Honesty not encouraged among British jurors

A juror told a court his homophobic and racist views meant he could not give a defendant a fair trial.

In a letter written to the judge after he was selected from a shortlist to serve in a case, the man claimed his extreme views 'against homosexuals and black/foreign people' made it impossible for him to be impartial.

Last night an investigation was under way after the judge reluctantly agreed to dismiss him from the jury and referred the case to the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve.

The letter was made public after he was selected to serve on an assault and dangerous driving trial at Southampton Crown Court.   Presiding Judge Gary Burrell QC read his note out in open court.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has since been taken off the jury and threatened with prosecution for contempt of court.

This is because Judge Burrell said he could not be sure if he had written the letter just to get out of it.

The man, who was escorted from the court, was warned he now faced prosecution under the Contempt of Court act for failing to serve on a jury.

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British policewomen fired over private conversation

Two female police officers have been sacked after a colleague recorded them having a conversation in which one likened black people to gorillas and monkeys.

Special Constable Rosanna Garofalo and WPC Joanna Sugda were in the changing room at Islington Police Station in March when a colleague left an iPhone on record in her locker at work.

When the recording was played back, Garofalo was heard saying that black people 'all look the f*****g same. They all look like monkeys.'

A disciplinary hearing heard how the officer said she could never sleep with a black man and that her boyfriend wouldn't be interested in black women as they 'look like gorillas'.

Describing another officer, she added that she had 'a face like a gorilla', that she was 'f*****g ugly'.

Sugda, 32, is believed to be heard laughing in the background after exclaiming: 'you cant say that.'

The recording, which happened on March 9, was handed over to senior staff and both officers were sacked for gross misconduct at a disciplinary hearing on August 29. Garofalo has launched a claim for unfair dismissal.

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Britain:  'Racist' remark about red hair?

Red hair is found throughout Northern Europe so I wonder what "race" is involved?  As a result of past invasions by lively Northern Europeans, you can also find red hair among Italians.  I knew a red-haired Northern Italian once.

My father was a redhead (known as "Bluey") and my son has a red beard.  If anyone suggested that it was a burden to have a  "Bluebeard" as a son I would simply reply that it is in fact something I am most pleased about

But uptight England is a place where red hair tends to be looked down upon  -- probably because red hair is rather common among the Scots and the Irish,  whom the English have fought many wars with

A bank has been forced to apologise and pay compensation to a customer who was insulted by a member of staff - for being ginger.

Redhead Laura Payton, 32, was stunned when a worker at her local Halifax branch quipped: 'I bet your daughter is glad she isn't ginger like you.'

After leaving the bank, furious Laura called to make a complaint describing what had been said as 'completely unacceptable' and a 'form of racism.'

Since the incident on July 4, the angry mother-of-two says she has repeatedly called Halifax's complaints department to chase up the grievance.  She eventually received £150 and a letter of apology - after being offered just £25 by the branch manager.

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NV: Littering as free speech?

I see the dilemma.  It's the people who throw the handbills away that should be fined for littering but taking a handbill is just a form of politeness for many people

"Some tourists try to dissuade them by directing icy glares their way. ...

But some tourists accept the pamphlets and glossy cards that advertise all-but-nude exotic dancers. Then, more often than not, they toss the material in the trash. Or if a trash can isn't nearby, onto the sidewalk -- creating an endless X-rated litter problem that Las Vegas officials are now trying to clean up.

A new ordinance requires handbillers to pick up litter within a 25-foot radius on the sidewalk. But there's a hitch: The law might run afoul of the First Amendment."

Las Vegas tried directly to prohibit handbilling in 1997. The ACLU intervened in court and won. Subsequent court rulings have established that sidewalks along the Strip are public thoroughfares where the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, Lichtenstein said.

To Lichtenstein, how police will enforce a law that requires handbillers to clean up their area no less than every 15 minutes is an obvious problem.  "I'm not sure the police even understand what they're supposed to be enforcing," he said. "Depending on what happens, we may be back in court again."

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"Jew" is incorrect?

How about a bit of affirmative action?  Why not call it "Black Pond".  Or am I missing something?

A federal board has approved a New Hampshire town's request to change the name of a fishing spot that's been called Jew Pond since the 1920s.

The Telegraph of Nashua reports the U.S. Board of Geographic Names recently approved the decision by Mont Vernon residents to rename the pond Carleton Pond, after one of the town's founding families.

