Ninja Pajamas, and other good things.

After stumbling across this most fantastic story, I've decided to award the venerable title of "Honorary Ninja" to Judge Michael Cicconetti of Ohio. Although he does not flip out and kill people and I don't see him attempting frisbee seppuku anytime soon, this Judge is cool, and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Some of you may have caught this story on fark about the teenager who was sentenced to standing in front of an "Adult" store blindfolded for four hours for stealing adult videos.

Talk about "Let the punishment fit the crime" in it's truest form! This is a conservative's wet dream! It warms my heart to know that out there, somewhere, is one judge who actually cares about his job, and his community, and wants to punish not for the sake of punishment, but for reform.

More of Judge Ninja's resume:

So you want to go to Ohio and...? Meet the Ninja Judge and you'll get to...

Blast your car stereo? Enjoy three hours of silence in a forest. Sensory Deprivation! Weehoo!

Call a cop a pig? (guilty!) Enjoy educating your neighbors (and yourself) by standing next to a real pig, holding a sign that says, "This is not a police officer!"

Hit someone else's kid repeatedly with a belt? Put some time in learning what child abuse is by compiling a scrapbook. To be graded. By the judge.

Call 911 on a prank? Put in serious hours as the bell ringer at fire stations. After, of course, you apologize.

Run from a State Trooper? Run against State Troopers in a Charity race. The catch? Your sentence will be commiserate with your performance.

Paint profanity defaming police on a rock? Wear a T-Shirt to school for 2+ months that says, "Respect the Police."

Engage in oral sex in plain sight on a public beach? Enjoy publishing your apology in a newspaper. Make that two newspapers.

The Ninja Judge has passed down many such sentences, and has been lauded by the local college's newspaper editor, been put down by abc news, informally discussed by psychologists, picked apart by bloggers, lauded for "saving tax dollars" and getting results on CNN, and served as Master of Ceremonies for his local Mardi Gras.

Somewhere in the midst of all of this, he has passed down at least one "normal" sentence. Not only that, but many of these sources note that he has not seen a lot of repeat offenders.

If you're feeling a little spunky, drop a line of admiration to the judge at:

Judge Michael Cicconetti
Painesville Municipal Court
7 Richmond Street
Painesville, OH 44077
Tel: (440) 639-4852
Fax: (440) 352-0028
Internet: macpmc [at] mwweb [dot] com