An Iraqi immigrant attacked his daughter for religious reasons, Wellington District Court heard yesterday.
Ishak Ishak, 59, pleaded guilty to assaulting his daughter in April.
Judge Susan Thomas said Ishak, a Syrian Christian, went into his 20-year-old daughter's room and confronted her about going out with a Muslim.
He hit her three to four times which only caused slight bruising to one of her hands, Judge Thomas said.
Ishak immigrated to New Zealand from Iraq in 1995.
His lawyer, Sue Earl, said there were "huge cultural issues" and much shame was brought to a Syrian Christian family if members married a Muslim. Ishak's daughter would have been excommunicated from the family, Ms Earl said.
The shame in the community of his daughter marrying a Muslim would have been worse than a conviction.
Judge Thomas said no matter how shocked or shamed he was it did not excuse assault. She convicted Ishak and ordered him to appear for sentencing if called within nine months.
Yet another example of religion having such a calming and peaceful impact on humanity.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kudos to Arlen Specter and the Patriots Suck!
Sen. Arlen Specter wants an independent investigation of the Patriots’ taping of opposing coaches’ signals similar to the Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball.
Specter again criticized the league’s handling of the investigation and threatened the possibility of revoking the NFL’s antitrust exemption during a news conference Wednesday. The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee met with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh a day earlier.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated he considered the investigation over after meeting with Walsh on Tuesday.
“Everybody pooh-poohs it,” Specter said. “It’s ridiculous to make that kind of contention.”
Specter, from Pennsylvania, cited the fact a Patriots attorney sat in on Walsh’s meeting with Goodell as proof the investigation has not been impartial.
He repeated his disapproval of Goodell’s decision to destroy the notes and tapes confiscated during the initial investigation last fall.
“That sequence is incomprehensible,” Specter said. “It’s an insult to the intelligence of the people who follow it.”
If the NFL condones cheating, Specter said, it encourages others to cheat. “They owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility,” he said.
Now, I'm not usually a big fan of Congress getting involved in sports, but I want to extend a big thumbs up to Arlen Specter for continuing to doggedly pursue this. The NFL wants this to go away because their favorite golden boys in Boston might be tarnished. Well, the Patriots are cheaters. Big fat, filthy cheaters and they should be punished severely - not just the little slap on the wrist of losing a draft pick. The Patriots did not just cheat in one game against the Jets, but consistently and regularly. And guess what, if you cheat it is easier to win Super Bowls.
If the NFL doesn't punish them then the US Congress is well within in its rights to rescind the antitrust exemption enjoyed by the NFL.
Go, Arlen, Go!
Specter again criticized the league’s handling of the investigation and threatened the possibility of revoking the NFL’s antitrust exemption during a news conference Wednesday. The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee met with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh a day earlier.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell indicated he considered the investigation over after meeting with Walsh on Tuesday.
“Everybody pooh-poohs it,” Specter said. “It’s ridiculous to make that kind of contention.”
Specter, from Pennsylvania, cited the fact a Patriots attorney sat in on Walsh’s meeting with Goodell as proof the investigation has not been impartial.
He repeated his disapproval of Goodell’s decision to destroy the notes and tapes confiscated during the initial investigation last fall.
“That sequence is incomprehensible,” Specter said. “It’s an insult to the intelligence of the people who follow it.”
If the NFL condones cheating, Specter said, it encourages others to cheat. “They owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility,” he said.
Now, I'm not usually a big fan of Congress getting involved in sports, but I want to extend a big thumbs up to Arlen Specter for continuing to doggedly pursue this. The NFL wants this to go away because their favorite golden boys in Boston might be tarnished. Well, the Patriots are cheaters. Big fat, filthy cheaters and they should be punished severely - not just the little slap on the wrist of losing a draft pick. The Patriots did not just cheat in one game against the Jets, but consistently and regularly. And guess what, if you cheat it is easier to win Super Bowls.
If the NFL doesn't punish them then the US Congress is well within in its rights to rescind the antitrust exemption enjoyed by the NFL.
Go, Arlen, Go!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Rave On, Albert!
