Saturday, October 11, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/06/1334731/-Indiana-state-trooper-pulls-woman-over-and-asks-do-you-accept-Jesus-Christ-as-your-savior?detail=email

Indiana state trooper pulls woman over and asks 'do you accept Jesus Christ as your savior?'
Scout Finch Daily Kos staff
MON OCT 06, 2014 

Ellen Bogan was rolling down U.S. 27 in Union County, Indiana when she was pulled over for a traffic violation. The state trooper let her off with a warning, but not before asking some bizarrely unprofessional questions:
Did she have a home church?

Did she accept Jesus Christ as her savior?

Ellen said she felt helpless to leave the traffic stop, even after the warning had been issued:

"The police officer is representing the government ... so that means, as a representative, this person, while on duty, while engaged in official action, is basically overstepping and is trying to establish religion."

Bogan, who lives in Huntington, said Hamilton asked her about her faith multiple times during the traffic stop. Because he was a trooper and his police car was still parked behind hers, she said she felt she could not leave or refuse questioning.

"The whole time, his lights were on," Bogan said. "I had no reason to believe I could just pull away at that point, even though I had my warning."

The ACLU has joined Ellen Bogan to file a lawsuit against Trooper Hamilton. Key quotes from thecomplaint:

After conducting a traffic stop at which Indiana State Police Trooper Brian Hamilton presented Ms. Bogan with a warning ticket, Trooper Hamilton prolonged the stop by asking Ms. Bogan, among other things, if she had accepted Jesus Christ as her savior and then presented her with a pamphlet from the First Baptist Church in Cambridge that informed the reader that he or she is a sinner; listed God’s Plan of Salvation, noting that the person must realize that “the Lord Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins; and, advertised a radio broadcast entitled “Policing for Jesus Ministries.” The actions of defendant Trooper Hamilton violated Ms. Bogan’s rights under both the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Ms. Bogan is entitled to her damages.

To the extent that Trooper Hamilton unreasonably extended the length of the traffic stop beyond the time necessary to present Ms. Bogan with a warning ticket Trooper Hamilton violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Trooper Hamilton’s proselytizing and coercive questions concerning Ms. Bogan’s religious beliefs violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The pamphlet he handed Borgan is from First Baptist Church, Cambridge City, IN.
Indiana State Police are not commenting on the case.




I'm sure this officer will be counseled by his supervisors on proper and professional behavior. A friend of mine from high school who had joined a fundamentalist church said that some “new Christians” were overly enthusiastic in their witnessing and evangelizing. At least he didn't punish her with a pricey ticket or threaten her. Nonetheless, the breach of Ms. Bogan's rights has to be addressed, and a law suit from Bogan and the ACLU will do that. To me, however, this is the foolish action of one individual and not the policy of the Indiana State Troopers. The pamphlet advertising an unfortunate broadcast called “Policing for Jesus Ministries” is another story. I hope and assume the lawsuit will be aimed mainly at the church that publised that advice to policemen.





6 New Jersey teens arrested after allegations of hazing, abuse
CBS NEWS October 10, 2014, 11:04 PM

SAYREVILLE, N.J. - Police in the New Jersey town of Sayreville have arrested six teenagers in connection with allegations of intimidation and hazing on the Sayreville War Memorial High School football team.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief John Zebrowski said the teens were taken into custody Friday on charges of juvenile delinquency stemming from attacks on four other students in four separate incidents at the school.

The suspects, who range in age from 15 to 17, were being held pending a Family Court hearing decision on whether they should be released to their parents or detained in a juvenile facility. A seventh suspect is still being sought by police.

Prosecutors say between Sept. 19 and 29, the suspects held the victims against their will while they were improperly touched and at least one victim was kicked in the head, CBS New York reported.

At least three victims on the football team have come forward and said they were sexually assaulted by older players, according to CBS New York.

The suspects are facing charges including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing, according to prosecutors.

The allegations of hazing and abuse prompted Sayreville School Supt. Richard Labbe to cancel the rest of the football season.

"There was enough evidence that there were incidents of harassment, of intimidation and bullying that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level and at a level at which the players knew, tolerated and generally accepted," Labbe told reporters on Monday.




