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DUBLIN — A fiercely debated, nine-year investigation into Ireland's Roman Catholic-run institutions says priests and nuns terrorized thousands of boys and girls in workhouse-style schools for decades — and government inspectors failed to stop the chronic beatings, rapes and humiliation. High Court Justice Sean Ryan on Wednesday unveiled the 2,600-page final report of Ireland's Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse, which is based on testimony from thousands of former students and officials from more than 250 church-run institutions.

A Bakersfield father is accused of biting out one of the eyes of his small child and similarly mutilating the other eye, leaving the child blind. After attacking the child, 34-year-old Angel Vidal Mendoza Sr. quickly left his apartment in a wheelchair, entered a backyard of a nearby vacant home and attacked his own legs with an ax, severely injuring himself, Bakersfield police reported. The child, 4-year-old Angelo Mendoza Jr., later told police, "My daddy ate my eyes." Doctors at Mercy Hospital said it is unknown whether the child will regain vision in his right eye. Child Protective Services cannot...

A counter-terrorism expert researching extremism at U.S. mosques claims authorities in Nashville, Tenn., ignored his report of child abuse by teachers at a local mosque due to fear of retribution from Muslim organizations such at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Dave Gaubatz, a former Air Force special agent, told WND he informed the local prosecutor, the FBI and Sgt. Brooks Harris of the Metropolitan Police Department in Nashville of a 7-year-old girl who says teachers at the Al-Farooq mosque "hit the children" during Shariah, or Islamic law, lessons. Harris insists he was not initially given enough information to pursue the...

Fox News is reporting that Obama now wants to block the release of detainee abuse photographs taken in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ACLU filed suit to have the photographs released and the Pentagon was about to comply with court orders. Obama met with his legal team to tell them that he does not feel comfortable with the release of those photographs because he believes it could endanger our troops and that the national security implications of releasing the photographs have not been fully presented to the court. At the end of the meeting, Obama directed his legal counsel to object...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says the detainee abuse photos he wants to block from release are "not particularly sensational" and would do no good if published. He said he will not tolerate abuse of prisoners. But he also said Wednesday he had directed his legal team to fight the court-ordered release of the photos because he was concerned about how they might affect the safety of U.S. troops. Obama spoke on the South Lawn of the White House, not long after his decision to fight in court to block the photos' release was made public by aides.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will try to block the court-ordered release of hundreds of photos showing U.S. troops allegedly abusing prisoners, reversing his position after military commanders warned the graphic images could stoke anti-American sentiment and endanger soldiers. ... The White House announced Obama's decision Wednesday, after top military commanders in the two wars expressed fears that showing the pictures could put their troops at higher risk. ...

US President Barack Obama has changed his mind and will now attempt to block the publication of photographs showing the abuse of prisoners by US soldiers. The US government had previously said it would not fight a court ruling ordering the release of the pictures. Mr Obama now believes the release of the photos would make the job of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan more difficult, White House officials said. The pictures were due to be released by 28 May, according to the court ruling.

An Iraqi girl watches a U.S. soldier on a patrol in Baghdad's Sadr City. U.S. troops have been patrolling the Shiite stronghold since March 4, 2007 under a deal that allows them to enter the area without resistance. Adil al-Khazali, AP First, the CIA....now our military targeted in Administration and ACLU cross-hairs... Hat tip, Brutally Honest, from ABC News Political Punch: In a letter from the Justice Department to a federal judge yesterday, the Obama administration announced that the Pentagon would turn over to the American Civil Liberties Union 44 photographs showing detainee abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq...

In a letter from the Justice Department to a federal judge yesterday, the Obama administration announced that the Pentagon would turn over to the American Civil Liberties Union 44 photographs showing detainee abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Bush administration.

The Department of Defense announced late Thursday that a 'substantial number of photos' depicting abuse of prisoners at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan will be released. The Department of Defense announced late Thursday that a "substantial number of photos" depicting abuse of prisoners at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan will be released. The photos are being released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2004.

