Sorry for the inactivity

but I have been entertaining a lot at home. Gotta pull out the BBQ a few more times before the rains start. Here is a cute boy to look at to brighten your day.

Onanite

Youth pastor will face child porn charges

Seized computer reveals nature of crimes
WJRT By Taryn Asher

GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) - (09/26/06)--A Genesee County youth pastor caught with surveillance cameras throughout his Flint home will face child pornography charges.

Last month, Paul Gagnon was charged with placing electronic eaves dropping equipment. Authorities believe he lured kids into his home and taped them without their knowledge.

And now the prosecutor says a computer that was seized from his home has revealed more of his disturbing crimes.

A home on Leland Street in Flint is the scene of where the alleged crimes took place.

A 17 year old who lived with Gagnon at the time turned him into police after he discovered cameras set up in the bedroom and bathroom of the home.

It was circumstantial evidence until authorities said two people turned in videotapes of Gagnon naked, engaging in sexually explicit acts with young people.

And they cracked open his computer.

"(There were) pictures of young, teenage, preteen children engaged in various sexual acts," said Det. Steve Hatfield with the Grand Blanc Police Department.

And that is just to start. Hatfield says like many child predators, Gagnon was very organized on how he kept his pornographic photos.

"Hundreds of thousands of files," Hatfield said. "You almost have to take a look at each one individually."

Hatfield says the pictures Gagnon downloaded date back to 2003 and are mostly files of young boys.

Hatfield is still looking for pictures of local children. He says he believes Gagnon may have taken sexual pictures of young people and then deleted them in the days before he was arrested.

"I know there was a time he was suspicious that people may have found some things so he had some time to move some stuff and get rid of some stuff and I'm in the process of trying to recover what I can recover," he said.

This is a process that could take up to a month.

But the Genesee County prosecutor says there is enough evidence to charge Gagnon with possessing, transmitting and manufacturing child pornography -- a 20-year felony.

Gagnon will face a judge Wednesday.

Outrage as gay boy, 15 is made carnival queen

25/09/06
FOR centuries the annual Blackberry Carnival in Somerset has appointed a queen to lead its festivities.

The only requirements for the role are enthusiasm and a big smile.
So when a 15-year-old boy applied for the part, organisers did not have the heart to turn him down.

David Bridge, pictured, stunned locals in the sleepy market town of Axbridge by donning a long flowing dress, high heels and jewelled tiara to appear as the carnival queen.

However, some of the more traditional locals have complained of political correctness gone mad.

David, who carries a handbag and wears make-up, said: "I’ve always liked the carnival and I thought, ‘Why not take part?’

"When I did the audition there were a few in the audience who didn’t know what to make of me. But then others said, ‘If you’re brave enough to do it, go for it’."

But the decision to let a boy parade as a queen has not gone down well with everyone in the community.

One grandmother branded the decision "ridiculous". She said: "How can you have a boy as a carnival queen? It’s completely ridiculous. It has to be a girl, just like it has been for years.

"The notion that you could let a young boy do it just to give him something to do is just stupid – it’s PC gone mad."

David revealed that he had been expecting a bit of stick from the 2,000-strong crowd.

He said: "Some people said they were going to throw eggs at me but thankfully it never happened."

Carnival chairman Robin Goodfellow, 66, said: "Some people might be offended but we would rather be inclusive than exclusive."

Just four wannabe queens applied – two previous girl winners, David, and 16-year-old Kayleigh Sweet.

Mayor Barry Hamblin, 60, nominated the previous years’ queens as princesses, Kayleigh as queen and David as "alternative" queen.

Cost of America's war in Iraq so far

$317,350,754,733

Too bad we could not use that money for education, or a universal health plan huh? Bush is a bastard moron.

New Jersey pastor is facing theft and other related charges

A former New Jersey pastor is facing theft and other related charges after being caught stealing from the church.

Police say 45-year-old Robert Ascolese stole more than 600-thousand dollars from church programs and various charities during his time as pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Washington, New Jersey.

A 32-count indictment was handed up this week.

In it , Acolese is accused of stealing money through lotteries at St. Joseph's Catholic Academy and through "Matching Gift Programs" connected to the church.

