Florida to honor professional child abuser Betty Sembler.
Kentucky Court of Appeals rules that Kentucky’s governor does not control the Internet.
Hillary Clinton silently mouths along to presidential oath.
Glenn Reynolds asks Obama to repeal the federal drinking age.
The Daily Beast looks at Mary Beth Buchanan and Alice Martin, the two Bush-appointed U.S. attorneys who are refusing to leave their positions. As far as I’m concerned, Buchanan should be barred from ever practicing law again, much less putting people in prison.
Woman charged with terrorism, may lose custody of her children after an altercation with a flight attendant who scolded her for spanking the kids.
UPDATE: Per the comments, here’s a different account of the airplane incident.
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TheAgitator.com
US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. She gone!!!!
As for the drinking age, it should be legislated at the state level, not by the federal government; we all know that!
RE: Woman charged with terrorism…
I love the caption to the photo accompanying the headline:
“‘A woman spanking her child is not as great a threat to aviation as members of Al Qaeda with box cutters,’ says one expert.”
What would we do without experts?
Evidence that Keith Olbermann is turning even further into a hack: that flight attendant came in second to a perfectly ordinary Stupid Thing Said On Fox News on his “Worst Person in the World” segment.
200 airline passengers arrested and convicted for a federal felony, defined as an act of terrorism under the Patriot Act?
A Federal Felony appears just a might harsh: Loss of voting rights, loss of gun ownership rights, possible additional difficulty in getting employment. For life…..
And, as added joy, having one’s children first placed in a Foster Home, and now being placed for permanent adoption with the Foster Family, does seem just a bit harsh.
However, I feel much safer knowing Tamara Jo Freeman is prohibited from flying as one of the terms of her probation.
Fronter Airlines doesn’t fly to my residence city, or I’d happily boycott them.
Nonetheless, future Frontier Airlines passengers are encouraged to provide verbal feedback to Frontier Flight Attendant Amy Fleming, should you enjoy her services in your future air travel….
…At your own peril, of course.
I want the Kentucky governor controlling very few things: Mint Julip recipe, whiskey-inspired pomes, jug thumpin’ music, big list of why Ohio sucks, and maybe (MAYBE!) host the US Bib Overalls Fashion Show. But NOT my beloved series of intertubes.
Way to go KCA.
Glenn Reynolds should’ve had his libertarian card revoked years ago. For as much cheerleading as the guy has done for the Bush administration’s expansion of executive power and authority in fighting “terrorism,” it seemed like his arguments came down to “Well, I trust him with expansive power because he’s a Republican and not a Democrat,” and of course the ever-insightful link to some ridiculous partisan screed by some tin-foil hat wearing GOP partisan about how Democrats hate America, with the ever insightful “Heh,” or “Indeed,” following it.
I particularly love how he pairs Clinton and Bush as presidents brought down by vehemenent opposition by the rival party, as if Bush didn’t go out of his way to piss in the eyes of the Democrats every chance that he could until things started going poorly while politicizing everything for the maximum GOP gain.
That’s an incredibly enlightening Reason piece in the first set of links there. Thanks kindly.
Internet Eminent Domain. Another dickless, control freak attempt to seize the property others. Nice try bitches. I’m still trying to figure out how one would snag control of an overseas based website.
I say scrap the drinking age completely. I’ve never liked pre-emptive laws. If a kid hasn’t violated any other laws, I see no reason to cook up a law that allows him to be penalized simply for drinking.
When it comes to vices, kids should be treated as adults at the same age at which they would be prosecuted as adults if they shot up a few of their classmates. That easily goes as low at 14.
Dave,
Isn’t it grand the way the state gets to declare a whole group of people “not responsible” that is until they actually do something the state wants them to be responsible for then suddenly ABRACADABRA! They’re responsible!
I can’t believe the government would blatantly play on people’s fears of terrorism to squelch debate and rush the passage of Patriot Act just to then abuse it by applying it to cases that are not terrorism and probably don’t otherwise even amount to a crime.
Just kidding. Actually I’d be far more surprised if they hadn’t done that.
I had my children stolen from me. Ex told Texas court I was “using drugs”. Could not get venue changed back to where I lived, where she left. People there knew I was no drug user. Resulted in my parental rights being taken. And the local rumors getting started that I had “abused” my girls, if you know what I mean. Now, at least they are of age and can talk to me without permission. Although, they were adopted by their step father, who did not need my permission! The patriot act and brainless people, like this stewardess, will likely result in many more innocents’ lives ruined! Poor kids! When will the sheep see?!
I found the story about Hillary almost believable, until I read the link to George Bush’s death on the bottom of the page! Good examples as to how I need to be very critical of what I read on the Internet sites!
The worst abuses of government power of which I am personally aware all relate to custody cases. The near untrammeled power with which those folks operate is insane.
Michael,
The Onion is truly the most prescient of our papers and indeed America’s Finest News Source!
Re: the article about the airplane incident. This situation is beyond ridiculous. Even moreso when I read that a man who stripped naked and attempted to open the emergency exit door on a plane in-flight was not charged with anything, yet this woman and the couple making out were charged with felonies? So, someone attempting to depressurize the cabin not a threat. A mother disciplining her two rowdy children and a couple doing a little too much PDA, TERRORISTS!
The unfriendliest skies, ever.
Boy, I’ll never fly Frontier Airlines.
All Onion satire aside, you just KNOW what Hillary was thinking the whole time…
… It shoulda been ME!!!
I look forward to the lack of hearing the following common terminology on the Pittsburgh news channels
“U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan”
You should have let us know that the Hillary thing was an Onion satire. If I hadn’t clicked on the link, I would have believed it completely.
Re: Frontier Airlines
For those who have no choice but to fly Frontier:
1. Purchase a refundable ticket.
2. Before boarding, ask if Amy Fleming will be on the flight.
3. If answer is yes, then have ticket refunded and find another flight. Your freedom and your childrens’ lives and welfare depend on it.
I can only hope (and I do) that Amy Fleming and the likes of her are afflicted with greater pain and suffering than that of which they has caused.
Amy Fleming has no business being in charge of wiping herself after a visit to the toilet let alone of people on an airplane.
Fuck the Patriot Act and Fuck Amy Fleming.
I think the “woman charged with terrorism” case didn’t quite go down the way the Times implies it did:
http://www.popehat.com/2009/01/22/2793/
It still seems a little crazy that you can be charged with “interfering with a flight crew” for cussing-out a flight attendant.
The L.A. Times article about the airplane misconduct cases is rather dramatically misleading: http://www.popehat.com/2009/01/22/2793/
Wow. If true the difference between the LA Times article and the reality is one of the most surprising stories in some time (yes, yes. I am still that naive).
Wow – “journalists” at a major daily lied.
And you folks are surprised?!
It’s going to be a long 4 years.
Maybe part of my problem is that I don’t see the flight crew including more than the pilot or co-pilot. Interfering with them would definitely be dangerous! Sounds like that lady was an ass, but to the point of three months in jail and felony charge? Even with all the additional information, it still looks like overzealous actions allowed by the, post patriot act, legal system. And the witnesses against her, may have disapproved of corporal punishment. Hence, exaggerated reports of “closed fists” and “open fists” being used. And did no one think of getting an alcohol level (blood or breath test)to back up the comment she was drunk and disorderly. What ever happened to the field sobriety test? And why weren’t there any cell phone videos. I can’t, for the life of me, understand the lack of a video, at all! Honestly, I know a lot of people that can act like that without ever taking one drink!