<p>Fraud: The government's $750 billion bank bailout was passed six months ago amid great hype. So far, a new government report claims, the program is rife with inefficiency and fraud. Surprised? You shouldn't be.</p> <p>In what Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky calls only a "first wave" of investigations, some 20 criminal probes have been opened for possible securities fraud, tax-law violations and insider trading, among other serious financial crimes.</p>

The group of anxious parents crowded around District Attorney George Skumanick Jr. as he sat behind a table in a courtroom here and presented them with an ultimatum. Photos of their semi-nude or scantily clad teenage daughters were stacked before him. Mr. Skumanick said the images had been discovered on cellphones confiscated at the local high school. They could either enlist their kids in an education program or have the teens face felony charges of child pornography. "We could have just arrested them but we didn't," said Mr. Skumanick in an interview.... But some legal experts say that here in...

SANDPOINT — A Priest River man has been convicted of neglecting a pit bull terrier that was found earlier this year on a sidewalk, emaciated and unable to stand. Jesse Lee Voight was convicted of animal cruelty following a magistrate court trial on April 8. Voight’s roommate and the dog’s original owner, Jessie Bradley Gene Gray, was acquitted of the same charge that day. Gray testified he gave the dog to Voight after he adopted it. Judge Debra Heise ordered Voight to pay $300 restitution to the Priest River Animal Rescue and placed him on probation for two years, court...

FAIRBANKS -- The Fairbanks Catholic Diocese has filed a reorganization plan with the U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court. The filing Tuesday comes 13 months after the diocese declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The plan calls for the diocese to mortgage or sell church properties and commit to fundraising and donor appeals to establish a fund to be used primarily for paying the claims of victims of sexual abuse. "This is just the first step that we feel we can come up with," said Robert Hannon, diocesan chancellor. "We project we can offer claimants more than $8.6 million." Hannon said the projected insurance...

WASHINGTON – The federal government and the Federal Reserve have committed $12.8 trillion in spending so far to bailouts and "stimulus" packages – an amount nearly equal to the value of everything produced in the U.S. in 2008. That's the report from Bloomberg News about efforts to reduce the economic drag of a debt-based recession – the worst financial crisis to hit the U.S. since the Great Depression. The numbers are growing so fast, it's tough for most Americans to grasp. (Story continues below) Dana Johnson, chief economist for Comerica Bank in Dallas, says: "The comparison to GDP serves the...

Amongst the rubble of the Zeitoun area of northern Gaza, a group of women have gathered. They are sitting in the dust where one of their houses once stood, headscarves on the heads, their barefoot children clambering all over them. This is no ordinary mothers' meeting. It has been organised by the Gaza Mental Health programme, which aims to help women here following Israel's military assault, as they try to bring up their families under Israel's continuing blockade. The women talk openly about the misery they face - homelessness, the death of loved ones, whose photos they love to hand...

A Fort Worth father ended up in hot water after handing out an unusual punishment for his sons' failing grades. Nick Patel spent 17 hours in jail over the weekend after tying up his 8-year-old son and his 10-year-old son with jump rope. The 42-year-old father said he wasn't trying to hurt the boys. He said he was just trying to punish them for continuing to fail their tests, even after he enrolled them in an $8,000 a year private school this semester. Patel said he got more bad news from his kids' teachers last Friday, so when they got...

ALBANY, N.Y. Auditors say the state Medicaid program may have overpaid $2.9 million for services like teeth cleaning for toothless patients. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says auditors found the state health department's Medicaid claims processing system lacks necessary controls.

Franklin County deputies accused of tampering with inmate's food Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:40 AM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Two deputies assigned to the Downtown Franklin County jail are being investigated after being accused of tampering with an inmate's food. According to sources at the jail, the deputies fed a sandwich to an inmate after having another inmate touch the sandwich with his penis. Sources also said that the deputies used a cell phone to take pictures of the incident. The Franklin County sheriff's office confirmed that the deputies are being investigated and have been reassigned to the control center, where...

Rated F for Failure By JEROME S. FONS and FRANK PARTNOY WHEN Standard & Poor’s, the bond-rating agency, lowered General Electric’s rating to AA+, from AAA, last week, many were shocked at the tarnishing of one of America’s most revered corporations. But the real scandal is how long it took S.&P. to make that minor change — and that the other major ratings firm, Moody’s, still hasn’t — even though G.E.’s dividend has been slashed by two-thirds and its stock price had fallen below $7, from nearly $40 a year ago. Why, more than a year into the crisis, do...

