Brickbats
? In Oxford, Mississippi, Lisa Herdahl is trying to get the school to stop daily prayers over the public address system. Herdahl, who is Lutheran, objected to having her son indoctrinated in religion at school. The school forced him to wear headphones so that he could not hear the offending prayers. But that, in turn, led other students to ostracize and make fun of the boy. So now Herdahl has gone to court. Said school superintendent Jerry Horton, "We plan to vigorously defend our practices–we feel it's constitutional and doing good for students." Yeah, they seem to have gotten that "love thy neighbor" stuff down pat.
? Thirty-five patients got themselves admitted to veterans hospitals 2,268 times in a five-year period, costing taxpayers $6.5 million. The 35 patients, mostly alcoholics and mental patients, spent a total of 21,000 days in the hospital and also made 7,832 outpatient visits.
? Meanwhile, citizen activists in Bexley, Ohio, are fighting to save a local adult video store. It isn't that the residents are all hot and bothered for porno tapes. No, they simply prefer the sex store to the establishment that will replace it: a McDonald's.
? A guard at Lakeside, California's El Capitan High School spotted a gun in a student's car. The school wants to expel the boy, but his parents claim that he suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder (which is why he forgot the gun was in his car) and that removing him would be a violation of federal laws banning discrimination against the handicapped. So far, the courts have sided with the parents.
? In Williamsport, Pennsylvania, police arrested 23-year-old Eric Christiansen for riding a skateboard while under the influence of alcohol.
? Computer buff Bob Poulton thought he had found a bargain when he bought 20 computer disks for 20 cents each at a discount store in Langley, British Columbia. But he got quite a bit more than that. The disks contained the detailed, confidential medical records of thousands of Vancouver-area residents.
? Having trouble meeting that special someone? Well, you might want to go to Greenburgh, New York. Seeing that the private sector can't possibly handle the complex and difficult task of introducing singles, the city fathers have set up a government- run dating service.
? Whenever it seems that the left has a monopoly on political correctness, someone in the city of Cincinnati comes along to prove that the right can be equally goofy. Veterans groups in that city are protesting a local Mexican restaurant. The reason: Owner Stephen King decided to display a Mexican flag at the establishment. "There are too many missing POWs and soldiers who fought for the American flag," said one protester. Another deemed the restaurant owner "un-American."
? In Auckland, New Zealand, a woman was trapped for three days in a parking garage elevator. At first, attendants didn't believe her story and tried to charge her for three days worth of parking fees.
? Christopher Lingle, then an American teaching in Singapore, wrote an article blasting unnamed Asian governments for using a compliant judiciary to bankrupt opposition politicians through lawsuits. The government of Singapore said that he was obviously referring to that country and sued him for "analyzing the judiciary." The judiciary demonstrated that it is not a tool of oppression by finding Lingle and his publishers guilty of political commentary.
? Jesse Plumb told his wife that he was going on a one-day hunting trip. When he didn't return, Tammy Plumb called the police. After a four-day search involving helicopters, dogs, and more than 40 officers, Plumb finally showed up. He hadn't been hunting. He'd been having a tryst with another woman. He may be billed $13,000 for the search.
? School officials in Billings, Montana, have found that they can save $27,000 a year by buying milk from a Wyoming contractor. Of course, this doesn't sit well with Montana dairy farmers who complain that this is a way to avoid Montana's higher state-controlled milk prices. Apparently milking cows is just practice for milking taxpayers.