It's believed he did this during a four-year period beginning in 2001.

Ascolese pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance

He's free on bail and will be in court again next month.

Jackson pastor arrested on child abuse charge

By Andrew Nelson
ajnelson@clarionledger.com

The pastor of a church in Jackson has been arrested and charged with felony child abuse, a news release from the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department said.

John C. Evans, 47, 3919 McGuffee Road in Clinton, was arrested Wednesday, the release said.

Evans posted $2,500 bond, the release said. His case will be presented to a grand jury.

Evans is a minister at Cathedral AME Zion Church, 428 W. Northside Drive in Jackson, according to the church’s Web site.

Details of what led to the arrest were not mentioned. But the release said it was the result of a request for assistance from the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Efforts to reach Evans this evening were unsuccessful.

Former youth pastor arraigned on sex counts

Charges stem from alleged relationship with juvenile female
The Times Bulletin

VAN WERT - Former local youth pastor Aaron D. Rediger, 28, was back in court Wednesday morning for the extension of his arraignment hearing.

He first appeared in Van Wert County Court of Common Pleas on Sept. 12, charged with three counts of sexual battery.

Rediger entered a plea of not guilty to the charges against him, which stem from allegations of a sexual relationship between Rediger and a 17-year-old female from the youth group at Liberty Baptist Church. The church immediately dismissed Rediger and recalled his ordination and ministerial license.

Representing Rediger in court was an attorney from the office of Bill Kluge in Lima. The arraignment had been continued for more than a week while Rediger hired a lawyer.

Judge Charles Steele released Rediger on bond and set a pretrial hearing for October 2.

Church worker in sex scandal

Donald Wichmann's Background

Donald Wichmann is no stranger to the law. On Tuesday investigators in Greenville charged him with molesting a young teenage girl at the church where he worked, but Wichmann was arrested before he was a teen himself.

Back in 1994 when Wichmann was only 12, cops arrested him for criminal domestic violence. Over the years he was arrested several more times for underage drinking, shoplifting, assault, and possession of pot. As he got older, the charges against him continued. In 1998 he broke into cars and was caught drinking and driving.

His last arrest before the lewd act on a minor charge was in 2000 for driving without a license. People who live nearby the church had mixed reactions to Wichmann's criminal background.

Barbara Pogue who lives near Fair Heights Baptist Church says, "It shouldn't, it really shouldn't. There's a God up above us and everybody should forgive when He does. Cathy Ellis disagrees. She says, "I don't think he should be allowed to work with children at all...I wouldn't want him teaching my grandchildren. I wouldn't him no where near them.

Fox Carolina asked the church's pastor if he knew about Wichmann's background before he allowed him to work with the children and he said he did. According to Reverend Rollins, Wichmann had been "saved" and had turned his life around. Rollins also says had any of Wichmann's past charges been sexual in nature, he would've never allowed him work there.

Pastor pleads guilty to 13 sex charges

Former Wetumpka Pastor Pleads Guilty to 13 State Sex Charges; Federal Sentencing to Follow

For many people in Wetumpka, he was the voice of morality and goodness. Then investigators ripped away a cover hiding a much darker side.

Former Baptist minister Garrett Dykes is headed to prison tonight. He pleaded guilty to a long list of sex related charges Tuesday morning.

It wasn't so long ago Dykes had his name on a building, but more importantly, he had the trust of 400 people he led.

"We're hurting here. Yes, we're shocked, but we're hurting," church administrator John Pritchett said in January 2005.

That's when Dykes' world came crashing down. The mother of an 8 year old girl called police the previous November and told them a story nobody wanted to believe. The pastor, they said, was a sexual predator. And surprisingly, after officers arrested him, Dykes admitted it.

"What he told us was almost identical to what the young girl said," explained Sheriff Bill Franklin.

Investigators say Dykes molested the children in his home and videotaped many of the incidents. Tuesday, he took the first step toward a very long punishment. He pleaded guilty to no less than 13 sex related charges.

"He pleaded to four counts of producing obscene material with a person under the age of 17, and nine count of sexual abuse first degree," said District Attorney Randall Houston.

