Free Republic

Manufacturer in Nuremberg sends anti-Semitic mail to owner of Tel Aviv toy store after business deal turns sour. Eti Doron wanted to buy toys from a company in Germany for her store in Tel Aviv, but when the deal fell through she started receiving anti-Semitic letters. Doron provided The Jerusalem Post with emails in which Walter Adler, who identifies as the founder of Hoff-Interieur, a manufacturer based in Nuremberg, calls Jews a disease and praises German poet Günther Grass for saying Israel is a danger to world peace. “We see that you have decided to be a real Jew, not...

A defense lawyer is calling for calm after death threats have been made against teenagers charged in the death of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after she was allegedly bullied by schoolmates. "Not to minimize what happened to Phoebe Prince in any way, but translating this into death threats and public harassment has got to stop," says Colin Keefe, who represents Sharon Chanon Velazquez, accused of tormenting Prince, who hanged herself on Jan. 14. "It's gotten way out of control," adds Keefe, who says Velazquez has been driven temporarily from her home.

Why don't we start a letter writing campaign to the court to encourage them to give solid, real sentences to these monsters and not give them a slap on the wrist? By doing that we'll ensure that justice is done.

The attorney for one of six South Hadley High School students accused of bullying Phoebe Prince in the months leading up to her suicide is asking for highly personal information about her, a move decried by a former prosecutor and victims advocates as “unconscionable.” In a six-page motion filed in Northampton Superior Court, Terrence M. Dunphy, the lawyer for Austin Renaud, asks for the names of any physicians, psychologists or rape counselors Prince saw; any medical and psychological records viewed by the prosecutor; details of any prior allegations of rape or abuse by Prince; and a statement as to whether...

Eliot Spitzer, who stepped down from the governor's office amid scandal, is now strongly considering a run for state comptroller.... Spitzer has in recent weeks had discussions with some Democratic donors and insiders about the position currently held by Tom DiNapoli.... A Democrat who spoke with Spitzer said, "He's seriously thinking about it." "He wants to run if he can," said another source. "He's still talking about it." Gov. Paterson backed the idea.

At the urging of a prominent San Jose lawyer and campaign contributor, Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr personally intervened on behalf of one of his clients, calling the prosecutor in charge and persuading him to reduce the client's charges. Carr says she was just "responding" to attorney James McManis as she would to anyone who called, even a stranger. "That's what public servants do," she said. At the time, she'd received $2,500 from McManis, his wife and his law firm — the maximum allowable before her 2006 election under campaign finance laws. Since then, McManis et al has...

GENEVA (AFP) – Banking details of eight American clients of Switzerland's largest bank have been sent to US authorities, despite a Swiss court order blocking the move, a newspaper said Saturday. The court's ruling Friday apparently came too late, with the information on the eight having been sent along with the names of more than 240 other American clients of UBS, the Tribune de Geneve daily reported. "The information has already arrived in Washington," Alain Bischel, spokesman for Swiss bank regulator FINMA, told the newspaper. The tribunal's order forbade Swiss bank regulator FINMA from giving the plaintiffs' "banking documents to...

Pajama expertise needed: Does anybody have a suggestion on a source for free, open license customer relations management software? I am thinking of something that I can train a precinct manager to use to facilitate voter involvement. I hope to cut down on nuisance contacts with each voter and maximize timely information delivery.

ELKHART -- A 26-year-old social worker was charged this week, accused of seducing a child whose welfare she was supposed to supervise for the LaGrange County Department of Family and Children. Tammy Ross, of Goshen, was charged Monday with felony child seduction in an incident that happened in mid-April in LaGrange County. Child seduction occurs when someone of authority engages in sexual conduct with a person who is at least 16 years old but younger than 18. A 17-year-old boy told a sheriff's deputy in May that he had been sexually involved with Ross, who was his case worker, according...

We are now a client state Britain has lost its sovereignty to the United States David Leigh and Richard Norton-Taylor Thursday July 17, 2003 The Guardian Britain has by now lost its sovereignty to the United States and has become a client state. As Tony Blair flies in to Washington today to be patted on the head by the US Congress, this is the sad truth behind his visit. No surprise, therefore, that the planned award to him of a congressional medal of honour for backing the US invasion of Iraq has been postponed. To be openly patronised in that...

New Internet Computer Co. CEO Gina Smith is leaving the Larry Ellison-backed Web-surfing gadget company she helped launch, CNET News.com has learned. Ellison's NIC Co. is one of the last players in the once-promising market for low-cost alternatives to the PC. The category attracted large names such as Sony, 3Com and Gateway, as well as start-ups such as Netpliance, all of which have stopped selling the devices over the past two years. Smith, a former technology reporter for ABC News and CNET, was Ellison's choice to head the company, of which he is chairman and majority owner. The company's namesake...