Tuesday Afternoon

In the George Tiller murder case, Judge Warren Wilbert has decided to allow a voluntary manslaughter defense, opening the door for the defense to mount a case that the killing of the abortion doctor was justified. He will have to show an "unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force," according to Kansas statutes.

Scott Roeder will also be required to show that he believed it was "necessary to defend ... a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force."

There is some interesting scuttlebutt regarding the judge's ruling on TalkingPointsMemo. Khalid Sheik Muhammed could put on a similar defense, claiming that he was trying to protect Palestinians or Sunnis. Ditto the Ft. Hood shooter. John Gacey could get off the hook because he felt that homicidal clowns were in imminent danger. Juan Corona might make a claim that his beer was skunked.

I say the guy gets off and it becomes open season on abortion doctors. A bible belt jury lets this guy walk. Hope that I am wrong.

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In other news notorious killer Carlos the Jackal is suing to protect the rights to his media image. His wife, the attorney Isabel Coutant-Peyre is demanding that he be given the right to review a documentary about his life and make changes as necessary. A thirty cent bullet and all of this bullshit would be moot.

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The late pontiff John Paul practiced self mortification and would whip himself with a belt, even while on vacation, according to a new book. Kinky.  "Let the rest of the tour bus go on without me. Johnny's got some 'splaining to do..."


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A 16 year old Bangladeshi girl has been sentenced to 101 lashes for conceiving after being raped. Her attacker has not been charged. She was also fined and village elders have issued a fatwa that her family must go into isolation if she does not pay up. Nice religion.


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A judge has ruled that inmates do not have a constitutional right to nerd out and play dungeons and dragons, perhaps fearing a meteoric rise in acne in our prison population.

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John Travolta has flown a passel of ministers of Scientology to do a little free auditing of the downtrodden people of Haiti, no doubt unlocking a whole mess of nasty engrams in their poor reactive minds. Think the survivors would rather have a little food in their stomach, but will probably listen to the rap and strap on the e-meters if they have to. Shame on the Scientologists for peddling this crap at this time, trying to score points when people are at their weakest.


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And finally, Paul Davies, a physicist at the University of Arizona, thinks that the search for extraterrestrial aliens should start here on earth. H-m-m-m, that would explain a lot. Anybody from Xenu?