London Car Bomb Threats Thwarted

One week before the 7/7 anniversary of the terrorist bombings of 2005.
One day before London's Gay Pride Parade, on that route...

International probe as London police avert car bomb carnage

LONDON - British police on Friday defused a car bomb which could have caused carnage in London’s entertainment district, sparking a manhunt and probe into possible international links.
Amid widespread disruption in the capital, new Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the alert was a fresh warning of the threat faced by London, which next week marks the second anniversary of suicide attacks which killed 52 people.
The head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism unit Peter Clarke would not speculate on who was behind the bomb -- comprising gas cylinders, petrol and nails -- found outside a nightclub near the Piccadilly Circus tourist trap and a host of bars, theatres and restaurants
But he said: ‘Even at this stage it is obvious that if this device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life.’
As the United States praised the British authorities for their swift action, Clarke said police had no warning of an attack and it was unclear if the nightclub was the target but there were similarities with previous plots.
Members of an Islamist-inspired gang were jailed for life earlier this year after plotting to attack a number of high-profile British targets, including London’s Ministry of Sound nightclub.
And a Muslim convert was put behind bars for 30 years here last November for plotting devastating attacks in London and New York, including a plan to detonate limousines packed with explosives at key landmarks.
A security source quoted by Britain’s Press Association news agency said it was ‘entirely possible’ the latest incident had overseas links as insurgents in Iraq had used similar methods, but they were keeping an open mind.
The alert triggered tightened security measures at the flagship Wimbledon tennis championships in south London and police cordoned off the main Park Lane thoroughfare after reports of a suspicious vehicle.
Scotland Yard said they were not making a link between it and the previous incident ‘at this stage’.
Later in the afternoon police were seen sealing a section of Fleet Street near London’s City financial district. A spokesman declined to comment immediately.
The events, which dominated British media Friday, was a baptism of fire not just for Brown, but for his Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who was less than 24 hours into the role.
She met Brown in Downing Street and said afterwards: ‘We are currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism.
‘This latest incident reinforces the need for the public to remain vigilant and alert to the threat that we face at all times.’
Smith earlier chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency contigencies committee ‘COBRA’ and reported to Brown’s senior ministers at an extended cabinet meeting.
Clarke said an ambulance crew treating a person at the vast ‘Tiger, Tiger’ nightclub on The Haymarket street called in police explosives experts after noticing a metallic green Mercedes car giving off smoke at about 1:00 am.
Inside they found ‘significant quantities’ of petrol and a ‘large number’ of nails, he added.
Police sources said there was as much as 60 litres of petrol on the back seat of the car and in the boot (trunk).
As the car was taken away for forensic examination, Brown -- who took over as prime minister from Tony Blair Wednesday -- said the incident was a reminder of the ‘serious and continuous’ security threat facing Britain.
A hunt was under way for the driver with detectives expected to scour footage from closed circuit television cameras in streets surrounding The Haymarket, which is busy well into the early hours of the morning.
Cameras used to recognise car number plates for London’s traffic congestion charge would also be able to trace the route of the vehicle into the capital.The alert came ahead of the second anniversary of the July 7, 2005 attacks in London that killed 56 people, including four Islamist suicide bombers.
Britain has been on the second highest level of security alert -- ‘severe’ -- since the British Islamist extremist bombers detonated homemade bombs on three Underground trains and a bus two years ago.
Two of the bombers justified the actions because of Britain’s involvement in Iraq, where three British soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack Thursday.
The domestic intelligence service MI5 said a ‘severe’ threat level means there is a ‘serious and sustained threat from international terrorism to the UK and UK interests overseas’, particularly from Al Qaeda.

Chris Benoit: Wrestler strangled wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son, hanged himself

I don't mind Professional Wrestlers taking steroids, as such. In fact, I may prefer it. The practice gives them awesome bodies worth drooling over. And while I had stopped watching Pro Wrestling regularly for over a decade, I do enjoy catching the occasional match on telly - I even attended a live match in Oakland with TJ about 8 years ago - and recently found a few recorded matches on some old VHS tapes in some old boxes.

But there is a bit of a downside, apparently...

ATLANTA (AP) -- Investigators are looking into who altered pro wrestler Chris Benoit's Wikipedia entry to mention his wife's death hours before authorities discovered the bodies of the couple and their 7-year-old son.
Benoit's Wikipedia entry was altered early Monday to say that the wrestler had missed a match two days earlier because of his wife's death.
A Wikipedia official, Cary Bass, said Thursday that the entry was made by someone using an Internet protocol address registered in Stamford, Connecticut, where World Wrestling Entertainment is based.
An IP address, a unique series of numbers carried by every machine connected to the Internet, does not necessarily have to be broadcast from where it is registered. The bodies were found in Benoit's home in suburban Atlanta, and it's not known where the posting was sent from, Bass said.
Benoit strangled his wife and son during the weekend, placing Bibles next to their bodies, before hanging himself on the cable of a weight-machine in his home, authorities said. No motive was offered for the killings, which were discovered Monday.
Officials raid office of Benoit's doctor
Also Thursday, federal drug agents said they had raided the west Georgia office of a doctor who prescribed testosterone to Benoit.
The raid at Dr. Phil Astin's office in Carrollton began Wednesday night and concluded early Thursday, said agent Chuvalo Truesdell, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. No arrests were made.
Hours before the raid, Astin told The Associated Press he had treated Benoit for low testosterone levels, which he said likely originated from previous steroid use.
Among other things, investigators were looking for Benoit's medical records to see whether he had been prescribed steroids and, if so, whether that prescription was appropriate, according to a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity because records in the case remain sealed.
Astin prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past but would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office Friday.
State medical records show that Astin's privileges were suspended for three months in 2001 at a Georgia hospital for "reasons related to competence or character."
Astin did not return calls to his cell phone from the AP on Thursday.
Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, leading officials to wonder whether the drugs played a role in the killings. Some experts believe steroids cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said in a statement Thursday that he could not immediately comment on the raid.
Benoit's page on Wikipedia, a reference site that allows users to add and edit information, was updated at 12:01 a.m. Monday, about 14 hours before authorities say the bodies were found. The reason he missed a match Saturday night was "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy," it said.
Reporters informed the Fayette County district attorney's office of the posting Thursday, and the agency forwarded the information to sheriff's investigators, who are looking into it, a legal assistant said in an e-mail to the AP.
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt said that to his knowledge, no one at the WWE knew Nancy Benoit was dead before her body was found Monday afternoon. Text messages released by officials show that messages from Chris Benoit's cell phone were being sent to co-workers a few hours after the Wikipedia posting.
WWE employees are given WWE e-mail addresses, McDevitt said, though he did not know whether Chris Benoit had one.
"I have no idea who posted this," McDevitt said. "It's at least possible Chris may have sent some other text message to someone that we're unaware of. We don't know if he did. The phone is in the possession of authorities."
On Thursday afternoon, the Wikipedia page about Benoit carried a note stating that editing by unregistered or newly registered users was disabled until July 8 because of vandalism.
In other developments Thursday, Ballard told the AP that 10 empty beer cans were found in a trash can in the Benoit home. An empty wine bottle was found a few feet from where Benoit hanged himself, Ballard said.
It could take several weeks for toxicology tests to be completed on Benoit to see what substances, if any, were in his system.
Benoit took four months off from work in 2006 for undisclosed personal reasons, McDevitt said.
"He was feeling depressed, that kind of thing," McDevitt said.
In the days before the killings, Benoit and his wife argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of their mentally retarded 7-year-old son, according to an attorney for the WWE wrestling league.
The child had a rare medical condition called Fragile X Syndrome, an inherited form of mental retardation often accompanied by autism.
Chris Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, declined to comment on the slayings when reached Thursday by telephone in Alberta, Canada. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

