We’ve all heard about crazy lawsuits and 2011 was no exception when it came to the filing of frivolous – even ridiculous – lawsuits.

A lawsuit by a kidnapper against his victims for not helping him evade police tops the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform’s (ILR) survey of the Top Ten Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2011, released today.

“While these lawsuits vary from the outrageous to the humorous, abusive litigation is hardly a laughing matter,” said ILR President Lisa Rickard. “ILR’s annual poll of ridiculous lawsuits helps to remind us that abusive lawsuits affect real people and real businesses, and can have harmful results to lives, jobs, and even our economic growth.”

ILR announced the top ten vote-getters from among those chosen throughout the year by visitors to the FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org website. The lawsuits were selected from those featured in the website’s monthly polls for 2011. The Faces of Lawsuit Abuse campaign is ILR’s public awareness effort created to highlight the impact of abusive lawsuits on small businesses, communities, and individuals.

The top ten Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2011 are:

•Convict sues couple he kidnapped for not helping him evade police

 Read More at Yahoo! News Yahoo News!

By Western Center for Journalism.  Contrary to what Ron Paul says, Bradley Manning is neither a hero nor a patriot. He is a traitor who has placed our fighting men and women in great danger. He is also deeply disaffected and confused homosexual who has serious misogynistic tendencies. He can’t stand women. The Army’s folder of reports about his conduct proves it.

A source quoted in militarycorruption.com who has attended his treason trial in Fort Meade Maryland, says Manning thinks of himself as a woman in a man’s body, and even created his own female persona he calls Breanna Manning. Moreover he is given to fits of hysteria and is prone to violence toward female supervisors. The official records include a description of Manning having punched his female supervisor in the face.

In spite of his flighty and unacceptable conduct the army’s poster boy for ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was put in charge of 700,000 sensitive and secret files pertaining to our military’s plans in Afghanistan and other theaters of war. How did this happen? Who looked at this maladjusted little twerp and said, “Oh boy THIS is guy America should trust her secrets to!”?

During the time Manning was in charge of America’s secrets, he sent up one red flag after another. Jihrleah Showman the female supervisor Manning punched recognized he was unstable and therefore untrustworthy early in their professional relationship. She has testified to specifically explaining what she was seeing in Manning’s irrational conduct to her superior Sgt. First Class Paul Adkins and Adkins’ seeming indifference to her concerns. Now Adkins has taken the 5th Amendment when questioned under oath about why he left Manning in place with his hands on our future.

These facts raise several questions about Adkins and the unit Manning was working in.

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 Read More at Western Journalism

As reported earlier, the Occupy Wall Street movement’s New Years Eve effort to retake Zuccotti Park was blocked by the NYPD. However, something else reportedly happened when an ambulance tried to take a stabbed police officer to the hospital.

According to the New York Post, at least one officer was injured in the clash with the swarm of protesters. The unidentified member of the NYPD was slashed on the hand with a pair of scissors and required medical treatment. However, the ambulance carrying the officer experienced some difficulty in getting the wounded man to the hospital.

The Post reports:

Hundreds in the crowd of occupiers then surrounded the ambulance as it tried to leave with the wounded officer, the source said.
The ambulance was eventually allowed to take the police officer to Bellevue Hospital where he is said to be in stable condition.

Earlier in the evening a group of 100 NYPD were on hand to deal with the OWS efforts on 12/31, additional police in riot gear were required to clear the park of protesters around 1:30am on January 1st.

 Read More at The Blaze By Mike Opelka, The Blaze

The 2012 election threatens to be the first to feature six presidential contenders — five of them Republicans. If even the one who has already left the flock does well, it could assure the re-election of Barack Obama.
On Wednesday, Republicans may have gotten a glimpse of what lies ahead next fall, as former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson bolted the GOP to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination.

He is not the first and will not likely be the last Republican to seek another party’s nomination. This year’s contest offers an unprecedented vista of opportunities for also-rans to become standard-bearers.

If Mitt Romney is the nominee, Ron Paul may run on a fusion Libertarian-Constitution Party ticket. Paul has pointedly refused to rule out a third party run. That could spell serious trouble for the GOP. Paul currently polls 21 percent in a three-way race against Obama and Romney, tipping an evenly contested race decidedly toward the incumbent. Nonetheless, Commentary magazine insists the “GOP Shouldn’t Fear a [Ron] Paul Third Party Run.”

If Paul snubs the Constitution Party — or chooses the pro-choice Gary Johnson as his running-mate — the CP will probably nominate former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode, a onetime Republican who joined the Constitution Party last year. (Under no circumstances will party founder Howard Phillips allow the party’s ballot line to go vacant, even if a political ally is running in another party, a fact he proved in 2000.) The party’s national committee took the unusual step of urging Goode to seek its presidential nomination in April. So, enter Republican candidate number three.

 Read More at Floyd Reports By Ben Johnson, The White House Watch

Authorities say two doctors accused of performing late-term abortions in Maryland have been arrested and charged with murder.

At least one case involved a woman who was critically injured during the procedure.

The Cecil Whig reports that police say Dr. Steven Brigham, of Voorhees, N.J., was arrested Wednesday night in New Jersey. Brigham remained in the Camden County Jail on Thursday, awaiting an extradition hearing (https://tinyurl.com/6oh6zpo).

Authorities also arrested Dr. Nicola Irene Riley, of Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday night. Riley was being held the Salt Lake City Jail, where she too was awaiting an extradition hearing.

Police say Brigham and Riley face charges of first- and second-degree murder.

Read More at OfficialWire AP and OfficialWire