He has a fool for a client

There is an old saying.

"Show me a man who represents himself at trial and you will see that he has a fool for a client"

Welcome to being a fool; soon you will get your 72 virgins.

Salaam!

Accused Fort Hood gunman plans to represent self at trial

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Accused Fort Hood gunman Major Nidal Hasan will ask a U.S. military court on Wednesday to rule he can represent himself at his trial this summer which could bring the death penalty on charges he killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting rampage.

Jury selection in Hasan's military trial at Fort Hood was delayed until next week after he asked the judge, Colonel Tara Osborn, to let him fire his lawyers and represent himself. The trial is scheduled to start July 1.

Hasan is accused of opening fire on a group of soldiers who were preparing to deploy to Iraq in November 2009 in the worst shooting rampage on a U.S. military post. In addition to the 13 people who died, 32 others were wounded.

The rest of the story:

The last man standing from the 19th Century

Wow.

He has seen man go from horses to outer space.

Walking to flying.

Writing to typing to the Internet.

Very amazing.

Outnumbered by the girls, he's the last man standing

Sydney Morning Herald -

With the death in Barbados on Thursday of James Emmanuel ''Doc'' Sisnett, at the age of 113 years and 90 days, Jiroemon Kimura, of Japan, has become the last man alive to have been born in the 19th century.

Literally the last man. There are, according to the Gerontolgy Research Group at UCLA, 21 women born before New Year's Day, 1901, who are still with us, most of them living in the United States or Japan, with others in Europe and Canada.

But while the females born in the reign of Queen Victoria strongly outnumber him, Mr Kimura, born on April 19, 1897, has one record the girls can't match - not just yet, anyway. At 116, the ''supercentenarian'' is the oldest human on the planet.

Supercentenarians are people who have lived past their 110th birthday, and while it's estimated that there may be 200 or 300 living today, only 60-odd have been verified by reliable birth records. Of them only two, Mr Kimura and Japanese woman Misao Okawa, are known to be still living aged 115 or older.

Being born in the year 30 of the Meiji period, Mr Kimura has lived in the reigns of four emperors, and through the premierships of 61 Japanese prime ministers, from Matsukata Masayoshi to Shinzo Abe.

Mr Kimura retired in 1962 aged 65, after working for 45 years in the Japanese post office. He now lives in Kyō¯tango, Kyoto Prefecture, with his eldest son's widow, 83, and his grandson's widow, 59, and attributes his long life to eating small portions of food, and admits to spending most of his time ''in bed''.

Memorial Day

Remembering those who served

I was going to say Happy Memorial Day however, I believe it is a solemn occasion.  A day spent honoring those who gave us the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, to defend Freedom, Liberty, and our way of life.

We also honor those who served in our military, those before us and those who serve amongst us.

To all, those who paid the ultimate price and to those who served and are serving, Man o' Law and millions of others salute you.

We are what we are and who we are because of you.

Salute.

Welcome Summer Madness

Ahh!  I see Summer Madness is back.

Texas man charged in deaths of mother, stepfather

Associated Press -

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting his mother and stepfather has been charged with capital murder.

Travis County authorities say 41-year-old Carlos Whitcomb was taken into custody Saturday and charged. It's too soon to say if prosecutors will seek the death penalty against him.

Travis County Sheriff's Office spokesman Roger Wade says a neighbor found 60-year-old Kenneth Payne and his 62-year-old wife, Phyllis Payne, dead in their home.

Wade says Whitcomb lived at the home with his mother and stepfather in the eastern part of Travis County in central Texas.

Authorities are still investigating and have not revealed a possible motive.

Sorely tired but its all good

Rocked out!

Dear Readers;

Yesterday Man o' Law and 2 of the Girls o' Law, and one of their boyfriends, who is from Pennsylvania, drove from San Antonio to Carlsbad Caverns and back in less than 24 hours.

The entire round trip was just under 1000 miles.