In supporting the change, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte had said "pejorative place names" reflecting religious "prejudice" aren't consistent with New Hampshire values of "community and mutual respect."

So the word "Jew" is "pejorative" etc.?  I wonder what Jews should call themselves?  Hebrews?

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Christian groups' fury at  T-shirt which mixes sex and the Bible

Hmmmm  ...  I would have thought it a positive thing to have the Bible message included.  In Britain today, they might not see it anywhere else

Fashion chain Next has been slammed by Christian groups over a graphic ‘Sinners’  T-shirt which depicts women as sex objects and uses Bible references.

A Twitter storm has erupted over the shirt with one blogger even claiming the shirt, image and message effectively condones rape.

The T-shirt carries the headline ‘Sinners – The Night Before’ above the seductive image of a woman in black underwear lying on a bed.  The image is surrounded by a series of slogans which read: ‘Live for the Day – Seize the Night and all it may hold’

Finally, there is a long smallprint passage which carries a number of definitions of sin including one from the Bible from epistle to the Romans, chapter seven.

Gareth Davies, of Christian Action Research and Education, contacted Next via its official Facebook page to complain about the T-shirt.  He asked: ‘Why are you marketing graphic T-Shirts with misogynistic poses of women in underwear and promoting such images using The Bible?’

Mr Davies said: ‘The image itself is very unhelpful. It gives a message about availability and vulnerability of women. They are then using the word sin and words from the Bible to suggest this is both naughty but nice.

‘The whole concept is wrong-headed and demeaning to women. Human dignity should be cherished and women should not be reduced to the level of an object.’

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More Leftist hate speech

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., just slandered Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Bill Magwood, an African-American, as “one of the most unethical, prevaricating, incompetent people I’ve dealt with.” Reid, furious with Magwood because of his support for the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository in Reid’s state, also called Magwood a “treacherous, miserable liar” and “a first-class rat,” among other names.

Reid has demonstrated that he is both vulgar and illiberal, but there are no calls for him to vacate his post. That exemption was not extended to an earlier counterpart, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. Lott, in similarly illiberal and crass fashion, said at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party in 2002 that America would have avoided “all these problems over all these years” if Thurmond had been elected president in 1948. Lott was pressured by both the Republican Party and the media to step down, and he did so in shame.

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Must not say that homosexuality is a health hazard

Even though it undoubtedly is.  Almost all cases of AIDS in Australia are among the cheerful fraternity

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard will boycott the annual conference of a major Christian group because of its "heartless" attitude towards homosexuals.

Ms Gillard was to have given the keynote address to the Australian Christian Lobby next month but today cancelled her appearance.

She accused ACL managing director Jim Wallace of offensive comments Wednesday when he compared gay marriage with the health risks of smoking. Mr Wallace repeated his comments in a statement today.

The Prime Minister has said she opposes gay marriage but today took the significant step of defending those who are agitating for law changes to allow it. In political terms the Prime Minister was ensuring she did not lose the influential gay vote in inner city areas.

"There is a range of deeply held views in the community on the issue of same-sex marriage but it is the responsibility of all parties in this debate to be respectful and responsible in any public comments they make," the Prime Minister said today in a statement.

"I believe yesterday's comments by Jim Wallace were offensive. To compare the health effects of smoking cigarettes with the many struggles gay and lesbian Australians endure in contemporary society is heartless and wrong.

Mr Wallace, who is also a former head of the SAS, made his comments during a debate on gay marriage with Greens Leader Christine Milne in Hobart yesterday.

"I think we're going to owe smokers a big apology when the homosexual community's own statistics for its health - which it presents when it wants more money for health - are that is has higher rates of drug-taking, of suicide, it has the life of a male reduced by up to 20 years," Mr Wallace said.  "The life of smokers is reduced by something like seven to 10 years and yet we tell all our kids at school they shouldn't smoke.

More HERE

Democrats boo "God" and "Jerusalem"

Both might now be in the platform for the sake of political expediency but it is clear what Democrats actually think of them

Embarrassed by Republicans, Democrats amended their convention platform Wednesday to add a mention of God and declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Many in the audience booed after the convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, ruled that the amendments had been approved despite the fact that a large group of delegates objected. He called for a vote three times before ruling.

The party reinstated language from the 2008 platform that said "we need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential."

