The Sober Side of Wank

Sometimes, Karma does work

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:16:15 GMT

Remember the 8yo in Arizona who was gang raped?

Her parents have been arrested on Child abuse charges

The parents of an 8-year-old Liberian girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by four boys in July were arrested Friday on child abuse charges, according to Arizona police.

The father, 59, and mother, 47, were arrested Friday in Phoenix on seven counts of child abuse, said police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill. Police were waiting for them at their home after the Maricopa County Attorney's Office issued the warrants.

The names of the parents have been withheld by CNN to avoid identifying the daughter, who is an alleged rape victim.

The child abuse investigation was based on documented incidents from the Phoenix Police Department and numerous referrals to Arizona Child Protective Services dating to 2005.

Police said the parents, refugees from the West African nation, used sticks, wires and their fists to hit their young daughter.

Witnesses told CNN affiliate KTVK that the parents left their daughter wandering their apartment complex alone at night, begging for food.

Details of the girl's assault last summer shocked the nation. She was allegedly lured to a storage shed, pinned down and gang-raped by four boys, none of them older than 14.

The parents said they felt they had been shamed by their child and blamed her for being victimized. As a result, the girl was taken from her home and placed in state custody.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said at the time that the parents' reaction was wrong and that they needed counseling.

It won't help the little girl get over what was done to her, but I can't help but feel just a tiny bit glad that this happened.

Pedophile priests should get ..... wait, WHAT?!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:20:36 GMT

Diocese: Pedophile priests should get benefits
By RANDALL CHASE
Associated Press Writer

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is obligated to pay retirement benefits to six priests who are confirmed pedophiles, church officials argued in a bankruptcy court filing seeking permission to keep making the payments.

After filing for Chapter 11 protection last month, the diocese agreed not to make payments to priests accused of sexual abuse without court approval. That agreement was made after objections were raised by attorneys for alleged abuse victims who now sit on a creditors committee.

In a filing submitted late Thursday, attorneys for the diocese now seek authorization to provide pensions, housing costs and medical coverage to six confirmed child abusers. They cited an obligation to care for retired clergy, including priests dismissed from public ministry and facing laicization, or defrocking.

"Only the Vatican has the power to laicize clergy," the diocese said. "Thus, while several priests have been dismissed from the public ministry and have laicization proceedings pending against them, for the time being they remain clergy whom the debtor supports, and must continue to support."

The motion also seeks permission to keep paying benefits to another priest who has been accused of sex abuse, though the claims have not been substantiated. He still has authority to serve as a priest.

The diocese argues that pension payments would not be taken from funds that might be used to pay creditors, including abuse victims waiting for settlement payments.

James Stang, an attorney for the creditors committee, described the filing as "outrageous."

Officials with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, could not recall a similar motion in the six other bankruptcies involving Catholic dioceses in the U.S. The group also noted that the Wilmington diocese is paying a public relations firm a minimum of $100,000 for bankruptcy-related work.

"It's morally wrong for a church official to cry poverty and then pay six figures to a PR firm. And it's morally wrong for a church official to put helping child predators ahead of helping child victims," said Barbara Dorris, national outreach director for SNAP.

The diocese wants to continue paying medical coverage for former priest Francis DeLuca, 80, who was removed from public ministry in 1993 and defrocked last year after serving a jail term in New York for repeatedly abusing his grandnephew.

The diocese said it has provided DeLuca "charity" since he was defrocked in the form of a $1,000 monthly allowance and medical coverage. The allowance has been terminated, but the diocese still wants to provide medical coverage.

"Corporal works of mercy such as the provision of charity to Mr. DeLuca are fundamental to the Christian faith, and there is no 'bad person' exception to Catholic charity," attorneys for the diocese wrote.

According to the court filing, 29 retired diocesan priests receive pensions at a cost of about $55,000 per month, and retired priests ineligible for the pension plan are provided "sustenance."

Among the priests receiving pension and health benefits are John Sarros and Douglas Dempster, both of whom were identified by the diocese in 2006 as having substantiated abuse allegations against them. The diocese also pays about $4,000 a month to house Sarros in an assisted-living home.

The three other priests with substantiated abuse allegations - Joseph McGovern, Charles Wiggins, and Kenneth Martin - have received cash payments and medical coverage. The cash payments have been halted until they prove financial need, but the diocese wants to continue providing medical coverage.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

That headline is ridiculous. The article is not much better.

*quiet rage*

ETA: Forgot the link, had to hunt through my browser history for it.

Also, I'm still trying to figure out that line about "alleged abuse victims" -- what, the priests are convicted as pedophiles, but that doesn't mean the victims are telling the truth?

I have to laugh at how they're missing the point. Or else I'm going to cry.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:34:36 GMT

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.

“We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence,” it says.

The manifesto, to be released on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, is an effort to rejuvenate the political alliance of conservative Catholics and evangelicals that dominated the religious debate during the administration of President George W. Bush. The signers include nine Roman Catholic archbishops and the primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

They want to signal to the Obama administration and to Congress that they are still a formidable force that will not compromise on abortion, stem-cell research or gay marriage. They hope to influence current debates over health care reform, the same-sex marriage bill in Washington, D.C., and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

They say they also want to speak to younger Christians who have become engaged in issues like climate change and global poverty, and who are more accepting of homosexuality than their elders. They say they want to remind them that abortion, homosexuality and religious freedom are still paramount issues.

“We argue that there is a hierarchy of issues,” said Charles Colson, a prominent evangelical who founded Prison Fellowship after serving time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. “A lot of the younger evangelicals say they’re all alike. We’re hoping to educate them that these are the three most important issues.”

The document was written by Mr. Colson; Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, who is Catholic; and the Rev. Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School, an evangelical interdenominational school on the campus of Samford University, in Birmingham, Ala.

They convened a meeting of Christian leaders in Manhattan in September to present the document and gather suggestions. The 4,700-word document is called the “Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.” The New York Times obtained an advance copy.

The document says, “We will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other antilife act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent.”

Ira C. Lupu, a law professor at George Washington University Law School, said it was “fear-mongering” to suggest that religious institutions would be forced to do any of those things. He said they are protected by the First Amendment, and by conscience clauses that allow medical professionals and hospitals to opt out of performing certain procedures, and religious exemptions written into same-sex marriage bills.

The most likely points of controversy, he said, could involve religious groups that provide social services to the public. Such organizations could be obligated to provide social services to gay people or provide spousal benefits to married gay employees.

Mr. George, the legal scholar at Princeton University, argued that the conscience clauses and religious exemptions were insufficient, saying, “The dangers to religious liberty are very real.”

Anti-Violence PSA Game Stirs Controversy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:42:03 GMT

I was kind of surprised this hadn't hit Unfunnybusiness yet...

