Woman Killed By Family Because She Loved Wrong Man.

Banaz Mahmod loved not less but last.LONDON (Reuters) - A Kurdish woman was brutally raped, stamped on and strangled by members of her family and their friends in an "honor killing" carried out at her London home because she had fallen in love with the wrong man.

(What kind of an animal could do something like this to another human being; or, worse still, to his own daughter? Are these the people who are in competition with us for the Moral Highground in this world?)

Banaz Mahmod, 20, was subjected to the 2-1/2 hour ordeal before she was garroted with a bootlace. Her body was stuffed into a suitcase and taken about 100 miles to Birmingham where it was buried in the back garden of a house.

Her badly decomposed body was found in April 2006, three months after the killing.

Last month a jury found her father Mahmod Mahmod, 52, and his brother Ari Mahmod, 51, guilty of murder after a three-month trial. Their associate Mohamad Hama, 30, had earlier admitted killing her.

On Thursday at a pre-sentence hearing for Hama, the Old Bailey heard details about Banaz's last moments.

Prosecutors said the three convicted men, along with two other suspects who are still at large, had carried out the killing fearing that the authorities were closing in on them.

They believed Banaz had brought shame on the family by leaving her husband, an Iraqi Kurd she had been forced to marry at 17, and falling in love with Rahmat Suleimani, an Iranian Kurd.

Her former unnamed partner had raped her as well as repeatedly beating her, the court heard.

Hama, who prosecutors said had been a ringleader in the murder, was caught by listening devices talking to a friend in prison about the murder.

In the recordings, transcripts of which were relayed to the court, Hama and his friend are hearing laughing as he described how she was killed with Banaz's uncle "supervising".

"I was kicking and stamping on her neck to get the soul out. I saw her stark naked, only wearing pants or underwear," Hama is recorded as saying.

His lawyers say there is no evidence to support the prosecution's claims.

The decision to kill her came after a meeting on January 23 -- the day before she was murdered -- when the family decided to take action before the police could foil their attempts, said prosecutor Victor Temple.

Hama is due to be sentenced on Friday with Mahmod Mahmod and his brother, Ari.

Woman Who Killed Purse Snatcher Faces Charges.

Dutch woman who killed thief to be tried; but was it murder? Or accidental homocide? Or justifiable homocide? Should she be prosecuted for trying to retrieve her purse from a purse snatcher? Did the thief get what he deserved? Did he intend the natural consequences of his acts? Was injury or death an anticipated consequence of his actions? Did he assume the risks?

A woman who fatally crushed a teenager with her car after he snatched her purse will be prosecuted, authorities said Friday, 27 July.

The early 2005 incident assumed national importance and inflamed tensions with the country's Moroccan community. The 19-year-old man came from a Moroccan family and the filmmaker Theo van Gogh had been murdered by a Muslim radical just two months earlier.

Some sympathized with the driver, believing she justifiably chased the thief and killed him accidentally. But many in Amsterdam's Moroccan community said the incident reflected Dutch disdain for them.

The story had many complexities, including the youth's criminal background and the driver's record of reckless driving.

The woman, identified as Germaine C., 45, was in her car when the teenager, identified as Ali el Bejjati, grabbed her purse from the back seat and then hopped on a scooter driven by a friend, prosecutors said Friday.

The woman chased them with her car in reverse and hit the scooter, pinning the thief against a tree. He died on the spot. His accomplice fled on foot.

The woman was arrested, interrogated and released several days later.

The prosecution said in a statement that formal charges would be filed later, adding they could range from vehicular homicide to reckless driving.

The national broadcaster, NOS news, reported that the woman had told police she wanted only to "bump" the scooter. It also reported she had previously been cited for driving in reverse on a freeway.

El Bejjati had been convicted before of purse theft and was awaiting trial on armed robbery charges when he died.
Dutch woman who killed thief to be tried By TOBY STERLING, Associated Press Writer
Fri Jul 27, 7:47 PM ET



A woman who fatally crushed a teenager with her car after he snatched her purse will be prosecuted, authorities said Friday.

