Birdsong's Law Blog

Birdsong continues to troll the wire services for more of those weird criminal law stories that you love reading.  Dig these:

Pittsburgh, PA: it can be said that these two entrepreneurs were not a bunch of whizzes — or were they? The two pleaded guilty in federal court for selling a device called a “Whizzinator” that helped cheaters pass drug tests.  The device was a prosthetic penis, in various skin colors that came with a heating element and fake urine.  NFL running back Onterrio Smith in 2005 was caught with one of the devices at an airport security screening.

Bet getting caught “pissed him off.”

Framingham, MA:  police in a Massachusetts city are scratching their heads after repeatedly finding chunks of butcher-quality meat lying around the town square. 

The Hobbs Act is posted herewith for use by Birdsong’s White Collar Crime students when we discuss Extortion and Bribery in Week 7 of the Syllabus.

§ 1951. Interference with commerce by threats or violence

(a) Whoever in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion or attempts or conspires so to do, or commits or threatens physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to do anything in violation of this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

(b) As used in this section–

As many of you know Birdsong’s youngest child, Krystal, passed away last September.  The family has been heartbroken at her untimely demise.  However, we have discovered some of her journals where she kept her poems, musings, and other writings.  I enjoy sharing her writings with a wider world.  Here are a couple of poems we found.

FREE  FALL

Tree wind air sick love birds dust dirt flinging clearing soothing warm wishful teary-eyed waiting loathing

leather woven feels good positive light not heavy feathers boyfriend stopped being head orange full faking sabotage 20 minutes lame-lamo coffee Starbucks Hell heaven angels

Mother black evil don’t hold back revile, despair, stress real living breathing relaxing to feel “just free fallin’ ” earth fire planet trees green chipmunkettes not yet misery WAITING sleepy proud humble esteem less listless restless tired tattoos burning fire kitty-cat neglect complete understanding wonderful spiritual breathing leaving want-to stop

Can’t breathe blinking I.Q “lord of champions” worse narcissus fragrances tout childhood grill goodnight!

Krystal Birdsong  6/10/02

STUCK

Something gets stuck and jams the gears.

Then my heart beats as would a primitive wanderer’s in the dead of winter with the gears locked pressure builds up in

Birdsong has only lately come to learn that there have been about 300,000 child soldiers who have fought in wars and rebellions across the world since the 1990′s.  Birdsong’s student, Shelya Nieves, has researched the problems of child soldiers and the problems they present in the context of refugee law.  She has written an outstanding paper on the subject that she has allowed me to post on the blog.  You will find this information very enlighting.