The intentions behind it may have been noble, but a Danish public service announcement about violence against women called "Hit The Bitch" has people asking just what those behind it were thinking.

Made by a Danish advocacy group as a web campaign, the site allows you to use your computer's mouse to move a gigantic hand so that it repeatedly strikes a female model in the face. The site then rates each hit on a scale beginning at "100% pussy" and ending at "100% gangsta." As you hit the woman her face begins to show bruises, and once enough blows are struck and the user reaches "100% gangsta," the woman falls down and the phrase "100% IDIOT!" appears on the screen. It then shows her sobbing and grabbing her neck in agony on the floor. The spot's message about violence is then presented in Danish while mournful music plays in the background.

The response from the handful of sites that have written about the PSA has been one of discomfort. The PSA "takes things to a a disturbing level," writes Nick McMaster at Newser. Meanwhile, Tana Ganeva of Alternethas accused the PSA of having gone "very, very wrong".

More here at HuffPo.

Tragedy all around

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:29:40 GMT

Father kills son after son's underage sex confession

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. - A 37-year-old father enraged after hearing his 15-year-old son had sexual contact with a 3-year-old girl made the teen strip at gunpoint, marched him to a vacant lot and shot him to death despite pleas from the boy and his mother, a relative said.

Michigan authorities filed a first-degree murder charge Wednesday against Jamar Pinkney Sr. in the shooting death Monday of Jamar Pinkney Jr. in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park.

Defense attorney Corbett O’Meara said prosecutors should consider evidence of the father’s state of mind.

“If something were to happen that would cause a reasonable person to lose control of himself, that is something the prosecution would have to take into account,” O’Meara said. Judge Brigette Officer entered a not guilty plea for Pinkney and ordered him jailed without bond.

The boy’s mother, Lazette Cherry, told the Detroit Free Press that her son told her he had improper sexual contact with the girl.

“I called and told his father. This isn’t something you sweep under the rug,” she said.

Cherry said the elder Pinkney arrived at the home with a gun, ordered his son to strip and marched him outside despite her protests.

“He got on his knees and begged, ‘No, Daddy, no,’ and he pulled the trigger,” Cherry said.

opinion piece on Twilight

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:03:38 GMT

This is the first negative opinion piece on the Twilight series I've seen on a mainstream newspaper (well at least one that's local), possibly I've been living under a rock, but it made me very happy.

You know how hard it is when your flist is going on and on about a series you can't stand? Well, OK, you can just scroll on by, but now it's society which is going on and on about it, the advertising is driving me a bit insane, I can't wait until people move onto the next big thing.

Warning, spoilers in article.
----
When I was growing up, my literary heroine was Josephine March from Little Women. Jo was a lanky tomboy with no interest in frocks or gentlemen. While her sisters flirted and fretted about their noses, Jo scribbled in the attic, dreaming of becoming a writer. She chopped off her hair, threw snowballs and lived with gusto at a time when gusto was extremely unladylike.

There were others like her. Anne of Green Gables wrote stories about raven-haired beauties but was herself a naughty ginger, who won over a reluctant foster family with spirit and intelligence. While her school friends crocheted doilies and married the first chap who asked them, Anne charged off to university to win scholarships and medals.

Jo and Anne encouraged generations of women to learn and dream. So I worry for girls who will grow up with Bella Swan from Twilight. Where Jo and Anne were smart, independent and true to themselves, Bella is self-absorbed, clingy and willing to give up everything - her education, family, and mortal soul - for a man. Some may argue that the Twilight books are just a modern-day fairytale. But the fairytale has become a phenomenon that has captivated teenage girls around the world, and sullen, selfish Bella has become a poster girl for the gender roles Jo and Anne rejected more than 100 years ago.

Readers meet Bella as she arrives in a dank little town to live with her father. She falls in love with the gorgeous, rich, bloodsucking Edward Cullen, who has been 17 for about 100 years. Edward and his family feed on animal blood to avoid killing people. But Edward still lusts for human blood, and Bella's especially, so being with her is an exercise in self-control (a parable for abstinence, one of the book's many moral messages). Edward's appeal to teenage girls is understandable. He values Bella's wellbeing over his desire.

Yet over four books and thousands of pages, Edward's character, as seen through Bella's eyes, does not evolve beyond his looks and sexy vampire superpowers. He rarely has a thought that doesn't involve fawning over her. I can't remember him making her laugh. Bella, meanwhile, is less concerned about whether her boyfriend will kill a member of her family than whether he'll dump her on her 18th birthday because she'll be too old.

Bella is also irritatingly helpless. She constantly gets herself in trouble due to selfishness or stupidity and needs Edward to swoop in and save her. In the New Moon book, on which the latest film, released today, is based, Bella loses all will to live when Edward decides, reasonably, that a long-term relationship with an immortal vampire is not in her best interests and runs away. She figures out she can summon his presence when she's in danger (he's always on rescue duty) so she hurls herself off a cliff just to hear his voice.

When they reunite (warning, there's a spoiler ahead), Bella decides that the best course of action is to become a vampire herself. She accepts that once she becomes a vampire, her first impulse upon seeing her family and friends will be to suck their blood.

As it turns out, one thing she does not have to give up is motherhood. Bella and Edward marry while she is still human; Bella was initially reluctant, because while she's prepared to give up her future and family for Edward, she doesn't want to be one of ''those girls'' who marry young. They conceive a half-vampire, half-human child. Baby vampires are particularly dangerous, apparently, as they have as little restraint as any baby and have been known to slaughter entire cities when they're hungry. But with customary thoughtlessness and confused morality, Bella refuses to have an abortion. Her decision puts a lot of people to a lot of trouble.

For more than a century, Jo March and Anne Shirley have been teaching little girls that there is more to life than hooking up with a rich, handsome bloke. Now, in 2009, we have a heroine who tells them that it's worth their family, their education and their soul. Bella may well be immortal, but I hope for the sake of all little girls that Jo and Anne outlive her.

Source

10-year-old tased by Arkansas police

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:08:33 GMT

Mother calls the police to her home to help her control her 10-year-old... again. Mother repeatedly tells the cop he can tase her daughter. After a brief struggle, the cop does. According to the police chief, tasing the girl was preferable to picking her up because "They can slip from you and fall on the ground."

Link

It was an encounter one Ozark 10-year-old will likely never forget.

Called to a home to help control an allegedly "unruly child," an Ozark police officer was reportedly told by the girl's mother that he could use the electric weapon to subdue her, according to 40/29 News Arkansas.

However, the girl supposedly kicked the officer in the groin when he approached. "He had no other choice [but to Taser her]," Ozark Police Choief Jim Noggle reportedly said. "He had to get the child under control."

