Archive for 2006
Cory Maye
I suppose I could just do an update, but here it is, the order from Judge Michael Eubanks that keeps Cory Maye in prison for the time being, most probably for the rest of his life. Here's Balko's thoughts on the matter. Do you understand why a few of those who are wrongly convicted of serious crimes are later exonerated and released? It's always due to factual material evidence, i.e., undeniable evidence, such as DNA…Read More
Althouse
This is the sort of entry where you kinda have to know the players for it to make any sense, but whatever... I used to read Ann Althouse regularly; as in, queued up in my RSS reader. I may have even had her on my blogroll at one time. She is a good blogger, really, and I often wished I had more time to read some of her entries. She's pretty prolific. Takes really good…Read More
Keeping the “Justice” Coming
How Very Unsurprising. Something is being protected. I'll leave you to discern just what that is.Read More
A Quick Read
It's been a while since I've sat down and read a book in essentially a single sitting -- excepting, of course, the brewing and drinking of coffee and its consequences. Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris, really is an excellent little book that ought to be passed out to every Christian you know and care about. It's 90 pages. Two hours, max. What's it about? "Thousands of people have written to tell me…Read More
Environmentalism
People who know me know that I have nearly zero concern for environmentalist "issues." For instance, I'm fond of announcing to people that I do not go out of my way to recycle. I don't object if it costs me nothing extra in dollars, time, or trouble to recycle, but I absolutely will not go an inch out of my way to do it. At the same time, I love nature, the animal kingdom, and…Read More
Morning Laf
"Jokes about polonium 210 will be half as funny 138 days from now" I mean, that's funny, right? Who doesn't know that it's 138.376 days. Jeez. (Samizdata)Read More
Wikipedia-ing
Strolling through Wikipedia this morning, doing a bit of research for the wife, I stumble upon an interesting "variation:" Common modern usage which variates on the Nuremberg defense is the Yuppie Nuremberg defense, used when justifying immoral actions. Common Yuppie versions include "I do it to pay the mortgage", "I did it to pay the bills", or "I have a family to feed". It's from their entry on the Nuremberg defense. Now, given that Wikipedia…Read More
Radley, Please!
If Ron Jones had been "an honest, decent police officer," then Ron Jones would still be alive. Honest and decent people don't storm the home of a peaceful man and his young daughter in the middle of the night. It is precisely because Ron Jones was dishonest and despicable, as a person and as a police officer, that Cory May has sat for five years on death row in Mississippi, a convicted murderer; because he…Read More
It’s the Glass
Warren Meyer calls attention to a court case having to do with California's inability to get along in the global energy market -- and so requires judges to sanction people with guns and jails to help California "compete." But that's just another day in the "Land of the Free" and not what I wanted to write about. Warren complains: I don't think there is anything more depressing to a good anarcho-capitalist like myself than seeing…Read More
Dawkins vs. Jerry’s Kids in Lynchburg
What follows, below, is the Q&A session following a brief reading of excerpts from Richard Dawkins' new book, The God Delusion, which is one of the several books I'm currently reading. It's a good book; comprehensive, evidencing a lot of thought and organization. It goes a long way towards the plain old simple process of acclamation of America to atheists in an open way that has yet to be done. The reading, performed by Dawkins…Read More
James Brown is Free
When I read just a moment ago that James Brown is dead at 73, the first thing I thought about was how back in, oh, the late 80s, I guess, I would see "Free James Brown" stickers and graffiti here and there. Well, I daresay that you aren't going to find a lot in soul music, or even pop, that doesn't have his fingerprints on it, somewhere. Good run, James, you sex machine.Read More
Knocked Over in Disbelief and Surprise
It's true. I am; I am. An internal investigation cleared the police of any wrongdoing Shocked. Shocked and amazed. Really. I am.Read More
All in a Day’s Work
Spreading goodwill and Christmas cheer there in Arizona. She said she is angry with Gilbert and Scottsdale police and blames them for the fire that destroyed her parents' home of 35 years. "This is wrong," she said. "They threw my parents on the street as if they were criminals." Thirty-five years they've been here," she said. "Thirty-five years." 73-yr-old Salvador Celaya's home of 35 years is burned to the ground, started by a police flash-bang…Read More
A Christmas Message
In my own unique way, I've a Christmas message for you. It's likely to be the oddest Christmas message you've ever read. First, to get something out of the way: as an atheist, I loath the typical atheist political activism and am happy I've observed it to be less prevalent this year. Good; people are maybe finally getting a life, realizing that a manger scene in the public square is truly not a sign of…Read More
Automatic Investigation
"They didn't knock. They ignored the sign, the dog sees or hears (and) protects my daughter, so he ran toward him -- not growling, not foaming at the mouth, not anything," Harris said. [...] Harris said his daughter saw the whole thing. "While she's running toward the dog, they kill him. She's yelling, 'Why'd you shoot him? I was going to get him. Why'd you shoot him?'" Harris said. [...] department policy mandates an automatic…Read More
Maintaining the Machinery of the State
I've just returned from my habitual 3-mile morning walk with doggies, and I see email from a business partner in my inbox: Talk about someone needing to "see the forest!" Chris is referring to this latest outrage. 20-yr-old Genarlow Wilson is three years into a 10-year prison sentence for engaging in consensual oral sex with a 15-yr-old when he was 17. As Shaila Dewan reported in The Times this week, Mr. Wilson has been convicted…Read More
Reisman vs. Pinheads
I don't claim to know a lot about Pinochet and his history. I suppose I could do a bit more background, but it really wouldn't matter for the purposes of this entry, because the reason I so enjoyed George Reisman's post on the Chilean dictator was because of the forest and not the trees, to reference that bit you see up top. I think that unless you are an historian prepared to do years of…Read More
Elementary Sin
Via my brother in Texas comes this jewel, which he says is also on Drudge. HAGERSTOWN - A kindergarten student was accused earlier this month of sexually harassing a classmate at Lincolnshire Elementary School, an accusation that will remain on his record until he moves to middle school. Washington County Public Schools spokeswoman Carol Mowen said the definition of sexual harassment used by the school system is, "unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors and/or…Read More
It’s Constitutional
The problem with having an allegiance to the Constitution, as I often point out or imply in various ways, is that a lot of things are actually Constitutional. Like the Kelo decision, last year, that everyone was up in arms about -- as if it had just suddenly dawned on them that the government can force you to sell your property for essentially any reason they deem appropriate. Of course, what everyone does to evade…Read More
Beliefs Have Geopolitical Consequences
I stumbled onto a YouTube video yesterday that I've just watched for the second time. It's a talk given by Sam Harris on the nature of belief and its consequences, and I just think he makes a number of really interesting integrations. The gentleman who introduces Harris is a bit abrasive, but Harris himself is quite polite and sincerely tries not to offend. If you're sensitive to criticism of religious belief, you should find this…Read More