Yes, we saw and hiked the Caverns.  The last time I was there was 25 years ago or so.  Being 37 then and 62 now makes a big difference in how you feel when you've hiked down through the opening and walk down some 600 feet or so and hike around for a couple of miles.

Of course 25 years ago I did not have an artificial knee and diabetes either.

I am pretty sore this morning; but let's get busy!

Regards, Man o' Law

Git 'er done!

This thing has been environmentally examined to death.

Get it done already.

Because he ain't going to do it.

House Passes GOP Bill To Bypass President To Speed Approval Of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline

CBS-DC -

WASHINGTON — House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review.

The bill was approved, 241-175, largely along party lines.

Republicans said the measure was needed to ensure that the long-delayed pipeline, first proposed in 2008, is built.

The rest of the story:

Cashing out

Because nothing says corruption more than boxes full of cash.

Boxes of cash seized in Mexico corruption probe

By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO, Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities on Wednesday seized five boxes filled with cash as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement by a former governor of southern Tabasco state, in what could become the latest test for President Enrique Pena Nieto to act against corruption.

Tabasco state prosecutor Fernando Valenzuela said bundles of 500- and 1,000-peso bills were found in an office of Jose Saiz, who was finance secretary under former Gov. Andres Granier of Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI.

Investigators are still counting the money, but a witness told them the cache contains from 90 million to 100 million pesos, Valenzuela said. That would between $7 million and $8 million.

The rest of the story:

Killer President

A pretty amazing admission eh?

4 Americans killed since 2009 in US drone strikes

LARA JAKES, Associated Press, By LARA JAKES and PETE YOST, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy.

It was already known that three Americans had been killed in U.S. drones strikes in counterterrorism operations overseas, but Attorney General Eric Holder disclosed details that had remained secret and also that a fourth American had been killed.

In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Holder said that the government targeted and killed U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki and that the U.S. "is aware" of the killing of three others who were not targets of counterterror operations.

The rest of the story:

Not welcome here

Not a very friendly joint eh?

Hotel bans kids with Down syndrome

ALMERIA, Spain, May 20 (UPI) --

A hotel in Spain has come under fire for refusing to let a group of children with Down syndrome stay the night because they "might annoy other guests."

Hotel CaboGata Plaza Suites in Almeria refused a reservation for a group of children with Down syndrome who were planning on celebrating the end of their school year, The Local.es reported.

The hotel said it would not board the children because "these kinds of people might annoy other guests."

Management at the hotel has apologized for the incident, saying it was "a misunderstanding," adding, "In 35 years of business we have never refused access to guests with Down syndrome," who the hotel management said, "have been, are, and always will be very welcome."

However, Down Espana, the group that organized the event for the kids, reported the incident to a public prosecutor because it felt that there was "a clear case of discrimination against disabled people that breaks the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Spain."

The international law prohibits "all discrimination on the grounds of disability."

"We haven't gone public with this incident to victimize anyone but to educate the public," said Agustin Matia, head of Down Espana.

Only an Ass Clown would do this

A fitting punishment would most likely encompass chaining him or her to the same interstate guardrail in the heat of the day.

Going all "Old Testament" style this a.m.

Pup chained to interstate guardrail; ACS seeks culprit

By Sarah L. Tressler, Staff Writer

Animal Care Services is asking for help in identifying a man who chained a pit bull puppy to a guardrail on a freeway access road Sunday.

A witness reported seeing a man believed to be in his late 30s or 40s driving a red 2004-2008 Dodge Ram extended-bed pickup with paper license plates pull over on the West Avenue access road at Interstate 10 East and use a heavy chain to tether the pup to a guardrail with a padlock. The chain was attached to 35 pounds of barbell weight plates.

The call from the witness came in shortly before 9 a.m. An animal care officer arrived at the scene around 9:05 a.m. The dog was found to be in good health.

Read more:

Weep for the children

A horrible tragedy.

