What made you go WTF today?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...36439#35836439

That's such bullshit.

Which part, the skinnydipping in a hottub with a minor 25 years ago, the hush up money, or that the woman is shopping her story around anyway?

That anyone even cares about skinnydipping with a minor 25 years ago. He should have told the woman to shove it up her ass when she asked for the hushup money to begin with.

Can it be all three?

I like lolli's answer better.

The really funny thing is that she signed an NDA when she took the money and has now broken that agreement. I wonder how this will play out.

Spoiler:

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In the midst of his 2002 congressional campaign, Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn paid $150,000 to a woman threatening to go public with a past relationship. In recent days, Cheryl Maher has resurfaced, contacting legislators and reporters about her interaction with Garn, telling a story that a visibly distraught and shaken Garn admitted Thursday is essentially true and potentially damaging to his political career and personal life.

After the House adjourned Thursday night, Garn addressed Maher's allegations directly, saying the incident 25 years ago "was clearly inappropriate and it was my fault."

With his wife Tanya by his side, Garn admitted to the payments and said the news is now coming back to haunt him.

"I expect to suffer public humiliation and embarrassment," he said. "Some lessons are hard to learn. This is something I should've done back in 2002 but I was scared. I did not want to be publicly judged by one of my life's [worst mistakes]."

Maher, in a telephone interview with The Tribune , said "I did not want to lash out and hurt anybody. This has just been a nightmare for me.... I just want to tell the truth because it's part of the healing process for me."

Maher's story is this: In 1985, then 15 years old, Maher worked for then 30-year-old Garn at his business, Pegasus Records and KSG Enterprises.

She said Garn, who was married, struck up a relationship with her and one night took her to a location in Salt Lake City where they hot-tubbed together nude. Maher's life unraveled over the next years, which she attributes to the incident. She has struggled with pills and alcohol and mental health issues.

She said she did not have contact with Garn until 2002 when she learned that he was running for U.S. Congress and was in the middle of a Republican primary.

At the time she was president of her LDS ward's Young Women's group, but she had a pill problem and, by her admission, "was a mess."

Maher made initial contact with reporters and within a few days Garn and his wife, Tanya, had arranged a meeting with Maher and her Mormon bishop. They met and Garn apologized for the incident and a short time later offered her $20,000.

Maher said her husband insisted it was not enough, and she should demand $150,000. Garn said he believed he was being extorted, but paid her the money and had his attorney draft a non-disclosure agreement, where she said she would not go public with her story.

Garn said he was not paying Maher to keep her quiet, but to make amends with someone who believed she had been damaged.

"I treated this no different than any other event in my life ... no different than any other event where someone feels they had been wronged. I would sit down and work it out with them and that's what I did in this case," he said. "Whether there was an election in place or not, that would have been the case."

The two have had little contact since. They met in 2006 when Garn was in Boston, and in 2007 she asked Garn to pay for a trip to Utah for her high school reunion and they met when she was in town.

In 2008, she contacted Garn's eldest son in an e-mail and said that "nothing will stop me from getting exactly what this matter needs, and that is justice and compensation."

Maher, who is going through a difficult divorce and custody battle in New Hampshire, said she doesn't want money from Garn. Instead she is going public with her story now for her own peace of mind and she believes other women have had similar encounters -- a claim that Garn categorically denies.

Now, Garn said, she has violated that confidentiality agreement and is using his public office as leverage over him, although she has not made any demands of him. Garn called Maher this week, but she hung up on him.

Garn admits he made a mistake 25 years ago but had hoped it was in his past.

"I can unequivocally tell you there was no physical contact, there was no touching, there was no intercourse, there was none of those things. It simply did not occur," he said. "I'm not trying to downplay what did occur but I want to make it very plain."

Garn said his wife has been aware of Maher since shortly after his encounter with her and they have moved on. "There is nothing I've held back from my wife."