and from wikapediea:

On June 25, Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia, home at around 2:30 PM EDT.[84] Fayette County, Georgia police are currently investigating this case. Lieutenant Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department reported to ABC News that sheriffs entered his home on a "welfare check" after missing several appointments, leading to concerns.[85] Pope also stated the police are not searching for any suspects outside of the house, as the instruments of death were located at scene of the crime.[86]
Detective Bo Turner of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department told television station WAGA-TV that the case was being treated as a murder-suicide. The station reported that investigators believe that Benoit murdered his wife and son over the weekend and committed suicide sometime on Monday.[87]
During a press conference Tuesday, June 26, Fayette County district attorney Scott Ballard confirmed that Chris Benoit had murdered his wife and son. His wife was bound at the wrists and feet, while there were no signs of restraint on his son, both died of asphyxiation. It is reported that his wife died on Friday, his son died on Saturday, and Benoit killed himself later Saturday evening or early Sunday morning. Benoit's body was found dead of asphyxiation and hanging by the cord of a weight machine in his basement. It was also reported that there was a Bible by both Nancy and Daniel's bodies.[88]
On Wednesday, June 28, County's District Attorney Scott Ballard explained Benoit may have killed his son with a chokehold. He said the boy had internal injuries to the throat area, but showed no bruises, indicating he may have been locked in the crook of his father's arm. Nancy Benoit had bruises on her back and stomach consistent with someone pressing a knee into the small of the back while pulling on a cord around the neck. Benoit killed himself by wrapping a cord around his neck that was attached to a weight machine, and when Benoit released the weights about 240 pounds caused his strangulation. Ballard said the pull-down bar had been removed and Benoit was found seated against the machine. [89]

Reaction from World Wrestling Entertainment
It was first reported to fans of WWE on their WWE Mobile Alerts Service and posted to their official website soon after. On their website, World Wrestling Entertainment released the following statement:
World Wrestling Entertainment is deeply saddened to report that today Chris Benoit and his family were found dead in their home. There are no further details at this time, other than the Benoit family residence is currently being investigated by local authorities. Tonight’s Raw on USA Network will serve as a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy.
WWE canceled the scheduled three hour long live RAW show on June 25, and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers.[7]
The next night, before their ECW broadcast, WWE aired a recorded statement by Vince McMahon hinting towards regret for the previous night's special and stating that Benoit's name would not be mentioned other than during McMahon's comments.
Last night on Monday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some 26 hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, the WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world -- entertain you.[90]
It was also stated that the Chris Benoit Hard Knocks DVD had been pulled from the website of European WWE distributor Silvervision, along with other Benoit merchandise from the official WWE website. [91]

Phone calls and text messages
Saturday, 23 June at 3:30 p.m., a co-worker received a voice message from Benoit stating he missed his flight and overslept and would be late for that night's Beaumont, Texas, house show. According to the WWE Web site, the co-worker called Benoit back and Benoit sounded tired and groggy as he confirmed everything he had said in his voice message. A 3:42 p.m., the same co-worker, "concerned about Benoit's tone and demeanor," called him back again. Benoit did not answer the call and the co-worker left a message stating, "just call me back." Two minutes later, Benoit called the co-worker back, stating he didn't answer the call because he was on the phone with Delta Air Lines changing his flight. "Benoit stated he had a real stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel being sick with food poisoning," the WWE Web site said. At 4:30 p.m., according to the Web site, a co-worker who often travels with Benoit called him from outside the Houston airport and Benoit answered. "Benoit told the co-worker that Nancy was throwing up blood and that Daniel was also throwing up." At 5:35 p.m., Benoit called WWE's "Talent Relations" office, stating that his son was throwing up and that he and Nancy were in the hospital with their son, and that he would be taking a later flight into Houston, but would make the live event in Beaumont. [92]
On Sunday, June 24, between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m., Benoit sent five text messages to co-workers from both his and his wife's phone. [93] The first, third, fourth, and fifth text messages stated:
"My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215"
The second text message stated:
"The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open"
At 12:30 p.m. Monday, June 25, WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to the co-workers the previous day. [93]
Alcohol consumed in house
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told the Associated Press that empty beer cans were found in a trash can in the Benoit home and an empty wine bottle was discovered a few feet from where Benoit hanged himself. [94]

Links to steroids
Steroids were found in the home, leading to theories about steroid abuse being a factor. Prosecutors in upstate New York have been investigating the deliveries Benoit received from Signature Pharmacy and MedXLife.com, which sold steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone on the Internet. Terence Kindlon, lawyer for MedXLife co-owner Dr. Gary Brandwein, denied allegations that his client's company sold steroids to Benoit. Brandwein has pleaded not guilty to six counts in New York state court related to the criminal sale of a controlled substance. He was accused of signing and sending prescriptions without ever seeing patients. WWE attorney, Jerry McDevitt said the drugs found in Benoit's house were legitimately prescribed.[95]
Some media organizations have hypothesized that a steroid-induced rage may be the cause of Benoit's actions, as some doctors have linked steroid use to uncontrollable anger, among other psychological issues which include paranoia.[96][97] However, the WWE has stated that they believe the facts of this crime do not support the hypothesis that "roid rage" played a role in the murders. They cite evidence of premeditation in addition to the lack of a toxicology report, and the fact that the steroids found within Benoit's home were legally prescribed.[98]