According to the Associated Press, the officer's name is Dustin Bradshaw. His aggressive approach to dealing with a child has the girl's father enraged.

"If you can't pick the kid up and take her to your car, handcuff her, then I don't think you need to be an officer," Anthony Medlock reportedly said.

Ozark police argued that had the officer grabbed the girl, he could have hurt her. "If you grab somebody, you can slip an arm out of joint," the police chief added. "They can slip from you and fall on the ground."

The department's policy is to use a Taser on anyone who is thought to be a threat to others, regardless of age or mental stature, according to 40/29 News. Other area departments have greater restrictions on Taser use.

Medlock also reportedly said the incident is not the first in which the girl's mother has called the police on her daughter. He plans to seek custody of the girl due to the latest police encounter.

The girl has not been named because she is a minor.

ETA: The officer's report on The Smoking Gun, link courtesy of heuradys.

Universal: It's the international movie-viewer who's racist, not us!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:54:57 GMT

I'm surprised this hasn't made it over here yet:

Universal's UK 'Couples Retreat' Poster Brings Cries of Racism by Removing Black Actors

The excuse?

In response to outrage over the move, a Universal spokesman said the altered poster aimed "to simplify the poster to actors who are most [recognizable] in international markets."

Universal "issued a statement regretting any offense it caused, and the studio has scrapped all plans to use the modified poster in other overseas markets" but this makes it sound like the problem is with the people who took offense.

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:04:48 GMT

Three teens accused of setting boy on fire face attempted murder charges.

Brewer has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began on October 12, when five teenage friends allegedly doused him with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire. The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of them stole his father's bicycle. Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $40 for a video game.

The family of one of the accused has been receiving death threats. All three accused teens (All between the ages of 13-15) have been charged with aggravated battery.

The victim seems to have a good chance at survival.

Breaking news: White men are being oppressed in Hollywood.

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:41:13 GMT

Thinks crew members of NBC's Heroes. It all started when Jim Martin (assistant to show creator Tim Kring and himself a writer on the show) engaged in conversation with (former, now disgruntled) fans about the show, and in the process uttered such gems as "Anyone who thinks they can do better... I dare you. Go ahead. :) I'd love to see it." and "If you think that Racism and Sexism are thematically integrated in HEROES then you may want to check your intelligence before worrying about it being insulted." That post has since been deleted, but a kind mouse saved it and shared it with us in wank_report. In his follow-up post about the whole mess, he whined about how he liked the internet better when it wasn't so self-righteous, and left us with even more gems as "Look up the diversity programs for writers in tv. Ask anyone in the tv world. There is a distinct disadvantage to be a white male when trying to be a staff writer." and "I'm fully aware of what you are referencing, but I don't think its a problem on Heroes and I don't think white privilege is an issue in Hollywood at this point."

Sounds bad enough, right?

But no! Turns out that was just the start of a downwards spiral of fail, and it turns out that the fail reached new startling depths when Foz McDermott, a coordinating producer and writer of the show and perpetual bringer of anti-PC and misogyny fail, decided to use his own blog to reply to a particular comment that was left on Jim Martin's blog. He starts charmingly:

“The idea that white privilege isn’t a problem in Hollywood at this point is an idea coming from a privileged standpoint.”

Holy crap lady… if you are indeed a lady… that is hilarious. In a business that is scared of and run by pussy organizations that are so scared of being sued about everything, being OVERLY PC is the actual problem. Being a white male in the business of Hollywood is NOT easy. There are programs and incentives to help everyone except white males.

certain projects, films, movies, corporations will actually get money paid back to them if they hire a woman, a minority, hell double jackpot if you hire a female minority… that’s twice the money!!

that is an extreme case. But they do happen, I have seen it. Now… there are rules in place where some places require you to have a certain ammount of minorities on staff at all times. There are set up and funded “diversity programs” that are put in place as well.

Let me be clear: I have no real problem with helping anyone. I think that certain people and groups have been crapped on for a long time, and making ways to help people were necessary…at one time. I don’t personally believe in it at all now. I actually think it has gone too far. Like when you have to fill a position and you have 3 candidates and the best person is the best for the job, and the one that is not the best fit is forced upon you because of diversity quotas and not their skill. that actually makes me sick. It is nothing BUT racism. Not reverse racism, that term doesn’t even exist. making a choice and hiring anyone for any reason BECAUSE of their race IS racism.

I am from South Philadelphia, where I come from, I AM the minority. I am not saying that equals being a slave or coming from a family that had a generation that survived or worse… didn’t survive the holocaust, I am just saying that I WASNT picked for things BECAUSE I am white. It made ME work harder. It is a small scale, but i can relate a bit…. A BIT… I never thought I was deserving of something because I am white. That is bullshit. But what I have done is talk to my friends about it, a lot of whom are of color, and most are sane and have something to the effect of “ya, its fucked up, but I’ll take it.” Yes! I agree! take it!! I am not mad at anyone that can take advantage of a flawed system. Go For It…hell if there was an italian discount on Ferraris, I would be doing it.

The only comment that I hear is that irks me is the (and it is seldom) “hey, you guys kept us down for so long, its only fair you are paying for it now.” woah…really? #1 “us” is definitely not you, you grew up with Nintendo and Hot Pockets, nobody ever owned you…. and “You guys” is absolutely not me… THATS RACIST! the oldest person I can trace my heritage to in this country on either side of my family is 1948. My mother is first generation here kids… My ancestors never owned a slave, never lived the high life, and most certainly never “kept anyone down” in fact when My grandfather came here they were treated like 2nd class citizens… pretty fucking bad actually…

All I am saying is: “Where is MY diversity program?”

I've personally been fuming about Heroes for months, but when it sinks so low, I'm not sure I can do much else than laugh.

victime blaming, it must be monday

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:26:45 GMT

What makes me really sad, and well, thinky about this is all the times I've been groped on the train, probably a dozen or so times. I usually moved away really quickly, or on one memorable occasion I elbowed a guy in the stomach. But it nevered occured to me, at the time, or any time since, to take it to the authorities, or even talk to the rail staff.

And the reason being? I don't know, I just accept that these things happen, I just accept it would be useless to make a fuss about it. In my mind, being groped on peak-hour commuting time is like spilling coke all over your dress, it happens, it sucks, you move on. Every woman knows when they are being groped. So I call bullshit on the Judges.
----
Last April, the Supreme Court reversed a Tokyo High Court decision that found Masahiro Nakura, a professor of medicine at the Self-Defense Forces University, guilty of being a chikan (groper) after he was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old high school girl on the Odakyu train line in 2006. A majority of the judges said they thought the girl's statement was "unreliable."

