Street Preachers, Bible Quotes and The UK Law

It’s not that hard to make something viral if something trivial was given the biggest amount of attention by authorities and experts.

Recently, a street preacher was fined for quoting the bible verse while preaching. Preacher Michael Overd’s quotes have been considered as “threatening” according to a Judge from the Bristol Crown Court.

Fifty-year old Michael Overd quoted verses from the bible that claimed homosexuality as an “abomination.” According to the Bristol Crown Judge, it had helped him make the decision.

Overd was fined about £270 along with compensation and costs that total to £1500 at the very least for homophobic harassment and “racially aggravated” harassment.

It’s great to protest against religion being part of a constitution’s core morals. But to imprison someone for using their freedom of speech and taking a word-for-word of the bible is quite arrogant, or more racist, in my opinion.

Overd said that the words from Leviticus 20, a book from the bible, had never passed his lips. He didn’t use other parts of the bible and the judge has redacted the bible, he said.

Ireland Has Ecstasy, Ketamine and a Hundred Other Drugs Legal Until Thursday!

The Irish Court of Appeal had ruled that the Misues of Drugs Act of 1977 that the possession of certain drugs held by the rule are actually legal. The court ruling found the 1977 act was added through a ministerial order rather than a recourse to the Oireachtas, which violated Article 15 of the Irish constitution.

The ministerial order had been used nine times since its inception to outlaw the possession of ketamine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and hundreds of other drugs deemed illegal until Tuesday night. 

Right after the court ruling, Irish Health Minister Leo Varadkar immediately passed a new emergency legislation that would quickly ban the drugs once again. As per new enactments, once the president signs the new legislation, it would be effective within 36 hours after signing.

By Wednesday night, the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill will be discussed in the Dail by 8pm to 11pm.

An Easy Explanation on How To Get A Divorce [Infographic]

Teenager Jailed For Murdering Surrey Schoolboy

Fourteen-year-old Breck Bednar from Caterham was stabbed to death by a teenager he met while playing online video games.

Lewis Daynes, 19 years old, pleaded guilty to the murder of Bednar and had been sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in jail. Mrs. Justice Cox had sentenced Daynes at the  Chelmsford Crown Court. She condemned his “sexual and sadistic” killing

Bednar was found in a flat in Grays, Essex, with a fatal neck wound in February 2014.

Daynes confessed to having met Breck at an online gaming community that he ran. He invited Breck to his home and he slit his throat. After taking photographs, he sent the photos of his body to his friends.

Daynes had also confessed to engaging in sexual activity with his victim.

Mrs. Justice Cox said "Having lured the young victim to your flat, you murdered him.

"You had befriended Breck and a number of other adolescent friends through an online community.

 

"Your contact with Breck increased in a sinister way.

"The precise details of what happened in your flat are unclear and may never be known.

"I'm sure that this murder was driven by sadistic or sexual motivation."

Daynes’ sentence included attempted rape, two counts of engaging a person in sexual activity without consent, possessing indecent images.

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Liberal MP Julian Huppert Against UK Porn Restrictions

According to Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert, the laws restricting explicit pornography in the United Kingdom should be based on issues of “consent” and “genuine risk”, not moral objection. He states that explicit pornography produced in the United Kingdom would implicate a mass exodus of companies from the industry, and will place the United Kingdom at a disadvantage from the rest of the world.

Adult Broadcaster for Portland TV Chris Ratcliff also agrees with the statement, saying that the UK’s porn industry will be at a disadvantage from overseas competitors.

The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 was implemented on December 1. It requires UK producers of pornography distributed online to fall under the guidelines set by the British Board of Film Censors for R18 rated films. It strongly regulates “explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults”.

The laws apply to online porn and video-on-demand (VOD). All these would require a certificate from the BBFC, must have effective age verification controls to prevent the content being accessed by minors.

Huppert said "It seems to me to be very odd to say that this, assuming it is consensual, is acceptable for somebody to do in their own home, for them to photograph it, film it, but not to look at it online if it comes from the UK.

"To me the case for banning things should be driven by issues around consent, and around genuine risk, not about whether we happen to like things or not."

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UN Official’s Anti-Marijuana Laws Have No Bearing Because “Things Have Changed”

UN Office on Drugs and Crime Director Yury Fedotov said that the US’ approval to use and sell recreational marijuana is not compatible with existing conventions. He had promised to take the case up the State Department and UN Officials the following week. 

However, the Drug Policy Alliance said that Fedotov is technically correct, but he is referring to platforms from international drug treaties in 1961. 

A Senior State Department Official, Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield, said that many things have changed since 1961 and encouraged a “flexible interpretation” of UN Drug Policies.

The DPA said that the intervention of the UNODC will not make any difference despite Fedotov’s motions because the US government had already made the decision.

Post midterm election, Oregon, Alaska, Washington DC, and Colorado allow the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, a medical marijuana measure in Florida had failed to implement. Under Federal law, marijuana consumption is illegal. 

This is the latest intervention of the United Nations in local US matters. 

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