For months, perhaps longer, the Montague County Jail was "Animal House" meets Mayberry. Inside the small brick building across from the courthouse, inmates had the run of the place, having sex with their jailer girlfriends, bringing in recliners, taking drugs and chatting on cell phones supplied by friends or guards, according to authorities. They also disabled some of the surveillance cameras and made weapons out of nails.

Here's a conversation starter: Nearly half of the 200 Boston teenagers interviewed for an informal poll said pop star Rihanna was responsible for the beating she allegedly took at the hands of her boyfriend, fellow music star Chris Brown, in February. Of those questioned, ages 12 to 19, 71 percent said that arguing was a normal part of a relationship; 44 percent said fighting was a routine occurrence. The results of the survey, conducted by the Boston Public Health Commission across the city and equally among boys and girls, are startling for local health workers who see a generation of...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group. Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her "personal airline."

Well folks Britney Spears, the queen of comebacks has done it again. After the previous years' meltdown which lead to her being hospitalized twice at UCLA as well as her being placed under emergency guardianship, Britney Spears is back again like a boomerang. Already there is talks of a movie deal and perhaps another sleazy album. But the road back up has been long and hard and although she is now seeking treatment for "Bipolar" disorder, psychiatrists in charge of her care may be doing more to undermine her mental health than promote it. Britney Spears was incarcerated in UCLA's...

A federal appeals court says the Vatican can be sued for abuse committed by its priests. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests can sue the Vatican even though it is considered a sovereign nation. The appeals court said there are exceptions to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, and abuse can be one of them. The Oregon case has been working its way through the federal appeals court since a judge in Portland ruled in 2006 that the Holy See can be held responsible for the actions of individual...

A video showing a King County Sheriff's deputy pummeling a 15-year-old girl in a holding cell was released Friday over the strenuous objections of the officer's attorney. The case goes beyond police misconduct, County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a prepared statement. "It's about criminal misconduct. And that's why he needs to be prosecuted," he said. The video of the Nov. 29 incident was disclosed Friday, one day after Deputy Paul Schene, 31, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault in King County District Court. Schene, an eight-year veteran, works out of Precinct 4, which covers SeaTac, Burien and high crime...

There's an oft-quoted joke from Chris Rock's infamous 1996 comedy show 'Bring the Pain,' in which Rock, after listing a variety of alleged infractions the murdered Nicole Brown Simpson had committed against O.J. Simpson, says "I'm not saying he should have killed her, but I understand." Hilarious, right? I probably laughed at that once. But it's not funny at all. Lately, I've seen this quote invoked in comment sections across the blogosphere in reference to the Chris Brown and Rihanna saga. Apparently, it's not so much a "joke" as it is a popular and accepted attitude toward violence against women...

My son Anthony attends Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Normally, he avoids the on-campus Neumann Center Mass and goes to St Stanislaus' down town for the Latin Mass. Well the weather was bad, and so he and his fiancee went to the Newman Center mass. Well, it was an "interesting" mass. Not in good way either. He sent me pictures. Apparently the priest decided to "sprinkle" water on the congregation at the begining of Mass. Well the ritual deviated from the usual sprinkling rite. First there was the ritual blessing of the super-soaker (!) Then we had the filling of...

Concerned that the Legion of Christ stifles the free will of its members and lacks transparency, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien told the religious order’s director general that he cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone join the Legion or Regnum Christi, its affiliated lay movement. In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Legion of Christ is affiliated with Woodmont Academy in Cooksville. Regnum Christi is also active in several parishes. The archbishop’s action came in the wake of revelations that Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, fathered a daughter while serving as leader of the international religious...

"That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists because living our values doesn't make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture." --President Obama 2/24/2009 How can this be? I thought the conditions at Gitmo were okay!

Abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has worsened sharply since President Barack Obama took office as prison guards "get their kicks in" before the camp is closed, according to a lawyer who represents detainees. Abuses began to pick up in December after Obama was elected, human rights lawyer Ahmed Ghappour told Reuters. He cited beatings, the dislocation of limbs, spraying of pepper spray into closed cells, applying pepper spray to toilet paper and over-forcefeeding detainees who are on hunger strike. The Pentagon said on Monday that it had received renewed reports of prisoner abuse during a recent review of conditions...