At least 20 children dead, 51 confirmed dead with pronouncements that this figure will eclipse 100+ fatalities.

We, all Americans, stand with Moore, Oklahoma and they are in our prayers.

In tornado's wake, worried parents seek out kids

By NOMAAN MERCHANT, Associated Press

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The parents and guardians stood in the muddy grass outside a suburban Oklahoma City church, listening as someone with a bullhorn called out the names of children who were being dropped off — survivors of a deadly tornado that barreled through their community.

For many families, the ordeal ended in bear hugs and tears of joy as loved ones reunited. Others were left to wait in the darkness, hoping for good news while fearing the worst.

At least 20 children are among the more than 50 reported dead so far in Moore, the Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by Monday's tornado that packed winds of up to 200 mph. The twister reduced one elementary school to a heaping mound of rubble and heavily damaged another while also flattening block after block of homes. Officials said early Tuesday the death toll could rise by as many as 40.

The rest of the story:

Don't Taze me Bro! LVII

Another tasing death.

300-pound Texas man dies after police use stun gun

Associated Press -

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A 300-pound Fort Worth man died shortly after police fired a Taser stun gun at him during a drug raid.

Fort Worth police used the stun gun on 34-year-old Jermaine Darden Thursday because they say he was resisting arrest. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (http://bit.ly/18SQQJX ) Darden died a short time later at a local hospital.

Darden's mother Donna Randle says she and several others shouted at officers that Darden wasn't resisting arrest, but rather was trying to turn onto his side from his stomach because he couldn't breathe. Randle says police put Darden on his stomach, but he is asthmatic and struggles to breathe in that position.

The rest of the story:

Who do you trust?

This from the Washington Post Blog

Obama’s trust-in-government deficit

By Dan Balz -Washington Post

Whatever else happens as a result of the multiple controversies that have engulfed the administration, one thing is clear: President Obama has failed to meet one of the most important goals he set out when he was first elected, which was to demonstrate that activist government could also be smart government.

Six weeks after winning the presidency in 2008, Obama reflected on the meaning of the election. He was reluctant to claim, as some others were, that his victory marked the beginning of an era in which Americans would embrace bigger government. Suspicion of command-and-control, top-down government, he said, was “a lasting legacy” of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

So rather than portraying his first election as the end of a long period of conservative ascendancy, Obama called it “a correction to the correction.” As he put it then: “I think what you saw in this election was people saying: ‘Yes, we don’t want some big, bureaucratic, ever-expanding state. On the other hand, we don’t want a state that’s dysfunctional, that doesn’t believe in its mission, that can’t carry out some of the basic functions of government and provide service to people and be there when they’re hurting.’ ”

He then described what that meant for the government he was beginning to assemble. “What we don’t know yet is whether my administration and this next generation of leadership is going to be able to hew to a new, more pragmatic approach that is less interested in whether we have big government or small government [but is] more interested in whether we have a smart, effective government.”

The rest of the story:

Strutting Peacocks

Well, I think its relevant.

So do many others.

Obama Aide: 'Irrelevant Fact' Where President Was During Benghazi Attacks

The Weekly Standard -

Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer said it's an "irrelevant fact" where the president physically was during the Benghazi terror attack on September 11, 2012:

Host Chris Wallace reminds Pfeiffer that Obama didn't really talk with Secretary Clinton, Secretary Panetta, or Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that night. "He was talking to his national security staff," Pfeiffer insists.

Asked about whether the president entered the Situation Room, Pfeiffer says, "I don't remember what room the president was in on that night, and that's a largely irrelevant fact."
Pfeiffer then argues that Wallace's questions about the president's handling of the Benghazi terror attack are "offensive."

The rest of the story:

I certainly appreciate your patience

Dear Readers

I am sorry to have been gone so long but with Oral Arguments in the Court of Appeals and Faculty Meetings I have been a little busy.

I will try to endevour to be better and post as often as possible

Regards;

Man o' Law