The language on Jerusalem states "it is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths."

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Brussels, Belgium, wants everyone to be nice. And if not, it’s going to cost you

“Any form of insult is from now on [is] punishable, whether it be racist, homophobic or otherwise,” Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans’ spokesperson quoted him as saying, according to the Telegraph.

OK.  Let me try an insult:  Freddy Thielmans is a dick

Fines will range between 75 and 250 euros for using offensive language or sexually harassing someone in public, officials said.

Mayor Thielemans said the new fines encourage officers to take action over offensive public behavior that previously went ignored because it was never prosecuted. Thielemans said police officers “had little incentive to take any action over such incidents.”

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"God"  that  unmentionable word

How not to answer a question below

During Fox News’ special coverage of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, host Bret Baier confronted Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in Charlotte about the Democratic Party’s decision to remove all mentions of the word “God” from their official 2012 platform. Instead of providing a simple answer, Durbin instead unfairly accused Baier and Fox News of insinuating that all Democrats are “Godless” creatures.

“If the narrative that is being presented on your station and through your channel and your network, is that the Democrats are Godless people, they ought to know better. God is not a franchise of the Republican party,” Durbin said. “Those of us that believe in God and those of us who have dedicated our lives to helping others in the name of God don’t want to take a second seat to anyone who is suggesting that one word out of the platform means that the Democrats across America are Godless, come on Bret.”

“No, no, no,” Baier replied, “I don’t think that‘s what’s being said. We are reporting what’s in the platform.”

The host then tried to rephrase the question. Baier informed Durbin that in 2008, God was mentioned once. In 2004, God was mentioned seven times and four times in 2008. “The question is why take it out in this time?”

Again, Durbin went back to his initial conclusion. “If you trying to draw some kind of conclusion that the Democrats are Godless, present your evidence. Present your evidence.”

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The Condensed Liberal Handbook of Racial Code Words

by MICHELLE MALKIN

Thumper the Rabbit's parents always taught him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." If the left's self-appointed Omniscient Diviners of True Meaning have their way, conservatives in the public square won't be left with anything at all to say. Ever.

It's a treacherous business exercising your freedom of speech in the age of Obama. As a public service, I present to you: "The 2012 Condensed Liberal Handbook of Racial Code Words." Decoder rings, activate!

--Angry. On the campaign trail this summer, President Obama has become -- in the words of the mainstream Associated Press -- more "aggressive." But don't you dare call him "angry." According to MSNBC host Toure, that's racist!

"You notice he said 'anger' twice," Toure fumed in response to a speech last week by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "He's really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man."

Or maybe Romney is just accurately describing the singular temperament of the growling, finger-jabbing, failure-plagued demagogue-in-chief. It's about the past four years, not 400 years. Sheesh.

--Chicago. The Obamas and their core team of astroturfers, pay-for-play schemers and powerbrokers hail from the Windy City. This is a simple geographic fact. But in progressive of pallor Chris Matthews' world, it's an insidious dog whistle. The frothing cable TV host attacked Republicans this week who have the gall to remind voters of the ruthless Chicago way.

 "(T)hey keep saying Chicago, by the way. Have you noticed?" Matthews sputtered. "That sends that message: This guy's helping the poor people in the bad neighborhoods and screwing us in the 'burbs."

Actually, it's a pointed reminder that the radical redistribution politics of Chicago-on-the-Potomac have done little to alleviate the suffering of impoverished Americans in violence-plagued, job-hungry inner cities everywhere. Racist!

--Constitution. Fox News contributor Juan Williams, who proudly calls himself a "real reporter," has apparently added real telepathist to his curriculum vitae. Earlier this year, he read the minds of Republicans and conservatives whom he accuses of deep-seated bigotry when they show any public reverence for our founding principles, documents and leaders.

"The language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message," Williams wrote. "References to a lack of respect for the 'Founding Fathers' and the 'Constitution' also make certain ears perk up by demonizing anyone supposedly threatening core 'old-fashioned American values.'"

So, if you ever find yourself wanting to hum the "Schoolhouse Rock" version of the Preamble, heed these three words: Stop the hate!

--Experienced. A significant population of American voters believes that qualifications actually matter when running for the highest office in the land. Chilling, isn't it? They might as well sport KKK hoods. In the judgment of one Basil Smikle of The Century Foundation, "experienced" is a dreaded "racial code word."

