Man who was ejected from Yankee Stadium wins his case (and $22,000, too)

Back in May I covered a story about a man who claimed to have been forcibly ejected from the Yankee Stadium in the middle of the game just because he dared to try and get up to use the restroom during the singing of God Bless America.

It seems the case has finally been settled, as the Yankees have accepted to pay $10,001 in damages and $12,000 in attorney's fees to compensate the man.

Without admitting liability and without admitting that Mr. Campeau-Laurion had sustained any damages, the city agreed to pay a $10,001 settlement and also $12,000 to cover the plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees. The settlement [pdf] was entered before Judge Jed S. Rakoff in United States District Court in Manhattan.

Um – I'd think the fact that they agreed to dispense over $22,000 over this matter pretty much indicates they are indeed guilty of their charges. Either that, or they wish to avoid a lengthy trial.

At Yankee Stadium, ushers, stadium security guards and the police had enforced the policy of restricting fan movements during the playing of “God Bless America.”

But in a stipulation [pdf] as part of the settlement of the lawsuit against the team and the city, the Yankees declared “that they have no policy or practice at the new Yankee Stadium that imposes any restrictions on fans wishing to move about the Stadium during the playing of ‘God Bless America’ that do not also apply during the rest of the game.” The team also said it had no intention of instituting such a policy.

... Ie. "We're guilty, we just won't admit it in court". Hmm.

(via Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

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This is why I'm entirely pro-Internet filesharing

Stories like this one are the very reason why I feel absolutely zero guilt or remorse in my activities in Internet filesharing (colloquially known as "Internet piracy"). These sons of bitches simply don't deserve it. Take this latest example: just today, a Minnesota mother of four was fined $1.9 million. One-point-nine MILLION.

And what did she do? Who did she rip off? It turns out she and her family are being sent to the financial pits for ... 24 songs she downloaded.

(CNN) -- A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each -- a total of $1.9 million -- for 24 songs.

Jammie Thomas-Rasset's case was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in the United States, her attorney said.

Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at fine, noting that the price tag on the songs she downloaded was 99 cents.

She plans to appeal, he said.

Cara Duckworth, a spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America, said the RIIA was "pleased that the jury agreed with the evidence and found the defendant liable."

"We appreciate the jury's service and that they take this as seriously as we do," she said.

Thomas-Rasset downloaded work by artists such as No Doubt, Linkin Park, Gloria Estefan and Sheryl Crow.

This was the second trial for Thomas-Rasset. The judge ordered a retrial in 2007 after there was an error in the wording of jury instructions.

The fines jumped considerably from the first trial, which granted just $220,000 to the recording companies.

Thomas-Rasset is married with four children and works for an Indian tribe in Minnesota.

From the very second I opened the article, I just knew I'd find RIAA's name in there somewhere. RIAA is the music industry's equivalent to what PETA is for animals: self-righteous wankers who operate under the false illusions of helping when all they do is damage the very thing they try to protect. However, I'll take it one step further and say that RIAA is far worse than PETA – as annoying as those assholes are, at least they don't spend every day suing everyone under the sun who's so much as downloaded a single song.

I once read an article a few years ago where a RIAA spokeswoman basically came out and asserted that the reason they kept launching lawsuits everywhere in sight, and particularly as to why they preferred to target youths and young adults, is because they believed that the more people are bereaved and castigated, the less they'll do it. Yes, that's how low their understanding of basic human psychology runs. Sorry to point you wrong, Dingus Khan, but when you keep pushing people and fighting them, the only thing you're gonna get is increased resistance until you give up. You simply cannot kill a mindset. A mindset isn't material, and therefore cannot be demolished, and piracy is as prominent a mindset as they come.

But then, RIAA also have a track record that includes suing 12-year-old children, a dead grandmother, an elderly computer amateur who couldn't know how to work Internet, much less illegally download a song, and several people who didn't even have a computer at all.

Yeah, they're a beacon of credibility. I almost wish they'd try suing me (having downloaded enough songs, albums, games, programs and movies to fill most of my hard drive by now) just for the fun of telling them to fuck off. (Though I'd probably put it a bit more eloquently than that.)

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Jailed for providing medicinal marijuana – 100% legally

In yet another disgusting abuse of power and neglect to actually follow the damn laws, Charlie Lynch, the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in California, has been sentenced to a year in prison for "marijuana-related offenses" – despite his activities being completely legal under California pot and drug laws.