Raid on office of Benoit's doctor
On June 28, FOX News also reported that Federal agents conducted a raid on the office of Benoit's personal physician and friend, Dr. Phil Astin. Officials said the raid stemmed from the investigation into drugs found in the Benoit home .[95] Astin's medical license was suspended in 1992 for "unprofessional conduct" and again in 2001 for "reasons related to competence or character."[99] Carroll County will launch its own investigation of Dr. Phil Astin. [100]

Son's Fragile X syndrome
Benoit's son had Fragile X syndrome, a condition with effects including autism, which has led one source familiar with Benoit to hypothesize that after he killed his wife, he killed his son for fear that his special educational needs wouldn't be met.[101]
ABCNews.com reported that the couple argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of their son. "I think it's fair to say that the subject of caring for that child was part of what made their relationship complicated and difficult, and it's something they were both constantly struggling with," said Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for World Wrestling Entertainment. "We do know it was a source of stress and consternation."[102]
District Attroney Scott Ballard stated the Daniel had old needle marks in his arms. Ballard said he had been told the parents considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones. "The boy was very small, even dwarfed," he said. [103]

Possible brain trauma
An alternate motive for Benoit's suicide-murder has been proposed by former wrestler Christopher Nowinski, now a respected authority on concussions and brain trauma in sport.[104] Nowinski suggests that Benoit's violent and erratic behavior may have been a result of long-time concussions incurred during his career, which may have led to feelings of rage and paranoia. [105] Nowinski himself was forced to retire from wrestling as a result of a severe concussion giving him lasting headaches and related pain due to post-concussion syndrome, which could have been further complicated were he to have continued wrestling.

Separate burials
Benoit will have a private service in Canada, separate from the services for his wife and son, his father Michael said during a telephone interview. He also stated the mother and child will be cremated in Georgia and a funeral likely held in Daytona Beach, Fla. [106]

Early reports of Nancy Benoit's death

Wikinews has news related to:
Death of Nancy Benoit rumour posted on Wikipedia hours prior to body being found
Initially reported on Wikinews, FOXNews.com later reported that news of Nancy Benoit's death was posted on Wikipedia half a day before the police discovered the bodies. The posting reads: “Chris Benoit was replaced by Johnny Nitro for the ECW Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy.” The phrase "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy" was added to the English Wikipedia's "Chris Benoit" article at 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 25,[107] whereas the Fayette County police reportedly discovered the bodies of the Benoit family at 2:30 p.m. EDT (14 hours, 29 minutes later). The IP address of the editor was traced to Stamford, Connecticut, which is also the location of WWE headquarters.[108]

also check out: http://prowrestling.about.com/od/whatsrealwhatsfake/tp/10tragedies.htm

Death of Another World Actor

David Oliver (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David Oliver
Born
January 31, 1962(1962-01-31) Concord, California, USA
Died
November 12, 1992 (aged 30) Los Angeles, California, USA
David Oliver (born January 31, 1962, Concord, CA; died November 12, 1992, Los Angeles, CA) was an American actor best known for roles on two television programs.
From 1983 to 1985, he played the role of Perry Hutchins on the daytime soap opera Another World. In 1986 he played the role of Sam Gardner in the miniseries A Year in the Life. The miniseries then became a regular series in the fall of 1987 and ran on NBC for one season. Oliver's wife in both the miniseries and regular series was played by a young Sarah Jessica Parker.
David Oliver died of complications due to AIDS on November 12, 1992.

Girl's Feet Cut Off At Six Flags

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Police confirmed that a girl's feet have been cut off at Six Flags' Kentucky Kingdom. Officials said they got the call around 5 p.m. Thursday, and both her feet were detached at the ankle.
According to MetroSafe dispatch supervisors, the girl was riding the Superman Tower of Power, which is 177 feet tall and drops riders at 54 miles per hour. According to Kentucky Kingdom, the girl was injured when the ride malfunctioned.
On scene EMT personnel were on hand to immediately transport the girl to a hospital.

The ride was shut down and will remain so until a full investigation has been completed.

PICKET FENCES - AND REALITY

They finally released PICKET FENCES on DVD on Tuesday, 19 June 2007. I'm ecstatic! I've watched the first 2 of 6 disks already, and the show has not lost any of its charm, poignancy, quirkiness, and, rather surprisingly, its relevance.

Of course, the show takes place in the fictional sleepy town of Rome in Wisconsin, created and written by David E Kelley. But for the next four season this sleepy town would wake up to find the most peculiar murders and eccentric people popping up each week.

And in the wake of this marvelous release, a true crime story has blasted out in a sleepy town in Wisconsin:

PORTAGE, Wis. - Police initially went to a rental property in this sleepy Wisconsin town in search of a 2-year-old girl kidnapped from her Florida foster home by her mother last fall.
What they found was a house of horrors, detectives say: A roving band of suspected identity thieves who had killed one of their own, buried her in the backyard and locked her bloody and beaten 11-year-old son in an upstairs closet.
“It’s crazy. Weird,” said next-door neighbor Angie Turley, who moved from Milwaukee to Portage to get away from crime. “It can happen anywhere.”

