Quoting:
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Michigan (AP) -- A federal judge has ruled that a school district violated a student's rights to free speech and due process when it suspended him for posting "intimidation and threats" on the Internet.

The Waterford School District should not have suspended the student in August 2001 for contributing to "Satan's Web page," U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan ruled this week.

School officials were concerned by content that included a passage labeled "Satan's mission for you this week." It read: "Stab someone for no reason then set them on fire throw them off of a cliff, watch them suffer and with their last breath, just before everything goes black, spit on their face."

The student, who was not identified, was suspended after a hearing in which he wasn't allowed to cross-examine witnesses and could not be represented by an attorney, said his lawyer, Richard Landau.

The student sued the district, seeking damages of up to $75,000. He has since graduated from a school in a neighboring district.

School representatives and the attorney representing the district did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.

****

Well, the kid has a point...his rights to free speech and due process were most likely compromised.  But what he did...UGH.   >:(  :-X
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Did the student direct the threats at anyone? If he did not, perhaps the school should have sent him to counceling. That may have been the best way to protect the school from lawsuits, as well as find out what is at the core of those statements the student made. However, if the remarks were aimed at another student, then I would think you would have to throw him out. But as long as they were vauge threats, it sounds more like a troubled teen lashing out. And my question to the school would be this, "what lesson did the kid learn?"

Quoting:
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The naked truth about what Scotsmen wear under their kilts has been revealed -- absolutely nothing.

Braving the chilly Scottish weather, seven out of 10 men follow tradition and go naked beneath the country's national dress, according to a survey on Friday.

"It is something to do with Scottish pride," said a spokeswoman for whiskey maker The Famous Grouse, behind the poll of 800 men. "There is no way they would wear anything, even if it's freezing."
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Talk about "shrinkage" :o ;D

Quoting:

Talk about "shrinkage" :o ;D
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My goodness, I hope you don't talk to your kids with that mouth ;D

Quoting:
When sheep panic...

MARLBORO, New Jersey (AP) -- Passengers on a Greyhound bus said the driver told them he was taking them "to the Taliban" after they criticized his meandering route Saturday night, prompting a massive police response.

The New York-bound bus hit heavy traffic soon after leaving Philadelphia, and the driver took several alternate routes to find less congested roads, said passenger Sally Weisbrot, 30.

"People were angry and making fun of the driver, yelling 'Do you know what you're doing up there? Do you know where you're going?' He clearly was annoyed," she said.

Weisbrot said the driver then shot back: "'I'm taking you to the Taliban."

She said the driver was only joking because he was upset, but some people panicked and called 911 on their cell phones. Within minutes, 18 police cars surrounded the bus and pulled it over, she said.

Dara Salcman, a passenger from New York, said passengers were ordered to get off the bus with their hands in the air. Officers had their guns pointed at the bus, she said.

The driver, who was not immediately identified, was taken for questioning at police headquarters while authorities searched the bus. They found nothing unusual; prosecutors said they were investigating the driver but did not give details.

Jamille Bradfield, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Greyhound, said the bus was carrying 30 passengers. They were allowed to re-board the bus and continue their trip with a different driver.

*****

I don't know what to make of this.  On the one hand, the bus driver was well within his limits to snap, but on the other hand, the passengers are more than justified in freaking out and calling the cops...can't be too safe these days.

I certainly hope the bus driver doesn't get fired because of this one slip-up...the passengers were being totally uncivil.  Not that I condone his snappy comeback.
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Quoting:
C'mon, people thought he was actually going to "take them to the Taliban" from NEW JERSEY? How was he going to do it, press a magic button that turns it into an airliner? I think everyone overreacted here.
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Quoting:
Me too.

Complete overreaction from the passengers who I also hope got in hot water for wasting police resources.

There has to be a commonsense factor come into play here.

And YES - I agree that was a stupid thing for the bus driver to say....
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Quoting:
I wish common sence was a little more common.  I am blown away with how gullible people are especailly when given the opportunity to panic. I really do think that people will jump at thinking the worse, no matter how silly it is when they have the chance.  Eek! Save me!  Trouble is, gullibility, stupidity, whatever it is it still at this time has to be responded to.


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Don't get me wrong, Race.

The emergency service(s) reacted in the way they are required to and should have.  This is their job.

As a matter of interest, are there laws/statutes/whatever over there whereby individuals can be charged with wasting police time ?

They brought them in in Queensland when a woman who was an actor 'staged' her own disappearance some years ago as a publicity stunt..... ::)

I can still remember her infamous quote : "I don't understand what all the fuss was about"

Oy......... ::)

Quoting:


Don't get me wrong, Race.

The emergency service(s) reacted in the way they are required to and should have.  This is their job.

As a matter of interest, are there laws/statutes/whatever over there whereby individuals can be charged with wasting police time ?

They brought them in in Queensland when a woman who was an actor 'staged' her own disappearance some years ago as a publicity stunt..... ::)

I can still remember her infamous quote : "I don't understand what all the fuss was about"

Oy......... ::)
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Quoting:
Hey GR,
The reason I state it so adamantly isn't cause I think that everything should be taken seriously, hell it is a major chore for me to keep my smart mouth shut, it's just that there are a lot of people who do take this crap seriously.  Many lack the ability to look at the picture logically and it gives them an reason/exucuse to panic.  That and gvt. depts. like police, fire, fbi, etc, have to respond taking them away from what they should be doing.  Overreaction?  Yes, but shouldn't have ever been the case for it.