TMZ has obtained a photo of Rihanna taken after Chris Brown allegedly beat her.

A 60-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl said to be his daughter were discovered early Tuesday living inside a van that contained rotten food, soiled underwear, a book of pornography, two small dogs, bugs and a potty-training toilet with urine in the bowl. A deputy on routine patrol at the St. Augustine Wal-Mart came upon the van about 12:30 a.m. A search revealed its owner, John M. Sesnick, was wanted on federal fraud charges. The officer woke the man in the driver's seat and asked his name. "John Sesnick," he replied, and the deputy, Samantha English, handcuffed him. Because of...

It all began with what must have seemed like a good idea: creating a television network to counter the negative stereotypes many Americans hold against Muslims in the post-9/11 world. Muzzammil Hassan, who founded Bridges TV in November 2004 to counter anti-Islam stereotypes, surrendered to police Thursday. Hassan touted the network as the "first-ever full-time home for American Muslims," according to a press release. "Every day on television we are barraged by stories of a 'Muslim extremist, militant, terrorist, or insurgent,'" Hassan said in the 2004 release. "But the stories that are missing are the countless stories of Muslim tolerance,...

MURRIETA, Calif. – A self-proclaimed polygamist was sentenced Friday to seven consecutive life prison terms for torturing seven of his 19 children, abusing four others and imprisoning two of his three wives. Mansa Musa Muhummed, 55, also was sentenced to additional terms totaling 16 years and eight months by Riverside County Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson III, who said Muhummed's treatment of his family amounted to "a reign of terror over defenseless children." "If his appeals are exhausted and he does not prevail, he will die in prison," said Peter Morreale, Muhummed's attorney. Muhummed was convicted in June of...

The only thing more painful than having eight babies cut out of you: Carrying them in your ridiculously distended belly. Ouch! This picture of a ready to explode Nadya Suleman was taken eight days before giving birth to the last eight of her fourteen kids. Pass the Jessica Simpson mom jeans.

I have been informed by a reliable source that access to Priestly Pugilist has been specifically blocked on the computers of a facility of a major Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Latin Church. I couldn't be more proud! The fact that the Archbishop of this particular place has been a favorite PP target by worrying more about his "rep" in the editorial pages of liberal newspapers than about whether the souls entrusted to his care know and live the Catholic Faith may have something to do with it. In all fairness, though, we have to recognize that, to bishops of this...

CALLING all SC Freepers: Please help pass this bill.Senate Bill 348- Kendra's Act will punish child care providers who severly harm children. Kendra is the daughter of a friend of mine. Her child care provider admitted to hitting and shaking her. The toddler then suffered 8 hours of cerebral hemoraging while this witch did not summon help. Kendra now has permanent damage. The women pled guilty and only got PROBATION!!! She was two pounds of pressure away from killing this little girl, and she walked out of court past parents who now have a permanently disabled child. PLEASE!!!! Call your...

This is without question the hardest assignment I’ve ever had to write. But Sherrill has a story to tell, and I must be that instrument. My firstborn, my only daughter, Sherrill Lynn Ashley, died in a garage fire early in the morning on January 12. Details about our tragedy were reported that night on Channel 8 Fox News, and the following morning in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and in The Lake-Geauga News-Herald. The stories might still be accessible online in the news media archives. Sherrill has left behind her husband Bob, four children, and four younger brothers. Her stepfather Joe,...

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced to the House of Representatives a new bill, H.R. 645, calling for the secretary of homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations. The proposed bill, which has received little mainstream media attention, appears designed to create the type of detention center that those concerned about use of the military in domestic affairs fear could be used as concentration camps for political dissidents, such as occurred in Nazi Germany. Heed the warning of a former Hitler Youth who sees America on the same path...

ISRAELI soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip offensive this month were ordered to kill themselves rather than be captured, and if necessary to kill any Israeli soldier they saw being taken into captivity, the Yediot Achronot newspaper has reported. "No matter what happens, no one will be kidnapped," the paper quotes one company commander telling his troops before the fighting began. "We will not have a Gilad Shalit 2." ...Differing views about the stricter Hannibal mode were voiced yesterday by two fathers of soldiers who were taken captive by Hezbollah in Lebanon after being mortally wounded. It was an absolutely...