Charged Wednesday with being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and child abuse are Candace Clark, 23; Clark’s boyfriend, Michael Sisk, 25; Michaela Clerc, 20; and Felicia Mae Garlin, 15.
The teen is the dead woman’s daughter and the sister of the boy in the closet.
Police said the group arrived in February in Portage, a town of 8,000 about 40 miles north of Madison that touts itself as “Where the North Begins.”
The group was joined by Garlin’s mother, Tammie Garlin; her 11-year-old brother; and three other children, including the kidnapped girl.
Running from the lawDetectives said the group was running from the law in several states. Clark was wanted in Florida in her 2-year-old daughter’s abduction, as well as in Kentucky on felony warrants for financial fraud, Columbia County District Attorney Jane Kohlwey said.
Sisk was wanted in Colorado for not returning to jail after he was let out on work release, Kohlwey said. In the past year, the group had lived in Florida, Maine, Tennessee, Kentucky and Colorado, and came to Wisconsin to see snow, a criminal complaint said.
The group was making a living through financial fraud using aliases, prosecutors said. Kohlwey said investigators found a stash of money orders in the house, each good for $500, made out to the fake names.
They tortured the 11-year-old — identified in the complaint only by his initials — by whipping him, withholding food, scalding him with hot water and pulling his genitals with pliers, the complaint said. The group sometimes choked him until he nearly passed out and forced him to sleep naked in his sister’s closet, prosecutors said.
His mother and sister helped torture him, prosecutors said.
Group turned on Tammie GarlinAt some point, the group turned on Tammie Garlin, burning her and forcing her into the closet with the boy, he told authorities. She was the only one who helped him, by putting cream on his wounds, he said.
The complaint said Tammie Garlin and Clerc had been lovers but had separated, and that Clerc was upset because she thought Tammie Garlin had cheated on her. Detectives, however, said they weren’t sure why the others turned against Tammie Garlin.
Police said Clark told them Tammie Garlin died June 4. According to the complaint, Felicia Garlin and Clerc had kicked her, then later that day carried her into the bathroom, where Clerc dropped her head on the floor.
Sisk went into the bathroom and shut the door. He emerged a few minutes later, announcing Tammie Garlin was dead. Clerc laughed, the complaint said.
They buried her in the backyard. The landlord said Sisk approached him a few weeks ago asking if he could plant a garden in the spot.
He never got around to it. Florida detectives were closing in.
Portage officers, alerted by sheriff’s deputies in Lake County, Fla., went to the house June 14. They found the missing toddler, along with Clark’s two other children, and caught her trying to give them a false name, the complaint said.

'I don't want to hurt no more'Police found the 11-year-old sitting on the closet floor with his knees pulled to his chest, his body a mess of cuts, burns and scars. His feet were burned so badly he couldn’t walk.
The complaint said the boy told a doctor, “I don’t want to hurt no more.”
Police captured Sisk at a Milwaukee bus terminal with a ticket to Kentucky the next day. Police caught him because his bus had been delayed, police Lt. Mark Hahn said.
A judge on Wednesday denied bail for Sisk and Clark, identified by prosecutors as the group’s leaders. He set bail at $500,000 for Felicia Garlin and $350,000 for Clerc.
Defense attorneys said the allegations in the complaint are unproven and they don’t have the money to flee. But Judge Alan White said all four posed a flight risk.
Hahn said investigators were trying to piece together the group’s activities and whereabouts across the country.
“We could have victims from all over in different parts of the country,” he said. “Fortunately, it ended here.”

Paris and the Pokey

June 8, 2007 - The Paris Hilton saga continues. The 26-year-old heiress, who was sentenced to 45 days in jail last month for violating her probation on a previous alcohol-related conviction, turned herself in to a Los Angeles county jail earlier this week, only to be released three days later. The sheriff's office announced Thursday morning that Hilton would be finishing the rest of her sentence under house arrest due to an undisclosed medical condition. But the bizarre case didn't end there. Yesterday, the city attorney's office filed a motion for another hearting (scheduled for 9 a.m. PT Friday) to put Paris back in jail. While we wait for the new decision, NEWSWEEK's Ramin Setoodeh and Joshua Alston discussed what it is about the Paris Hilton case that captures the public’s attention.The latest installment of Listening In, a periodic online conversation among NEWSWEEK reporters and editors.

Setoodeh: Did you hear the breaking news?! Is the world ending??? Ah, on second thought, scratch that. Paris might be going back to jail. The next hearing is just mere minutes away (Update: Paris intended to testify over the phone, but the judge has now ordered that she show up in person. By the time she gets dressed and arrives at the courthouse, she'll be very late.) I know that some people say they could not care less, but I—like most of the blogosphere—am really disturbed that she got out in the first place. This isn't just a story about another celebrity behaving badly anymore. It's an illustration of how fame and riches can buy you a ticket out of jail.
Alston: Yeah. But isn't that an old illustration? I mean, if it were a literal illustration, and not a figurative illustration, it would be all faded and yellowed by now, you know, assuming someone hadn't framed it.
Setoodeh: Yes, perhaps. O.J. got out, but then again, we didn't know that he did it—at least until he wrote "If I Did It." In Paris's case, the judge ordered her to 45 days in jail. He made sure there were no loopholes for her to get out early. Jail overcrowding is one thing, but that's not the reason she was sent home. We still don't know what happened exactly, but as far as I can tell, the sheriff's office released her due to a "psychological" problem. The message this sends: if you're a celebrity heiress and you don't like jail, you can go home. Do we even need to wonder what would've happened in the same situation if Paris was a poor minority woman with the same sentence? She'd still be in jail right now.
Alston: All excellent points, all totally valid, but who cares? This story is getting attention because Paris is the embodiment of everything people hate about wealth and celebrity, so they want to see her suffer a little. But let's say she did finish out her sentence. What would it prove? What effect would it have on the inequities of our justice system? What would be accomplished?
Setoodeh: I think you're missing the point. She has to go back to jail. In our democracy, we're all supposed to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. Giving Paris Hilton special treatment because she's a celebrity and then saying, "Who cares!? She's just a celebrity" is on par to not voting for the president, because a single vote can't count. The system might not be perfect, but we have to try to make it work. Otherwise, what's the point of a democracy anyway? That's why I'm on the send-her-back-to-jail side of the debate. Also, I refuse to shell out $20 for a FREE PARIS T shirt.
Alston: It's not that I'm on the don't-send-her-back-to-jail side of the debate, I'm just on the "Who cares?" side. Granted, she was driving under the influence, which could have had very serious consequences for innocent people, but there were none. She drove on a suspended license, and that's why she's getting the book thrown at her. Neither of these transgressions are so worthy of my rage that I'm angry at her release. If she serves 45 days, fine, if not, that's fine, too. I just don't think it makes a difference in the world or demonstrates that our justice system works either way. By the way, you can always borrow my FREE PARIS T shirt, but you're much smaller than me, so you'll have to cinch it.
Setoodeh: Thanks, but no thanks. You're not tricking me into switching my thoughts on this case so easily! Let's talk about some of the bizarre details. Why do you think the sheriff's office let her go? The rumors have been all over the place—from her not eating to a rash. But no matter what it was, I don't understand why they couldn't have just checked her in to the jail's hospital and taken care of the situation on the premises.
Alston: There's definitely something odd about that, and it should be looked into. I'm sure there are plenty of other sick people in that jail who would be more than happy to serve out their sentences in Paris's mansion. There's no reason to have let her go for medical reasons. Or for overcrowding reasons either, for that matter. It's not as though she takes up a lot of space.
Setoodeh: One train of thought is that she bugged the prison guards so much, they wanted to get rid of her. But I don't buy it. These people deal with hardened criminals every day. You can't tell me that Paris proved more of a burden than the average jailbird who doesn't follow any rules. We've all seen "The Simple Life." Paris can be annoying. but not that annoying.
Alston: I'd sooner believe that she just bribed them. Theoretically, it wouldn't be all that difficult for her to promise someone she would pay them if she were let out. Her sentence is short enough to make good on such a promise in a very short period of time. Just sayin'.
Setoodeh: Now you're starting to sound like Rosie O'Donnell on "The View" with your conspiracy theories. Predictions on the new ruling? I think the judge will send her back to jail, which will only cause this media circus to grow. Remember, she'll only have to serve half her sentence anyway (due to overcrowding). So the countdown will begin for when Paris is finally released (20, 19, 18 ...) to be reunited with her beloved family: Tinkerbell.
Alston: I think the judge will openly weep and attempt to parlay that into his own syndicated court show, à la Larry Seidlin from the Anna Nicole Smith case. Or he'll just send her back to jail. Hopefully, both.

