Don't forget to vacate

Well, I suppose one doesn't forget to vacate the premises after they've been evicted or their lease expires. Arkansas has the 'failure to vacate' law that in fact imprisons those who don't pay rent. That's all fine and dandy for landlords, but the issue is open to abuse. That's raised the profile of the law with human rights groups.

“Making matters considerably worse, the law strongly discourages accused tenants from pleading not guilty. Those who do are required to deposit the total amount of rent they allegedly owe with the court, which they forfeit if they are found guilty. Tenants who are unable to deposit the rent amount but plead not guilty anyway face substantially harsher fines and up to 90 days in jail. Tenants who plead guilty face none of this.”

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1zA4N)

To and fro on abortion

THe left doesn't know what the right is doing. Well the right has won their fair share of victories, but today they took one step forward and were dealt a blow on the other (that's a 'blow' in their opinion. Prochoice proponents wouldn't feel the same way.) The Senate approved a bill to ban most abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, a move that would prohibit the procedure as early as five weeks into pregnancy. The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill 26-8. Around the same time the House failed to clear a bill in committee that would public money from funding abortions under the federal health reform law. The Republican sponsored measure would prevent insurance companies from using tax money in offering abortion coverage under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. No insurance companies in the United States cover elective abortions.

Foster care legislation change in Arkansas

new legislation will now change the approach the Department of Human Services (DHS) handles abuse cases for children in foster care. Arkansas is the first state in the country to begin a new approach. Now, nny sort of neglect could mean your child is sent to foster care. The new legislation could allow DHS workers flexibility in responding to the child's needs, in many cases using a federal waiver to keep children at home. The new measure does not apply to instances of sexual or physical abuse.

Trayvon Case in Arkansas?

Under Florida law, a person who is attacked in any place where he or she has a right to be “has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force”. Shoot first, ask questions later. Stand your ground also has forms in other states. According to Legal Community Against Violence, 25 states — including every Southern state except Arkansas — have laws that generally allow the use of deadly force outside the home. Seven other states have laws allowing deadly force in specific locations away from home. Arkansas law allows a person to use deadly force in self-defense without the duty to retreat only in the person’s home or on the curtilage, defined as the land immediately surrounding the home. Away from the home and curtilage, a person in Arkansas “may not use deadly physical force in self defense if he or she knows that he or she can avoid the necessity of using deadly physical force with complete safety.” The protection for people who use deadly force on the curtilage was added by the Arkansas Legislature in 2007. Before then, the law permitted the use of deadly force in self defense only in the home.

Adult Students and Teachers Hanky Panky

An Arkansas Supreme Court ruling stated state and local laws cannot forbid sex between teachers and adult students is creating controversy. Twenty-three states have forbidden sexual contact between teachers and students, even if they are more than 18 years old. The notion is most obviously an abuse of authority position. Keep in mind too, the obvious disparity between teachers who are men vs. women (and their opposite 'partner'). The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the U.S. Constitution grants consenting adults privacy rights that cannot be regulated by laws or rules. The case involved a 38-year-old history and psychology teacher named David Paschal who admitted having a five-month sexual relationship with an 18-year-old female student. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The state Supreme Court overturned the conviction. “Regardless of how we feel about Paschal’s conduct, which could correctly be referred to as reprehensible, we cannot abandon our duty to uphold the rule of law when a case presents distasteful facts,” wrote Arkansas Chief Justice Jim Hannah. Now, i do'nt think this opens the door to a deluge of teacher/student relations in high school. The vast majority of teachers I know have loads more sense.

Arkansas Primary

A deadline of 30 days before an election to apply to register to vote; registrants have until Monday, April 23, to register.

Township Constable Fail

I thought you were going to do nothing?! http://www.nlrtimes.com/articles/2011/12/02/maumelle_monitor/local_news/nev004.txt