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You'll excuse me, I hope. I didn't mean the police over reacted. They probably received calls saying there were terrorists on the bus, and did exactly what they'd been trained to do. My point was that the bus driver's remark was pretty obviously flippant. It was dumb, too. The fact is he was trying to do them a favour, they were beating him up for it and he decided to get some of his own back by being a wise guy. Surely people didn't really believe this guy was going to take them to the Taliban! What if, while the cops were checking this out, a real incident had occurred somewhere else? Unfortunately, when things like this start happening, it means that the real terrorists are winning.

Quoting:


You'll excuse me, I hope. I didn't mean the police over reacted. They probably received calls saying there were terrorists on the bus, and did exactly what they'd been trained to do. My point was that the bus driver's remark was pretty obviously flippant. It was dumb, too. The fact is he was trying to do them a favour, they were beating him up for it and he decided to get some of his own back by being a wise guy. Surely people didn't really believe this guy was going to take them to the Taliban! What if, while the cops were checking this out, a real incident had occurred somewhere else? Unfortunately, when things like this start happening, it means that the real terrorists are winning.
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Quoting:
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The naked truth about what Scotsmen wear under their kilts has been revealed -- absolutely nothing.

Braving the chilly Scottish weather, seven out of 10 men follow tradition and go naked beneath the country's national dress, according to a survey on Friday.

"It is something to do with Scottish pride," said a spokeswoman for whiskey maker The Famous Grouse, behind the poll of 800 men. "There is no way they would wear anything, even if it's freezing."

Highland tradition dictates men should wear nothing beneath their pleated skirts, in accordance with the saying "Nothing is worn beneath the kilt -- it's all in perfect working order."

For those not brave enough to "go commando," the survey found boxer shorts with a tartan design were the second most popular choice.

Scotsmen have worn kilts for hundreds of years, shrugging off jibes from south of the border. Kilt makers have moved with the times, recently unveiling a design with a pocket for a mobile phone.


*****

And here I thought they wore Scooby Doo boxers under the kilts...silly me.  Who the heck does these surveys anyway?  Of course they go commando under the kilt!  Pfft...  :D  ::)

*****

Methinks I'll use this thread from now on as a forum for news stories I find particularly interesting.  I hope y'all enjoy this.    :D
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Quoting:
For those of you who don't know the Miranda rights stuff:

Since 1966, police nationwide have carried small cards with the warnings criminal suspects are entitled to receive before being questioned. The wording can vary slightly. Here is a typical version:

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to the presence of an attorney to assist you prior to questioning, and to be with you during questioning if you so desire.

If you cannot afford an attorney, you have the right to have an attorney appointed for you prior to the questioning.

Do you understand these rights?

*****

These rights were established during the Miranda case and cemented with the Gideon case, both of which went to the Supreme Court.  Feel free to correct me if there's anything amiss.
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Quoting:
Moving on:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/01/kerry.president/index.html

Senator Kerry, D-MA, is considering a run for the 2004 Presidential election.  He seems like a man of integrity.  I wouldn't mind if John McCain popped up again to run for the presidency though, John McCain is awesome.  Anyone see him on SNL?  I wish he were my senator instead of Feinstein and Boxer.  (UGH)

Does anyone know if Feinstein and Boxer are still US senators representing CA?  I don't even care anymore.  They vote Democrat every election, CA is like a sheep state.
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Quoting:
I KNEW it!

http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/05/thurmond.birthday/index.html

Strom Thurmond is still technically a sitting Senator!  :o
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Quoting:
All I can say is South Carlolina must be in on some joke the rest of us don't get.

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This is why I support the idea of term limits for members of Congress.  Being a senator until your last brain cell is on the verge of shutdown just doesn't seem right.  Then again, I guess the founding fathers (save John Adams) never realized that people could live to be so incredibly OLD.

Quoting:
I KNEW it!

http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/05/thurmond.birthday/index.html

Strom Thurmond is still technically a sitting Senator!  :o
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He just celebrated his birthday, and if I heard right, he shares a birthday with, of all people, Little Richard.  I'd like to hear an astrologer explain that!
And, regarding term limits: we already have them.  They're called elections.  ;)

Quoting:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021207/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_saddam_9

And Kuwait spits it back in Iraq's face...
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Quoting:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/12/11/school.pot/index.html

They just get younger and younger...
:-/
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Quoting:
Take the Poll
In light of allegations against Fort  Mayor Ken Lunt, what do you think is the best course of action for his future?
1 Continue his service as Mayor.
2 Step down as mayor, but on the City Commission.
3 Resign his post on the  City Commission.


VOTE!

View Stats

I pulled this from our little Whoville news site today....Our Mayor had noticed that a lady (that I work with) had parked in a
handicapped space to run in to the store for a few minutes.
To defend her, she says she did not realize it was a handicap
space because the sign was not up, there was just the sign
painted in the space (covered in snow). Well, our mayor decided to take it upon himself to write a nasty note to her and leave it on her car. It went something like " If you ever park in a handicapped space again I will pull your t*ts off." Well, silly Mayor did not realize that A) everyone in town knows him by sight and B) Everyone in town also knows this lady. Someone working at the store saw him do this. The lady read the note and went back in the store, and the certain someone at the store told her who gave it to her. She called the police, and now our mayor is facing charges. He put a little write up in the paper about how sorry he was, dah dah dah. Anyway..that's life in WhoVille, population about 8237 ppl, including the dogs. LOL.

Such scandal! :) Believe me, for us this is big news.

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