Intoned Smikle: "Experienced? Does it really mean the time that he spent in the Senate, or does it mean, 'Well, does that guy have the same kind of experience in life that I have?' ... What does inexperience really mean?"

Maybe it just means what critics meant it to mean: "Does this guy have experience beyond the measly 304 days he served when the U.S. Senate was in session before he announced his first presidential bid?" I know: Racist!

Much more here

Saying the President  Likes Golf is now Racist

Via the Washington Free Beacon, here’s Lawrence O’Donnell and Martin Bashir talking about the GOP’s coded racism:

MARTIN BASHIR: We have seen an early draft of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s forthcoming oration. Can I quote something from you? “For four years, Barack Obama has been running from the nation’s problems, he hasn’t been working to earn re-election. He has been working to earn a spot on the PGA Tour.” How about that?

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Well, we know exactly what he’s trying to do there. He is trying to align to Tiger Woods and surely, the — lifestyle of Tiger Woods with Barack Obama. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. They find every way they possibly can to –

BASHIR: Lawrence — don’t you think — don’t you think that what he’s really trying to do is to suggest that the president is not paying attention to the central issues that come with the responsibility he has? Is he really – Mitch McConnell really making a connection with Tiger Woods who, of course, has become infamous for chasing various cocktail waitresses around Las Vegas and so on?

O’DONNELL: Martin, there are many, many, many rhetorical choices you can make at any point in any speech to make whatever point up want to make. If he wanted to make the point that you just suggested and I think he does want to make that point, they had a menu of a minimum of ten different kinds of images that they could have raised. And I promise you, the speech writers went through, rejecting three or four before they land order that one. That’s the one they want for a very deliberate reason. That — there’s – these people reach for every single possible racial double entendre they can find in every one of these speeches.

BASHIR: You really believe that about Mitch McConnell?

O’DONNELL: I know these people are insensitive. I know the speechwriters are insensitive. I know the way they work. They do not have the same sensitivity level that other speechwriters do. But when you get to the Tiger Woods reference, there were people in the speech writing room, I know this, without a shadow of a doubt, who said wait a minute, do we really want to go there? Do we really want to go to Tiger Woods and the vote in the room was yes, we do. Mitch McConnell agreed to do it.

BASHIR: Wow. Things are getting lower and lower by the day.

Source

Racist taunts a plant?

Even the Leftist writer below suspects as much.  There is of course a long history of fake hate crimes perpetrated by the Left

The day the GOP trotted out congressional candidate Mia Love, a gun-totin’, Mormon, African-American woman to show how cool they are with anyone, as long as they toe the line, a huge embarrassment occurred on the floor of the convention today.

Two convention-goers, apparently just as stupid as they are racist, reportedly threw peanuts at an African-American camerawoman.  The motivation was clear, as the cretins apparently told the CNN employee, “This is how we feed animals.”

If these two really are Republicans (I am almost suspicious that this was some sort of plant because of the sheer stupidity), it could not provide worse PR for a party that has a huge gap to make up among women voters...

Kudos to the Republicans for tossing out these knuckle-dragging troglodytes, though. Real tough call.  "Two attendees tonight exhibited deplorable behavior," the GOP said in a very brave statement. "Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

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Naughty Bill Clinton

No coast to coast media furore over this:

Bill Clinton, in an effort to secure an endorsement for Hillary from Ted Kennedy, said to Kennedy, “A few years ago, this guy would have been carrying our bags.” Clinton’s role in the campaign rattled Obama. He told ABC News in an interview that Clinton “has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling.”

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Aging feminist sow finds a new pretext to suppress criticism of Australia's Leftist Prime Minister



Just as all criticism of Obama is "racist", so all criticism of Australia's female Prime Minister is "sexist", apparently.

Leftists can't stand criticism.  They know how fragile are the foundations of their arguments.  Take away the anger and the hate and there is very little left

Politicans, including prime ministers, have always copped abuse.  But Dr Anne Summers  argues that the level of political persecution directed at Julia Gillard may breach federal laws designed to protect people’s rights at work.

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I suppose you expect a "Chief Diversity Officer" to be a pain in the behind

Some fairly dubious claims from the U.S. State Dept. below

Watch your mouth -- everyday phrases like "hold down the fort" and "rule of thumb" are potentially offensive bombshells.  At least according to the State Department.