Thanks to many FReepers who have sent us this information. Apparently, this is floating around the Internet now. It is a guide to trolling. While it may or may not be fake in its origins, we do see these techniques all the time and felt it would be good to share with everyone. ______________________________________________________ COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum.. There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of...

* Girl abused for years * Kills stepfather after forced into oral sex * May not have acted in self-defence, court told A VICTORIAN teenager has been ordered to stand trial for the murder of her stepfather who allegedly took nearly 10,000 pornographic pictures of her in four years. The Shepparton Magistrates' Court was told that on March 13 last year, the stepdaughter shot the 34-year-old in the back of the head to put an end to daily sexual abuse that began when she was 14. The man's dismembered torso was unearthed in a shallow grave in the backyard of...

BROCKTON -- Police described an Abington elementary school teacher today as an obsessive predator who allegedly seduced a 13-year-old boy and carried on a sexual relationship that lasted for 18 months. Christine A. McCallum, 29, had become like a surrogate mother to the teen, who was being raised by a single father, prosecutors said today. That relationship allegedly progressed to snuggling and kissing after McCallum plied the boy with alcohol. Then on Feb. 7, 2006, she allegedly had sex with the teen for the first time, said Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Michael Scott. The boy, who is now 16, told...

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) -- Detectives with the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office have arrested and charged a 17-year-old girl in connection with a series of sexual assaults at a home daycare in Portsmouth, Ohio. Sheriff Marty Donini says detectives received a complaint from the mother of one of the victims. Donini says their investigation found that the victims, ranging in age from one to five years old, had been sexually assaulted multiple times while at the Toddlers Haven Daycare. The sheriff says the series of assaults happened over the past six months. Donini says the suspect is related to owner of...

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — The Irish government has ordered a new investigation into how a Roman Catholic bishop mishandled complaints against sexually abusive priests in his diocese. The decision by Children's Minister Barry Andrews is raising pressure on Bishop John Magee to resign. Magee has already apologized after a church-appointed investigator found that he failed to tell police promptly or fully about allegations against two priests since 1995. Andrews says the bishop has offered misleading accounts to investigators. He says a government commission currently probing the Catholic Church's handling of abuse cases in Dublin will extend its work to Magee's...

Motorists' habits spur call for tax increases By JOAN LOWY Associated Press Writer http://financecommission.dot.gov/index.htm WASHINGTON - Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs. A federal commission created by Congress to find a way to make up the growing revenue shortfall in the program that funds highway repairs and construction is talking about increasing federal gas and diesel taxes... ... The 15-member National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is the second group in a year to call for increasing...

Carey Roberts Drum Roll! The Winner of the 2008 Award for Political Incorrectness is… 2008-12-30 It’s that time of the year — Christmas carols, shiny-wrapped presents, surprise visits by long-lost in-laws. And of course, our announcement of the annual Award for Political Incorrectness. Previous winners of this highly-sought after prize include California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who took up the dicey issue of paternity fraud; columnist Phyllis Schlafly (“Shame on members of Congress who lack the courage to stand up to feminist outrages.”); and Mark Inglis, the double-amputee who conquered Mt. Everest.

3-year-old girl found walking on Route 34 partially clothed. Hurricane -- In Putnam County, a disturbing case of apparent child neglect has police looking for answers tonight. According to a police report, a 3-year-old girl was found just before 6:00 p.m. last Friday walking on State Route 34 in Hurricane, and investigators say it's not the first time the toddler has been found walking on the busy roadway. The report states the little girl was wearing only a pair of panties. She was very dirty and shivering. Police Chief Mike Mullins says no arrests have been made at this point,...

A 27-year-old Deltona woman told authorities she bit her husband's schvanschtooker because she didn't want to have sex with him. Charris Bowers was arrested Saturday by a Volusia County sheriff's deputy, accused of misdemeanor battery. A judge set her free Sunday without requiring her to post bail. Her husband, Delou Bowers, today would not comment. According to a sheriff's office report, the Bowerses had been to a bar Friday night. Delou Bowers told authorities that when they got home, his wife began to perform oral sex on him but then began to bite his schvanschtooker.