The early 2005 incident assumed national importance and inflamed tensions with the country's Moroccan community. The 19-year-old man came from a Moroccan family and the filmmaker Theo van Gogh had been murdered by a Muslim radical just two months earlier.

Some sympathized with the driver, believing she justifiably chased the thief and killed him accidentally. But many in Amsterdam's Moroccan community said the incident reflected Dutch disdain for them.

The story had many complexities, including the youth's criminal background and the driver's record of reckless driving.

The woman, identified as Germaine C., 45, was in her car when the teenager, identified as Ali el Bejjati, grabbed her purse from the back seat and then hopped on a scooter driven by a friend, prosecutors said Friday.

The woman chased them with her car in reverse and hit the scooter, pinning the thief against a tree. He died on the spot. His accomplice fled on foot.

The woman was arrested, interrogated and released several days later.

The prosecution said in a statement that formal charges would be filed later, adding they could range from vehicular homicide to reckless driving.

The national broadcaster, NOS news, reported that the woman had told police she wanted only to "bump" the scooter. It also reported she had previously been cited for driving in reverse on a freeway.

El Bejjati had been convicted before of purse theft and was awaiting trial on armed robbery charges when he died.
TOBY STERLING AP (7/27/07)

LEAVE NO COMRADE BEHIND!

Long before the Band of Brothers hit the screen, it was unwritten law for the U S military to leave no man behind. In this day and age, we can expand that to say "Leave no man or woman behind".
A third-class female cadet, a sophomore, USCGA Class of 2010, and a male enlisted man claimed two Mexican policemen assaulted them after they came ashore from skinny-dipping at the beach during the pre-dawn hours in Veracruz, Mexico.
It appears that female 3/c Cadet Jane Doe and the enlisted man may have been swimming or cavorting on the beach while the two policemen hid behind some rocks and surprised them when they came out of the ocean.
Cadet Jane Doe said the police officers attempted to handcuff them, and forced her to perform oral sex on one of them.
The Eagle docked Friday in Veracruz and left on Monday. Cadet Jane Doe and the enlisted man are still in Mexico working with authorities. The ship, CGC EAGLE, is continuing on its summer training program. It is due to arrive in Miami on July 27 as its next port call.

The Coast Guard Academy can look forward to some rude awakenings in this case. I dare say they have little or no experience in dealing with Mexico and corrupt Mexican officials. They made a big mistake in leaving a teenage female cadet and an enlisted man in Mexican custody. Someone had better fly to Mexico quickly and carry plenty of CASH. This is not the Cadet Webster Smith case and the Rule of Law. In Mexico, money talks and justice walks.
The Commanding Officer of the Eagle is out of his mind. If I had been CO, that ship would never have sailed without every cadet and crewman on board.
There would be no reason to leave cadets or crewmen behind if they were only witnesses to an investigation. That is an easy call. Take their statements and let them leave on the ship. They could even fly back whenever and if ever there was a trial. This case will never see a trial.
These two kids are going to be charged. That is why they were not allowed to leave Mexico. Mommie and Daddy and the Coast Guard Academy are going to have to come up with some CASH, and a lot of it.
Silvina Morales, the prosecutor's office agent in charge of the case, indicated that a Complaint had been drafted; and according to the complaint, the female cadet and the enlisted man decided to swim at a local beach. She said the two policemen apparently hid behind some rocks and surprised the swimmers when they came out of the ocean.. They could be charged with almost anything; such as, public drunkenness, swimming nude on a public beach, public indecency, drunk and disorderly, having sex in public, assaulting a police officer, refusal to cooperate with a police officer, being on the beach after dark or sundown. They may have entered a closed or secured area.




Nevertheless, we will not rest until these two brave young Americans are returned to American soil.


Even if the female cadet and the enlisted man are eventually released from Mexican custody, this case will be far from over.
What standard will be used to dispose of this case? The Webster Smith Standard, where the female cadet gets no discipline? Shelly Raudenbush had a torrid fling with a Navy enlisted man in Norfolk, Virginia and went on to be the Star Witness against Webster Smith. She received complete immunity for fraternizing with a Navy enlisted man, and Webster Smith was convicted, essentially, for keeping her secret.
Or, will it be the Shelly Raudenbush Standard where the female cadet gets immunity from prosecution, no charges for fraternizing with an enlisted man?
Or the Cadet John Miller Standard where the local authorities take care of resolving the case and the cadet is returned to duty with a warning to be more discrete next time?