Houston says it's not your imagination. He sees more cases where people in trust violate children. But it's not because there are more predators. It's because people are talking more.

"We're doing a better job as parents," Houston said. "When our kids come and tell us something, we're taking it seriously and we're doing something about it. In the past, I don't think that was necessarily true."

Houston says he wants parents to listen to their children even more. As for Garrett Dykes' former church members, they're trying to find the one thing that may come hardest - forgiveness.

"He's a creature of God," said Pritchett. "I do not approve of the actions he took, but he's a creature of God and I have to love him."

Dykes will stand before a federal judge September 27th, when he'll learn how long he'll serve for sexually abusing a child under the age of twelve.

As for the state charges, he could get ten years to life on each of the four pornography charges and one to ten years on each of the nine sexual abuse charges.

Police first arrested Dykes in November 2004. The Calvary Church removed him from his ministerial position shortly after that. Police say they do not believe any of the abuse happened at the church.

Reporter: Chris Holmes

Former associate pastor arrested for sex crimes with minor

NEW HANOVER COUNTY -- There is new information on the New Hanover County associate pastor accused of having sex with a teenage girl. Court papers indicate the 26-year-old suspect knew the victim was only 14.

This is the third man arrested this week for sex crimes with a minor, and today we talked with the pastor at the church where the suspect was a volunteer. Kevin Layman, 26, was arrested Friday and charged with statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child.

The arrest stems back to June 2004 when Layman allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old girl he met while doing community service at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

The pastor at Whispering Pines Baptist Church where Layman had been an associate pastor says that he never once saw Layman act inappropriately with a minor. But the detective handling the case says she's afraid there may be more victims out there.

New Hanover County Sheriff's Office Det. Susan Johnson said, "I just feel that people who commit crimes like these are predators and there is the possibility that more victims are out there. I just feel like these younger victims don't have the self esteem or capacity to say no as some of the older victims do."

But Layman's defense attorney says the detective's use of the word "predator" is just a way to get the media's attention.

Brian Smith is Layman's attorney. He said, "I think it is completely irresponsible to jump to such conclusions with a basis for saying that. She is just trying to make headlines by accusing my client of being a predator."

Smith also says his client is innocent and that Layman and the victim never engaged in intercourse. Layman is out of the New Hanover County jail. He posted the $75,000 the same day he was arrested.

Layman resigned his position as volunteer associate pastor about two and a half months ago when the investigation began.

OK, so today is my birthday ......

So let's see how things are going for me:

1. Perfect partner - A+
2. Parental units cool - A+
3. Siblings cool - A+
4. George Bush is President - F
5. Republican congress (for another couple of months) F
6. I'm an American - D-
7. I have money - B+
8. Car is broken - D+
9. I have a few good friends - A+
10. I have my faculties - B

Total score: C+

hmmm ...... well I don't feel too bad.
Onanite

Sunland pastor arrested on suspicion of molestation

SUNLAND - A 46-year-old Sunland pastor has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a parishioner's daughters from his church, police said today.

Joseph Gary Torres, a pastor at Iglesia Bautista Reformada, was arrested at his parents house in El Monte, police said.

Torres' son, a minor, also was arrested on suspicion of molestation. Police believe there could be other victims.

The investigation of Torres began when a parishioner called to report that Torres had molested his three daughters.

Torres' bail has been set at $5.4 million.

Anyone with information can call the LAPD's Sexually Exploited Child Unit at (213) 485-2883.

Just say NO!

There is an apocryphal tale about a child who, having failed to perform an assigned task, invented the most outlandish excuse for why he could not produce the required finished work. We cannot say if there ever was an actual child who claimed that the dog had eaten his homework. But we have its equivalent now in the current president of the United States.

The incredible world spectacle we have is this. First, the president demands that the War Crimes Act, the law of the land, be changed to accommodate the crimes that have ALREADY been committed at his direction, specifically to authorize methods of torture previously and rightfully considered verboten. If this is not a naked admission that he has broken the law in the most hideous way we don't know what is. Second, and at the same time, he is demanding that new laws enacted be to hotrod the prosecution of those he personally deems enemies of the state. What is he trying to tell the world, that those people CANNOT be convicted of an offense under our current law, but that he himself cannot ESCAPE conviction under that same law for what he has done?