“Police in the New Jersey town of Sayreville have arrested six teenagers in connection with allegations of intimidation and hazing on the Sayreville War Memorial High School football team.... The suspects, who range in age from 15 to 17, were being held pending a Family Court hearing decision on whether they should be released to their parents or detained in a juvenile facility. A seventh suspect is still being sought by police.... At least three victims on the football team have come forward and said they were sexually assaulted by older players, according to CBS New York. The suspects are facing charges including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing, according to prosecutors.... 'There was enough evidence that there were incidents of harassment, of intimidation and bullying that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level and at a level at which the players knew, tolerated and generally accepted,' Labbe told reporters on Monday.”

Team spirit and group cooperation are great within limits, but when individual freedom and well-being are threatened it should be punished criminally, as this case is. Sayreville School Supt. Richard Labbe's followup action of canceling the rest of the season's games is good, because it shows that the school is behind a clampdown on such activities, and they will not be tolerated. When I was young there was mild hazing in the high school band and there probably was on the ball teams. I once stepped in and stopped the physical bullying of a boy who had Down syndrome. All it took was a loud and angry rebuke. I acted instinctively and was well past fear at the moment. That was a fairly uncommon instance at that time, at least as far as I am aware.

Cases of bullying and hazing within the last few years in many different environments have been in the news numerous times, and I am glad to see that criminal charges are beginning to be brought. I include in that the cases of Internet bullying. It isn't a physical threat in most cases – though there have been some – but mental bullying can be as bad especially for the more vulnerable people who are most likely to be targeted.

Assault is assault, not “rough play.” It isn't play at all, no matter how young the offender may be, just as rape is not normal sex, but assault. Parents should bring their children up to be gentler than to gang up on a kid who can't defend himself, and terrify or injure him. You can say you're a Christian all you want to, but if you allow your teenager to run wild in this way you aren't following Jesus' teachings.





Thousands of venomous spiders force family from upscale Missouri home
CBS/AP October 10, 2014, 3:02 PM

WELDON SPRING, Mo. -- A family was driven from their suburban St. Louis home by thousands of venomous spiders that fell from the ceiling and oozed from the walls.

Brian and Susan Trost bought the $450,000 home overlooking two golf holes at Whitmoor Country Club in Weldon Spring in October 2007 and soon afterward started seeing brown recluse spiders everywhere, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Once when showering, Susan Trost dodged a spider as it fell from the ceiling and washed down the drain.

An expert on brown recluse spiders told CBS affiliate KMOV-TV that the creature's bite can be very serious depending on how much venom is injected.

"It's not going to kill you, but it will make you wish you were dead," said Jamal Sandidge with the University of Kansas.

Susan Trost told KMOV-TV in 2012 the spiders "started bleeding out of the walls," and at least two pest control companies were unable to eradicate the infestation.

The couple filed a claim in 2008 with their insurance company, State Farm, and a lawsuit against the home's previous owners for not disclosing the brown recluse problem.

At a civil trial in St. Charles County in October 2011, University of Kansas biology professor Jamel Sandidge -- considered one of the nation's leading brown recluse researchers -- estimated there were between 4,500 and 6,000 spiders in the home. Making matters worse, he said, those calculations were made in the winter when the spiders are least active.

The jury awarded the couple slightly more than $472,000, but the former owners declared bankruptcy, the insurance company still didn't pay anything and the couple moved out two years ago.

The home, now owned by the Federal National Mortgage Association, was covered with nine tarps this week and workers filled it with a gas that permeated the walls to kill the spiders and their eggs.

"There'll be nothing alive in there after this," said Tim McCarthy, president of the company hired to fix the problem once and for all.

McCarthy told KMOV that said there is a reason why one home may be infested even though nearby homes are not.

"Many times people bring them in, you can move from a house that has them. You buy things at an auction, you have furniture in storage, many times brown recluse spiders are carried right into the house," he said.




The problem with brown spiders is that there are thousands of different types that look a lot alike. I solve the problem by killing all spiders that make it to my indoor space. I don't try to exterminate wild outdoor spiders that are busy eating insects. Spiders are useful in nature, but they really make my skin crawl.





