Fly the Unfriendly Skies

May 9, 2008

Federal air marshals say some of their members have been harassed at airports, even kept from boarding planes they are scheduled to guard, because their names match those on the federal no-fly list. The government acknowledges the problem but says it's taking steps to fix it. One agent says he's been having trouble for six years and it hasn't been solved yet.

Sit On It

May 8, 2008

Dozens of people were sitting on the granite ledges at Montreal's Emilie Gamelin Park. People sit on the ledges all the time. So why did police give Brendan Colin Jones a $628 ticket for sitting on the ledge? Well, maybe it was because he just photographed them talking to some people drinking alcohol nearby and refused to give them his camera when they asked.

Who You Gonna Call?

May 7, 2008

University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmermann called 911 shortly before she was killed, but a dispatcher hung up on her, didn't call her back and never sent police. Officials are refusing the release the contents of the call, but Madison police say the operator should have taken it seriously. However, a spokesman for the 911 agency told the Associated Press he doesn't think "there's anything to apologize for at this time."

Love, Exciting and New

May 6, 2008

Daphne Beasley, principal of Memphis's Hollis F. Price Middle College High School, has a problem with public displays of affection. In fact, she asked staff to give her the names of students who were couples, the better to keep an eye on them and prevent handholding and other evils. According to a complaint by the ACLU, Beasley posted the list, outing two young gay students in the process.

61 is the New 81

May 5, 2008

Dorothy Simpson suffers from an irregular heartbeat that gives her an increased chance of heart failure and stroke. Her doctor recommended a surgery to correct the problem. But Great Britain's National Health Service rejected the doctor's request, saying the 61-year-old was too old. After the media began inquiring about the decision, the NHS decided Simpson wasn't too old after all.

High Altitude, Bad Attitude

May 2, 2008

Nepal's government has authorized soldiers and police to shoot to kill anyone protesting the Olympic flame as it makes its way up Mount Everest. But they have asked them to first try nonviolent means to squelch any protests of China's human rights record.

Who Is John Adams?

May 1, 2008

Criticism isn't a crime, and someone should let Whitewater, Wisconsin, police chief James Coan know that. Records show he has involved at least two detectives and several other city employees—all on city time—in a quest to find the identity of "John Adams," a blogger who has criticized him and other city officials.

Second Strike

April 30, 2008

Apparently, all the man identified as Gholam Ghaus Z wanted was to buy an electric razor. But the German man of Afghan origin tried to do it in store in a military base near Kabul. American authorities arrested him and have held him for four months although intensive investigations have uncovered no ties to terrorists. German authorities have urged the man's release, but they fear his case could follow the pattern of Murat Kurnaz, a German resident of Turkish origin the Americans held for five years despite finding by both countries he had no ties to terrorism.

In Russia, Party Always Find You!

April 29, 2008

Rumors of a romance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva, a former gymnast more than 30 years his junior, had been circulating in Moscow for months. But Moskovski Korrespondent was the first, and still the only Russian, newspaper to report the alleged affair. The newspaper's owner immediately closed the paper and forced its editor to resign. 

Criticism is a Crime

April 28, 2008

The Lawrence, Massachusetts, police department received three plaques in the mail honoring officers for being "corrupt." Chief John Romero, who was named on one of the plaques, had them dusted for fingerprints and notified the Boston postal inspector. Romero says the person who sent the plaques could face federal charges for using the U.S. Postal Service "to threaten, harass, or intimidate" the officers.

Dead Again

April 25, 2008

Laura Todd has died several times over the past eight years. OK, the Nashville woman hasn't really died. The federal government just keeps declaring her dead because of a mix-up involving her Social Security number that the feds promised to fix eight years ago. At various times, she has been unable to refinance her house because government records showed she was dead, her bank closed her credit card account and the IRS has twice refused to process her tax returns.