by TChris

Boot camps for unruly juveniles have been popular with the "harsh treatment builds character" crowd, but the story of Anthony Haynes reveals the potential for abuse that inheres in the "tough love" philosophy.

Anthony Haynes was a troubled overweight youth, and his mother sought out Long's program because she said she was desperate to find ways to cope with the child. While sitting in a disciplinary line in the July heat, Haynes began acting erratically, eating dirt and possibly hallucinating.

A counselor and several youths took him to a hotel and placed him, unconscious, in a shower bath, where he inhaled water. Then, rather than call for medical help, they took him back to the camp, where he died despite attempts to resuscitate him.

Charles Long, who operated the Arizona camp, was convicted Monday of reckless manslaughter in the 14-year-old boy's death. He had been charged with the more serious offense of second degree murder.

by TChris

Last June, TalkLeft asked why the Department of Homeland Security is resisting the asylum application of mentally challenged teenager Malik Jarno. Jarno's father was arrested and tortured before he was killed in 1998. Jarno fears that he will suffer the same fate if he's forced to return to Guinea. (More TalkLeft background here.)

Last week, Immigration Judge Joan Churchill — who "grants asylum applications at a significantly lower rate than other immigration judges" — rejected Jarno's asylum request. But the story might not end so unhappily.

U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York, has asked the federal government to allow Mr. Jarno to stay in America. So have about 70 other members of Congress.

Jarno is no threat to America. Encourage your elected officials in Washington to join the effort to save this young man from a cruel fate.

by TChris

Five members of the U.S. military were killed today in three separate attacks in Iraq. Additional bloodshed included the assassination of a political figure.

The Baghdad governor, Ali al-Haidari, was attacked and killed in a roadside ambush after he left his home, the Interior Ministry said. The Associated Press reported that six of the governor's bodyguards were also killed. He was the most senior official assassinated in the city since the head of the Governing Council was killed last May.

Iraq's interim president, Ghazi al-Yawar, questions whether elections should be held on January 30, given the lack of security. Iraq's defense minister, among others, has asked the same question. The White House denies that Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is considering postponement of the election, despite his decision to telephone President Bush to discuss "the many impediments still facing the country as it heads toward elections."

But some officials in Washington and in Iraq interpreted the telephone call as a sign that Dr. Allawi, who is clearly concerned his own party could be headed to defeat if the election is held on schedule, may be preparing the ground to make the case for delay to Mr. Bush.

Of course, if Iraq is truly sovereign, as President Bush claims, the decision to postpone the election does not require his approval.

Our elected officials in Congress get back to work today as the 109th Congress officially opens. On the agenda: More aid for Tsunami victims.

Drudge is reporting that Arab news is reporting that Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi has been arrested. There has been no official confirmation as of yet.

There are 71 juvenile offenders on death row in the U.S. - 71 persons who were under 18 at the time of their crimes. The Supreme Court is expected to issue an opinion on the validity of the death penalty for these youthful offenders shortly. It will be the first time since 1989 that the Court addresses the issue. The case is Rogers v. Simmons. You can read about Christopher Simmons here . The amicus briefs are here, and a resource page is available here.

The U.S. stands in impressive (not) company on the issue. Since 1990, the only other countries that have executed juvenile offenders are China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

The New York Times today outlines the issues and the case. South Carolina's The State has more. Yesterday, the Roanoke Times published this editorial calling upon Virginia to put an end to the execution of juvenile offenders.

In an open letter to Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales, 225 religous leaders from a variety of faiths have joined together to demand that Gonzales denounce all torture. The signers represent Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders from across the United States. Also represented are Latino religious leaders, some of whom are evangelical Christians, like Gonzales. The letter will be released at a press conference today. Here's some of the letter:

As a self-professed evangelical Christian, you surely know that all people are created in the image of God. You see it as a moral imperative to treat each human being with reverence and dignity. We invite you to affirm with us that we are all are made in the image of God – every human being. We invite you to acknowledge that no legal category created by mere mortals can revoke that status. You understand that torture – the deliberate effort to undermine human dignity – is a grave sin and affront to God. You would not deny that the systemic use of torture on prisoners at Abu Ghraib was fundamentally immoral, as is the deliberate rendering of any detainee to authorities likely to commit torture.

