COP SHOOTS PARTNER
"An arrest warrant has been issued for Ronald Jay Dupuis, a former Hamtramck police officer who allegedly used his Taser stun gun on his partner. "
(WXYZ, unearthed by Bill Messick)

MEET THE "DOMINIONISTS"!
"The Dominionists -- biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government are pressing an agenda that makes Newt Gingrich's Contract With America look like the Communist Manifesto. "
(ROLLING STONE)

BAH HUMBUG!!!
Washington State Police are celebrating the Christmas season by dressing up like the homeless to trap motorists who are not wearing a seat belt. The trick works so well that a trooper in Pierce County issued tickets at the rate of $760 an hour on Saturday.The officer, who was not in uniform, wore a cardboard sign around his neck reading, "Happy Holidays, Buckle Up." Charitable drivers passing by would offer him money to buy food.
(COLUMBIAN, unearthed by Brent Gourley)

NOW THIS IS TAILGAITING!
Police in Tampa busted a 40-foot motor homeconverted into a strip club on wheels, offering alcohol and lap dances to football fans outside the stadium before kickoff of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
Six women performed lap dances inside the motor home, charging $20 to $40 depending on whether they danced topless or totally nude, police said Tuesday. The vehicle, adorned with a sign for strip club Deja Vu, was parked across the street from Raymond James Stadium.
(AP, unearthed by Joel Sogol)

PLAINTIFFS SOUGHT TO ATTACK DRUG POLICY
"Students for Sensible Drug Policy, one of the largest student organizations in the country, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, is seeking plaintiffs for a lawsuit challenging the law that denies federal financial aid to students convicted of drug offenses. Since taking effect in 2000, more than 175,000 students have been deprived of aid under the drug provision of the Higher Education Act (HEA), often for minor offenses such as possession of marijuana."
(DARE GENERATION BLOG, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

KATRINA MADE WORSE BY POLITICAL INFIGHTING
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) delivered a message that stunned aides to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D), who were frantically managing the catastrophe that began two days earlier when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
White House senior adviser Karl Rove wanted it conveyed that he understood that Blanco was requesting that President Bush federalize the evacuation of New Orleans. The governor should explore legal options to impose martial law 'or as close as we can get,' Vitter quoted Rove as saying, according to handwritten notes by Terry Ryder, Blanco's executive counsel."
(WASHINGTON POST)