The media hailed the verdict as a victory for justice and common sense. Veteran journalist Soichiro Tahara brought Nakura on to TV Asahi's "Sunday Project" and extended his sympathies. The system was so infernal, Tahara said, that "even a distinguished professor" had to endure three trials (the original plus two appeals) and the presumed browbeating of police and prosecutors. Tahara's words brought tears to Nakura's eyes — and to the eyes of the show's female announcer as well.

However, not everyone was happy. A recent issue of Kinyobi ran several essays by women writers who think the judges were prejudiced. Nobuko Kamenaga starts off hers by saying that the "iron rule" of a criminal trial is that the benefit of the doubt should favor the suspect, but such a premise assumes that the suspect is the person on trial. Based on the judges' opinions, she concludes that it was the victim who was on trial.

What makes groping cases different from most other crimes is that it is almost impossible to have a witness. It is one person's word against another, which is why the vast majority of on-site apprehensions (genko taiho) are made by the victims themselves.

What bothered the judges about the victim's version of events is that she endured the groping "without doing anything about it" and then didn't bring the alleged groper to the police until almost the end of the line, after the train had stopped at a number of stations. At one point, she was forced off the packed train by the crowd and then re-boarded it right next to the professor, who she said then resumed fondling her.

The judges said that groping on crowded trains tends to be an impulsive act, and the girl's description of the alleged perpetrator's focus on her didn't jibe with what they felt was the normal modus operandi of train gropers. They speculated that "most groping victims perhaps haven't really experienced groping," thus suggesting that what they really experienced was nothing more than unavoidable close contact. Consequently, the judges thought it was likely that the girl made up the story.

One of the criteria the judges used to reach their conclusion is something called the "rule of experience" (keikensoku), and Kamenaga states that a man's experience in this case is different from a woman's, since men are rarely victims of groping. Being felt up on a crowded train can be devastating and disorienting, but in any case the girl's deliberate actions showed that she was determined to have the alleged groper properly dealt with. Because the train was so crowded, it was impossible for her to disembark with her assailant until Shimokitazawa Station and bring him to the police, who then took him into custody. She did what she was supposed to do under those circumstances.

In the media, however, she became the person who ruined the life of a "distinguished professor" by bringing false charges (enzai) against him. After Shukan Shincho published her measurements, Internet commentators started saying that no man would want to touch such a fat girl.

"Enzai" is a hot word right now, thanks mainly to Toshikazu Sugaya, who was released after 17 years in prison for a murder conviction based on wrong DNA data. The word, however, has become more directly associated with groping cases, especially since the 2006 release of Masayuki Suo's hit movie "I Just Didn't Do It," which describes a young man falsely accused of groping a high school girl on a train.

Men's fear of false groping charges is covered more intensely in the press than women's fear of being groped, and it has produced a literary subgenre. There are books on the market about "chikan enzai" involving groping accusations made by dangerously paranoid or malicious women. There are relatively few books about victims of groping, or any kind of sex crimes, for that matter.

An interesting addition to this subgenre was broadcast on Fuji TV two weeks ago. The drama "Someone is Lying" tells the story of a mild-mannered salaryman accused of groping by a high school girl on a crowded train. He is arrested and detained for six months. Police and prosecutors treat him like dirt, his initial lawyer abandons his case, and his company lets him go, mainly because he maintains his innocence after being told that he can be released with a mild rebuke if he admits to the charge.

The title of the drama indicates that one of the parties is not telling the truth, and since viewers are aware that the salaryman is innocent, it must be the girl. However, the story concludes with a ridiculously implausible explanation for the girl's accusation that lets her off the hook. It turns out she really was being groped, but not by the salaryman, and that this groping was videotaped by a third person, thus providing the sort of evidence usually required in a criminal trial but which in reality is absent from groping trials. In he-said-she-said situations, if one side is innocent, then the other is presumed to be guilty.

Female sexual-aids entrepreneur Minori Kitahara, also writing in Kinyobi, believes that the Supreme Court's opinion "basically tells potential gropers that they can do anything they want." Groping, she says, is already being discussed not as a crime but as a "proclivity." Since 2004, the arrest rate has been dropping, but Kitahara doesn't think it's because gropers are giving up their lascivious ways. It's because more and more victims believe that arresting them is useless.

Source

Philadelphia swim club to declare bankruptcy

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:39:56 GMT

Remember the swim club in Philadelphia that wouldn't allow African-American and Hispanic children to use their pool? They're back in the news.

PhillyBurbs.com: Embattled swim club headed to bankruptcy
By: CHRISTOPHER RUVO
Burlington County Times

A Lower Moreland, Pa., swim club that made national headlines after being accused of racism for turning away minority day campers plans to file for bankruptcy, according to an e-mail from the club's president to members.

The announcement comes as the Valley Club struggles to cope with mounting debt and the cost of legal proceedings and lawsuits filed by families of children from Creative Steps Day Camp, a summer camp in Northeast Philadelphia whose members are minorities.

"The truth is that the club has struggled to stay out of the red for the last decade," Valley Club President John Duesler Jr. wrote in an e-mail that was posted on a Daily News blog at philly.com. "Our current debt from this year's operation and legal fees exceeds $100,000."

Oops! Looks like they got what was coming to them

Meep meep!

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:53:32 GMT

Danvers High School Bans the word "Meep" and brings in police to enforce the ban.

The Internet is not amused.

Meep on, brothers and sisters. Meep on.

Horrifying display on XKCDSucks

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:15:48 GMT

Generally, when I check on my comics-mockery blogs, I don't expect to see unfunny misogynist diatribes. But it was not to be.

It all started when an anon noted that XKCD often features gags involving women being sensible and men being wacky types. The_Autodidact and The_P get into it for a little, but it's pretty low-key for a while (although The_P's bit about MISANDRY ISN'T IN FIREFOX'S DICTIONARY THIS IS GENDER INEQUALITY is eyeroll-worthy) until Kaderie has an issue and Jay decides to blow it up with "Rape isn't misogynistic".

Kaderie goes on to make the obvious rebuttals, and Jay continues to prove that he knows nothing about the subject at all, and other people weigh in against Kaderie - possibly there's some backstory? I don't know, I usually don't read the comments - and The_P keeps letting his inner MRA shine through. And now I feel dirty and must go take a shower.

The world could use more 10-year olds like this.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:08:33 GMT

Will Phillips refuses to say the pledge of allegiance because gays and lesbians lack equal rights in the U.S.

Will Phillips isn't like other boys his age.

For one thing, he's smart. Scary smart. A student in the West Fork School District in Washington County, he skipped a grade this year, going directly from the third to the fifth. When his family goes for a drive, discussions are much more apt to be about Teddy Roosevelt and terraforming Mars than they are about Spongebob Squarepants and what's playing on Radio Disney.

