The Alchemist

A substitute teacher was fired for putting small pieces of tape across the mouths of first-graders because they wouldn’t stop talking. Sigh.

Straight from my neck of the woods comes a classic case of a judge attempting to impose his religious beliefs on others:

An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge’s unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to “non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals.”

At times, divorcing parents might battle in the courts over the religion of their children. But Kenneth J. Falk, the ICLU’s legal director, said he knows of no such order issued before by an Indiana court. He said his research also did not turn up such a case nationally.

“Religion comes up most frequently when there are disputes between the parents. There are lots of cases where a mom and dad are of different faiths, and they’re having a tug of war over the kids,” Falk said. “This is different: Their dispute is with the judge. When the government is attempting to tell people they’re not allowed to engage in non-mainstream activities, that raises concerns.”

“When they read the order to me, I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ ” said Alisa G. Cohen, an Indianapolis attorney representing Jones. “Didn’t the judge get the memo that it’s not up to him what constitutes a valid religion?”

“The federal government has given Wiccans protection under the First Amendment,” Snyder said. “Unless this judge has some very specific information about activities involving the child that are harmful, the law is not on his side.”

Wow. If this isn’t clearly unconstitutional, I can’t imagine what is!

From a news.com article:

A Minnesota appeals court has ruled that the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent.

Draw your own conclusions, but I don’t think this is a good precedent.

CNN Article

Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan had a few choice words about the United State’s actions since Sept. 11:

“When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights, it grants a licence to others to commit abuse with impunity.”

“The U.S. government has gone to great lengths to restrict the application of the Geneva Convention and to ‘re-define’ torture,” she said, citing the secret detention of suspects and the practice of handing some over to countries where torture was not outlawed.

Of course, it’s nothing we didn’t already know, but it makes me sad. Fighting terrorists is good, but we should not stoop to their level…

Delenn has been awarded the role of a Quail in the Belfry’s children’s production of Honk, Jr.. Congratulations to her! I hope she enjoys it!

As for me, having no other competing show, I’ve now been drafted into the Belfry’s upcoming production of Three Men On a Horse. (I kept trying to say no… but Tamara and Becky just didn’t seem to understand that as an answer. Their relentless persistence seems to have paid off… this time.)

Looks like it’s going to be a busy summer…

Why, it’s none other than everyone’s favorite famous deposed dictator: Saddam Hussein! Yup, he’s discovered the joys of using the legal system to his advantage and is suing the British newspaper The Sun for publishing half-naked photos of him doing his laundry. Usually that rot is reserved for top actors and models. I suppose he really is a celebrity now. Maybe he should take this opportunity to negotiate the movie rights to his story.

It’s very good. Go see it.

I’m pretty sure I would’ve hated this TV-limiting pedometer as a kid. But now, as a parent, it doesn’t seem so bad! Heh heh. Of course, a lot of us adults could benefit from this as well!

This “article” is absolutely hilarious for those of us that know what the heck they’re talking about. If you chuckle at these quotes, then go read the article. It’s funny.

News of the desecration spread quickly from Iowa to the Dakotas to Minnesota and Wisconsin, fanned by radio soybean reports and Lutheran clerics in fiery pancake breakfast sermons. Soon, enraged farm wives, clad in their traditional sweater vests and Disney jackets, had taken to the streets and begun a wild spree of destruction, overturning hundreds of rusty Blazers and Pontiac Grand Ams and hurling flaming Lladro porcelain figurines. Decorah was particularly hard-hit, as a frenzied throng of ululating Iowa women were seen looting needlepoint geese and rabbit tchotchkes from a Victorian craft shop. In a chilling moment caught on Army night vision cameras, their plus-size leader urges the mob to attack the near-by Pamida.

…also…

“It is important that we remember that Lutheranism is a religion of peace,” said Army spokesman Maj. Richard Lehrman. “And we need to remember to avoid insensitive behavior and remarks that will cause these peaceful Lutherans to go on another bloody killing rampage.”

And I’ll be there at midnight, watching. Yup, I’m a geek. Speaking of which, here’s another very funny Star Wars music video. This time done by recording characters from the Star Wars Galaxies game. Love that dancing Boba Fett!