Shame on any member of Congress who signs on to any of this in any part.

THE WAR CRIMES ACT MUST NOT BE CHANGED AT ALL
Call Congress NOW at 888-355-3588 or 800-828-0498

'Chatbot' king George looks for human friends on the internet

George, who is 39, single and light-hearted, is looking for friends on the Internet. He has gifts -- the ability to speak in 40 languages and with 2,000 people at the same time.

And one quirk: he doesn't really exist.

George is a piece of software, arguably the best of the speaking "chatbots" or talking robots, and he's recently received the Loebner prize in Britain, a scientific award recognising the machines best capable of matching the most realistic human dialogues with their own.

Seven years after being invented, George evolved a few months ago into what experts call an avatar, gaining a physical image, a voice and voice recognition software.

One can now have an oral discussion with him over the Internet -- "face to face".

George appears on the website www.jabberwacky.com and takes the form of a thin, bald man with yellow glasses who wears a white turtleneck sweater.

He can smile, laugh, sulk and bang his fist on his virtual table. He can turn on the charm and wax romantic. But he can also turn coarse at times.

It isn't as if George only learned good manners.

All that he knows, he has accumulated in some 10 million conversations online, and he has not forgotten a single word.

"The machine borrows the intelligence and the words of the people it talks with, and little by little learns how to place responses in the correct context of a conversation," Rollo Carpenter, an expert in artificial intelligence and the person who conceived of George, explained to AFP.

George has one goal: to make friends on the Internet. He is talkative and persevering. He can re-start lackadaisical conversations ad infinitum and for good reason: the more he speaks, the more relevant his remarks become.

"The percentage of correct answers rises constantly, as the database increases," Carpenter said. "The more that is added, the more he is able to distinguish between several choices of answers."

The first chatbot, albeit a basic version, was created in the 1980s, but there are now a growing number of them on the Internet with names ranging from Billy and Alice to Chomskybot and the John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project, an attempt to recreate the personality of the late Beatle.

A selection can be found http://www.botspot.com/pages/chatbots.html.

But George's inventors say he is the forerunner of a coming generation of talking robots which inventors and marketing experts hope will unlock vast commercial possibilities.

Icogno, Carpenter's company, is talking with marketing experts who say avatars will soon be able to suggest customers' purchases at supermarkets, using their previous purchases to determine tastes and interests.

Another possibility being considered in the medium term: call centres, where just one avatar could respond to telephone calls from millions of customers at the same time.

Celebrities may also want to program George's more advanced descendants to make imitations of themselves for their fans, marketing experts forecast.

Another suggestion is the concept of "visual pets", proposed by Tim Child, a partner at Icogno, while for a younger audience there are plans to create teddy bears able to speak with their owners.

The avatars could also be used as video game partners, or play the role of historical characters to illustrate lessons in class.

Is George the pioneer of a generation of avatars to be used by childrens' teachers? Carpenter thinks so, insisting "the interactive process is the best means of learning".

-----------------

Now we can have virtual friends.
Onanite

Arlington Pastor Removed From Post After Arrest

Diocese Found Out About June Incident Last Week

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Authorities said some obscene acts on federal land along the GW Parkway in Arlington landed a priest in jail.

The alleged incident took place in June, but the Catholic Diocese of Arlington is just finding out about it.

Franciscan friar the Rev. John J. Marino, 52, has spent time in jail, lost his post as pastor at St. Francis of Assisi and is barred from several parks, News4's Pat Collins reported.

According to court documents, Marino was arrested on June 30 and charged with disorderly conduct, obscene acts. Marino was arrested in Turkey Run Park, not far from a U.S. Park Police substation.

Church officials said no minors were involved in the incident.

In federal court, Marino pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three days in jail, a $300 fine and one year of probation. He also was ordered to stay away from federal parklands in the area.

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington didn't find out about it until a week ago, when the bishop removed Marino from his post.

"The priest did not make the diocese aware of this," said Soren Johnson of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

Pastor Accused Of Having Sex With Teen

MORGANTON, N.C. -- A Winston-Salem pastor now faces charges in Burke County after he was accused of having sex with a young girl in a motel outside Hickory.