Maher sent her e-mail to various legislators and House Speaker Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, has seen a copy and discussed the issue with Garn. Garn said he also provided Clark with e-mails that Maher had sent to Garn and his wife apologizing for her behavior.

Garn, who spearheaded legislative ethics reform efforts this session, must file for re-election no later than March 19 if he plans to run again. He said he was not sure what the revelations would do for his political future.

After Garn publicly acknowledged the incident and payments to Maher, Clark praised his colleague.
"I know not of the man you speak of, but I know the man I consider a friend, a leader and an asset to the State of Utah and I would ask our fellow colleagues that our hearts might be open," Clark said.

"We hope you would remain with us," Clark said, to a standing ovation from the representatives and applause and shouts from those in the gallery.

Afterward, dozens of lawmakers lined up to embrace Garn, his wife and various family members.

Quote:

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A 92-year-old woman has been charged with murder following the discovery of her 98-year-old husband's body at their home in Australia, police said.

Officers went to the couple's apartment in the Surry Hills area of Sydney Friday night after being contacted by a relative who was worried about the man, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

In a statement, New South Wales Police said officers "found the man's body in the lounge room of a unit, suffering head wounds.

"A crime scene was established and the man's wife was arrested at the scene."

The woman was later interviewed through an interpreter and charged with murder.

"The man's body has been taken for a post-mortem to formally establish how he died," the police statement added.

The woman is due to appear in a Sydney court Monday.

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Wonder what the old man did to piss her off...

Fresh pet food in refrigerated cases. WTF

I know people love to pamper their pets (I do, too) and the industry rakes in Billions per year. From vets to groomers, dog walkers and doggie day care, treats and toys, to carriers and *clothing*.

But is this going a bit far?

http://www.freshpetselect.com/

Nah.

Strangely, it's offered at many Krogers within 10 miles of my house, but not the two that are closest.

I doubt I'd buy it, anyway - other than as an occasional treat for 'em.

So when granny says she has to choose between her meds or food, eating cat food looks pretty good.

Quote:

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A fraud bust, indeed: Spokane County sheriff's deputies said a woman was hiding nearly $26,000 in her bra when she was booked into jail for investigation of theft. Lukeisha A. Harris was one of three Seattle-area residents arrested Friday as part of an alleged fraud ring. Deputies said they used phony Oregon driver's licenses and counterfeit credit cards to obtain cash advances from Spokane banks.

Sheriff's spokesman Dave Reagan said the three were arrested after a worker at one bank reported that they tried to obtain money using a stolen credit card. The investigators followed the ring to two other banks before making the bust.

Reagan said that during a search at the Spokane County Jail, guards found that the 24-year-old Harris -- who is 6 feet tall and 400 pounds -- had the cash hidden in her bra, along with bank receipts.

It was not immediately known Saturday if Harris or the other suspects had lawyers.

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:bulb:

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Originally Posted by GGT

So when granny says she has to choose between her meds or food, eating cat food looks pretty good.

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There is human food that is cheaper than cat food.

source
What it boils down to is people think they can have clean water and a flawless sewage disposal without spending money on maintenance and repairs.

Tampa's been replacing its network of undeground pipes for the past few years. Bills have gone up about 30-40%, but the big headache are street closures through out the city. I think Verizon collapsed fewer driveways, intersections, and general roadways when they half-assed their way through their fiber network.

Quote:

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Georgia's top court has upheld the state's sex offender registration law, rebuffing a challenge that the stiff requirements are unconstitutional because they require some who have not committed sex crimes to register as offenders.

The Georgia Supreme Court's 5-2 ruling Monday found that it is of "no consequence whether or not one has committed an offense that is 'sexual' in nature before being required to register."

The challenge was brought by Jake Rainer, who pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and robbery in 2001 to robbing a 17-year-old girl after arranging to buy some drugs from her.

He contended he should not have to register as a sex offender because the crime did not involve any sexual activity.

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There's something to be said for not diluting the sex offender registry with non-sexual offenders.