Calif. woman exonerated in murder case after 17 years – CBS
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP  October 10, 2014, 5:03 PM

TORRANCE, Calif. - A woman who spent 17 years in prison after being convicted of murder in the death of a homeless man was exonerated Friday by a Los Angeles County judge who said she should not spend another minute behind bars.

The courtroom burst into applause after Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold overturned the conviction of Susan Mellen, who was to be processed for release from the suburban Torrance courthouse.

Mellen had entered the courtroom in tears, and her children also wept.

The judge said that in Mellen's case the justice system failed and she had inadequate representation by her attorney at trial.

Mellen's case was investigated by Deidre O'Connor, head of a project known as Innocence Matters that seeks to free people who are wrongly convicted.

O'Connor said in an earlier interview that she found that Mellen was convicted of the 1997 killing based solely on the testimony of a notorious liar.

Mellen, a mother of three, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

The witness who claimed she heard Mellen confess was June Patti, who had a long history of giving false tips to law enforcement, according to documents in the case. She died in 2006.

Three gang members subsequently were linked to the crime, and one was convicted of the killing. Another took a polygraph test and said he was present at the bludgeon killing of Richard Daly, and Mellen was not there.

In a habeas corpus petition, O'Connor said the police detective who arrested Mellen was also responsible for a case in 1994 that resulted in the convictions of two men ultimately exonerated by innocence projects.

It said the primary evidence against Reggie Cole and Obie Anthony was the false testimony of an informant who avoided prosecution for other charges in exchange for his help.

Mellen's youngest children were 7 and 9 when she was arrested.

"Although each member of this family suffered tremendously, they remain a close family unit," O'Connor said.

One of the daughters was honored by Innocence Matters for bravery in obtaining a confession that helped to prove her mother's innocence, O'Connor said.

"The 'kids' are overjoyed by the news of their mother's anticipated exoneration and are anxious to make up for lost time," O'Connor said.




“TORRANCE, Calif. - A woman who spent 17 years in prison after being convicted of murder in the death of a homeless man was exonerated Friday by a Los Angeles County judge who said she should not spend another minute behind bars.... Mellen's case was investigated by Deidre O'Connor, head of a project known as Innocence Matters that seeks to free people who are wrongly convicted. O'Connor said in an earlier interview that she found that Mellen was convicted of the 1997 killing based solely on the testimony of a notorious liar.... Three gang members subsequently were linked to the crime, and one was convicted of the killing. Another took a polygraph test and said he was present at the bludgeon killing of Richard Daly, and Mellen was not there.... It said the primary evidence against Reggie Cole and Obie Anthony was the false testimony of an informant who avoided prosecution for other charges in exchange for his help.... One of the daughters was honored by Innocence Matters for bravery in obtaining a confession that helped to prove her mother's innocence, O'Connor said.”

“The courtroom burst into applause.” So here we have an incompetent lawyer, an unethical police detective, and an incorrigible liar who had called the police station numerous times to “report” criminal activity. Was this witness the only evidence against Mellen? This is the main reason I am against the death penalty. There are too many people wrongfully convicted of crimes serving time. Thank goodness for the several innocence organizations that help people who find themselves in that situation. The daughter who courageously pursued her mother's innocence was honored by Innocence Matters. I would like to see a movie made on this story. Just from this article it seems to me that the situation has a great deal of drama built into it.






Brazil's biggest city facing drought conditions – CBS
AP October 10, 2014, 9:09 PM

SAO PAULO - The governor of Sao Paulo says he's asking Brazilian federal officials for permission to again engage in emergency pumping of water into a main reservoir that supplies water to the country's biggest city.

Gov. Geraldo Alckmin said Friday he's asking to pump water from below flood gates of the Cantareira reservoir to increase supply, which has fallen to nearly 5 percent of capacity.

The reservoir provides water to some 6 million residents, and Sao Paulo's worst drought in decades has turned it into a cracked-earth landscape. The fall in the water level has exposed dozens of old cars dumped into the reservoir over the years. Photograph: The frame of a car sits on the cracked earth at the bottom of the Atibainha dam, part of the Cantareira System responsible for providing water to the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, in Nazare Paulista, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. The dam is drying up due to the worst drought to hit Sao Paulo in 84 years. 

Experts fault Alckmin for not rationing water in Sao Paulo, saying he didn't for fear of hurting his re-election campaign. He won another term Sunday.