A federal judge in Los Angeles has sentenced a medical marijuana dispensary owner to a year and a day in prison in one of the nation's first such cases since the Obama administration adjusted its pot policy.

U.S. District Judge George Wu on Thursday found that the case of 47-year-old Charles Lynch merited an exception to the mandatory minimum five-year sentence that guidelines called for.Lynch was convicted of five marijuana-related offenses last year for running a medical marijuana dispensary collective in San Luis Obispo County.

He sought leniency after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced earlier this year that federal agents will now target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state laws.

While there is definitely some relief to be found in that his sentence was considerably alleviated from the default 5 years in prison, it's still a grave injustice that the man need spend any time behind bars at all, seeing as he never broke a single law with his medical marijuana dispensing. Really, these idealogical jurists need to start upholding the very law they're supposed to be governed by.

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If you can't get your anonymity back, get loads of cash instead

A while ago I covered how Tom Rich, a then-anonymous blogger from FBC Jax Watchdog who commented on some strange happenings in his megachurch (notably how pastor Mac Brunsun seemed to get a never-ending flow of money through the place), was unfairly ousted from anonymity and has his name revealed publicly, despite the investigation ending without finding a single trace of any illegal or wrongful activities on Rich's part.

Well, now he's taking action, true American-style: he's suing the fuckers.

A formerly anonymous blogger who criticized his prominent Southern Baptist pastor has sued police and state prosecutors for revealing his identify to the church even though an investigation showed he had done nothing illegal.

Tom Rich and his wife Yvette, until recently members of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., for about 20 years, filed a lawsuit April 27 claiming that involvement by government officials violated his rights under the First Amendment of the Constitution.

It's sad how any law "enforcement" officers can just flip their badges around and decide to ignore or break laws to fulfill their own dirty desires, at the expense of innocents like Rich. He's definitely gonna nail their asses, though. More details below.

Rich started his blog after noticing differences in preaching style, fundraising and church administration between Mac Brunson, who became pastor of the Southern Baptist megachurch in 2006, and his predecessor, Jerry Vines, who retired in 2005.

Rich created the blog anonymously, he said, to encourage open and honest dialogue without getting into personalities.

Last fall Robert Hinson, a police officer and First Baptist member who also serves as a member of Brunson's security detail, opened a criminal investigation into the blog at the request of church leaders. He subpoenaed Google and Comcast to find out who owned the blog.

After closing the investigation, Hinson told the church that Rich was the author. The church then issued trespass warnings against the Riches. Not allowed on church premises, the couple sought out a new church.

Rich claims the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office investigation and subpoena issued by Assistant State's Attorney Steven Siegel violated his right to free speech, which includes the right to speak anonymously.

He also alleges that the investigation violated the First Amendment clauses that prohibit the establishment of religion and guarantee free exercise of religious beliefs.

The lawsuit alleges the criminal investigation was "fabricated to create the illusion of legitimacy" but really was "a mere pretext for the discovery and disclosure" of Rich's identity to the church.

By investigating the blog, the lawsuit says, Hinson, "acting under color of state law, spent taxpayer money and government time prosecuting an errand of the church and in so doing acted as an extension and enforcer for a particular religious entity."

The lawsuit claims the actions were "deliberate and malicious" and served "no governmental interest." It seeks damages in excess of $15,000.

All I can say is ... good luck!

(via Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

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How prejudice and irrational hatred can ruin lives

Here's a disgusting example of just how far ignorance and hatred can lead to serious problems for anyone, particularly the victims of such prejudice.

SAN DIEGO -- Spencer Trussle likes to play and ride his bike.

"I'm 4 years old," he said, "and I have a sister named Olivia, and I ride my bike all day long."

He lives in a piece of suburbia that seems picturesque: the Venzano development in San Marcos. His parents, Gary and Marla Trussle, moved the family here five months ago.

"I thought it would be good for the children," Marla Trussle explained.

But instead of being welcomed, the Trussle family has been under attack, they said, by neighbors. The accusations against them have been wild, including that 4-year-old Spencer "might come out with a firearm at anytime."

"I thought they had lost their minds," said Marla Trussle.

They are neighbors Sarah Fisher, Danielle Harway and Kelly Plaster. All three filed court papers asking that Spencer, his sister Olivia, and mom and dad be restricted to their own home and driveway.

"There was nothing I had done, my husband had done, my daughter had done, or I had done that warranted that response," said Trussle.

