Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2008 February 22-31

Denise George's Amish neighbors' religion doesn't allow them to own automobiles, so she drives them to town every now and then. They give her gas money, and sometimes homemade goods and crafts. Many people would say she is just being neighborly. But not the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The commission sent letters to George and others warning them that they are violating state laws against carrying passengers for compensation by giving lifts to the Amish.

Steve Brook and Mandy Smith had taken their 11-month-old daughter Rebecca out to a local park in Oldham, England. They were taking a photo of her on a swing when a park warden rushed over and ordered them to stop. "I asked him why and he said it was illegal to take pictures of children in the park," Steve said. Town officials said the warden misinterpreted their policy and they have corrected him.

Blytheville, Arkansas, police were looking for a Travis Henderson who had failed to show up for court on a reckless driving charge. Two officers spotted a man one recognized as Travis Henderson, a Special Olympics athlete who is something of a local celebrity. They say when they attempted to handcuff him, he resisted. So one of the officers Tased him. It turns out he wasn't the Travis Henderson they were looking for. Police Chief Ross Thompson defends the officers' actions, but the local prosecutor dropped charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct against Henderson.

The Right Rev. Anthony Priddis, a Church of England bishop, blocked John Reaney's appointment as a church youth worker. Reaney says it was because he is gay. Priddis reportedly believed that Reaney's lifestyle would "impact the spiritual, moral and ethical leadership within the Diocese." So Reaney sued, and the Cardiff Employment Tribunal ordered Priddis to pay him £47,345 and to undergo equal opportunity training.

Maria Campbell says she uses two miniature horses in therapy at a group home she runs in Mayville, Wisconsin. But city officials have ordered her to get rid of the little horses, claiming they violate a city ban on farm animals. Officials say neighbors have complained about the horses. The neighbors haven't cited any actual problems officials admit, but they apparently feel there could be problems with odor or animal waste in the future.