No pets allowed
When Washington state Senator Ken Jacobsen passes to the next life, he wants to be buried with his deceased cat, Sam. Just one problem — it’s illegal.
So Jacobsen is working on behalf of himself and other pet owners who would like to be interred with their animals.
He points out that burial with pets is a long-standing human tradition dating to the Egyptian pharaohs.
“I’m tired of the nanny state worrying about me and my cat,” he said.
Jacobsen’s bill would give cemeteries the option of burying owners with their cremated dog or cat as long as a written request is made. The remains could be buried in a grave plot before, during or after their owner’s passing.
Cemetery owners are opposed because some cultures and religions forbid burial near animals.
“The ultimate insult to a Muslim would be to bury a dog or a cat near or around a burial grounds,” an industry spokesman said.
Jacobsen complained that nobody in the Legislature is taking his bill seriously, which he calls an illustration of why he felt a connection with his deceased cat:
“He really was one of my best friends, especially when you get out of this place,” Jacobsen said, referring to the Legislature. “It’s nice to come home and have somebody that likes you.”
— Associated Press
Just another day in the capital city
Attorney Edward Sussman summed up a recent case before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia like this: The facts he was about to describe are “about as bizarre as anyone could imagine.”
The client, Antoine Blalock, was convicted last year for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Blalock drove to a Washington police station, pulled a handgun from the trunk and started firing, shooting in the air outside the station. Five shots. He shouted, according to court records, “The police should leave us alone and let us sell our weed!”
Blalock complied with demands to drop his gun — and he did not stop there. He dropped his pants, standing naked before officers wrapped him up in a towel. Police seized 23 bags of marijuana. Blalock told police he wanted to “throw weed” and shoot the gun to get recognition from a record label. Sussman called the fact pattern “bizarre” at least three times.
Sussman argued that Blalock never had any intention to sell drugs. He compared his client’s behavior to the Washington Nationals. The baseball team, he noted, loses a lot, but the players do not intend to lose when they take the field.
Circuit judges Douglas Ginsburg, Merrick Garland and Brett Kavanaugh peppered Sussman and prosecutor Michael Ambrosino with questions about specific intent as they explored whether Blalock formed his intent at an earlier time and whether that intent could be applied to a future time. Kavanaugh said Blalock could not have intended to sell marijuana at the police station.
— Legal Times
A dirty job
A San Diego judge declared a mistrial in a kidnapping and assault case after the defendant smeared excrement on his lawyer’s face and threw it at jurors.
The judge boosted defendant Weusi McGowan’s bail from $250,000 to $1 million after the incident.
Prosecutor Christopher Lawson said that McGowan was upset because the judge refused to remove public defender Jeffrey Martin from the case.
McGowan had smuggled a bag of feces into court and spread it on Martin’s hair and face before flinging the excrement at jurors.
No jurors were hit.
McGowan has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and other counts in connection with a 2007 home invasion.
— Associated Press