It was during one of those drives that the discussion turned to the pledge of allegiance and what it means. Laura Phillips is Will's mother. “Yes, my son is 10,” she said. “But he's probably more aware of the meaning of the pledge than a lot of adults. He's not just doing it rote recitation. We raised him to be aware of what's right, what's wrong, and what's fair.”

Will's family has a number of gay friends. In recent years, Laura Phillips said, they've been trying to be a straight ally to the gay community, going to the pride parades and standing up for the rights of their gay and lesbian neighbors. They've been especially dismayed by the effort to take away the rights of homosexuals – the right to marry, and the right to adopt. Given that, Will immediately saw a problem with the pledge of allegiance.

“I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer,” Will said. “I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for all.”

After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. The class had a substitute teacher that week, a retired educator from the district, who knew Will's mother and grandmother. Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day. Each day, the substitute got a little more cross with him. On Thursday, it finally came to a head. The teacher, Will said, told him that she knew his mother and grandmother, and they would want him to stand and say the pledge.

“She got a lot more angry and raised her voice and brought my mom and my grandma up,” Will said. “I was fuming and was too furious to really pay attention to what she was saying. After a few minutes, I said, ‘With all due respect, ma'am, you can go jump off a bridge.' ”

Will was sent to the office, where he was given an assignment to look up information about the flag and what it represents. Meanwhile, the principal called his mother.

“She said we have to talk about Will, because he told a sub to jump off a bridge,” Laura Phillips said. “My first response was: Why? He's not just going to say this because he doesn't want to do his math work.”

Eventually, Phillips said, the principal told her that the altercation was over Will's refusal to stand for the pledge of allegiance, and admitted that it was Will's right not to stand. Given that, Laura Phillips asked the principal when they could expect an apology from the teacher. “She said, ‘Well I don't think that's necessary at this point,' ” Phillips said.

After Phillips put a post on the instant-blogging site twitter.com about the incident, several of her friends got angry and alerted the news media. Meanwhile, Will Phillips still refuses to stand during the pledge of allegiance. Though many of his friends at school have told him they support his decision, those who don't have been unkind, and louder.

“They [the kids who don't support him] are much more crazy, and out of control and vocal about it than supporters are.”

Given that his protest is over the rights of gays and lesbians, the taunts have taken a predictable bent. “In the lunchroom and in the hallway, they've been making comments and doing pranks, and calling me gay,” he said. “It's always the same people, walking up and calling me a gaywad.”

Even so, Will said that he can't foresee anything in the near future that will make him stand for the pledge. To help him deal with the peer pressure, his parents have printed off posts in his support on blogs and websites. “We've told him that people here might not support you, but we've shown him there are people all over that support you,” Phillips said. “It's really frustrating to him that people are being so immature.”

At the end of our interview, I ask young Will a question that might be a civics test nightmare for your average 10-year-old. Will's answer, though, is good enough — simple enough, true enough — to give me a little rush of goose pimples. What does being an American mean?

“Freedom of speech,” Will says, without even stopping to think. “The freedom to disagree. That's what I think pretty much being an American represents.”

Somewhere, Thomas Jefferson smiles.

Completely fucking awful.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:35:41 GMT

"Toddler" microwaves a kitten.

Taken from here and rage_free on LJ.

Warning: Graphic animal abuse beneath the cut.

Today is a day I'll never forget. Keep in mind, I have a strong stomach for many things, but today just about proved that statement wrong.

I was at the shelter printing and typing up some new documents for the shelter information binder. It was a pretty tame day by the time I arrived, however it was busier earlier. I was helping clean up around some areas and went back to typing the new documents.

I was behind the main counter putting the new documents in the binder, chatting with two of the staff members and bidding an evening farewell to the shelter manager as he was leaving for the day. A young woman, young man and children came in with a kitten wrapped in a towel. I didn't know what all was going on in the beginning as I was talking to the foster care coordinator. The older staff member had the kitten in her hands, and I offered to hold him while she had the young family fill out the paper work. I glanced at the man, and he smiled very warmly, almost creepily. I asked what the problem with the kitten was, and the older staff member said very quietly, "He's burned." She had an empty, glossy look in her eyes as I took the kitten from her. The kitten was meowing, looking around, and most importantly, moving. I unwrapped part of the towel and smelled something.....I smelled cooked meat. I took the kitten back into cat receiving so he could have a kennel to himself with some fresh food. When I unwrapped him from the towel, my heart sank. The other staff member was already in cat receiving preparing the kennel, and she was on the phone with one of the kennel managers. This is the conversation:

Staff member: "You won't believe this, and I need you to come in a soon as you can. I know you just left, but this is unthinkable. We have an 8-10 week old kitten....that was placed in a microwave. He has severe burn marks, and it doesn't look good. You need to see the look on Ashley's face. I think she's going to punch something."

I didn't punch anything. I just stood there in shock. I have pictures of this poor kitten, but I don't think I'll post them. The family's story is as follows: The toddler, who comes up to my KNEES, put the kitten in the microwave and cooked it. They stated that the burns didn't look bad, but what the staff members tried to explain to them is that microwaves COOK from the INSIDE OUT.

Oh, it gets better.

The staff member that was on the phone earlier speaking to the shelter manager walked out and noticed the man laughing hysterically in the car.

This poor kitten just wanted affection. He was forgetting his pain thanks to the affection we were able to give him. It was so sad. I will never forget the smell. Never. I'm going to be blunt; the kitten was practically cooked from the inside. His feet were burned with pus coming from the wounds, the inside of his legs were burned, his tail was burned, and his anus was burned terribly. He kept swelling and swelling, but he was so hungry for food and affection that he ate and nuzzled our hands.

The humane thing to do was to euthanize him. We have the woman's name, address, and telephone number. We were all in such shock that we didn't think straight to ask for a state issued ID to scan in order to obtain the proper information.

I came home in tears to Fred. I have more feelings for animals than I do for humans anymore. Animals are innocent. They can't speak, but they can communicate. They can't tell us how they feel, but they do reason. I do know that they suffer, and the lucky ones are fortunate enough to get forever homes while some are better off being humanely euthanized. All I can think about is the animals that we have saved instead of the ones we've lost to idiotic owners.

EDIT: I called the shelter and they said that a burned kitten had come in a few days ago.

Catholic Church gives DC ultimatum

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:20:40 GMT

Catholic Church gives Washington D.C. an ultimatum over Gay marriage

Text below the cut for the linkphobic -

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

Under the bill, headed for a D.C. Council vote next month, religious organizations would not be required to perform or make space available for same-sex weddings. But they would have to obey city laws prohibiting discrimination against gay men and lesbians.

Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.

"If the city requires this, we can't do it," Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that's really a problem."

Several D.C. Council members said the Catholic Church is trying to erode the city's long-standing laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination.

The clash escalates the dispute over the same-sex marriage proposal between the council and the archdiocese, which has generally stayed out of city politics.

Catholic Charities, the church's social services arm, is one of dozens of nonprofit organizations that partner with the District. It serves 68,000 people in the city, including the one-third of Washington's homeless people who go to city-owned shelters managed by the church. City leaders said the church is not the dominant provider of any particular social service, but the church pointed out that it supplements funding for city programs with $10 million from its own coffers.

"All of those services will be adversely impacted if the exemption language remains so narrow," Jane G. Belford, chancellor of the Washington Archdiocese, wrote to the council this week.

The church's influence seems limited. In separate interviews Wednesday, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) referred to the church as "somewhat childish." Another council member, David A. Catania (I-At Large), said he would rather end the city's relationship with the church than give in to its demands.

"They don't represent, in my mind, an indispensable component of our social services infrastructure," said Catania, the sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill and the chairman of the Health Committee.

The standoff appears to be among the harshest between a government and a faith-based group over the rights of same-sex couples. Advocates for same-sex couples said they could not immediately think of other places where a same-sex marriage law had set off a break with a major faith-based provider of social services.

The council is expected to pass the same-sex marriage bill next month, but the measure continues to face strong opposition from a number of groups that are pushing for a referendum on the issue.

The archdiocese's statement follows a vote Tuesday by the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary to reject an amendment that would have allowed individuals, based on their religious beliefs, to decline to provide services for same-sex weddings.

"Lets say an individual caterer is a staunch Christian and someone wants him to do a cake with two grooms on top," said council member Yvette M. Alexander (D-Ward 6), the sponsor of the amendment. "Why can't they say, based on their religious beliefs, 'I can't do something like that'?"

After the vote, the archdiocese sent out a statement accusing the council of ignoring the right of religious freedom. Gibbs said Wednesday that without Alexander's amendment and other proposed changes, the measure has too narrow an exemption. She said religious groups that receive city funds would be required to give same-sex couples medical benefits, open adoptions to same-sex couples and rent a church hall to a support group for lesbian couples.

Peter Rosenstein of the Campaign for All D.C. Families accused the church of trying to "blackmail the city."

"The issue here is they are using public funds, and to allow people to discriminate with public money is unacceptable," Rosenstein said.

Rosenstein and other gay rights activists have strong support on the council. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the judiciary committee, said the council "will not legislate based on threats."

"The problem with the individual exemption is anybody could discriminate based on their assertion of religious principle," Mendelson said. "There were many people back in the 1950s and '60s, during the civil rights era, that said separation of the races was ordained by God."

Catania, who said he has been the biggest supporter of Catholic Charities on the council, said he is baffled by the church's stance. From 2006 through 2008, Catania said, Catholic Charities received about $8.2 million in city contracts, as well as several hundred thousand dollars' worth this year through his committee.

"If they find living under our laws so oppressive that they can no longer take city resources, the city will have to find an alternative partner to step in to fill the shoes," Catania said. He also said Catholic Charities was involved in only six of the 102 city-sponsored adoptions last year.

Terry Lynch, head of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, said he did not know of any other group in the city that was making such a threat.

"I've not seen any spillover into programming. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen if [the bill] passes," he said.

Cheh said she hopes the Catholic Church will reconsider its stance.

"Are they really going to harm people because they have a philosophical disagreement with us on one issue?" Cheh asked. "I hope, in the silver light of day, when this passes, because it will pass, they will not really act on this threat."

Please excuse me while my head explodes...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:22:39 GMT

Bid to cut gays from surrogacy in State Parliament

Long story short, the government have drafted laws decriminalising altruistic (ie, not for profit) surrogacy for anyone in Queensland. Yes folks, this includes homosexual couples and singles. A step in the right direction wouldn't you say? Except that the opposition party aren't too thrilled about this blatent attempt at equality and have forced it to a conscience vote.

Something tells me that the law is going to be voted down or mangled so that only married heterosexual couples are able to have access to surrogacy. And on that day I'm going to really fucking hate my state.

As an aside, I went looking for Lawrence Springborg's site to see if I could send an email asking for clarification of his statements in the article, only to find that his account had been suspended. For some reason I find that awfully amusing.

2 Bears Stearns Fund Leaders are Acquitted

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:39:56 GMT

The jury system at work!

I've been reading some books* (my learnings let me show you them) about financial fraud in the US from the 80s on, and it has been very depressing. Almost no white collar criminals ever go to jail, if they even get prosecuted AT ALL (let's face it, when the people managing the money and have doctorates in physics and finance can't even understand derivatives/other investments, how is Joe/Jane Average Juror supposed to?) or face anything more than a cheap fine ($500,000 is nothing when you've made yourself $250,000,000 or more), or maybe being banned from the industry for three months. I was really hoping this time around things would be different, but apparently even after a financial collapse criminals get to go free.

...blah. /end thoughts on yaoi

btw I highly recommend the book "Infectious Greed" by Frank Partnoy if you are interested in the subject.

ETA: had to fix my link.

You know how catty those women are...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:58:09 GMT

First, a five-second rundown on what the Takarazuka is for those of you who don't know: famous all-female Japanese musical theatre troupe with a small but devoted non-Japanese fanbase. Runs a highly selective (is that the word I'm looking for? Er, "difficult to get into") music school for girls who want to become Takarazuka members. ETA: A wiki link would probably help, huh?

A girl has recently been expelled* from the Takarazuka Music School because she was accused of shoplifting; she says the accusations are false and that the girls responsible had been bullying her for a while, and is suing the school to let her back in. Which is already not terribly funny. (* That article's in Japanese, unfortunately, but there's a translation in the post linked below.)

The fun, however, really starts when the person who posts the news to the Takarazuka LJ comm includes a comment (now edited out) along the lines of "This is why I'd never go near an all-girls school. Women are scary, and they carry grudges."

Some people believe this to be offensive. Others disagree, stating that it's true because women have PMS, it's just a joke, and you shouldn't be mean to the original poster because she's a BNF.

(Incidentally, is there a program that will let me screencap/save the post without just alt+print-screen-ing it a few dozen times? The Takarazuka comm has a habit of deleting anything that gets too wanky.)

Two-Week-Old dies after being detained by U.S. Customs

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:26:38 GMT

Apparently, this happened over a year ago, but this is the first I've heard of it. The lack of a media outrage storm sickens me.

In February 2008, a baby brought from American Samoa to Honolulu by his mother for medical treatment died when they were held up at the airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The baby's mother, Luaipou Futi, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Honolulu against the United States government, alleging wrongful death. A settlement conference held Tuesday did not succeed, and the case is set for trial on April 13.

