:
Around Florida:
"DEMONIC" PLAY QUASHED -

High school students in Walton County FL were going to put on a performance of Noel Coward's play Blithe Spirit, but a group calling themselves Concerned Walton County Parents complained last month that the content could hurt students’ views on monogamous relationships and encouraged exploration of witchcraft and the occult.

"This is nothing but a demonic action that is happening and reaching and spreading through our schools," said Destin Assembly youth pastor Brad Odom, who hadn’t read
the play.

The students' attempted project has been stopped.

:: Previously ::

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:
MORE TWISTS & TURNS (4#) -
The Bob Allen Case -

Just when you thought it was settled . . .

Bob Allen was sentenced Thursday with a fine and probation; and he was banned from the Space View Park.

On Friday morning at 8:25am a threat was posted on the comment thread for the article describing his sentence at his local newspaper, Florida Today. It was supposedly from a member of his home owners' association, warning him that they would try to force him and his family out of their home.

"on behalf of the windover farms home owner's association of titusville, we don't want you on the board, bob. we don't even want you to live here. hopefully, when your man-wife divorces you, you'll have to sell the house."

And then, on Friday afternoon, Bob Allen resigned.

"Due to the requirements of my family and private life, and in order to seek justice in the upcoming appeal process, I regretfully would like to inform you that I will need to resign my elected position as the Legislator for House District 32, effective February 15, 2008..."

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+ What follows is my reaction.

I've been through about three phases in my reaction to this case. First, I thought the case against him was poppycock. Then, it seemed to me that it was somehow fishy, not based on the court transcripts, which I haven't read, but based on the Media coverage of the proceedings.

Once he was sentenced and since yesterday afternoon, I have developed some suspicions that maybe this was an actual setup. The situation seems like a scenario in some ways. I am not usually much of a conspiracy buff, but I have to wonder about the various elements in this situation and how they all are fit together.

For example: PO Kavanaugh, we are led to believe, while assigned to a burglary operation, spontaneously decided to go to a Men's Toilet to investigate suspicious behavior.

*Kavanaugh got approval to investigate, but was not recording the exchange because he wasn't planning a prostitution sting.*

Yeah, r-i-i-i-ght! This has about Zero in Credibility. When this case started, the Prosecution indicated that they had all kinds of evidence in the form of videotape from surveillance cameras and audiotape. But, it turned out, there is no such concrete evidence that supports the officer's story. And what other kind of "suspicious" behavior would probably be occurring in a Men's Toilet - reading too fast?

But, by this afternoon, another question floated to the top of the list of questions. Just how "spontaneous" was Kavanaugh's decision?

Or was this actually a pre-arranged ambush?

These questions and others still linger.

...

:
FAR OUT (2#) -

# "Wildlife officers were back in Baker County FL on Thursday trying to confirm new sightings of a large, hairy primate running loose in the woods."

# TOURIST ASSIST: *Reports out of Russia indicate that a battery-powered motorised suitcase which automatically follows its owner will be on the market in 2009.*

:: Lost Luggage Fix ::

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:
Bookish: TOUGH TRAVELS (2#) -

# Florida writer & detective Jim Born from
Palm Beach County dropped in on the more
mysterious aspects of the Miami Book Fair
and describes his journey, bringing back
some snapshots, too. [blog]

# John Banville reviews
The Big Book of Pulps, a compilation of
writings from the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction.

...

:
Florida:
MILITANTS ATTACK
KIDS' EATERY (3#) -

# ORLANDO: Two masked men with an AK-47 assault rifle stormed into an Orange County Chuck E Cheese's restaurant for children and terrorized employees during a robbery, according to investigators.

"to target a place where there are kids, it shows these guys are pretty much domestic terrorists."

***********************************
# RUSKIN: "A trailer containing a church's stockpile of Thanksgiving meals for the needy was discovered stolen this morning."

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# ST PETE ARSON SPREE: "An arsonist who set nine fires in western St. Petersburg in less than four hours beginning late Sunday struck again Monday night, police and fire officials say."

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:
KHYBER PASS: Area Update (multi links) -

# The Pakistani Army has taken over
command in Swat from the Frontier Corps.

# They have brought in helicopter gunships. Their target Tuesday, according to this report, was the area around the village of Sambit where militant followers of Maulana Fazlullah have established positions.

# Authorities have imposed an all-night curfew in the North West Frontier Province where the Pakistani Army has been battling an insurrection loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric.

# The militants have now taken over Alpuri, the District HQ of Shangla Tuesday night. It is located adjacent to Swat. And a grassroots report.

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# PESHAWAR (APP): One person was killed when an explosive device went off inside an Internet cafe in the densely populated Gulbahar area Tuesday afternoon, police said... The explosion is the second of its nature in Gulbahar during last 48 hours. This bomb exploded around 2:30pm in the Nihar Net Cafe near the Gulbahar Police Station.