We urge you to declare that any attempt to undermine international standards on torture, renditions, or habeas corpus is not only wrong but sinful. We are concerned that as White House counsel you have shown a troubling disregard for international laws against torture, for the legal rights of suspected "enemy combatants," and for the adverse consequences your decisions have had at home and abroad.

Here's what they want Gonzales to renounce:

Welcome to the Twilight Zone, 2005 edition: Clark County (Nevada) Superintendent of Schools Carlos Garcia is living a nightmare. He has the same name as a person on the "watch list" and despite proving over and over when he flies that he is not that person, he remains on the list. What he's learned is there is no way to get off the list.

Garcia said he's worked the bureaucracy, written the letters and reported his problem with minimal results. All he's received so far is a TSA letter he's now supposed to carry with him when he travels by air. He's still barred from obtaining his boarding passes electronically, he can't use the ticket kiosks at the airport and he's stuck waiting in line at the ticket counter while agents flip through their computer screens to make sure he's not the watch list Garcia.

The delays have almost caused him to miss flights and it's doubled the time he's stuck in airports. Garcia said he can understand being pulled aside once or twice, but he's been singled out every time he flies Southwest Airlines, which is a carrier used often by the district for travel to and from Washoe County for state government business.

Garcia asks an obvious question:

Why can't they just look at my frequent flier number or view who's purchasing the ticket?" asked Garcia, who does the bulk of his traveling on district business. "My tickets are being purchased by the CCSD. To my knowledge, the CCSD (Clark County School District) isn't purchasing tickets for terrorists."

Garcia is now asking his Congressman, Minority Leader Harry Reid, to intervene.

If he can't help me, then I think we're living in scary times," Garcia said.

Scary, indeed. [hat tip reader David R.]

Say hello to DUIblog---"Bad DUI Laws, False Evidence and the New Prohibition...It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from its government."

The blog is written by DUI guru Lawrence Taylor, attorney, Fulbright professor and author of the authoritative textbooks on DUI laws.

Check out the entry "MADD, DUI and the New Prohibition."

...where are we headed with MADD in apparent control? A federal .05% DUI standard is on the horizon and, in fact, has already been adopted to some extent in a few states. "Zero tolerance" for adult drivers is clearly on MADD’s agenda. And then?

In 1999, MADD’s National Board of Directors unanimously voted to change the organization’s mission statement to include the prevention of underage drinking. Not underage drinking and driving -- just drinking. Let me say that again: MADD has now formally shifted its focus away from "drunk driving" and towards the broader "problem" of drinking. Can a new era of prohibition be far behind?

Other good entries: DUI Marijuana and DUI Entrapment.

The DUI police were out in force New Year's weekend. Even if you weren't one of the ones stopped and arrested, there's a lot of information on this site you should know about.

In a surprise move, Republican leaders met tonight and decided to abandon their attempt to revise the ethics rules. Also, Tom Delay moved to reinstate the rule that provides that an indicted member of Congress must step aside. He thought it was giving the Democrats too much ammunition:

Republicans gave no indication before the meeting that the indictment rule would be changed. Even more surprising was DeLay's decision to make the proposal himself.

Jonathan Grella, a DeLay spokesman, said DeLay still believed it was legitimate to allow a leader to retain his post while under indictment. But Grella said that by reinstating the rule that he step aside, DeLay was "denying the Democrats their lone issue. Anything that could undermine our agenda needs to be nipped in the bud."

House speaker Dennis Hastert made the motion to retain the current rules. He said while he believed the change was appropriate, it was becoming " a distraction."

Crooks and Liars has posted a video it just recieved of an incoming wave filmed by a family vactioning in Phucket. It says the impact is "startling."

Via How Appealing:

The Governor of South Dakota pledges his support for legislation that would ban abortion: The Associated Press reports here that "Gov. Mike Rounds said he would sign legislation making abortion illegal in South Dakota if the 2005 Legislature passes a bill that meets his inspection." The article goes on to explain that the Governor hopes to provide the U.S. Supreme Court with a vehicle for reexamining its holding in Roe v. Wade.