A newly published letter reveals that Albert Einstein viewed religion and religious works as "childish," and "primitive works."
In the letter, dated January 3 1954, he wrote: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."
"No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this..."
"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people."
In the letter, dated January 3 1954, he wrote: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish."
"No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this..."
"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people."
Monday, May 12, 2008
Bob Barr
Bob Barr, a Republican and former US congressman, announced plans today to run for president on the Libertarian Party's ticket. The move by the 59-year old Barr, could hurt John McCain's chances come November.
Barr, who played a key role in the congressional impeachment of former president Bill Clinton, said there was not "currently or anywhere on the horizon" any candidate who understood the need for fiscal conservatism and America's founding principles.
He added that if McCain fails to win the presidency, "it will be because Senator McCain did not present, and his party did not present, a vision, an agenda, a platform and a series of programs" for the American people.
Good luck to you, Mr. Barr. I hope a whole gaggle of right wingers vote for you and help to give the presidency to Barack Obama.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
On the Efficacy of Prayer on Oil prices
At a Shell gas station in Washington, Rocky Twyman and an unusual group of activists were mad as hell about soaring fuel prices.
"Last week, this station was 3.51 dollars. Now it's practically 3.60. So it's gone up nine cents in one week," Twyman said as he pumped five dollars' worth of gas into his thirsty American car.
"Someone's making a lot of money and it's really, really wrong," added Twyman, who founded the Prayer at the Pump movement last week to seek help from a higher power to bring down fuel prices, because the powers in Washington haven't.
The half-dozen activists -- Twyman, a former Miss Washington DC, the owner of a small construction company and two volunteers at a local soup kitchen -- joined hands, bowed their heads and intoned a heartfelt prayer.
"Lord, come down in a mighty way and strengthen us so that we can bring down these high gas prices," Twyman said to a chorus of "amens".
"Prayer is the answer to every problem in life... We call on God to intervene in the lives of the selfish, greedy people who are keeping these prices high," Twyman said on the gas station forecourt in a neighborhood of Washington that, like many of its residents, has seen better days.
"Lord, the prices at this pump have gone up since last week. We know that you are able, that you have all the power in the world," he prayed, before former beauty queen Rashida Jolley led the group in a modified version of the spiritual, "We Shall Overcome".
"We'll have lower gas prices, we'll have lower gas prices..." they sang.
I'm sure these prayers will be answered in much the same way that the prayers imploring god to reanimate the dead gramma on the shitter in Wisconsin were answered. In other words, they won't be...
I'm sure I'd just laugh at these fucking idiots if they were praying at a gas station where I was filling up my tank (but I might take my business elsewhere if the gas station allowed such nonsense on its property). As Penn Jilette might say, "Sweet Jesus, the Jew, what a load of bullshit!"
"Last week, this station was 3.51 dollars. Now it's practically 3.60. So it's gone up nine cents in one week," Twyman said as he pumped five dollars' worth of gas into his thirsty American car.
"Someone's making a lot of money and it's really, really wrong," added Twyman, who founded the Prayer at the Pump movement last week to seek help from a higher power to bring down fuel prices, because the powers in Washington haven't.
The half-dozen activists -- Twyman, a former Miss Washington DC, the owner of a small construction company and two volunteers at a local soup kitchen -- joined hands, bowed their heads and intoned a heartfelt prayer.
"Lord, come down in a mighty way and strengthen us so that we can bring down these high gas prices," Twyman said to a chorus of "amens".
"Prayer is the answer to every problem in life... We call on God to intervene in the lives of the selfish, greedy people who are keeping these prices high," Twyman said on the gas station forecourt in a neighborhood of Washington that, like many of its residents, has seen better days.
"Lord, the prices at this pump have gone up since last week. We know that you are able, that you have all the power in the world," he prayed, before former beauty queen Rashida Jolley led the group in a modified version of the spiritual, "We Shall Overcome".
"We'll have lower gas prices, we'll have lower gas prices..." they sang.
I'm sure these prayers will be answered in much the same way that the prayers imploring god to reanimate the dead gramma on the shitter in Wisconsin were answered. In other words, they won't be...