According to the lawsuit, Futi and her 2-week-old son, Michael Tony Futi, traveled to Honolulu with a nurse from Pago Pago, American Samoa, on February 8, 2008. The baby was born with a heart defect, and received approval from U.S. Customs for an emergency visa waiver for his mother and a nurse to bring him to Honolulu for medical treatment.

The trio were the first passengers off the plane at Honolulu Airport, and a car was waiting to take them to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. Instead, they were detained in a locked room by U.S. Customs officials who had concerns over the mother's paperwork. The nurse asked if she and the baby could be released to the hospital but was turned down.

During the flight, the nurse checked Michael's oxygen levels every 15 minutes and administered oxygen as needed. The baby developed breathing problems while locked in the airport room, and his nurse pounded on the door, frantically pleading with officials to call 911, but was apparently told to be quiet.

The infant was later taken by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Honolulu medical examiner concluded that Michael Futi died because he failed to receive required oxygen. It's heartbreaking and infuriating, and someone needs to answer for this.

ETA: This article from last year has a bit more info, including that the mother was born in Western Samoa.

Ex Astronaut Pleads Guilty In Attack, Gets Handwave

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:19:44 GMT

(first post. Excuse the errors, pls. Possibly triggery)

Lisa Nowak: the woman who drove from Houston to Florida with a knife, garbage bags, hammer, pistol, and adult diapers (oh NOW you remember this one) in her trunk of her car, to brutally assault the woman who was seeing the man the astro-not was stalking? was facing life in prison for attempted kidnapping?

Was instead allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges. Got time served, which is TWO DAYS, and one year PROBATION. And oh, community service! And no contact with your victims, we mean it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33833340/

Nowak is still on ACTIVE DUTY at an AFB in Texas, and has been since the assault. The victim and the man involved are living in frickin Alaska now and still suffering from the aftereffects of the assault. The victim stated in court that she knew that if she had not gotten away from her attacker despite being hit in the face with pepper spray, she would have been killed.

Part of Nowak's apology: “I hope very much that we can all move forward from this with privacy and peace."

"die in a fire" does not even begin to cover it.

this is all so depressing

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:17:21 GMT

I just don't understand this world sometimes. And there are so many people I don't underestand.
---
Students set up 'pro-rape' page on Facebook

A GROUP of past and present University of Sydney students set up a ''pro-rape'' page in the sports and recreation section on Facebook, describing themselves as ''anti-consent''.

The students, mostly from an elite, all-male college, initially ensured the ''Define Statutory'' group had an open and public profile, and proudly displayed their membership on their personal Facebook pages.

The commander of the NSW Police sex crimes unit and the head of the NSW Rape Crisis Centre condemned the site, describing it as ''grooming perpetrators of sexual violence''.

The Facebook page, which has since shut down but ran from August until late last month, was part of a broader culture at the university's residential colleges that demeans women in a sexist and often sexually violent way, experts say.

Several young women, also past and present residential college students, say they have experienced sexual assault and attempted assaults on campus. They say the privileged atmosphere of colleges, combined with a culture of binge drinking and few restraints on behaviour, meant most rapes went unreported. Allegations include:

- A woman was raped at a college festival.

- A college resident adviser had to use a master key to enter a room and stop a man from continuing to rape a student.

- Another young woman was raped in her room.

- About 30 drunk, naked men broke into a college and surrounded a young woman, touching and taunting her.

Concerned about binge drinking and the subsequent violence, University of Sydney vice-chancellor Michael Spence convened a meeting of residential college leaders in May.

That meeting resulted in the ''liquor accord'' between the university, colleges and other key players, including local police, although the document fails to mention sexual assault.

''It is a delicate issue as the colleges are very closed communities. It is not the whole of the story about college life, but I do think that it is an issue,'' Dr Spence said.

He condemned the Facebook page, saying it was ''in every way abhorrent and in every way at odds with what we are trying to achieve at the university''.

Reverend Canon Ivan Head, warden of St Paul's College since 1995, said he had no knowledge of the Facebook page before being told, describing it as ''directly contrary to stated college policies'' and acknowledging that ''this could be a site that encourages criminality''.

He said he had received no complaints. ''College officers … endeavour to listen to gender-based conflict or complaint[s] with compassion, insight and the capacity to refer to relevant legal authorities,'' he wrote in a statement.

But the outgoing master of Wesley College, Reverend David Russell, said that in his eight years in the role he had spoken to several female students who felt they had to leave college. ''They say, 'I just don't feel safe,' '' he said.

Source

An Update on previous unfunnybusiness

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:54 GMT

Remember this bit of triggering fail where a random person did something awesome? (Warning: TRIGGERING CONTENT EVERYWHERE)

There's an update. And it's a little fail and a little awesome here* (moar triggering content)

A 15-year-old girl who was raped, robbed and beaten by multiple attackers outside of her high school homecoming dance was found by police after 18-year-old Margarita Vargas, undaunted by pressure to keep quiet, called 911.

Vargas called police after her brother-in-law told her about an attack at Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. CBS:

"I was watching a movie, and my brother-in-law came in and he told me 'I don't know what to do, because there is a girl back there and she has been raped. I'm scared,'" 18-year-old Margarita Vargas said.

"I'm like 'We should call the cops because that's the right thing to do.' I didn't think about it twice."

Relaying what she knew, Vargas called police without even witnessing the crime. She arrived after police and saw the victim being taken away. Vargas told CNN that she was proud of herself. Referring to a culture of silence, Vargas told CNN that there's a common saying around Richmond "snitches get stitches."

Police believe up to 10 people participated in the Oct. 24 assault and that as many as a dozen people watched, laughed and took pictures while it happened. Seven suspects have been arrested, though 1 has been released. According to a report by KTVU News, at least 4 of the suspects are teenagers and face life in prison. One suspect is 21.

The victim released a statement last Tuesday, urging supporters to look past their anger and work for change to keep people safe.

According to police, the 15-year-old who was attacked, left her high school dance Oct. 24 and was expected to meet her father. He was looking for her while the attack took place.

*There's also a video interview with this girl on the above link.

Wal-Mart FAIL

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:57:11 GMT

Gay couple banned from Wal-Mart for NOT shoplifting

Niles couple banned from Wal-Mart after dispute over BIC lighters
By LOU MUMFORD
Tribune Staff Writer

This is an updated version of the story that includes corrected content.

NILES — The two Bic multipurpose lighters and a package of smaller lighters Joe Paolucci bought at the Niles Wal-Mart on Aug. 16 cost $15.84.