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# Notable Op-Ed by
Haider Mullick (Brookings)
Clear and present danger

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# From Letters to the Editor:

Governor hunting trip!!!!!!!!!!
I was shocked to read this news
item that NWFP Governor is on
hunting trip in Sindh Province...

+ Yeah, so was I.
An expatriate reader emails from where he is stewing in New York, and there is steam coming out of his ears. Great letter! Don't miss it.

...

:
DIZZY IN VIERA:
Bob Allen Case update -

As of the last entry* I posted on this case, it appears that ASA Pat Whitaker, the Prosecutor, transposed the "Hooker" and the "John" in his indictment. I've never heard of this happening before, so I have no idea what recourse the Defense has to remedy this.

*Ref: WHEN MR BUFF SAYS
HE'S HOOKING posted Nov 11th.

According to this morning's article at Florida Today, Allen's attorney, Greg Eisenmenger, is expected to file "a slew" of papers today.

My main concern here is: if Eisenmenger files appeals to the same court, they can also fail to sort out the "Hooker" from the "John" and will simply endorse the original mix up. What purpose would that serve? I don't see how that would accomplish anything.

Let's wait and see what the lawyer comes up with.

***********************************
On another front, the Orlando Sentinel has a
thoughtful editorial on the Allen situation dated today.

...

:
Bookish: MURKY (2#) -

# Library Journal's November compendium of upcoming Mystery Novels. The last one is by Peter Robinson, scheduled to debut this coming Jan '08: Friend of the Devil, published by Morrow in hard cover. [via Sara Weinman]

# Ever hear of Suburban Noir?

Well, ready or not, this is the English variety
which got a good review at the UK Telegraph:

*Then his brother, Leo, is killed in a car crash, and Charlie finds himself drawn into investigating what Leo was up to before his death: why did he spend his last few weeks posing as a private detective and hunting for a missing dog called Charles Laughton? ... Both thrilling and funny, this novel is a joy.*

-- Rain Dogs and Love Cats by Andrew Holmes
:: reviewed :: by Jake Kerridge.

...

:
FROM BEYOND THE KHYBER PASS (5#) -

# Over the weekend, three reporters from the UK Telegraph were expelled from Pakistan after they were accused of using "foul and abusive language" against the country and its leadership.

# Things seem to be spinning out of control in Pakistan? Not to worry, as our Nukes for Nuts Update clearly illustrates: "The United States has developed contingency plans to safeguard Pakistani nuclear assets if the current political turmoil allows extremists to get hold of the weapons" ... [but] the situation "could get very messy." Just messy, that's all.

# The Frontier Corps has announced that there is no truth in recent rumors regarding the capture of Frontier Corps' officers and men in the Swat area.

# Peshawar: The Cyber Point Internet Cafe on Ishrat Cinema Road in the Gulbahar-4 neighborhood was bombed on Sunday. The owner, who was on a meal break at the time, was injured, and his business assets seriously damaged. There's a photo of it on the front page of The Frontier Post this morning... looks like it's in shambles.

# From an unusually informative
editorial, although written in a picturesque style:

Isn't it appalling that as on his own domain headhunting ferociously are prowling savage predators, the NWFP governor was just out in Sindh, himself shooting birds? His hunting excursion may not be begrudged. But his domain is aflame visibly... Although the administration is keeping the region shut on media, news does filter through that curtain to reach out to the outside world...

+ You bet it does! Urge you
to read this if you have time.

...

:
WHEN MR BUFF SAYS HE'S HOOKING -

The Bob Allen Case is beginning
to look fishier and fishier every day.

"Can you
hook me up with $20?" Daniel Kavanaugh asked.

After openly admitting in court testimony that he was hooking (aka soliciting or prostituting himself), Daniel Kavanaugh, who looks like a refugee straight off Christopher Street and could easily be mistaken for a member of the Village People, is completely ignored - even though he actually used the word "hook." Instead, the jury convicts Porky, the 300 pound zhlub of hooking.

This simply doesn't make any sense. Surely, there is some explanation for this. Unfortunately, I don't have it. I do, however, have some questions:

Does Daniel Kavanaugh have any connections to any Gay Lobby groups? And did such a group pay him to "hook" for them? Did any Gay Lobby group pay Kavanaugh to bring down this politician who expressed a position on some issue which they oppose?

Daniel Kavanaugh was not supposed to be "hooking" on that fateful day; instead, he had been assigned to chase burglars. Thus, he and his colleagues were dressed in hoodies or some such, just hanging around the park. And the crime they caught Allen at: he was staring at them.

If you don't want people to stare at you, the solution is very simple. Pull your pants up and quit displaying the crack in your ass; and avoid wearing hoodies.

I believe there are some questions that still need to be raised about this case and issues which need further examination.

...