Society's Child
Attorneys for the secretary of state's office asked a judge this month to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses officials of violating the First Amendment by broadly controlling speech. David DeVarti, a Washtenaw County man, wanted the six-letter plate but was turned down.
In a recent filing in Grand Rapids federal court, the state, among other reasons, said the plate would be offensive to children who amuse themselves by reading plates on passing vehicles.
"And because vehicles often travel in residential neighborhoods, youth may be exposed to license plates from their yards or driveways," said Ann Sherman, an assistant attorney general.
The authorities had described the countdown to 2014 as initially quiet but as the clocks edged closer towards midnight there were reports of trouble and fires across the country.
In Kristinehamn on Sweden's west coast a 50-year-old man was arrested following a domestic incident in which his adult son's finger was apparently bitten off.
"It was a fight that took place in the home. I don't know what it is that sparked off this incident," Ronny Brattström of the Värmland police told Aftonbladet.

The Medicine Man marijuana dispensary in Denver is to open as a recreational retail outlet at the start of 2014.
The drug that they will be smoking will have been legally cultivated and sold under state law. And, as far as Colorado is concerned, if they're over 21 they will be able to purchase it lawfully. But by doing so, they will be breaking federal law - namely the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which makes it illegal for anyone in the US to possess, manufacture or sell the drug.
In other words, Colorado's marijuana recreational users will be law-abiding criminals.
The clean-up ruling by U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr., filed Dec. 20,marks the end of an unprecedented series of class-action lawsuits aimed at collecting damages from insurance companies or the federal government that could have totaled billions of dollars.
The final ruling was not unexpected. In earlier decisions Duval found the Army Corps of Engineers was immune from damages caused by failures of levees and floodwalls they designed and built, or from failure to maintain the rapidly eroding Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a now-closed shipping channel that helped decimate wetlands east of St. Bernard Parish.
In a ruling in April involving one of those cases, Duval pointed out that he had presided "over this hydra-like 'Katrina Umbrella' litigation for almost eight years. One central theme has been painfully obvious throughout this entire process," he wrote. "Many of the levees protecting New Orleans and the surrounding area were tragically flawed. ...
"However, lamentably, there has been no judicial relief for the hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of businesses impacted," he said. "The Flood Control Act of 1928 as interpreted over the years gives the United States Army Corps of Engineers virtually absolute immunity, no matter how negligent it might have been in designing and overseeing the construction of the levees."
A police team, which reached the site of the blast to seek further information, was told by the naval staff that the explosion was caused by activities during a mock exercise.
U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl signed the release order after government lawyers filed a letter in Manhattan federal court earlier Tuesday saying 74-year-old Lynne Stewart qualifies for early release because she's suffering from breast cancer that has metastasized to the lungs and bones and has less than 18 months to live.
"The director of the Bureau of Prisons contends, and this court agrees, that the defendant's terminal medical condition and very limited life expectancy constitute extraordinary and compelling reasons that warrant the requested reduction," the judge wrote.
He said Stewart, who has been undergoing treatment at the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, would be released when her medical condition allows for it and travel arraignments can be made.
Stewart's attorney said the news came as a surprise but she could be released as early as Tuesday night and her husband, who had planned to visit her Wednesday, was already en route.
"She's elated," said lawyer Jill Shellow, who spoke with her after the judge's order was signed.
Comment: Lynne Stewart has spent her life defending the poor and battling for civil liberties and human rights. More on her witch-hunt here:
The Persecution of Lynne Stewart
Lynne Stewart's savage jail torment further proof of U.S. totalitarian state
The fascinating case of Lynne Stewart
Checkpoints were conducted to detect a list of prohibited items so long that would make a prison guard blush.
During the pat downs, party-goers would be searched for things like tampons, eye drops, food, candy, beverages, flashlights, and pacifiers.
Purses and diaper bags were prohibited, as were chairs and blankets.
The list of prohibitions went on: no stuffed animals, no cameras, no coolers, no balls, no frisbees, no dolls, no stickers, no fliers, and of course, no legal means of self-defense.
"It's going to be a safe event," said Harold Pretel, Commander of Homeland Services.
Despite the 20-degree chill, the attendance was expected to be the biggest in 15 years. All 4 'squares' of Public Square were filled with people.
According to Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos, police were called to an apartment near 12th Street and Bethany Home Road around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
A call was placed by the victim's mother after her son was picked up by the victim's father, 51-year-old Gary Sherrill a day early. The mother and father are divorced, Martos said.
The mother told police, Sherrill failed to return their child and that she had been reaching out to her son and ex-husband.
When officers arrived, Sherrill told them his son was not home. Officers asked more questions and the suspect allowed officers into his home, Martos said.

Tyler Williams of Blanchester, Ohio selects marijuana strains to purchase at the 3-D Denver Discrete Dispensary on January 1, 2014 in Denver, Colorado
At the start of New Year day, at 8 am local time, pot lovers from across the state lined up to be one of the first residents to legally participate in a $578 million market. Some people had been waiting since 1 am.
"I wanted to be one of the first to buy pot and no longer be prosecuted for it. This end of prohibition is long overdue," said Jesse Phillips, cannabis enthusiast from Colorado.
State residents can now legally indulge themselves with up to an ounce of marijuana from more than 30 shops that have opened their doors statewide. Residents from other states can buy up to one-quarter of an ounce.
"The court finds there is no set of circumstances under which the warrantless, suspicionless drug testing at issue in this case could be constitutionally applied," Scriven wrote.
The decision made permanent an earlier temporary hold she placed on the law, which was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed by Scott in 2011. Scott is refusing to back down, saying in a statement on Tuesday that the law was designed to ensure that children aren't being raised in homes headed by drug users.
"Any illegal drug use in a family is harmful and even abusive to a child," read the statement. "We should have a zero tolerance policy for illegal drug use in families - especially those families who struggle to make ends meet and need welfare assistance to provide for their children. We will continue to fight for Florida children who deserve to live in drug-free homes by appealing this judge's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals."













Comment: So while they continue rolling out tobacco bans, the latest trend of which outlaws people smoking in their own vehicles, laws against smoking cannabis/marijuana are being relaxed... given the systematic removal of civil liberties in recent years, does anyone else smell a rat here?
Why are the Powers That Be content for people to smoke one but not the other?