I'm sure I'd just laugh at these fucking idiots if they were praying at a gas station where I was filling up my tank (but I might take my business elsewhere if the gas station allowed such nonsense on its property). As Penn Jilette might say, "Sweet Jesus, the Jew, what a load of bullshit!"
Saturday, May 10, 2008
More Religious Stupidity with Corpses
Two children and their mother are said to have lived for about two months with the decaying body of a 90-year-old woman on the toilet of their home's only bathroom.
Wisconsin authorities say a religious "superior" had claimed the corpse would come back to life.
The children, ages 15 and 12, cried hysterically Wednesday after a deputy who came to the Necedah, Wis., home looking for the woman, Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth, ordered them out because of the stench from the body.
According to the criminal complaint, Middlesworth's sister called sheriff's officials Wednesday and asked them to go to the home about 80 miles north of Madison to check on the woman, who had not been heard from for some time.
The children are in foster care. Their mother, Tammy Lewis, and self-described "bishop" Alan Bushey remain in custody on felony counts of being a party to causing mental harm to a child.
Lewis told a deputy that Middlesworth, who one of the children referred to as "grandmother" in the criminal complaint, had appeared to pass out as Lewis helped her into her underwear.
She said she propped Middlesworth on the toilet and left the room to call Bushey, who told her to leave the woman alone and pray for her, the complaint said. He said he had received signs that God would raise her from the dead with a miracle.
Lewis went on to say she thought Middlesworth was still breathing when she put her on the toilet and called Bushey, instead of an ambulance. She later told a detective she put the woman on the toilet on March 4.
An autopsy has been performed, but results won't be available for some time, Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson said.
To me, the most amazing part of this story is that the house had only one bathroom. Where do you suppose these idiots defecated since March 4th?
Wisconsin authorities say a religious "superior" had claimed the corpse would come back to life.
The children, ages 15 and 12, cried hysterically Wednesday after a deputy who came to the Necedah, Wis., home looking for the woman, Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth, ordered them out because of the stench from the body.
According to the criminal complaint, Middlesworth's sister called sheriff's officials Wednesday and asked them to go to the home about 80 miles north of Madison to check on the woman, who had not been heard from for some time.
The children are in foster care. Their mother, Tammy Lewis, and self-described "bishop" Alan Bushey remain in custody on felony counts of being a party to causing mental harm to a child.
Lewis told a deputy that Middlesworth, who one of the children referred to as "grandmother" in the criminal complaint, had appeared to pass out as Lewis helped her into her underwear.
She said she propped Middlesworth on the toilet and left the room to call Bushey, who told her to leave the woman alone and pray for her, the complaint said. He said he had received signs that God would raise her from the dead with a miracle.
Lewis went on to say she thought Middlesworth was still breathing when she put her on the toilet and called Bushey, instead of an ambulance. She later told a detective she put the woman on the toilet on March 4.
An autopsy has been performed, but results won't be available for some time, Juneau County Sheriff Brent Oleson said.
To me, the most amazing part of this story is that the house had only one bathroom. Where do you suppose these idiots defecated since March 4th?
Friday, May 9, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Armageddon in Retrospect
Like an unexpected visit from a lifelong friend you thought you'd lost forever, Kurt Vonnegut's *NEW* book, Armageddon in Retrospect, popped up on a shelf in a book store in the Dallas airport -- and I snagged it up immediately. I was not aware that Vonnegut had any unpublished work remaining that would be published posthumously. But here, in all its glory, is a collection of short stories all focused on war.
I've been a lifelong fan of Vonnegut's and I'm cherishing this book slowly - a story or two a day. If you've enjoyed Vonnegut in the past, you'll thoroughly enjoy this new book. Armageddon in Retrospect contains twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. The stories range from from a nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War II to a very funny story about three privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war...
And sprinkled throughout the book are examples of Vonnegut's drawing and art, like this one:
If you've ever enjoyed Vonnegut's work, do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book. His take on war... and peace... is "on the mark" even as he "speaks" to us from beyond the grave.
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