Chief Diversity Officer John Robinson penned a column in the department's latest edition of "State Magazine" advising readers on some rather obscure Ps and Qs.

Robinson ticked off several common phrases and went on to explain why their roots are racially or culturally insensitive. The result was a list of no-nos that could easily result in some tongue-tied U.S. diplomats, particularly in an administration that swaps "war on terror" for "overseas contingency operation" and once shied away from using the word "terrorism."

For instance, Robinson warned, "hold down the fort" is a potentially insulting reference to American Indian stereotypes.  "How many times have you or a colleague asked if someone could 'hold down the fort?'" he wrote. "You were likely asking someone to watch the office while you go and do something else, but the phrase's historical connotation to some is negative and racially offensive."

He explained: "To 'hold down the fort' originally meant to watch and protect against the vicious Native American intruders. In the territories of the West, Army soldiers or settlers saw the 'fort' as their refuge from their perceived 'enemy,' the stereotypical 'savage' Native American tribes."  [I would have thought that forts were used rather a long time before the Indian wars]

He singled out another phrase, "Going Dutch," as a "negative stereotype portraying the Dutch as cheap."

And "rule of thumb," he wrote, can according to women's activists refer "to an antiquated law, whereby the width of a husband's thumb was the legal size of a switch or rod allowed to beat his wife."

Further, he explained, "If her bruises were not larger than the width of his thumb, the husband could not be brought to court to answer for his behavior because he had not violated the 'rule of thumb.'"

He went on to urge caution over the word "handicap," as some disability advocates "believe this term is rooted in a correlation between a disabled individual and a beggar, who had to beg with a cap in his or her hand because of the inability to maintain employment."

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Strict limits on political opinions in Britain

Man wrote carefully and  was not advocating violence but he was arrested  nonetheless

A British dad has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after praising mass murderer Anders Breivik on Facebook, it emerged today.  Philip Horn, 44, allegedly said on the social networking site that he 'takes his hat off' to the infamous gunman.

The Norwegian slaughtered 77 adults and teenagers when he bombed government buildings in Oslo and carried out a mass shooting on the island of Utoya in July last year.

Horn, a father-of-three, from Gillingham, was arrested by Kent Police on Thursday afternoon and is currently being held in custody.

Horn, who is reported to have links with the English Defence League, is also alleged to have publicly supported Breivik’s crusade to 'protect his country from Muslims'.

The unemployed builder from Gillingham, Kent, is said to have posted a message saying: 'Well done Anders Breivik. I take my hat off to you sir.  'You proved you were not insane and that you are just one of many like myself who wish their country to return to the way it was before it was invaded by the Muslim population. Respect to you.'

He was also filmed by a national newspaper saying: 'If someone came to my door in a uniform and said they were going to bang me up for six months then fine. I’m not going to retract any remarks I made.

'To a certain extent I do defend what he’s [Breivik] done. Go back 40-50 years ago to Norway, would you have seen people walking around in burkas and all that?  'I am a racist to a certain extent. Of course it’s wrong to kill children, but if he had to do it that way to get his point across, so be it.'

A Kent Police spokesman said: 'During the afternoon of Thursday, August 30 a 45-year-old man from Gillingham was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.  'He is currently in police custody.'

Source

He has since been released on bail.  Interesting to see if the cops pursue the matter. 

Realism about disability incorrect

Britain:

Former health minister Edwina Currie was forced to defend herself against accusations she patronised Italian Paralympians by describing them as "gorgeous even in wheelchairs".

Her comment, posted on Twitter, drew condemnation from other users of the website, but Currie insisted she was paying the entire Italian team a compliment.

In response to criticism of her post, she said: "Why shouldn't we pay people who look good the compliment of saying so? That's real equality, innit?"

One reply, from @mbisace. described the comment as "singularly the most offensive thing I have seen on Twitter".

Another, from @jfraseruk, who is disabled, said "even in wheelchairs? wow - talk about insensitive".

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An offensive Muppet?

The Swedish chef character in the Muppets speaks mock-Swedish, not real Swedish



Swedes living outside of Sweden don’t always take kindly to comments about the chef however, with some people not understanding that the character is just speaking untranslatable nonsense.

“When Swedes go abroad, they become zealous protectors of the Swedish brand,” Michael Moynihan, an American married to a Swede told Slate.

“Something as insignificant as the Swedish Chef is like a slap in the face.”

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The cookie monster is my favorite