In court papers, Sarah Fisher wrote that, "Gary Trussle is a very violent, unstable and unpredictable man." Daniele Harway said, "He looked to be on drugs." And Kelly Plaster added, "I'm concerned that Gary or his son will gain access to Gary's firearms."

Gary Trussle responded, "There was no merit in any of their allegations."

He said the trouble can be linked to a diagnosis of autism when their son was 18 months old.

Yes, that's right. All this bullshit ... because the 4-year-old kid, who's never shown a hint of violence or hostility towards anyone, is autistic.

And that's not nearly all of it.

One day, some kid was picking on little Spencer, so of course father Gary went and confronted the little bully's father like any good father would. What did this earn him?

Sarah Fisher reported the Trussles to Child Protective Services. She called Gary Trussle's employer, Continental Airlines, where he's a captain. She also made a call to 911, claiming he couldn't control his young children.

So, for trying to reason with the father of a bully (nonviolently, as the article denotes), this unbelievably vile, sanctimonious bitch brought down endless troubles upon them all via Child Protective Services, and even tried to meddle in his career as an airplane captain, one of the highest-ranking civilian jobs there is. Even reported him to the police.

I dunno about you, but this bitch is just begging for a good slapping.

At least, thank God, this is one story that doesn't end in a completely enraging and horrible outcome:

But the San Diego sheriff's deputy who responded declined to write a report. CPS dropped the case as unsubstantiated, and Continental Airlines stood by their longtime employee.

"I'm offended that someone would try to involve my employment, my profession in this matter," Gary said.

He has one firearm that's locked up. It was issued to him by the Department of Homeland Security for his job. He's a former lieutenant colonel in the Marines, who served his country for 25 years.

And one last bit of heartwarming justice:

:The neighbors' accusations and court filings could have ruined the Trussles, but a San Diego Superior Court Judge tossed them all out. In addition, the neighbors have been ordered to reimburse the Trussle's legal fees, which top $12,000.

That doesn't seem like enough to me – this is one case I would've pressed quite hard for punitive damages fees – but I suppose an extra twelve thousand bucks is gonna be good ointment for the wounds they've suffered at the hands of these raving mad lunatics and utter assholes.

This story reminds me of that movie, Lakeview Terrace, which worked quite well at illustrating just how large a hell a poisonous neighbor can transform your lives into. Yes, the parallels are slim between this story and that movie (which was about a racist Black cop who targeted an interracial couple next door), but the connections are there. (Hopefully it won't end like the film did, with one or more fatalities out of the whole ordeal. Bloodshed is always unnecessary in stories like these.) It's highly possible that while the next-door assholes have been royally ass-fucked for a while, that they won't shut up and stop their vitriolic campaign against the poor Trussles and their innocent 4-year-old boy. More likely than not, the Trussles will eventually be forced to move, which I personally would take as a crippling defeat in any neighborhood conflict.

For Christ's fucking sake, the kid's FOUR! What the hell kind of deranged fuckhead thinks a four-year-old is just gonna grab a gun and go on a shooting spree!?

Perhaps, however, there is one other subtle culprit behind this disturbing story. Although those neighbors were certainly as abject as they come, there's a much deeper social problem running through our society these days, by which I mean the public, media's portrayal of Autism and autistics. You never hear of the moderates on TV or in the media: whenever you see or hear about an autistic, nine times out of ten it's gonna be a severely-affected victim of the developmental dysfunction, someone who's so consumed by the illness that they're what some harsh, not to say asshole-ian, people refer to as "mad children". They drool, can't speak, scream all the time, throw things around and flail uncontrollably, etc. In no way do I agree with that term or portrayal of feral children running around like literal little monsters, but that's how society tends to illustrate Autism and its victims.

Really, this is not a defense of those horrible neighbors ... Perhaps more of an explanation for it. Their behavior towards this poor kid and his family is still 100% inexcusable of course.

(via Respectful Insolence)

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Now China prosecutes Tibetan lamas as criminals

You'll remember the violent riots last year in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, which arose, as usual, to try and make the people's voices heard against China's rule over Tibet. Now, a respected Tibetan lama is accused of illegal possession of weapons and is on trail. Three others have already been sentenced to long prison terms by the Chinese government.

The lama, Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, the first senior Buddhist monk to face a serious charge linked to last year’s demonstrations, is accused of illegally possessing weapons, his lawyer said. The monk, 52, led a convent in Ganzi, a predominantly Tibetan area of Sichuan Province. The lawyer said Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche had been forced to confess after four days of police interrogation and threats that his wife and son would be detained if he did not comply. Prosecutors say a pistol and more than 100 bullets and cartridges were found under a bed in Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche’s living room during a police raid. The monk has denied the allegation, saying he was framed.

