They’ll be home for Christmas
Because Santa drives a minivan.
4 Marines were stranded in San Francisco, trying to get home for Christmas. Old enough to serve our country. Old enough to drink a beer, even. But not old enough to rent a car.
God Bless Them All!
What’s an unreasonable search?
17-year-old Joshua Bush has a bullet lodged just under the skin of his forehead. He says it was a stray bullet. Police say it was return fire from someone Bush was trying to kill during a robbery. They’ve obtained a warrant to seize the bullet. The problem is finding a doctor who will perform the surgery.
Bush’s attorneys say it’s an unreasonable search or seizure, and that he’s got a right to refuse to have a surgery that’s not medically necessary.
Police say he’s withholding evidence.
Between the 4th and 5th amendments, I’m thinking they’re not going to get that bullet any time soon.
I can’t believe a judge signed the warrant. There’s a big difference between the informed consent surrounding a blood alcohol sample, and forcing someone to submit to a surgical procedure.
Unintended Consequences Revisted
As I predicted when Ohio Issue 1 passed, and pointed out just six months later, controversy ensues over the amendment.
The Ohio Supreme Court heard a case today involving a domestic violence arrest after Issue 1 passed. Michael Carswell was charged with felony domestic violence against his live-in girlfriend. He’s arguing that’s an invalid charge, since Issue 1 says that there “shall not [be] a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage.” I hate to, but I agree with Mr. Carswell and his attorneys. The definition of family or household member includes this definition:
“Person living as a spouse†means a person who is living or has lived with the offender in a common law marital relationship, who otherwise is cohabiting with the offender, or who otherwise has cohabited with the offender within five years prior to the date of the alleged commission of the act in question.
That certainly sounds like something that “approximates the design or effect of marriage.”
Those who suggest that assault laws can handle situations like this don’t understand the way DV laws work. There are different standards for how DV arrests are made, and escalating charges for successive DV charges. It just won’t work the way it’s set up now.
Sadly, I pointed this out to Christian friends before the election, and their only response was, “Well, maybe people shouldn’t live together then.”
The Last Reunion
Today marks the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Sadly, it also marks the last reunion of the Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Association. The 450 or so survivors of the attack are getting to the point where it’s too difficult for them to travel or get around.
If you know a Pearl survivor, give them a hug today, and thank them. Heck, if you know any veteran, thank them for what they’ve done.
I discovered also, that it’s possible for Pearl survivors who have passed away to have their ashes scattered at Pearl. Even better, former USS Arizona sailors can be entombed aboard her. What a fitting tribute by a grateful nation.
The Spirit of the Season
A friend at Global Affairs wrote today about an experience his friend had. That friend’s daughter is in a wheelchair, and receives therapy at a clinic in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Several patients from that clinic got a trip to Wal-mart today, to buy Christmas presents with the pennies and nickels they had been saving.
As they were checking out, a total stranger at the end of the line walked up and had all their purchases put on his credit card.
That ought to restore a bit of your faith in the human race, eh?