The three Catholic bishops of Colorado have come out publicly and endorsed lifting the criminal statute of limitations involving sexual abuse of minors. However, they still don’t want victims to file civil lawsuits for these crimes. The bishops continue to fight against victims’ access to civil remedies for the harm done to them. It seems to me that the bishops’ policy is short sighted. Our justice system recognizes that victims should be able address injustice criminally and civilly. Their stance doesn’t serve justice. It does protect them and the institution from revealing years of cover up and scandal in the handling of priest abusers.
Monthly Archives: March 2006
Orlando Jury Rules Against Cop in Taser Case
In what is thought to be the first Taser lawsuit against a cop, a fedral civil jury found in favor of the plaintiff and awarded him $100,000 in punitive damages. The case stemmed from a June 2003 traffic incident during which Dontray Chaney was pulled out of his car and forcibly thrown to the ground for having an obscured license plate. Originally, he was charged with resisting arrest without violence. The taser came into play after Chaney had been thrown to the ground. The officer, Jonathan Cute then tasered him twice for good measure.
Lead Poisoning Treatment Linked to Deaths in Children
The CDC has linked a drug used to treat lead poisoning with cardiac arrest in children. Hospira, Inc, the maker of the drug Endrate, had no comment after the CDC released its results. Mary Jean Brown, chief of the CDC’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking Endrate is necessary, given its risks and the availability of other treatments.
Endrate is considered a chelating agent which contains compounds which upon entry into the body latch onto metals in the body and carry them through the body until natural elimination.
Tasered 6 year old boy’s Family Sues Police
In an article published in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel parents of a 6 year old boy will sue the police department that fired a taser at the young boy after a confrontation in the school office. First of all, how can you call this a confrontation? How is it possible the police or anyone else for that matter, have to resort to a Taser gun to control a six year old? He’s six years old and a first grader! We can’t have 6 year olds being tasered with 50,000 volts of electricity because they throw a tantrum.
Tequin Study Reveals Blood Sugar Problems
According to a Canadian study to be published March 30th in the New England Journal of Medicine, users of the antibiotic Tequin were 17 times more likely to receive emergency room treatment for hyperglycemia or high blood sugar. If untreated, the condition can be fatal. The antibiotic has been used to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, and gonorrhea.
Chicago Priest Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Abuse
Rev. Daniel McCormack has entered a plea of not guilty to four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of three young boys. The next scheduled hearing in the case is scheduled for April 6 in Cook County. The case gained nationwide notoriety for the manner in which Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago handled the case. According to news reports, confirmed by the Cardinal himself, George didn’t address the allegations for months, leaving in the parish and exposing other youngsters to abuse by his inaction.
In Wake of Taser Death, Community Leaders Want Police Chief Fired
In the wake of Samuel Hair’s death in Fort Pierce, local community leaders are calling for the resignation of police chief Eugene Savage. They’re also calling for the firing of the police officer who fired the taser shot that killed Mr. Hair. In a February 27th letter to the City Manager, the leaders also asked for closer monitoring of those officers who are allowed to use the taser stun gun weapon.
I couldn’t agree more with this approach. Tasers are not being properly used because they’ve been aggressively marketed as a panacea for police officers. Taser International have made exaggerated claims concerning their utility and the police are responding to this marketing effort.
Florida Legislature to Debate Taser Use
There’s a well-balanced, thoughtful editorial in the Palm Beach Post this morning that is worth a read on tasers. The upcoming legislative debate over taser use comes in light of the tragic and unnecessary death of a Ft. Pierce man. Samuel Hair of Fort Pierce was suffering from mental illness not criminal behavior at the time of his death. He was also wearing a pacemaker. Hair had called police for help and they brought him to the emergency room for treatment. That’s when everything went awry.
Celebrex Twice as Likely to Cause Heart Attack
Celebrex, the only remaining Cox-2 inhibitor drug on the market, has been linked to a two-fold increase in the likelihood of causing a heart attack in patients using the drug. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Celebrex, put a black box warning on the product last August. In spite of the warning, the drug remains on the market. The first Celebrex product liability trial will begin in Alabama this June. The plaintiff suffered a stroke after taking Celebrex.
Celebrex Increases Heart Attack Risk Two-Fold, According to Study
New Zealand’s Medical Research Institute has found that Celebrex users are nearly twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those taking other arthritis drugs, commonly known as Cox-2 inhibitors. Last August, Pfizer, the manufacturer of Celebrex, put a “black box” warning on the drug yet Celebrex stayed on the market. The black box warning is the most severe of the labels placed on pharmaceutical drugs. Celebrex remains the only Cox-2 inhibitor still on the market today.