I dunno about you, but judging by China's fucked-up account of humane rights violations and civil rights repressions and its horribly overzealous law enforcement policies and tactics, and the Tibetan monks' tendencies to avoid pain and suffering and conflict – I think I'll side with poor Mr. Rinpoche on this one. Somehow, the idea that the Chinese would have framed him just to try and quell the uprising and defame the Tibetan monks ... doesn't seem all that alien to me.

Actually, I'll be damned if those conniving little rats didn't plant false charges just like that.

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Pastor Brunson likes his money – and doesn't like being asked about it

It's always amused me how the clergy, supposedly bound to poverty by their vows, usually find themselves richer than most company CEOs through their churches and congregations. People truly are people, even those spreading the Werd of Gawd, it seems. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why people become members of the clergy to begin with – it's relatively easy in today's modern world, you get to spout of whatever nonsense you want and still there'll be some idiots out there gobbling it all up, you're exempted from taxes and political shit (well, sometimes) – and to top it off, you get massive wads of cash in your holy pockets.

For example, take Mac Brunson, the pastor of a megachurch, an organization that's been growing faster than a weed (and is twice as poisonous to its surroundings) sucking up lots of money as it continues to spread its reach and influence. He has a salary of $300,000, much of which he spends on luxury offices for himself and his secretary while his congregations get next-to-diddly squat. The following is the account of one of his flock, a concerned person who put up a blog, FBC Jax Watchdog, to illustrate the greed and corruption going on here:

I saw possible abuses at our church shortly after our new pastor arrived, regarding acceptance of a $307,000 land gift just three weeks after he arrived - even though his own Pastor's Guidebook cautions pastors against accepting large gifts! I watched as we spent $100,000 to renovate 3600+ square feet of our newly constructed children's building to provide the pastor and his wife and secretary luxury office suites. I saw the preacher vacate the pulpit unannounced, I heard him say he took several Sunday nights off because he had to finish a book manuscript. I saw us spending money on the A-Group, a church marketing consultant and promotions firms. The head of this firm, Maurilio Amorim, came to be involved in personnel decisions at FBC Jax the first year of Mac's tenure, at a church and city that he knew nothing about. I saw us develop promotions plans to "raise revenue" at our pastors conference through charging for advertising and selling "promotions packages".

That Brunson bastard gets three hundred grand a year. I'd be lucky to have a salary at a fifth of that at the height of whatever career I'll eventually have. And I'll actually be doing some good, instead of spreading lies, deceit and ignorant stupidity through the masses. Figures.

Well, turns out Pastor Mac Brunson didn't like this anonymous blogger's snooping around in his gilded affairs. He soon hired a private investigator – a full-blown private eye – to dig around and try to locate the identity of this blogger. Soon, said private investigator sent a subpoena to Google themselves, who quickly bent over and revealed the blogger's personal identity, full name, all that.

Rich also wants to know why Hinson revealed his name to the church despite finding no wrongdoing. Hinson obtained a subpoena from the State Attorney’s Office requiring Google Inc. to reveal the author of the blog.

Rich’s unmasking led to an eventual trespass warning banning the longtime member and his wife from First Baptist, despite the fact that Brunson and a top church administrator conceded the blog never threatened violence.

Rich said he mailed a complaint against Hinson to the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. It had not been received as of Wednesday afternoon.

The intelligence detective opened the criminal investigation Sept. 29 into the identity and “possible criminal overtones” of the blog, fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com.

Keep in mind, of course, that he hadn't done anything wrong at all. Certainly nothing illegal: no defamation, no injurious accusations that could lead to trouble, no threats, no nothing. He just questioned the overlarge cash flow that Pastor Brunson shouldn't even have had in the first place, being sworn to poverty. For that, he legally lost his right to anonymity and was thrust into the spotlight.

Needless to say, he's now been banned form the megachurch (wait, that's a bad thing?) and Brunson is free to be as disgustingly hypocritical and rich as he wants to be, raking in more and more dollars as he spouts off more and more stupid folderol. An innocent blogger was forced into the open just because he annoyed a greedy bastard by calling him out on being a greedy bastard. Where's the justice here?

This is a prime example of what would happen in a theocracy, of course. Any dissidents would be quickly crushed and silenced, and likely, disposed of.

(Wait ... Am I talking about the Middle-East here ...?)

(via Pharyngula)

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