giving satan his due

[Associated Press] An Israeli human rights group has released security camera footage showing several Israeli soldiers beating and kicking a Palestinian man for several minutes as he lies curled up in a defensive position on the floor of a storage room.

Israel's military says it is looking into the incident.

The group B'Tselem said Friday that the footage is of an Oct. 6 incident in the West Bank town of el-Bireh. The group says 25-year-old Ansar Aasi was at work in the storage room when clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers erupted nearby.

The video begins with him carrying a box into the storage room. He is then seen standing at the door, looking outside. Suddenly, Israel soldiers rush toward him, beat him repeatedly and drag him outside.

B'Tselem says Aasi required medical treatment and was detained for five days after soldiers alleged he had thrown stones. The group says he was only released after police viewed the security camera footage. [emphasis added]

An aberration? Please sell me a bridge in Brooklyn!

It is heartening, of course, to see that three or four well-armed and well-accoutered soldiers can subdue a nineteen-year-old stacking toilet paper.

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TAVARES, Fla. (AP) -- A South Florida man is threatening to sue Lake County if officials pray during a commission meeting but don't allow him to give a satanic invocation.

Chaz Stevens, a self-described atheist, tells local news outlets his request this week is part of his "Satan or Silence Project." His goal is to persuade elected officials to either drop prayers before meetings or allow him to lead a satanic prayer.

Commission Chairman Jimmy Conner says he won't allow the request.

In the past, Stevens has helped sway several cities to have a moment of silence before meetings instead of a prayer. He says he will consider filing a lawsuit if Lake County denies his request.

Conner says he'll rally churches to raise money for a defense, should he need to. He has no plans to forgo the invocation.