Investigators say they believe 45-year-old Gregory Butler Sr. of Emmanuel Apostolic Church brought the 15-year-old girl to the motel 70 miles from the church on at least two occasions during his four-month relationship with her. They said they believe he went there because he lived and possibly preached in the area previously.

Butler was arrested in Winston-Salem on Tuesday afternoon and taken to jail in Morganton. He faces three felony charges, including two counts of statutory rape in Burke County.

Authorities said Butler started a relationship with the teenager two years ago when her family went to him for counseling. He faces five charges in Winston-Salem in connection with the relationship.

Butler had sex with the girl inside the church at least five times between June 2004 and September 2004, police said. He was first arrested in August, but his court case in Winston-Salem was continued because of the new charges in Burke County.

Detectives said the investigation in Burke County is ongoing.

Former youth leader accused of placing camera in camp shower

LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) — The youth director at a La Grande church was arrested on invasion of privacy charges, accused of placing a hidden camera in the girls shower at camp, the church pastor said.

Jacob Hart, 27, was arraigned Monday on misdemeanor charges and released on condition he have no contact with the victims or any minors.

In a statement, Wayne Pickens, senior pastor at First Baptist Church, said the church told authorities that a video had been found on Hart's computer revealing an invasion of privacy, and that Hart told the church he put a camera in the girls shower at Camp Elkanah.

Three violent crimes = DEATH Penalty

I am one of those liberals that believe in the death penalty. I believe some small part of our society does not deserve to live. I have lived through a violent felony assault, and I believe there should be consequences.

1 violent assault conviction, 10 years
2 violent assault charges 20 years
3 violent assault conviction DEATH

Why keep repeat offenders around? They just keep attacking us, doing harm and causing mayhem. Kill the bastards.

I don't want to support them with my tax dollars, they are worthless scum.
They are not reform able, they are SCUM. Kill the bastards.

Onanite

Woman in Wheelchair Shoots Mugger

NEW YORK (AP) - Margaret Johnson's wheelchair might have made her look like an easy target. But when a mugger tried to grab a chain off her neck Friday, the 56-year-old pulled out her licensed .357 pistol and shot him, police said.

Johnson said she was in Harlem on her way to a shooting range when the man, identified by police as 45-year-old Deron Johnson, came up from behind and went for the chain.

"There's not much to it," she said in a brief interview. "Somebody tried to mug me, and I shot him."

Deron Johnson was taken to Harlem Hospital with a single bullet wound in the elbow, police said. He faces a robbery charge, said Lt. John Grimpel, a police spokesman.

Margaret Johnson, who lives in Harlem, has a permit for the weapon and does not face charges, Grimpel said. She also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and later released.

-----------------

All I can say is RIGHT ON Sister!
Onanite

Cute Boy

Pastor convicted on child molestation charges

BAKERSFIELD - A jury has convicted a self-proclaimed pastor of child molestation charges.

The third trial for Leonard Pollin Simental ended this morning with the felony conviction that could mean an eight-year sentence for the 45-year-old.

The jury also split on a second felony count.

When he was arrested in 2004, Simental told investigators he was pastor at a World of Life Worship Center on Bernard Street in East Bakersfield. Leaders at that church disputed the title "pastor," but acknowledged he had been associated with the community outreach ministry there.

In the first case, he was accused by a girl he met at a church function. He was acquitted of those charges, but another girl accused him of a separate series of sexual acts. He came to trial on those charges, but the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Then yet another victim came forward, leading to the charges on which Simental was convicted this morning.

He is set to be sentenced Oct. 5. A hearing Sept. 15 will determine if and when he will be retried on the case on which the jury hung up this morning.

Right Wing Whackos

Let’s face it; if you go to any site with balanced news coverage you see them there. The right wing Ann Coulter whackos. They seem to lurk around balanced news reporting agencies and just pounce on any article or story that tells the truth about Bush and the Iraq war.

I have studied, for a few years, the early days of Nazism in Germany, and ya know what? It looks a lot like the propaganda ya get off of Fox News here in the good ole' USA. Hitler loved to call anyone who was not a Nazi unpatriotic. Sounds like the Bush administration today.