Judge orders Paris Hilton back to jail
Weeping heiress screams ‘It’s not right!’ as she’s taken from courtroom

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton was sent screaming and crying back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that she must serve out her sentence behind bars rather than in the comfort of her Hollywood Hills home.
“It’s not right!” shouted Hilton, who violated her probation in a reckless driving case. “Mom!” she cried out to her mother.
The 26-year-old hotel heiress was taken handcuffed from her home in a black-and-white police car, paparazzi sprinting in pursuit and helicopters broadcasting live from above. She entered the courtroom disheveled and weeping, hair askew, without makeup, wearing a fuzzy gray sweat shirt over slacks.

She cried throughout the hearing, dabbing her eyes, and her body shook constantly. Several times she turned to her parents, seated behind her in the courtroom, and mouthed, “I love you.” TMZ.com reported that Hilton's family will file an appeal, maybe as soon as Friday afternoon.
Hilton was taken to a treatment center at the downtown Twin Towers jail for medical and psychiatric examination to determine which facility she will be held in, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.
“She’ll be there for at least a couple of days,” he said.
Despite being ordered to serve the remainder of her original 45-day sentence, Hilton could still be released early. Inmates are given a day off their terms for every four days of good behavior, and her days in home detention counted as time served.
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer was calm but apparently irked by Sheriff Lee Baca’s decision to release Hilton three days into her sentence due to an unspecified “medical condition.”
“I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions,” Sauer said. “At no time did I approve the defendant being released from custody to her home.”
Hearing sought by prosecutorsThe hearing was requested by the city attorney’s office, which had prosecuted Hilton and wanted Baca held in contempt for releasing Hilton despite Sauer’s express order that she must serve her time in jail. The judge took no action on the contempt request.

A member of the county counsel’s staff said Baca was willing to come to court with medical personnel. The judge did not take him up on the offer.
Assistant City Attorney Dan F. Jeffries argued that Hilton’s incarceration was purely up to the judge. “Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system,” he said.
Hilton’s attorney, Richard Hutton, implored the judge to order a hearing in his chambers to hear testimony about Hilton’s medical condition before making a decision. The judge did not respond to that suggestion.
Another of her attorneys, Steve Levine, said, “The sheriff has determined that because of her medical situation, (jail) is a dangerous place for her.”
“The court’s role here is to let the Sheriff’s Department run the jail,” he said.
Judge didn't receive papers from sheriffThe judge interrupted several times to say that he had received a call last Wednesday from an undersheriff informing him that Hilton had a medical condition and that he would submit papers to the judge to consider. He said the papers never arrived.

Every few minutes, the judge would interrupt proceedings, state the time on the clock, and note that the papers still had not arrived.
He also noted that he had heard that a private psychiatrist visited Hilton in jail, and he wondered if that person played a role in deciding her medical needs.
The last attorney to speak was another deputy city attorney, David Bozanich, who declared, “This is a simple case. There was a court order. The Sheriff’s Department chose to violate that order. There is no ambiguity.”
Hilton’s twisted jailhouse saga began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz on what she said was a late-night hamburger run.
She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines. In the months that followed she was stopped twice while driving on a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer’s courtroom.
Back before Sauer on Friday, Hilton’s entire body trembled as the final pitch was made for her further incarceration. She clutched a ball of tissue and tears ran down her face.

Seconds later, the judge announced his decision: “The defendant is remanded to county jail to serve the remainder of her 45-day sentence. This order is forthwith.”
Hilton screamed.
Eight deputies immediately ordered all spectators out of the courtroom. Hilton’s mother, Kathy, threw her arms around her husband, Rick, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Deputies escorted Hilton out of the room, holding each of her arms as she looked back.

