The young man posted that he took the pictures in late July at the statue of a kneeling Jesus in front of the “Love in the Name of Christ” Christian organization in his hometown of Everett.
The criminal charge, which will be heard in family court, consists of “Desecration of a Venerated Object.”
Pennsylvania law defines desecration as “Defacing, damaging, polluting or otherwise, physically mistreating in a way that the actor knows will outrage the sensibilities of persons likely to observe or discover the action.”It's not that deep, let the boy go.
The teen, whose name has not been released, could face up to two years in a juvenile jail if convicted.
"Governor Corbett's refusal to appeal this ruling completes the disenfranchisement of the people of Pennsylvania. For years they have been denied the right to vote on marriage. Now Governor Corbett has communicated to citizens of Pennsylvanians who have been fighting to be heard on this issue that he will join the ranks of the political elites unwilling to listen. Accordingly, Pennsylvania's voters must show Governor Corbett that he will be held accountable."source
BREAKING: Pennsylvania governor says he won't appeal ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 21, 2014
“Since the onset of the war against terrorism, our federal judiciary has taken on an even higher level of importance, and it is imperative that we provide our courts with the resources necessary to enforce the rule of law. These judgeships are vital to our national security goals, and I urge my colleagues to work with the President to fill these vacancies in a timely manner."I wonder if Rick is crying in a corner somewhere.
"Pennsylvania voters have long sought, and been denied, the right to vote on the issue of marriage. This ruling adds insult to injury, as it leaves the citizens of Pennsylvania doubly disenfranchised. Members of the Pennsylvania legislature have been actively working for years to put this matter to the voters, which makes Judge Jones' cavalier decision even more brazen and unjust. The ruling unilaterally makes an end-run around the democratic process and places the capricious will of one man above the desires of millions of citizens. We know from the stay granted in the case in Utah that the Supreme Court believes these matters should be thoroughly debated and legally argued, and that there is nothing ‘inevitable' about marriage redefinition. The administration owes it to the people of Pennsylvania to pursue this matter vigorously through the court system, and give marriage the defense it requires and deserves. This is especially true in Pennsylvania, where the people have already seen the insult of the Attorney General abandoning her oath of office and refusing to defend marriage. The administration stepped in to right that wrong in this case, and we urge them to continue to render justice by providing a defense of Pennsylvania's marriage laws."
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This illegal action by Montgomery County officials is an insult to voters, legislators and the rule of law. We demand that state judges put an immediate end to this lawlessness. In addition, we call on the Pennsylvania Legislature to act immediately to pass a proposed marriage amendment preserving marriage as it has always existed throughout the state's history as one man and one woman. These county officials are brazenly flaunting the law; substituting their personal views for those of the people as expressed through their elected representatives in state government. Their actions go beyond marriage and implicates the integrity of the rule of law. This cannot be allowed to stand. We will explore every opportunity to hold these officials responsible for intentionally violating the law, including paths leading to their removal from office. In the meantime, we call on the state Legislature to put an amendment on the ballot preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Such a proposed constitutional amendment will give voters the ability to decide this issue for themselves, rather than allow state officials to impose their own views with no say so from the people."Brian whining about new developments in Pennsylvania
"These identical proposals have a common goal — to end, once and for all, the last vestige of legal discrimination in Pennsylvania based on an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression," said state Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill), a co-sponsor of HB300 with Republican state Rep. Chris Ross, and sponsor of the bill in previous years.Watch the clip
Frankel noted that its the first time the bills have had such broad, bipartisan support, with 77 sponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate.
"We believe today marks a significant step for LGBT equality in Pennsylvania," Frankel said.
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| Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson |
A judge is postponing Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification requirement, ordering that it not be enforced in the presidential election.More to come on this story
Tuesday's ruling comes just five weeks before the election. An appeal is possible. The 6-month-old law requires each voter to show a valid photo ID.
Democrats and groups including the AARP and NAACP mounted a furious opposition to a law Republicans say is necessary to prevent election fraud. Critics have accused Republicans of using old-fashioned Jim Crow tactics to steal the White House and have highlighted stories of registered voters struggling to get a state photo ID.
The law was already a partisan lightning rod when a top Republican lawmaker boasted that it'd allow GOP nominee Mitt Romney to beat Democratic President Barack Obama in Pennsylvania.
Joe Paterno, one of most successful coaches in college football history, was fired Wednesday night by the Penn State Board of Trustees amid an ongoing child-abuse scandal involving one of his former assistant coaches.In hindsight? Tell that to the boys who were sexually assaulted.
University president Graham Spanier was also fired.
Paterno, who announced earlier Wednesday his intention to retire at the end of his 46th season with the Nittany Lions, has been the center of criticism for failing to contact authorities in 2002 after being told a graduate assistant saw former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky assaulting a boy in a school shower.
Sandusky was arrested Saturday and has been accused of molesting eight boys over a 15-year period. He has denied the accusations.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will serve as interim coach.
In a statement released before his firing on Wednesday, Paterno expressed remorse for the victims and regretted not doing more to stop the alleged incidents.
"This is a tragedy," Paterno said. "It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."
Today, Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr led a resolution to ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania. Well, 3 Repubs crossed over to defeat the proposal.
The 8-to-6 vote in favor of tabling the measure in the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee leaves the joint resolution on limited life support.
Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr. first announced he would sponsor the resolution in May of last year but postponed its introduction until January due to the economy, the conservative lawmaker said.
Eichelberger's resolution would insert the following language into the state constitution: “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid and recognized as a marriage in this Commonwealth.”
But three Republican and five Democratic lawmakers disagreed. Joining all the committee's Democrats in killing the resolution were Republicans Pat Browne, Jane Earll and Mary Jo White.
I'm surprised to hear this, but very grateful and hopeful for Pennsylvania.