Stories like this are occurring a lot the last year or so, and it's hard not to suspect the dreaded global warming. Republicans hate the issue because the solution to it involves reducing CO2 and methane emissions from several big business sources from coal fed power plants, chemical processing of various kinds, ranches (the life cycle of cattle includes the expelling of CO2), and the ever growing use automobiles, buses and trucks). The other big problem is the dangerous level of reduction of trees, especially in rain forests. Plants “breathe in” CO2 to process sugar by photosynthesis, and the more trees there are the less CO2 remains in the atmosphere. We need to make large changes in our use of the environment, and big business doesn't want to spend any money for that. Some of the right leaning Christians are against the issue because they believe America is being punished by God for our sinful society. What they all have in common is that they are on the right wing of the political spectrum, and they block useful moves such as setting up wind or solar energy sources. The big oil and coal companies don't want to lose any income, so they pay Congressmen off to champion their cause. It's really depressing.





Why are fewer girls joining the Girl Scouts? – CBS
AP October 10, 2014, 4:32 PM

NEW YORK -- For the second straight year, youth and adult membership in the Girl Scouts has dropped sharply, intensifying pressure on the 102-year-old youth organization to find ways of reversing the trend.

According to figures provided to The Associated Press, the total of youth members and adult volunteers dropped by 6 percent over the past year -- from 2,994,844 to 2,813,997. Over two years, total membership is down 11.6 percent, and it has fallen 27 percent from a peak of more than 3.8 million in 2003.

While the Girl Scouts of the USA have had an array of recent internal difficulties -- including rifts over programming and serious fiscal problems -- CEO Anna Maria Chavez attributed the membership drop primarily to broader societal factors that have affected many youth-serving organizations.

"Parents and families are less financially stable, frequently working two jobs or more, leaving little time to volunteer or take their children to extracurricular activities," she said.

In hopes of stemming the decline, the Girl Scouts are revamping their online platforms with new toolkits. One is aimed at streamlining the process of joining the Girl Scouts; another seeks to help volunteer troop leaders plan an entire year of meetings and activities with a single online visit.

"These tools will dramatically decrease the amount of time a volunteer has to spend preparing so that they can spend it serving the girls," Chavez said.A crucial challenge, she said, is supporting the current ranks of volunteers and recruiting more adults to join them.

A breakdown of the 2014 figures shows 809,413 adult leaders and 2,004,584 youth members. In 2003, there were about 2.9 million youth members and more than 900,000 adults.

In some regions, a shortage of volunteers is forcing Girl Scout councils to turn away girls who want to join. Chavez said there are about 30,000 girls on waiting lists nationwide.

"The need for what Girl Scouts has to offer is not decreasing -- more than ever girls need our time and our commitment," she said. "Our challenge is to meet them where they are with enough caring adults to serve them."

Last year, the Girl Scouts enlisted first lady Michelle Obama to make a video pitch for more adult volunteers. This year, there's a national recruitment campaign on Facebook.

Just two years ago, the Girl Scouts celebrated their centennial with a host of upbeat activities, but it's been a rough stretch since then. There was disgruntlement in some regional councils related to a deficit-strapped pension plan, as well as revenue shortfalls that prompted the national headquarters to trim about one-fourth of its staff through buyouts and layoffs.

Many alumnae -- including some who were active as volunteers -- complained publicly about the closure of some Girl Scout camps and what they perceived as a misguided shift away from camping and other traditional outdoor activities.

Chavez defended the changes, which included new programs seeking to boost girls' competency with money matters and encouraging them to pursue careers in science and technology.

The Girl Scouts also have defended their decision to enter a business partnership with Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie dolls. There's now a Barbie patch that girls can wear on their uniforms and a Barbie Girl Scout doll.

Two consumer advocacy groups -- the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Center for a New American Dream -- have urged an end to the partnership, saying Barbie is a flawed role model for little girls.

If there's a broad theme to the Girl Scouts' current outreach efforts, it's to depict its programs as invaluable in helping girls grow up to be leaders, particularly girls disadvantaged by poverty and racial or ethnic disparities. The Girl Scouts Research Institute recently compiled a comprehensive study, "The State of Girls," that assesses how the organization can help address social, economic, and health issues affecting the 26 million girls ages 5 to 17 in the U.S.