So how did the lighters end up the centerpiece of a situation that resulted in Paolucci and his gay partner, Thomas Hitchcock, being banned from Wal-Mart, not only in Niles but everywhere? That's the rest of the story.

Paolucci said he and Hitchcock had visited the store often since the two Chicago attorneys — for 13 years, Paolucci was general counsel for the real estate investment company owned by Chicago billionaire Sam Zell — opened a store known simply as Front in downtown Buchanan.

The "high-end modernist gallery/shop," as Paolucci described it, stemmed from an extensive rehabilitation project. He and Hitchcock own investment properties in downtown Buchanan as well, they said, plus a second home near Buchanan that they occupy with two special-needs 11-year-old twin sons they adopted from Romania.

"The kids call us Daddy and Poppa," said Paolucci, who maintains a primary residence with Hitchcock and the boys in Chicago's Lincoln Park area.

Reward for good behavior

On Aug. 16, the four traveled to Wal-Mart at least in part, Paolucci said, to reward the twins for recent good behavior. Hitchcock bought groceries totaling some $200 and checked out at a counter operated by a cashier. Paolucci, meanwhile, went to a self-checkout lane to use scanning equipment he had operated before.

Later, he said, he returned to the shopping area to pick up additional items, including the lighters, which he scanned and placed in bags. He grabbed his receipt for the items, totaling some $60, and headed for the exit, as did Hitchcock and the boys.

Before they got outside, store employees stopped them.

"They asked if I had Bic lighters. I said, 'Yes,' and handed them over," Paolucci said. "Then they asked if I had a receipt. I said, 'Yes, you're holding it.' Then this group of Wal-Mart employees started forming around us."

Paolucci and Hitchcock said the employees were threatening and that one used a vulgarity. Their accusations frightened the boys, who began "crying, screaming and freaking out," they said.

Detention room

Paolucci said that while he and Hitchcock were attempting to calm down the boys, the employees ordered them to enter a "detention room" for questioning. Fearful of what might happen behind closed doors, he and Hitchcock refused to enter and asked to speak to a manager.

"Some guy came up and said, 'I'm the manager,' then turned around and left," Hitchcock said.

Paolucci said he and Hitchcock then asked store personnel to call police. Within minutes, deputies from the Berrien County Sheriff's Department's Niles Township Patrol arrived, pleasing Paolucci who said he thought a few questions and a review of the store's videotapes and computer records would quickly resolve the matter.

He said he was shocked when he was immediately handcuffed, without a question being asked, and placed in the back seat of a squad car. Hitchcock wasn't handcuffed but also was placed in the back seat of a second squad car.

The twins, despite the protests of Paolucci and Hitchcock, were turned over to the store's security personnel, who took them into the "detention room" or what police referred to as a security room.

Cleared by the tape

Paolucci and Hitchcock estimated it was at least 45 minutes before officers told them they had reviewed the store's tapes and had determined that the lighters hadn't been shoplifted. The two said they expected an apology and were surprised once again when personnel from the store walked up to the squad cars with the twins and read from a statement that Paolucci and Hitchcock had been banned by the store chain for life. Rather than shoplifting, the reason they were given was "being uncooperative."

"Everything they asked us to do, we did. We cooperated 100 percent," Paolucci argued. "We objected only when they tried to get us to go into the detention room."

By the time they were read the statement, Paolucci and Hitchcock said, the twins had told them that the security staff had allegedly threatened them in the security room and had made disparaging remarks about Paolucci and Hitchcock's lifestyle. Paolucci and Hitchcock said they asked police to take statements from the boys but the officers refused, telling the couple they'd have to contact Child Protective Services.

They were told next that they'd have to leave the premises immediately, they said, or be arrested for trespassing. The men said they argued the store should at least replace such grocery items as a frozen pizza, ice cream and popsicles, which by then had thawed or melted, but those arguments, too, went nowhere.

Charges sought, denied

Numerous follow-up telephone calls to the Sheriff's Department eventually succeeded in officers interviewing the boys four days later, with one of the issues raised an allegation by Paolucci that one of the twins had been injured when he was pushed into the security room. Paolucci said he and Hitchcock also asked the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office to file criminal charges against Wal-Mart's employees but none were forthcoming.

They weren't surprised charges weren't authorized, they said, because such prosecution would have raised questions about the Sheriff's Department's handling of the situation. Attempts to meet personally with Sheriff Paul Bailey were rebuffed, they said.

Contacted by The Tribune, Wal-Mart wouldn't comment but Bailey defended his deputies, arguing that they followed proper protocol not only in their treatment of Paolucci and Hitchcock but by placing the children in what they considered a safe and secure environment. He didn't personally meet with the couple, he said, because R. McKinley Elliott, the county's corporate counsel, advised against it.

Elliott said there simply was no reason for Bailey to have such a meeting.

"It would not have been a productive use of his time," he said.

Nothing improper

Elliott said a thorough review of the store's videotapes revealed nothing improper by either store employees or police.

"The Prosecutor's Office didn't see any basis for acting against anyone," he said.

As for the shoplifting accusation, a copy of the police report obtained by The Tribune under the Freedom of Information Act stated that video surveillance clearly showed Paolucci scanning both packages of lighters.

"It is unknown at this time why the self checkout scanner did not pick up the items scanned by Paolucci," the report said.

The report also stated that when officers arrived at the store, they found Paolucci and Hitchcock "causing a scene, being very loud and disrupting customers while yelling and swearing at Wal-Mart security." Later in the report, when a Wal-Mart employee was asked if the boys had been threatened, she denied it but did agree they were told that "if ... (they) did not be quiet, they would sit in the (squad) car with (the) deputy."

The report added the boys played a video game while in the security room and at one point apologized "for being disrespectful." According to the report, one of the boys advised that he and his brother were "just scared."

Twins still having problems

At any rate, Paolucci said the boys have suffered a type of post-traumatic stress disorder since the experience. Both wet their beds, although one has stopped, and both have had nightmares about one security employee in particular, he said.

"They're terrified, horrified. We've had to change their medication twice,'' he said.

Asked if they intend to sue Wal-Mart, Paolucci said he and Hitchcock probably won't because other attorneys have advised them Wal-Mart historically "plays hardball" and isn't prone to settle cases out of court.

"We could spend a couple million dollars to sue them," Paolucci said.

But that doesn't mean there won't be court action. Paolucci and Hitchcock e-mailed The Tribune a copy of a letter from a law firm representing Wal-Mart seeking 10 times the retail price of the items the store still claims were shoplifted by Paolucci. The letter states the matter will be dropped if Paolucci submits the $158.40 payment.

The couple said they won't pay it, and should civil action result, they'll fight it.

The Tribune is not allowing comments on this story.

I really need a "flames on the side of my face!" icon for this.