Abercrombie Sued Over A Head Scarf

Fox News is reporting that the manager of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in Oklahoma refused to hire a 17-year-old Muslim girl because wearing a traditional Muslim headscarf was inconsistent with their look policy.

What is the girl’s reaction? To sue of course. Attorneys for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tulsa and the suit seeks back pay for the teen and an injunction against the company to prevent them from ever doing this again.

There are so many things wrong with this I don’t even know where to begin. First, if you’re such a strict Muslim, why would you work in a store where advertising borders soft-core porn and clothes reveal more than they cover? Second, the company is trying to sell a brand and an image. A hijab simply doesn’t fit into the store’s image nor should it. If they don’t want a hijab to be on one of their brand reps, they don’t have to! It’s their right! It’s like walking into Hooters and demanding that you need to wear head-to-toe Muslim attire with only a slit for your eyes to see out of. How about YOU DON’T WORK THERE and find someplace that’s more accommodating to your lifestyle?

Do you sue Calvin Klein because you’re 400 pounds and they won’t hire you as a model? We’ve already had obese people sue airlines because they forced them to buy two tickets when traveling. Does that mean if you’re morbidly obese you should only have to buy one ticket and the person sitting next to you has to have your rolls on their lap the entire flight because you have “rights?” What about the other person’s damn rights?

This society is teeter-tottering on the verge of collapse because people are afraid to call it like it is and are hyper-alert to being politically correct. It is bogus lawsuits like these that cater to such notions. I can only hope it’s thrown out before it sets precedent for other companies.

What do you think?

Are You Kidding?

Meet Stanley Williams, 57, of Newark, NJ. Mr. Williams is a special education teacher at New Brunswick High School in New Brunswick, NJ and has been for the past 20-years. During the 2006-2007 school year, Stanley missed 33 days which included 23 unpaid days. That is, he was only paid for 10 of the 33 days he missed and when at trial, said he missed so many days due a drug habit. When his habit would render him unable to work, he didn’t make it to school to teach.

On June 13, 2007, school officials asked for documentation that would explain missing a rather large amount of days for a 180-day school year. To this end, Stanley forged a doctor’s note with information from a prescription blank he had from a Newark, NJ pediatrician. Schools officials looked into the letter, found out it was fraudulent, and pressed charges against Williams.

Williams, on the recommendation of his attorney, accepted a plea deal that would make him surrender his teaching certificate, accept the fact that he would never be able to hold a public job again, pay a $655 fine, and receive 5 years probation IN ADDITION TO SERVING ONE YEAR IN JAIL!

Really? Are you kidding me? This is wrong on so many levels.

First, this guy obviously has a problem. At the very least, he is a drug addict. At most, he’s a drug addict with some sort of mental issue be it depression or otherwise. The man needs help. He doesn’t have a criminal record and has served as a special education teacher for 20 freakin’ years. And he misses a rather large amount of days due to his drug use and when pressed for documentation to substantiate missing such a large number of days, he forges a doctor’s note to save his job. Is it right? No, it was bad judgment. Fire him and move on. Or better yet, let this be his warning, help him, and let him keep his job when he’s better.

Second, does losing his job and his ability to teach, the way he has made an income for at least 20 years, help this man in any way? He loses a year of pay, now has to deal with the Scarlet Letter of having a criminal record for the rest of his life, and will more than likely lose whatever he has be it a house, car, etc. as a result of his incarceration. When he gets out, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns right back to his vice – drugs.

Third, the guy has to do a year in prison. How many people across the country forge doctor’s notes on any given day? Sure, pointing to wrong behavior in others is no way to justify your own wrong doings, but give me a break. How does the punishment fit the crime? How many serious thugs are caught with illegal handguns on the streets of America on any given day and never see a day of jail time? Heck, you can commit a triple-homicide and do less time than Williams.

Fourth, who the hell is this guy’s lawyer? This is the best you could do? A year in prison for forging a doctor’s note? I can see the scenario now.

“So tell me, Mr. Lawyer, why I should choose your firm?”

“Well, one of my clients had a clean criminal record and forged a doctor’s note to explain why he took off so many days from work. All he got was a year in prison with 5 years probation.”

“Uhhh…”

I think the punishment is overly severe and clearly indicative of an awfully imbalanced legal system. Clearly jail space could be occupied with someone that has done a little more wrong than Williams. Don’t you think?

She Has (Had) A Career But I Don’t

The New York Post is reporting that a Chase Bank financial advisor and self-admitted party junkie, stole $110,000 from a millionaire’s private account.

Robin Katz, 25, who worked at Chase’s New York City Midtown headquarters, created a duplicate ATM card for an unfortunate well-heeled bank client a year before her crimes were discovered and used it dozens of times to take out cash from the millionaire’s account. Upon reviewing their finances, the client noticed that his seven-figure account was short six figures and contacted bank officials that investigated the matter and found Katz to be behind the scheme.

Katz, on her Myspace page, described herself as a “rocket scientist by day, party fool by night.” She bolted the Big Apple in May for California telling Chase that she had a family emergency. Katz was contacted by law enforcement and told that she needed to return to NYC to go over what happened or the feds would track her down. Sources say she spent the money shopping and going out while Katz says she was in need of money to pay bills.

Way to flush your life and career down the toilet, knucklehead! Good luck finding a job after this crap!

By the way, if anybody needed further evidence that Sex and the City rots your brain, this story is it!

Nicolas Cage Unloading His Homes

Showing that the recession doesn’t pick its victims, Nicolas Cage is reportedly unloading properties left and right, according to Luxist.com.

First, the famed actor unloaded his 500-year-old Barvarian Castle in Germany for a cool $2,3 million. Now, Cage is looking to unload homes in California, Nevada, the Bahamas, Rhode Island, and Louisiana.

According to Luxist.com, Cage’s Louisiana home has six bedrooms and grounds that feature a heated pool and statuary. Architectural details inside the house include marble fireplaces, plasterwork, stained glass, and a curved staircase.

Cage bougth the home in 2005 for $3.45 million and listed it on the market for $3.7 million.

Not A Good Time To Be A New Yorker

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week that as much as 7,000 city jobs could be slashed. These jobs cuts are already on top of a 1,300 workforce reduction the Mayor has already ordered. The reason behind such drastic measures is the fact that the Big Apple has seen tax revenues decline, leaving city coffers short.

The NYPD and FDNY face a 5 percent cut while city schools face a 1.4 percent cut. Other agencies are expected to have higher numbers.

Bloomberg says layoffs can be avoided if he can raise the sales tax (already the highest in the nation, I believe), work with the unions to create less generous pensions, and believes that city employers should pay 10% of their health insurance premiums.