Either way, the female cadet corps has the Wisniewski Curse? Or, perhaps it is the Shelly Raudenbush Curse? Either way, the Coast Guard albatross is still there around the neck of the Coast Guard Academy. Until the Webster Smith travesty is resolved fairly, and Webster Smith is given his Commission and his degree, and his record is wiped clean, the cadets will continue to suffer these terribly embarrassing incidents.

The torch has been passed to a new Gender, and the females continue to get a free ride with no ethical accountability. With each Academy entering class containing more and more females, the Coast Guard Academy can look forward to more of the same, underway as before and steady as she goes.



LATE BREAKING NEWS: On or about Tuesday, 24 July, 3/c Cadet Jane Doe was repatriated to Miami, Florida to her family. Not as big as Elian Gonzales, but just as emotional. She is awaiting the arrival of the CGC Eagle with the rest of her classmates. The skids were greased and she was released. She will have the best sea story to tell from this cadet summer training cruise.
What deal was struck with the Devil to secure her release?
Was she an unfortunate victim of circumstances, or a victim of her own bad judgment?

Natalie Granger, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, said U.S. officials are working with the Mexican government on the investigation. She said the details of the investigation could not be released until the work is complete, and she could not say how long that would take. The two policemen were charged with robbery, abuse of authority and sexual misconduct.

12 Jan 2008, Update: White Teenage Female Cadet Claims Sexual assault By Mexican Police on Veracruz Beach.Two Mexican law enforcement officers accused of assaulting a white female Coast Guard Academy third class cadet and a Black enlisted crew member stationed onboard the Coast Guard Academy training ship USCGC Eagle are still in jail.
The incident occurred during a port call in Veracruz, Mexico, in mid-July 2007.

The case is under review by the First Criminal Court in Veracruz, and the judge has not issued a final decision, according to a Coast Guard Academy spokesman.

The U.S. Embassy has just received a verbal update from the Mexican court.

According to that update, the accused police officers filed an appeal against their imprisonment, and a federal court denied the appeal, but the criminal court is expecting a new appeal. Mexican courts are like German jokes, they are not funny and you never know where they are going or how they will come out.

The third-class female cadet and the male crew member said the police officers attempted to handcuff them, stole some of their possessions, threatened them and forced the female to perform oral sex on one of them, while they were on liberty after a late night swim at a beach in Veracruz, Mexico.

The two policemen have allegedly been charged with robbery, abuse of authority and sexual misconduct.


BRING ME MEN.

Dedicated Marine Will Not Go To Jail.

