Self-Help Guru Charged With Manslaughter
“Self-help guru James Arthur Ray says it was all a tragic accident when his followers began collapsing one by one in a sweat lodge at his retreat, with three of them dying. As unfortunate as the ordeal was, he says the participants knew about the risks the ceremony presented.
Prosecutors say it’s a blatant case of manslaughter by a man who recklessly crammed dozens of people in a 400-square-foot sweat lodge and chided them for wanting to leave, even as people were vomiting, getting burned by hot rocks and lying lifeless on the ground.
The ceremony was intended to be almost a religious awakening and the highlight of Ray’s “Spiritual Warrior” retreat. About halfway through the ceremony, people began feeling ill, vomiting and collapsing. Three people who never regained consciousness died at hospitals — Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.; James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. Eighteen others were hospitalized.
The sweat lodge was built in 2008 specifically for Ray’s event and used numerous other times without incident. What happened inside of the pitch-black structure last October depends on who you ask.
Some participants said Ray highly encouraged them to stay inside, scolded them for leaving and ignored repeated pleas for help. His attorneys say participants were free to leave as they pleased and Ray was unaware of any problems until after the two-hour ceremony ended.”
Read more at The Guardian (Thanks Tammy)
Man Says Police Destroyed Mystical Powers
“An Oregon man claims in a lawsuit Idaho police destroyed the mystical powers of a medicine bag when they opened it during his drunken driving arrest in August.
Craig Clark Show, 49, of Portland said the bag provided protection, had been blessed by a medicine woman and had remained closed since 1995, the Sandpoint (Idaho) Bonner County Daily Bee reported Friday.
The suit seeks $25,000 in damages.
Show was stopped on U.S. Highway 95 in Granite Hill while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a test revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.16, police said. ”
Read more at UPI (thanks, SuZi)
Illinois Politician Claims Atheist Sign Is ‘Hate Speech’
“William J. Kelly, a Chicago Republican, is suing the Illinois Secretary of State for allowing an atheist sign to be placed next to a nativity scene in the state capitol.
The sign read: “At the time of the winter solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is just a myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds,” according to the federal complaint filed last Thursday.
Kelly, who is running for the Republican nomination for state comptroller, tried to turn the sign face-down when he saw it during a visit to the Capitol on December 23, 2009, but Capitol police escorted him from the building, banned him for the day and filed an incident report, according to a CBS 2 report. ”
Read more at Huffington Post
Polish Priest Checks Fingerprints For Mass Attendance
“A Polish priest has installed an electronic reader in his church for schoolchildren to leave their fingerprints in order to monitor their attendance at mass, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily said on Friday.
The pupils will mark their fingerprints every time they go to church over three years and if they attend 200 masses they will be freed from the obligation of having to pass an exam prior to their confirmation, the paper said.”
Read more at Reuters (thanks, Tammy)
Ireland Accused Of Lying To Women About Abortion
“The Irish government came under increasing pressure to overhaul its ban on abortion today, after it was accused of exposing women to “grossly misleading” information about the procedure.
According to Human Rights Watch, Irish legislation – under which women who have an abortion in Ireland face a life sentence in prison if prosecuted – is putting women’s health at risk and exposing them to deliberate misinformation from rogue pro-life agencies.
Women have been told they may become infertile, require a hysterectomy or possibly need a colostomy bag after an abortion by agencies that target women seeking advice about unwanted pregnancies, says the report.”
Read more at The Guardian
