesus Loves All Babies.” If the Republican wins the Senate Seat, Democrats will have to accept the Senate version of the Health Care bill, which would not allow them to pay for abortions to babies (whereas the House version would).

Media Pummels Robertson for Haitian Quote

The mainstream media continues to pummel Pat Robertson for unsympathetic comments about Haiti, basically blaming their voodoo faith (Santeria) for their continued mishaps.

In an interview with a missionary who talked about helping the victims earthquake in Haiti, Rev. Pat Robertson had some interesting thoughts as to why the earthquake struck the impoverished nation:

"And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it.

“They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the 3rd and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil.

“They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.'

“True story.

“And so the Devil said, 'Okay, it's a deal.’

“And, uh, they kicked the French out, you know, with Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

“But ever since they have been cursed by, by one thing after another, desperately poor.

“That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican Republican.

“Dominican Republic is, is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etcetera.

“Haiti is in desperate poverty.

“Same island.

“They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God and out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”

See Chick's EVIL EYES.

Google Sheilds Islam From Controversy

A strange debate is taking place around one of Google's older, core features, Google Search Suggest, and whether it intentionally treats Islam differently than it does other religions.

This Google search feature works by presenting a list of popular terms as soon as a user types in a letter in the Google search field. For instance, typing in the letter "a" will produce a drop-down list of terms including "amazon" and "autotrader." The suggestions increase in specificity the more letters and words a user types.

Bloggers recently discovered that when they typed in the phrase "Islam is," Google provided no suggestions. This was in contrast to corresponding phrases involving the other world religions -- Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism as well as atheism -- which each produced a full list of terms, including many disparaging, bigoted and anti-religious suggestions.

The omission of any suggestions related to "Islam is" was thus interpreted by some to be a sign that Google was practicing religious favoritism of a sort.

"So why is Google blocking the search recommendations?" Blair Scott asked at Athiests.org. "Are they afraid of offending Muslims who will likely retaliate against Google? Or is it, as one person suggested on Facebook, an attempt by Google to simply ignore Islam?"

Google responded to the charges within hours, denying the omission was intentional, and instead blaming it on a "bug ... blocking search suggestions related to Islam," which the company said was in the process of being fixed ASAP. As of Thursday morning, the omission remained.

When Google officially introduced search suggest in August 2008, product manager Jennifer Liu wrote that it was designed to "simplify" and "help people search more efficiently and conveniently."

Yet almost immediately after it was released as a beta-feature in 2004, users began finding odd, amusing, disturbing quirks in the terms that Google was suggesting.

Google Suggest has since been accused of being racist, libelous, anti-American and sexually deviant. Slate.com even held a contest in November, inviting readers to uncover the most bizarrely contrasting suggestions. The winner: "Is it wrong to?" which produces "sleep with your cousin" as a suggested search term.

As always, these suggestions have been tempered by the realization that the recommendations are based fundamentally on the popularity of specific search results. Terms that produce the most search results pages are those that appear in the list of suggestions.

Furthermore, Google enhanced its search suggest in early 2009 by personalizing it -- tailoring the terms displayed to every user's search history and allowing users to delete unwanted terms. In the same update, Google began inserting ads in particular suggestion lists.

It should be noted that the company has a history of complying with requests to remove legally debatable and patently offensive content from its results pages (a separate feature) such as the listings for file-swapping Web site the Pirate Bay and racist images of Michelle Obama. It also inexplicably dropped an Arkansas Christian church from the list of search results in 2008 only to restore it after the adherents complained.

Priest Sues Lawyer After Being Fired for Resisting Gay Trend

A former Episcopal priest in suburban Philadelphia who lost a legal battle with his bishop has filed a malpractice suit against the attorney who represented him in the case.

The Rev. David Moyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont -- who has spoken out against liberal trends in the Episcopal Church -- was removed from the priesthood in 2002 by Bishop Charles Bennison Jr. In October, a Montgomery County jury ruled that Bennison did not act fraudulently in deposing Moyer, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Despite his ouster, Moyer continues to serve as Good Shepherd's rector.