Cpl. Trent Thomas will not be sent to prison for his role in killing an Iraqi civilian.
A military jury convicted him of conspiracy to committ murder for his role in the April 2006 killing of a retired Iraqi policeman in the village of Hamdania,
but they decided not to send him to prison.
He was sentenced to a BCD, a bad-conduct discharge, and a reduction to the lowest pay grade. He could have received life in prison.
Thomas had been in pre-trial confinement in the brig since May 2006.
Thomas, of Madison, Ill., was one of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman accused in connection with the killing.
"I believe we did what we needed to do to save Marines' lives," Thomas said outside court, while declining to discuss the details of what happened that night. "I think anybody who understands what war is or what combat is understands."
A military jury of three officers and six enlisted Marines deliberated Thomas' sentence for less than an hour before returning its decision.
On 18 July, the jury convicted Thomas, 25, of kidnapping and conspiracy but acquitted him of other charges, including the most serious, premeditated murder.
Prosecutors had recommended Thomas be sentenced to 15 years in prison with a dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank and a fine.
Thomas' attorneys argued that their client was only following orders from his squad leader and asked that he be credited for the 519 days he has already served in the brig and be returned to active duty.
"We failed him as a Marine Corps, because under good leadership, this Marine would not be here today," Maj. Haytham Faraj told the court. "Consider where the responsibility lies."
Thomas had agreed in January to plead guilty in the case, but withdrew the guilty pleas on the eve of sentencing in February. His attorney, Victor Kelley, said that pretrial agreement had called for 12 years in prison.
"I was going to take a deal for 12 years because my lawyer said it was in my best interest, but then my lawyers called me back and said, 'We're going to fight this,'" Thomas said Friday. "That was all I needed."
On Thursday, 19 July, Thomas told the court he wanted to continue serving.
"I've never been good at anything until I came to the Marine Corps," said Thomas, who served three combat tours in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart for the 2004 siege on Fallujah. "It's pretty obvious Michael Jordan was meant to play basketball. Tiger Woods was meant to play golf. The Marine Corps, it's me."
The final terms of Thomas' punishment are subject to review by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general overseeing the case, but he can only reduce the sentence.
Four other Marines and the sailor charged pleaded guilty to reduced charges in exchange for testimony. A court-martial began Friday, 20 July, in a Camp Pendleton courtroom for Thomas' squadmate Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda. Proceedings are scheduled to begin next week in the case of squad leader Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III. Both are charged with murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and other offenses.
Tom Umberg, a former military prosecutor, called Thomas' punishment "pretty outrageous" and suggested the jurors might have been swayed by their own combat experiences.
"I have never heard of a court-martial that convicted someone of conspiracy to murder and kidnapping and not adjudicate some kind of (prison) sentence," Umberg said. "Obviously there was some sympathy, maybe even empathy, because all of the panel members had served in Iraq."

China Executes Ex-Food and Drug Chief

China Executes Ex-Food and Drug Chief
China executed a former director of its food and drug agency July 10th for approving fake medicine in exchange for cash, illustrating how serious Beijing is about tackling product safety, while officials announced steps to safeguard food at next summer's Olympic Games.
During Zheng Xiaoyu's tenure as head of the State Food and Drug Administration from 1997 to 2006, the agency approved six untested drugs that turned out to be fake, and some drug-makers used falsified documents to apply for approvals, according to state media reports. One antibiotic caused the deaths of at least 10 people.
Zheng's death sentence was unusually severe even for China, which is believed to carry out more court-ordered executions than all other nations combined, and indicates the communist leadership's determination to confront the country's dire product safety record.
Zheng, 63, was convicted of taking cash and gifts worth $832,000 when he was in charge of the food and drug agency.
He was sentenced to death on May 29 and his appeal was rejected on June 12 by the Higher People's Court of Beijing. China's Supreme Court approved the sentence, saying Zheng "committed vile crimes and caused extreme harm to society."
"Although he confessed to some of the crimes of bribe-taking and returned some of the illegal income, it was not enough for leniency," the court said.
Zheng's execution July 10th was confirmed by state television and the official Xinhua News Agency.
Next year's Beijing Olympics, a great source of pride for China, also has been targeted in the crackdown on unsafe food. Sun Wenxu, an official with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, told reporters that athletes, coaches, officials and others can be assured of safe meals.
Fears abroad over Chinese-made drugs were sparked last year by the deaths of dozens of people in Panama who took medicine contaminated with diethylene glycol - a thickening agent used in antifreeze - imported from China. It was passed off as harmless glycerin.
Chinese-made toothpaste containing diethylene glycol has been banned in North and South America and Asia, though there have been no reports of health problems stemming from the product. China has no guideline banning the chemical in toothpaste, and the government says it is harmless in small amounts.
In the United States and Canada, pet food containing Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine has been blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats. Since then, U.S. authorities have turned away or recalled toxic fish, juice containing unsafe color additives and popular toy trains decorated with lead paint.
The list of food scares within China over the past year includes drug-tainted fish, industrial dye used to color egg yolks red and pork tainted with a banned feed additive.
Cao Wenzhuang, a former director of the food and drug agency's drug registration department, was sentenced to death last week for accepting bribes and dereliction of duty. He was given a two-year reprieve, which usually means he can get life in prison if deemed to have reformed.
Yan said the food and drug agency was working to tighten its safety procedures and create a more transparent operating environment. The administration has announced a series of measures to tighten safety controls and closed factories where illegal chemicals or other problems were found.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine posted on its Web site Monday the names of 13 companies that have been banned from exporting after their products were found to be substandard.
, authorities promised to investigate water purity after a newspaper reported that more than half of the water coolers in Beijing use counterfeit branded water.
The Beijing Times reported that water jugs are filled with either tap water or purified water from small suppliers and sealed with bogus quality standard marks.
The report said the practice is widespread because water from major suppliers can cost twice as much as water from other sources.
Wu Jianping, an official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, noted that a May inspection of Beijing's drinking water products found more than 96 percent were safe.
"Problems found with some individual cases cannot be interpreted to mean that the entire water industry has problems," Wu said.
AP