Robbery = bad. Sexual offenses = bad. Therefore, robberies are sexual offenses.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

There's something to be said for not diluting the sex offender registry with non-sexual offenders.

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So if you haven't committed a sexual offense, you still have to register as a sex offender...?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Illusions

So if you haven't committed a sexual offense, you still have to register as a sex offender...?

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Apparently so.

Quote:

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The Georgia Supreme Court's 5-2 ruling Monday found that it is of "no consequence whether or not one has committed an offense that is 'sexual' in nature before being required to register."

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What, are they auditioning to write for the Onion?

A slightly better article about it:

Quote:

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The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a provision of the state's sex-offender registry law that requires some people who have not committed sex crimes to register as sex offenders.

Under the law, those convicted of kidnapping or false imprisonment of a minor must register as a sex offender, whether or not a sexual crime was involved.

The challenge was brought by Jake Rainer, convicted in 2000 in Gwinnett County of a drug robbery.

Rainer, then 18, and his co-defendants picked up a 17-year-old girl who was going to sell them some marijuana. Instead of buying it, they drove her to a cul-de-sac, took the pot and left her.

Rainer pleaded guilty to robbery and false imprisonment. Because of the latter conviction, he has had to register as a sex offender, meaning he cannot live or work within 1,000 feet of places where children congregate, such as parks, schools and swimming pools.

Writing for a 5-2 majority, Justice Harold Melton rejected Rainer's arguments that the provision, as applied to him, was cruel and unusual punishment. Sex offender registry laws, Melton wrote, "are regulatory, not punitive, in nature."

"Because the registration requirements themselves do not constitute punishment, it is of no consequence whether or not one has committed an offense that is 'sexual' in nature before being required to register," Melton wrote.

The law also advances a legislative goal of requiring the state to inform the public for purposes of protecting children from those who would harm them, Melton said.

Writing in dissent, Chief Justice Carol Hunstein said that although registration as a sex offender may not be considered punishment, "it is no mere administrative formality or minor inconvenience."

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"Because the registration requirements themselves do not constitute punishment, it is of no consequence whether or not one has committed an offense that is 'sexual' in nature before being required to register," Melton wrote.

That is just...

Registering isn't punitive, huh...riiiiiight.

Georgia, huh. Time for some tasteless southern jokes?

Quote:

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The law also advances a legislative goal of requiring the state to inform the public for purposes of protecting children from those who would harm them, Melton said.

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Maybe they should register all the mosquitoes in the state as sex offenders..they harm children.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crowheart

Maybe they should register all the mosquitoes in the state as sex offenders..they harm children.

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Mall Santas too. Who other than a sick deviant would entice a child to sit on their lap with the promise of toys and then lie to them about their identity?

Absolutely.

Who wasn't seen a Mall Santa imprison a child against his will too?..:o

EDIT: Oh, and since parents buy pictures of said offense in the act, that makes them child pornographers, and they should register too.

source

The Iranian leadership has called the most Iranian of festivals haram.

Wondering why no one has put up a thread about the Catholic Church and its pedophilia "scandal". WTF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GGT

Wondering why no one has put up a thread about the Catholic Church and its pedophilia "scandal". WTF

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Maybe because it's not like priests molesting little boys is something new for the Catholic Church? If you wanted to discuss it, there is very little reason why you couldn't make a thread.

We're not overflowing with practicing Catholics on this board: I certainly am not one anymore and I'm pretty sure Spawneh isn't; I'm not sure about Chacha, but I think that if he does go to mass at all it would just be going through the motions.

With that being the case, and the "scandal" just being another occasion where it will be publicly talked about before being ignored again, I don't see why you are surprised no one wants to rehash the same shit.

Make a thread if you want to play.

I'm reading about disaffected scientologists. It's entertaining. But they do some fucked up crazy shit.

http://www.exscientologykids.com/

Because the Pope is involved. I won't make another thread, done enough damage that way. :haha:

fracking is an actual word...