We have a chance this November to reverse this BS, and head back to the America we all love, instead of a theocracy like Iran. This may be our last chance.

Onanite

5 religious leaders charged in child sex scandal in Ozarks

Commune members who fled said abuse part of ceremonies

10:47 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Associated Press

WASHBURN, Mo. – Turning their backs on the isolated religious commune in the rugged Ozarks where many had grown up, a group of members fled with only the clothes on their backs, trudging several miles down a gravel road to the nearest phone to call friends or family for help.

A woman in the group soon told a sheriff's deputy horrific stories of how the compound's leaders had molested girls as part of religious ceremonies during which they were told their bodies were being prepared for "service to God."

That was the beginning of a child sex scandal that has ensnared five leaders from two affiliated churches and cast a spotlight on a remote corner of the Ozarks that has long been home to spiritual communes, sheltered by deep oak woods, steep hills and a culture in which people keep to themselves.

"It's a shock, a sickening kind of shock. It's not the kind of thing you want to wake up in the morning and hear about," said Linda Hopping, who lives a few miles from one of the backwoods churches but said she had never heard of it before now.

The five defendants are accused of molesting five girls in all. More alleged victims have come forward since charges were filed in mid-August, and prosecutors said more people will probably be charged.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys refused to comment.

One of those arrested, Pastor George Otis Johnston, 63, called it "angel kisses" when he touched one girl sexually before and after church services, the girl told investigators. Mr. Johnston also allegedly told the girl that "he was ordained by God to fulfill her needs as a woman." The abuse against that girl, prosecutors say, started when she was 8 and lasted until she was 16.

The youngest of the alleged victims was 4 when the abuse started, according to court papers. The molestation occurred as far back as the late 1970s and as recently as April, authorities said.

Mr. Johnston is charged with sodomy and child molestation. Also charged are Mr. Johnston's nephew, the Rev. Raymond Lambert, 51; Mr. Lambert's wife, Patty Lambert, 49; and her brothers Paul Epling, 53, and Tom Epling, 51.

Experts said communal-style religious groups are not uncommon in the Ozarks, with at least half a dozen now in the area.

"You don't find this in New York City, but you do find it in rural areas – tight communities, very close communities. You do not tell outsiders what's going on," said Gary Brock, professor of sociology at Missouri State University in Springfield.

Iraq - How I see it

Well I think it SUCKS and BUSH really fucked up!

Onanite

I fucked up

well I have done it again. My pain medication is out. I forgot that today was a holiday, pharmacies are closed, and I am out of pain medication. It is almost unbearable. I cough, and a knife goes through me. I just sit in a chair, and it is like I am being kicked in the chest everytime I breath.

This sucks

Onanite

Nude teens in Vermont

BRATTLEBORO, Vt.

Looks like teens in this small Vermont town are exercising there rights to bare all. Seems as though the new rebellion is to walk around the main part of town sans clothes.

Some in the town are just ignoring it (I don't really know how you do that) but others in town want a ban on nudity.

Sounds to me as though the kids are just having some fun and if people would leave them alone the practice will just die on it's own this winter.

Read more here.

San Angelo youth minister accused of sex with student

Associated Press

SAN ANGELO, Texas - A former San Angelo youth minister and football coach was being held in the Tom Green County Jail on Thursday after police arrested him on a charge of sexual assault of a child.

Police said they found Trevor Hays Blair, 32, with a 15-year-old girl in a car in a city park early Wednesday. Blair resigned his positions as an assistant pastor at Tree of Life Church and coach of the church-affiliated TLC Academy six-man football team later that day.

Police reports said that an officer found Blair with the TLC Academy student and that the girl initially told police that the two did not have sex but later said they had. Blair told officers they had merely kissed. The girl told police that Blair had called her late Tuesday and asked whether her parents were asleep and then picked her up and took her to the park.

"We're praying for him and his family," Tree of Life Pastor Walt Landers said in a story in Friday's San Angelo Standard-Times. "We're praying for the alleged victim and her family."

Friends of Blair and his wife expressed disbelief over the accusations, the newspaper reported.

Landers said the Tree of Life had no indication that such an allegation involving Blair could occur.