Gay Marriage: Scriptual Showdown

June 8, 2007 - For years, Mitchell Gold, a founder of the popular furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, has been irritated by what he sees as fundamentalist Christians’ use of the Bible to justify withholding civil rights from gays. Scripture, Gold argues, was used in the past to defend slavery, prohibit interracial marriage and prevent women from voting. Frustrated that few politicians dare to confront anyone brandishing a Bible, in 2005 Gold formed the group Faith In America (FIA), which says its goals are to educate people about the past “misuse” of religion and scripture. FIA's latest campaign is centered on next week’s 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision that overturned Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage, which had been supported by a Virginia judge who ruled the intention of “Almighty God” was to keep the races separate. This week, FIA ran a series of full-page ads in Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, featuring a photo of former Florida governor Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, a Mexican native, over a caption that says “they reside in Florida, where interracial marriage was illegal prior to 1967.” Gold hopes that reminding people about the Loving decision—and how social arrangements considered morally unacceptable just a few years ago are acceptable today—will help them see it’s wrong to make policy decisions based on some individuals’ interpretation of the Bible. (Photos of other public figures with interracial marriages and/or parents, like Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Sen. Mitch McConnell, also appear in the ads; some of them have objected to gay marriage in the past.) NEWSWEEK’s Julie Scelfo spoke with Gold about the campaign. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Why do you think reminding people that interracial marriage used to be illegal will help end anti-gay sentiments?Mitchell Gold: Most people acknowledge today that it was wrong 40 years ago to deny couples who loved each other the right to marry, the freedom to marry, simply because of one’s own religious belief. We want to remind people of past mistakes. This 40th anniversary of Loving is the perfect opportunity to do that. The similarity [to anti-gay rhetoric] is it’s religious-based discrimination. In 1959, when the Virginia judge handed down the decision prohibiting interracial marriage, he quoted from scripture that it was God’s will. And that is similar to today, whether it’s the president of the United States or senators and congresspeople that invoke the name of their God or religion to deny gay and lesbian couples the legal right to marry.
How has the issue of gay rights touched your life?In 1989, Bob Williams and I founded our company with $60,000 and over 10 years it grew into a $40 million business [that provides furniture to stores like Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware]. But because we were gay and couldn’t marry, we realized if one of us should die, the other would have to pay huge inheritance tax—and may not be able to afford it. So, we decided the only way to protect ourselves was to sell the company which was really emotionally difficult. It was our baby. If we were a heterosexual couple we would not have had to think about that. We subsequently bought it back in 2004 with the help of investors, but it’s still not the same. Now, we have a lot more financial stability—and we’re also not a couple anymore—so we’re less concerned about the tax issue.
The ad campaign also includes other people who have interracial marriages like former Defense secretary Bill Cohen and Tiger Woods, or who have interracial parents like Barack Obama. Did those folks consent to letting you use the photos?We didn’t ask. We notified them that we were using them, but because they’re all people in the public domain, those are images you can buy from stock-photography companies. I would hope they would be happy to be included and be pleased to be part of an effort to provide the freedom to marry that they have with others.
Have you heard from any of them?No, to my surprise. They’re laying low.
What has the reaction been like so far?Well, it’s been great actually. Everywhere I go people tell me they’re happy [my group] is talking about the history of discrimination in America. There’s so much talk today in politics about religion, and frankly too often at that intersection is discrimination. I also found it interesting that we haven’t had a flood of negative calls to say that’s a horrible argument or isn’t valid. In fact, I’ve had nobody say that.
Previously, you've said fundamentalist Christians have been waging a war against homosexuality and few people fight back. Why do you think that’s the case?I think many politicians are afraid to say somebody using their Bible is wrong. Secular civil-rights groups are very uncomfortable. And we feel enough harm has been done, it’s time to stop this, to stand up and have the courage to say to folks, this really is not right, to think back about what types of harm this kind of religious thinking has done in the past. When he realized the harm he was causing, Jerry Falwell in the 1970s apologized to African-Americans for [previously] supporting segregation. We’re hoping that good Americans today will recognize if they’re using their biblical beliefs to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people of their full and equal rights, that’s it’s wrong and harmful.
It seems like this issue is really personal for you.[Far too many] kids commit suicide because they’re gay, because they find the world untenable for themselves. I can understand because I was almost one of those statistics. But I was fortunate to get help when I needed it. When you're growing up and you’re 14 years old—I can tell you—and your parents, your church and your government are telling you you’re wrong, you’re not equal, that’s a tough nut.

31-year-old lawyer apologizes; no others found to be infected, CDC reports

DENVER - The Atlanta lawyer quarantined with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis apologized to fellow airline passengers in an interview aired Friday, and insisted he was told before he set out for his wedding in Europe that he was no danger to anyone.
“I’ve lived in this state of constant fear and anxiety and exhaustion for a week now, and to think that someone else is now feeling that, I wouldn’t want anyone to feel that way. It’s awful,” Andrew Speaker, speaking through a face mask, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” from his hospital room in Denver.
Meanwhile, questions arose as to whether the wedding even took place. The mayor of the island of Santorini in Greece, Angelos Rousso, told The Associated Press: “There was no wedding. They came for a marriage but they did not have the required papers.” He said the couple stayed in a hotel for three days and then left.

In Denver, Speaker’s doctors said that he could be in the hospital for up to two months, and that if antibiotics fail to knock out the extremely drug-resistant infection, he may have to undergo surgery to remove infected lung tissue, about the size of a tennis ball.
Surgery to remove pieces of the lung was more common before the advent of sophisticated drugs in the 1960s. But it is coming back as a treatment because of the development of strains resistant to those drugs.
Speaker is the first infected person quarantined by the U.S. government since 1963. In the TV interview, Speaker, wearing street clothes, repeatedly apologized to the dozens of airline passengers and crew members now anxiously awaiting the results of their TB tests.

“I don’t expect for people to ever forgive me. I just hope that they understand that I truly never meant to put them in harm,” he said, his voice cracking.
The CDC expects to lift the isolation order on Speaker within a few days. He will become the responsibility of Denver health authorities who will determine he is not planning to flee, NBC News has learned.
Contacting passengersHealth officials have contacted 74 of the 310 U.S. citizens who were on the May 12 Air France flight that Speaker and his fiancee took to Paris, the CDC said. That count includes all 26 who sat in the five-row area around Speaker — the ones considered at greatest risk.
None is exhibiting symptoms, CDC officials said.
Speaker, 31, said he, his doctors and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all knew he had TB that was resistant to some drugs before he flew to Europe for his wedding and honeymoon last month. But he said he was advised at the time by Fulton County, Ga., health authorities that he was not contagious or a danger to anyone.
Officials told him they would prefer he didn’t fly, but no one ordered him not to, he said. Speaker said his father, also a lawyer, taped that meeting.

“My father said, ‘OK, now are you saying, prefer not to go on the trip because he’s a risk to anybody, or are you simply saying that to cover yourself?’ And they said, ‘We have to tell you that to cover ourself, but he’s not a risk,”’ Speaker said.
“I never would have put my family at risk, and my daughter at risk. I repeatedly asked my doctors, ’Is my family at risk? Is anybody at risk of this?”’ he said.
‘Abandoned’Speaker was in Europe when he learned tests showed he had not just TB, but an especially dangerous, extensively drug-resistant strain.
“He was told in no uncertain terms not to take a flight back,” said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s division of global migration and quarantine. But there were no legal orders preventing his travel, Cetron said.

Speaker said he felt as if the CDC had suddenly “abandoned him.” He said he believed if he didn’t get to the specialized clinic in Denver, he would die.
“In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but I did ask if it was voluntary. And in my mind, I thought that if I went there, if I waited until they showed up, that meant I was going to die,” Speaker said.
Speaker’s new father-in-law, Robert C. Cooksey, is a CDC microbiologist whose specialty is TB and other bacteria. He said neither he nor his CDC lab was the source of Speaker’s TB.
Cooksey said he provided only “fatherly advice” to Speaker about traveling with the illness.
“In my capacity as his future father-in-law, I told him to take care of my daughter,” Cooksey told the AP.