That mission -- as well as the membership problems and the new outreach strategies -- will be discussed next week at the organization's national convention in Salt Lake City.

Some other youth organizations also have been losing members, for reasons including competition from youth sports leagues and a perception by some families that they are old-fashioned.

The Boy Scouts of America lost 6 percent of its membership last year; its youth membership has dropped from 3.3 million to about 2.5 million since 2002. The Boy Scouts alienated some conservatives last year by deciding to accept openly gay boys for the first time, while angering gay-rights supporters by maintaining a ban on gays serving as adult leaders.

By contrast, the Girl Scouts have long had inclusive membership policies, although there have been some defections by families who felt the organization had become too liberal. American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 as a Christian-oriented alternative, now claims more than 35,000 members.




“According to figures provided to The Associated Press, the total of youth members and adult volunteers dropped by 6 percent over the past year -- from 2,994,844 to 2,813,997. Over two years, total membership is down 11.6 percent, and it has fallen 27 percent from a peak of more than 3.8 million in 2003.... CEO Anna Maria Chavez attributed the membership drop primarily to broader societal factors that have affected many youth-serving organizations.... 'Parents and families are less financially stable, frequently working two jobs or more, leaving little time to volunteer or take their children to extracurricular activities,' she said. In hopes of stemming the decline, the Girl Scouts are revamping their online platforms with new toolkits. One is aimed at streamlining the process of joining the Girl Scouts; another seeks to help volunteer troop leaders plan an entire year of meetings and activities with a single online visit.... In some regions, a shortage of volunteers is forcing Girl Scout councils to turn away girls who want to join. Chavez said there are about 30,000 girls on waiting lists nationwide.... Last year, the Girl Scouts enlisted first lady Michelle Obama to make a video pitch for more adult volunteers. This year, there's a national recruitment campaign on Facebook.... Chavez defended the changes, which included new programs seeking to boost girls' competency with money matters and encouraging them to pursue careers in science and technology. The Girl Scouts also have defended their decision to enter a business partnership with Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie dolls. There's now a Barbie patch that girls can wear on their uniforms and a Barbie Girl Scout doll.... If there's a broad theme to the Girl Scouts' current outreach efforts, it's to depict its programs as invaluable in helping girls grow up to be leaders, particularly girls disadvantaged by poverty and racial or ethnic disparities.... Some other youth organizations also have been losing members, for reasons including competition from youth sports leagues and a perception by some families that they are old-fashioned.... American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 as a Christian-oriented alternative, now claims more than 35,000 members.”

Too liberal, too old fashioned, too broke to pay their adult employees – they may also simply be no longer “popular” enough among today's parents. I think there is a trend for girls and their parents to be more upwardly mobile and involved in income based status ranking now than in the 1950s. At that time the US was just getting over WWII, and a plainer and more modest girlhood image was embraced in US society.

Girl Scouts have mainly served the lower middle to middle class girls who couldn't afford expensive activities like dancing lessons and music camp, and though the Scouts used to be mainly linked with churches, they are not and were not then “religious” in their orientation. They did not require a religious belief. They did say the Pledge of Allegience and the Lord's Prayer, but I could simply have failed to join in with the group if I'd wanted to. They were strictly a social group free of “bullying” or other competition, and their aim was to produce ethically inclined and competent good citizens. At the same time they have included all races and gays, at least since I was in the group, which is the other part of the organization, I suspect, that makes it “too liberal” now. I am sorry to hear that they have partnered with Mattel in the production of Girl Scout Barbie, unless they have changed the eye-popping figure of the doll to suit a healthier image of girlhood. I hope the ad by Michele Obama helps the organization, and the Facebook page should attract some girls. I will go to the page later today to see what it looks like, and probably offer them some encouragement.

I was in the Girl Scouts from the age of seven as a Brownie to my senior year in high school. It was an organization that sponsored lots of enjoyable and emotionally supportive activities and associations for me. I wasn't the cheer leader type. I liked being at a campfire eating delicious chicken thighs baked with onion slices, rolled up in aluminum foil and slowly roasted in the coals. There is magic in watching a campfire at night. That may not be religious, but it's pretty close to it.