ACLU Sues City over Jesus Painting.

The ACLU sued the city of Slidell, La., 3 July for displaying a painting of Jesus in a courthouse lobby, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
The ACLU sued after the Slidell City Court refused to voluntarily remove the picture and a message below it that reads: "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws." The ACLU says the portrait — an image of Jesus presenting the New Testament — is a religious icon of the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity.

We did not file this lawsuit because the ACLU is anti-religion ... We did file this lawsuit because we believe this display is clearly in violation of the law," said Vincent Booth, president and acting executive director of the Louisiana ACLU chapter.
The suit was filed on behalf of an unidentified person who complained to the ACLU about the picture. Named as defendants were the city of Slidell, St. Tammany Parish and City Judge James Lamz. St. Tammany Parish is being sued because it partially funds the court, the ACLU said.
On Saturday, Lamz said the picture would stay up unless a federal judge ordered it removed. He said he didn't believe the portrait violates the Constitution, but the issue should be decided in federal court.
Before refusing to take the painting down, Lamz consulted Douglas Laycock, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School who has argued before the Supreme Court.
Laycock said he told Lamz that the legal issues in the case aren't clear-cut and could set legal precedent.
The painting has been on display at the courthouse for about 10 years and hadn't provoked any complaints prior to the ACLU's recent objections, said Michael Johnson, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group representing the city and parish.
Johnson, whose group is often at odds with the ACLU, said the painting sends an inclusive message of equal justice under the law. He said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that similar displays in public forums are constitutional.
2007 AP

Scent of Cash, My Sin by Greed, Estee Lawsuit

Scent of Cash, My Sin by Greed, Estee Lawsuit, Eau de Lawsuit, Long Lean Green.


A female employee in the Planning Department for the City of Detroit, Michigan claims that because she is so sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics she was forced to sue the City of Detroit when a co-worker's strong fragrance created such a hostile and intolerable work environment that it prohibited her from working. What she appears to be smelling is the scent of cash. Her only sin is not by Lanvin; it is from greed. Estee Lauder would blush at any suggestion that her fragrances are offensive to any other female of the specie. The lure of long lean green appears to have motivated this unusual law suit.
Susan McBride is not claiming sexual harassment or a violation of her civil rights. She alleges in her lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, that her work environment has become so polluted with environmental fragrances offensive to her sense of smell that it violates of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is asking for permanent injunctive relief and money damages. She wants a ban on all perfumes, colognes and scents at work and unspecified money damages.
A spokesman for the City of Detroit, Matt Allen refused to comment on the law suit. He did indicated that the law suit is being taken seriously and is not being treated as a frivolous lawsuit. It appears that the City does not comment on pending litigation nor does it discuss personnel issues.
Ms. McBride, joined the City of Detroit Planning Department in 2000 She says the scent and odor problems started in 2006 when the Jane Doe, co-worker, transferred into her department. She is not identified in the lawsuit by her correct name.
"This Jane Doe, employee not only wore a strong scent, but also plugged in a scented room deodorizer," the lawsuit states. "Ms. McBride was overcome by the smell almost instantly, causing her to go home sick."
Defendant, Jane Doe, later agreed to stop using the room deodorizer, but kept using perfume, the lawsuit states.