Birdsong's Law Blog

Birdsong brings you more weird criminal law stories from around the country.  Enjoy.

Terre Haute, IN.  Three men and three women at an Indiana prison have been charged with sneaking through a hole in the ceiling to have sex with each other.  Having found a security camera blind spot, the inmates would climb into the ceiling, drink homemade hooch, play cards and do the deed.

Birdsong just cannot stay away from those weird criminal law stories.  They are all over the wire services and in the papers.  And, they are all true. Enjoy.

England:  A British woman says a new bra saved her life after a teen mugger tried to stab her in the chest – and the blade got caught on the underwire.  It wasn’t until she handed her clothes over to the cops that Vicky Parsons realized the underwire on the bra had taken the brunt of the blow.

Wow, that what we call a wonder bra!

Brazil: A Brazilian woman riding in a hearse with a coffin carrying her husband was killed when the vehicle was rear-ended by a speeder, propelling the coffin into her. 

Birdsong has been proud to showcase over the last few weeks  some of the poems and writings of his daughter Krystal who passed away in September.  Krystal was a very intelligent girl and an excellent writer.  Birdsong misses her so!  Here is a longer piece Birdsong found in one of her composition books.  It was written during her last semester of high school.  Although I do not truly know what was on her mind, I wish to share her thoughts with a wider world. Enjoy.

Birdsong’s  refugee law student Jessica Darnell  has had the opportunity to work on immigration and refugee matters while a Barry  law student.  Ms. Darnell wil graduate in May 2009,  and  plans to spend her legal career devoted to work involving immigration, asylum and gender matters.  Her research which Birdsong oversaw last semester concerns the phenomonem of “Honor Killing.”  It is quite an interesting topic.  Ms. Darnell argues in her paper, which she has given me permission to post here, that the threat of honor killing provides potential victims the opportunity to make asylum claims in the United States.  Read and enjoy.

HONOR KILLING: A Misclassification under the Gender Nexus.

Jessica L. Darnell

Fall 2008

I.          INTRODUCTION.

            On August 20, 1997 Marzouk Ahmed Abdel-Rahim decapitated his daughter and paraded her head down a Cairo neighborhood street.[1]  His daughter, Nora Marzouk Ahmed, had eloped and was enjoying her honeymoon. [2]  Before surrendering to police Marzouk Ahmed Abdel-Rahim told onlookers, “Now, the family has regained its honour.”[3]

            On April 6 1999, Samia Sarwar, died instantly when she was shot in the head close range while visiting her divorce attorney.[4]  Samia had been married to her abusive cousin for ten years when she pleaded with her family for permission to divorce.[5]  Samia’s family permitted her to return home but refused to consent to divorce.[6]  In March 1999 Samia’s parents went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and Samia fled to a shelter and sought out an attorney.[7] 

            Samia’s family, like most traditional Orthodox Muslim families, considered divorce shameful.[8]  When Samia

You want weird criminal law stories?  Birdsong’s got ‘em.  Read them and chuckle.

Akron, OH: There appear to be blue states and then there are booze states.  An election night party in Akron turned ugly after the promoters offered a free drink for every state Barack Obama won.  Obama nabbed 28 states plus Washington, D.C. The staggeringly drunken crowd rioted – resulting in a bouncer being shot.

Oh my…democracy at work…sometimes a dangerous thing!

Fairbanks, AK:  A motorist in Fairbanks was so drunk that he claimed he had no idea he was driving a stolen car until he was pulled over.