One of the reasons I'm not a criminal defense lawyer despite my obvious interest in the subject, is that I'm pretty sure it would make me angry all the time.Even now, when I think about the things I hate about our criminal laws and the way those laws are applied, I get all worked up with simmering rage at the hubris and callousness of those who claim to protect us. The war … [Read more...] about Putting Angry Words in Perspective
Who’s Responsible For a Wrongful Conviction?
I'm a fan of the TV show Castle, largely because of its character-based humor and the fact that it stars Nathan Fillion. Of course, being a show about a mystery writer who helps the New York police solve crimes, it does occasionally go over the top in its worship of the criminal justice system.I especially remember one episode where the detective team discovered someone who … [Read more...] about Who’s Responsible For a Wrongful Conviction?
Sequestration — Bring It On
I've been reading President Obama's helpful guide to the things that sequestration will force the goverment to cut (the link is to the Illinois version) and I've realized that most of the cuts from sequestration fall into two categories:The first category consists of cuts that would be pretty damned awesome:...Illinois will lose about $587,000 in Justice Assistance … [Read more...] about Sequestration — Bring It On
Everything Seems Evil When You Add Sex To It
One of the lessons I've learned from reading Maggie McNeill's Honest Courtesan blog for the last couple of years is that opponents of sex work will try to make even the most routine business practices sound evil. I just finished a three-part think piece about some aspects of that, and already Maggie has pointed me to another.I remember years ago reading some feminist … [Read more...] about Everything Seems Evil When You Add Sex To It
Alarming Asteroid News…If It Were True
Yesterday, Roger Ebert tweeted: Bad luck. The asteroid that came so close to Earth is coming baaaaak. dld.bz/chPtq Well, of course. It's a known near-Earth object. They do that by definition. But the linked article by Andrew Malcolm at Investor's Business Daily was a little more alarming than that, at least until I realized he was making stuff up: Now, about that other bad … [Read more...] about Alarming Asteroid News…If It Were True