Kenny Chesney - Right or Wrong?

You know, when I first read that Kenny Chesney was all over the way he won his 4th Entertainer of the Year Award, I thought "idiot ... now I understand why Renee Zellweger dumped this guy...."

In case you missed it, Chesney said (according to Reuters), "I don't think it's right that they picked the one award that means the most, that all artists sacrificed the most for, and turned it into ... a sweepstakes, to seeing who can push people's buttons the hardest on the Internet. It's a complete disrespect of the artists. I think because of that it really diminishes the integrity of the work."

Then I thought about it, considered the whole, boring (and am I the only one who wonders if American Idol is rigged) American Idol finale this week, and I've decided he's right.

Lawyers know who the good lawyers are -- artists would be the best to pick the cream of their crop, too.

Right vs Wrong -1: TMZ Identifying Underage Sex Crime Victim is WRONG

Things are muddy and getting muddier in our society, and there are times when lines should be drawn in the sand and kept there. Here's one of them.

Earlier this week, TMZ not only reported on the alleged sexual relationship between a female adult, age 22, and a 14 year old boy - they posted his name and published his photograph.

What was the big draw for TMZ? The boy's father is a famous Academy-Award winning movie star, with an even-more-famous ex-wife (with her own Oscar, by the way).

What does TMZ's Harvey Levin say about this? According to AP, Levin's response is: "[t]he story speaks for itself."

Well, Mr. Levin - that's not passing muster - in fact, your response seems a tad smug to me. Shame on you.

Minor children need to be protected, and I for one, predict that TMZ (along with its owner, TimeWarner) gets sued by the parents of this boy, on his behalf. In fact, I would applaud the filing of such a lawsuit.

Why? It seems apparent that having to pay big bucks seems extremely appropriate here as a way of communicating that it's just plain wrong to reveal the names of minor children who have been victims of sex crimes. This is the very essence of allowing punitive damages in our judicial system, by the way.

While things are pretty murky in our country these days, there are still some bright lines on what we'll tolerate - and what we won't. Protecting children seems a no-brainer, even if there's a celebrity factor and even if it's a teenage boy - presumably a 9th grader - who may think it's cool to have a 22-year-old girlfriend.

How long will this boy be used before someone stands up for him?

A Unique Solution to the Overcrowded Prison Problem

In South Texas, a woman weighing 1000 pounds (that's not a typo) has been arrested for capital murder. Where's she going to be incarcerated? The officials have no answer for that -- they say they'd have to remove a wall to her bedroom to get her out of there, so right now the judge has released her on a personal recognizance bond.

The mind reels at the due process considerations here. Where will the hearings be held? The trial? If she's found guilty, where will she be placed? Permanent house arrest? Looks like she's already done that to herself.

Still, I can already hear it: let's force feed other prisoners ....

I GOT A NIGERIAN 419 SCAM LETTER with a $4921 Check!!!!

Last week, I wrote an article on these Nigerian Scam Letters, also called Advanced Fee Fraud or 419 Scams - and zowie! In my mailbox yesterday, one arrived.

Scary in how legitimate the check looks, it's very nicely done. Envelope has no return address, a floral postage stamp, and has been mailed from Canada.

The letter tells me that they've been trying oh-so-hard to find me - I've won a lottery! And by the way, I must send them a little over $2000 by Western Union, to cover the taxes which are already past due on my winnings. I need to call some accountant guy immediately -- it's oh so important. The letter actually implies that I'm in trouble with some taxing authority about these lottery winnings.

Yeah, right. I'm turning all this over to the Secret Service. I know what a Spanish Prisoner is, byjiminy.

Oh, and yeah - I did mean the Secret Service, you know, the same guys that protect the President. That's what the FTC instructs (see link below) -- if you get one of these, too, look up your local Secret Service office in your phone book, or surf over to their website to find your closest Secret Service field office.

For more information:

Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alert
United States Secret Service
NigerianScams.Org
Wikipedia - Advance Fee Frauds

Murder of the Pregnant Marine: Would Cesar Laurean Be Extradicted From Mexico?

Of course, here in San Antonio everyone is checking out everyone else -- in grocery store lines, at the gas pump, in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

We're close to Mexico, and we've got a huge Hispanic community as well as a large military population. Cesar would fit right in here.

Does that guy look like Cesar Laurean? What if you discount the red hair and the glasses and the limp, then could it be him? What was the reward again?

Maybe it's because we all remember the manhunt for Jose Del Toro, the young man who left here for Florida to kill San Antonio Quad Mom Sheila Bellush, and made it into Mexico before being found and extradicted.

Yes, a deal was made with Mexico for Del Toro's return - no death penalty. He's currently serving two consecutive life sentences in Florida.

It Took Almost 2 Years to Get Del Toro Extradicted

Over the 20 months that the extradition deal was being negotiated, Del Toro sat in a Mexican prison after being located by Mexican authorities. That negotiation took lots of time, and involved both the U.S. Congress (there was a congressional hearing on the matter) and the Mexican Supreme Court (Del Toro appealed in the Mexican courts) in the decision to allow Del Toro back into U.S. jurisdiction for trial and sentencing. Del Toro's decision to admit guilt was purportedly a factor in his return to the States.

Laurean Might Well Win a Mexican Extradiction Fight

If Cesar Laurean has made it across the border, and if he is discovered in his native Mexico, then it's going to be a big legal fight to get him back here. If Del Toro's case is any gauge, Laurean could be remain in Mexico for a very long time.

I'm thinking that not only will Laurean not take responsiblity for murder, as Del Toro did, but that Laurean is also a Mexican native - which Del Toro was not. Two big factors that might sway the Mexican courts to keep him in Mexico, unlike their Supreme Court decision in Del Toro's case to allow extradiction.