Cooksey may have been involved in preparing one of the lab tests that determined what type of TB Speaker had contracted and helped track down the honeymooning couple, CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding said. But she declined to provide more details on Cooksey’s involvement in the case, and would not comment on the propriety of his actions.
“The father-in-law’s role was limited to what was expected of a father-in-law,” Gerberding said.
Doctors hope to determine where Speaker contracted the disease, which has been found around the world and exists in pockets in Russia and Asia. The tuberculosis was discovered when Speaker had a chest X-ray in January for a rib injury, doctors said.

The Lady and the Veep

June 11, 2007 issue - Condoleezza rice seems in control of everything—except events. As she paused for a few minutes in the cabin of her Boeing 757 last week, winging her way to her 63rd country in two and a half years (Spain this time), the secretary of State calmly swatted away questions about the apparent stalemates she faces on so many fronts: Israeli-Palestinian talks, out-of-control nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and an emerging cold-war-like confrontation with Russia. (That's without even bringing up the quagmire in Iraq.) Rice gets through controversy by snubbing it, smiling it out of existence. She's particularly dismissive when asked whether, at this late date, she is still fighting rear-guard actions against hard-liners in Washington—especially those in Vice President Dick Cheney's office who don't like her diplomatic approach to Iran. "There's always noise in any large system," Rice told NEWSWEEK in an interview.

She's not being glib: administration officials universally acknowledge that her views are dominant in Washington. But the rumbling has been getting louder. A NEWSWEEK investigation shows that Cheney's national-security team has been actively challenging Rice's Iran strategy in recent months. "We hear a completely different story coming out of Cheney's office, even now, than what we hear from Rice on Iran," says a Western diplomat whose embassy has close dealings with the White House. Officials from the veep's office have been openly dismissive of the nuclear negotiations in think-tank meetings with Middle East analysts in Washington, according to a high-level administration official who asked for anonymity because of his position. Since Tehran has defied two U.N. resolutions calling for a suspension of its uranium-enrichment program, "there's a certain amount of schadenfreude among the hard-liners," says a European diplomat who's involved in the talks but would not comment for the record. And news-week has learned that the veep's team seems eager to build a case that Iran is targeting Americans not just in Iraq but along the border of its other neighbor, Afghanistan.
In the last few weeks, Cheney's staff have unexpectedly become more active participants in an interagency group that steers policy on Afghanistan, according to an official familiar with the internal deliberations. During weekly meetings of the committee, known as the Afghanistan Interagency Operating Group, Cheney staffers have been intensely interested in a single issue: recent intelligence reports alleging that Iran is supplying weapons to Afghanistan's resurgent Islamist militia, the Taliban, according to two administration officials who asked for anonymity when discussing internal meetings.

Historically, Iran and the Taliban have been more often bitter enemies than allies; in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cooperated with U.S. efforts to oust the Afghan regime that harbored Osama bin Laden. Tehran went so far as to round up Qaeda suspects transiting or residing in Iran for possible deportation to countries (like Saudi Arabia or Egypt) aligned more closely with Washington. In early April, however, British forces operating under NATO command in Afghanistan's wild-west Helmand province stopped a convoy carrying what appeared to be ordnance of Iranian origin intended for delivery to the Taliban. The explosives bore suspected Iranian markings similar to those found on weapons confiscated from Shiite militias in Iraq—and the Brits intercepted another shipment a month later.
An official familiar with the interagency group's deliberations said that Cheney's aides kept asking what sounded like leading questions, demanding to know whether there was any Iranian entity other than the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—the state security force Washington accuses of arming Iraqi insurgents—that could be responsible for the arms shipments. Cheney's aides, the official added, appeared less interested in other more mundane items on the Afghanistan policy committee's agenda. British officials who asked for anonymity because of the nature of their work emphasize that they lack hard evidence linking the shipments to the Revolutionary Guards, and that the weapons could just as easily have been bought on the black market in Iran. But according to one official familiar with the intelligence on Iranian interference in Iraq, Cheney earlier this year began exhibiting particular interest in any evidence detailing Tehran's aid to anti-American insurgents there. Asked about the vice president's allegedly keen interest in Iran's activities in Afghanistan, Cheney spokeswoman Megan McGinn said, "We do not discuss intelligence matters or internal deliberations."
Rice has more directly clashed with Cheney's office on issues like Mideast peace, where according to administration sources who declined to be named discussing internal deliberations, she's found herself stymied in efforts to push for more engagement with Syria and the Palestinian radical group Hamas. A senior White House official concedes that even on what should be the simplest-to-achieve deal—a new relationship with Syria that would help stabilize Iraq—Cheney's office is blocking Rice's efforts to bring Bush around. The secretary has also fought with the veep's office in seeking to soften detention policies at Guantánamo. In the interview, however, Rice insisted her relationship with Cheney himself is good. "The vice president has never been somebody who tries to [undermine others] on the sidelines, behind the scenes. He really doesn't," she said. "In fact we have a kind of friendly banter about it, in which I'll tease him about the image that he doesn't like diplomacy."
Rice has reason to be confident. She maintains a tight relationship with Bush, with whom she talks twice a day. "We have been together a long time, the president and I, in any number of different incarnations, and when I'm speaking, I'm speaking on his behalf," she says. Even one of Rice's fiercest current critics, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton—a key Cheney ally who was her subordinate only a few months ago—says that her views are ascendant in the administration. "I think those who support [the policy of nuclear negotiations with Iran] ... are riding high," Bolton told NEWSWEEK, adding that he left the administration because he believed his hard-line views toward Iran and North Korea were being eclipsed by Rice's State Department (there was also the small matter of the Democrat-controlled Congress refusing to confirm him).
Bolton admits that the hard-liners are not what they were in the first term, when Cheney's office was accused of cherry-picking intel to make the case for war against Iraq. One by one, the Cheneyites have been losing significant supporters in the top ranks of the administration—most recently White House deputy national-security adviser J. D. Crouch, a conservative former Pentagon official and academic who left last week. To thwart the hard- liners once and for all, though, Rice knows that she must start to deliver. Even as Tehran has made technical strides in its enrichment program, negotiations have been stalled: on Thursday the chief Iranian and European negotiators announced they would meet again in two weeks.
In the end, the administration's few remaining hard-liners may be the least of Rice's problems. In her NEWSWEEK interview, she acknowledged how hard it would be to achieve the kind of "breakthrough" agreement that traditionally defines a successful secretary of State. "I wouldn't rule it out," she said. But, Rice added: "we're laying the foundations for someone else to succeed in the future, and I think that's fine." As long as she can keep things under control.