Other lawyers hired by the parish found "clear evidence of malpractice" by attorney John Lewis, a church official told the newspaper. Moyer and his church have now filed suit against Lewis seeking millions in compensation for the costs of the trial and alleged damage to the reputations of the ex-priest and the parish.

Lewis -- a member of Good Shepherd for 10 years who said he considered Moyer "my friend" -- denied the accusations and estimated he had done $700,000 worth of legal work at no charge in Moyer's case against the bishop. Lewis and his law firm are countersuing Moyer and the parish, according to the Inquirer. See Chick's REV. WONDERFUL.

News Anchor Suggests Tiger Rely On Jesus

Brit Hume drew quite a bit of criticism when he suggested on "Fox News Sunday" that Tiger Woods' Buddhist faith is insufficient to deal with the golfer's personal problems and that he should convert to Christianity as a path to "forgiveness and redemption." (Analysis by Politics Daily's David Gibson here.) On Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday night, Hume denied that he was proselytizing, but said he did indeed mean to say that Woods should embrace the Christian faith.

According to Politico's Michael Calderone, Hume reiterated his belief that "Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs."

Hume is reportedly a devout Christian whose faith deepened after his son committed suicide in 1998. He told Calderone last year that he hoped to spend more time studying the Bible after stepping down from the anchor desk. So far, Fox has made no comment about Hume's remarks.

MSNBC's David Shuster responded to the O'Reilly segment on his Twitter feed Monday night, saying it "left no doubt he intended to proselytize with his comments about Tiger Woods. Truly embarrassing." See Chick's UNFORGIVEN?

Obama Appoints Transgendered Man/Woman to Post

In an ongoing effort to "pay back" the gay community for helping elect him, President Obama has selected Amanda Simpson as a senior technical adviser to the Department of Commerce, making her the first transgender appointment of his administration.

"I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me," Simpson said in a news release posted at the National Center for Transgender Equality's Web site. "And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

Simpson has worked for over 30 years in the defense and aerospace industries, most notably at Raytheon, the news release said. She was the first transgender person to win a primary election when she became the Democratic nominee running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Tucson. She later lost the election. In 2002, she had doctors transform her appearance from male to female, undergoing gender reassignment surgery while at Raytheon. See Chick's DOOM TOWN.

Obama Exempts AIDS From Immigrant Disease List

President Obama has repealed a 16-year-old federal law that bans immigration and travel to the U.S. by foreigners infected with the deadly AIDS virus.

Passed by Congress in 1993 and signed into law by Bill Clinton, the measure was designed to reduce the spread of the deadly disease in the United States. Since 1987 AIDS has appeared on the Department of Health and Human Services list of communicable diseases of public health significance. The president’s repeal essentially removes AIDS from the list, even though there’s no disputing that it is in fact a communicable disease.

With a stroke of a pen, AIDS will be erased from the government’s list of communicable diseases of public health significance in January. This will allow, for the first time in nearly two decades, foreigners infected AIDS to freely enter the U.S. Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Syphilis, Chancroid, Gonorrhea, Granuloma Inguinale, and Lymphogranuloma Venereum will stay on the concern list. That means five of the remaining seven are sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS.

Lifting the ban is part of a U.S. effort to end the stigma of HIV/AIDS, according to Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who actually said that the nixed policy wrongly permitted the U.S. to enable the myth that HIV/AIDS is a threat. It was also applauded by Obama's homosexual supporters.

See Chick's GOING HOME

Somali Man Attacks Cartoonist Over Muslim Cartoon

Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard hid in a "panic room" inside his home as a Somali man wielding an ax and knife cracked the glass in the home's front door, Danish police said Saturday.

Police said a home alarm alerted them to the scene in Aarhus at 10 p.m. Friday, and they were attacked by the suspect when they responded. Police shot the suspect.

Westergaard took his 5-year-old granddaughter into the "panic room" when he realized what was happening, Chief Superintendent Ole Madsen said.

Westergaard, who has been threatened for drawing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, is ordinarily accompanied by bodyguards when he leaves his home, but nobody was on guard at the house Friday. See Chick's MEN OF PEACE?