Calif. gay, lesbian inmates get conjugal visits

California has begun allowing overnight visits for gay and lesbian partners of prison inmates to conform to the state's domestic partnership law.
California is one of just six states that allow overnight family visits, which take place in trailers or other housing on prison grounds. But attorneys, gay rights advocates and corrections officials said they know of no other state that permits conjugal visits by same-sex partners.
"Historically, these types of requests were denied," said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Homosexuality is a touchy subject in prison. We don't want people to come to harm in prisons, but we need to comply with the law."

Since the 1970s, immediate family members have been able to visit many prison inmates for up to three days at a time.
Privilege for registered domestic partnersThe privilege is being expanded to registered domestic partners under a law signed by former Gov. Gray Davis that took effect in 2005. It requires state agencies to give the same rights to domestic partners that heterosexual couples receive.
"This was one of the issues raised at the time. It's unfortunate that it's taken the Department of Corrections so long to comply with the law," said Geoffrey Kors, executive director of Equality California.
Thornton said the Corrections Department had already started examining its policies last year when the issue drew the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Vernon Foeller had requested an overnight visit from his partner a year ago while he was serving an 18-month sentence at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville for an attempted burglary conviction. When his request was denied, Foeller complained to the ACLU.
"To tell a couple like my partner and I that we weren't eligible, that to me is absolute discrimination," Foeller said in a telephone interview.
Foeller, who was paroled in April and lives in Sacramento, registered his domestic partnership in August 2005, before he was incarcerated.
"You have a condition of unequal treatment," ACLU staff attorney Alex Cleghorn said. "They were being denied something for which they were eligible."
The new regulations permit visits only by registered domestic partners who are not themselves in custody, and the domestic partnership must have been established before one of the partners went to prison.
Remaining connected with familiesThe policy will formally take effect later this year, but the department already is complying. Foeller was allowed an overnight visit with his partner in December.
"I got to spend 2 1/2 days one-on-one with my partner, my best friend, my confidant, my life partner. It wasn't about the sex," Foeller said. "You can actually just relax and get to know your partner again."
Overnight visits allow inmates to remain connected to their families and help prepare them for their eventual release, Cleghorn said. There is no record of how many domestic partners are serving prison terms.
Family visits are not permitted for condemned inmates, inmates serving life without parole or those who have not had a parole date set, or for sex offenders. Inmates serving time for a violent offense against a minor or a family member also are ineligible.
Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families, objects to conjugal visits for both gay and straight inmates.
"These are unsupervised sex visits in trailers or rooms, and the guards can't go in there," Thomasson said. "It's the main way of smuggling contraband for some of these inmates."
Inmates also can spread sexually transmitted diseases, regardless of their sexual orientation, he said.

Outed former covert agent plans to press lawsuits against Cheney, agency

NEW YORK - An ex-spy whose unmasking led to the conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney’s top aide vowed on Saturday to press on with lawsuits against Cheney and the CIA for the sake of freedom of speech.
“Just as we have to be vigilant to protect our national security—something I believe in passionately—we have to be vigilant to protect our freedom of speech and First Amendment rights,” Valerie Plame Wilson said in a speech at a book convention.
Plame and her publisher, Simon & Schuster, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York on Thursday against top CIA officials for blocking publication of her memoir on national security grounds.

Plame’s cover as a CIA agent was blown when her identity was leaked to reporters and appeared in a newspaper column in July 2003, shortly after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, emerged as an Iraq war critic.
Plame said she had no intention of endangering national security with the book but was entitled to tell her story.
“This has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with political influence and manipulation,” Plame said of the CIA’s demand that she not discuss her service before 2002.
The CIA has argued her book could hurt operations and affect its ability to conduct intelligence activities in the future.
“I’m not seeking carte blanche to reveal all the details of my government service,” Plame said.
The book, “Fair Game,” is set to be published on Oct. 21.
The leaking of Plame’s identity prompted an investigation to determine if government officials had broken any laws.
Nobody was charged with blowing her cover, but Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Cheney’s former chief of staff, was found guilty in March of lying and obstructing the investigation. He is due to be sentenced on Tuesday and faces up to three years in prison.
‘Troubled times’Evidence at Libby’s trial showed he and several other White House and State Department officials leaked her identity to discredit her husband, who had accused the administration of twisting intelligence to build a case for invading Iraq.
Plame has since filed a lawsuit against Cheney and other top administration officials, seeking money damages for violating the couple’s constitutional free speech, due process and privacy rights.
She said initially she was reluctant to sue, but did so for three reasons.
“The first one is to get the truth,” she told the audience of publishers and booksellers in New York who gave her a standing ovation even before she spoke.
“Secondly, to hold our government officials to account for their words and their deeds ... Finally it’s to prevent future abuses.”
“We are living in very troubled times and it’s imperative that we all understand what our rights are and understand when we are being trampled on,” she said later, answering a question from the audience.
Plame said she expected a judge to rule by the end of the summer on a motion by Cheney to dismiss the suit.
All publications by current and former CIA agents must be approved by a review board, which says its only objective is to prevent classified material from being released to the public.
Simon & Schuster is a unit of CBS Corp.

Artist eats corgi to protest British royals’ fox hunt; Yoko Ono also tastes it

LONDON - A British artist has eaten chunks of a corgi dog, the breed favored by Queen Elizabeth II, live on radio to protest the royal family's treatment of animals.
Mark McGowan, 37, said he ate "about three bites" of the dog meat, cooked with apples, onions and seasoning, to highlight what he called Prince Philip's mistreatment of a fox during a hunt by the queen's husband in January.
"It was pretty disgusting," McGowan said of the meal, which he ate while appearing on a London radio station Tuesday. Yoko Ono, another guest on the show, also tried the meat.

I've never tasted anything like it — it was gray and had a very funny smell. It was horrible," McGowan told Reuters.
Queen favors corgisMcGowan said he was angry that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, of which the royal family is a patron, had not prosecuted Prince Philip for hunting and killing the fox. The RSPCA said the fox did not suffer.
Corgis are the favored dogs of the queen, who has owned more than 30 of them during her reign.

The dog died of natural causes at a corgi breeder and was prepared and cooked by others for McGowan.
McGowan is well known for his outlandish performance stunts. He ate a swan in another protest against the queen. Swans are protected by the monarchy.