Radley Balko has been covering the issue of citizens who take videos of cops and get arrested for it. It's only illegal in a few states (including Maryland and Illinois) but that doesn't mean you can't get arrested for it anywhere. In Radley's latest piece, he interviews two prosecutors and the head of the Fraternal Order of Police, and they say some of the stupidest things … [Read more...] about Three Badgelickers Explain Why You Shouldn’t Make Videos of Cops
Not Even Close
Deep inside the cynical exterior of a Miami criminal defense lawyer...beats the heart of a true believer. Brian Tannebaum wins his case, and shows us that sometimes not even the federal government can send a man to prison for doing nothing wrong. This was not about an acquittal, a framed verdict form on an office wall, or an "attaboy" from my colleagues. This was about how the … [Read more...] about Not Even Close
Music For My Dad
It was a year ago today that my father passed away. During the last few months, he spent a lot of time listening to his music CDs, and I figured it would be a nice idea to post some of the songs he liked. I hope you hear something you enjoy. I'll begin with his all-time favorite singer, Mahalia Jackson, singing "When the Saints Go Marching In": Herb Alpert & The Tijuana … [Read more...] about Music For My Dad
“Hey, are you a terrorist?”
It's hardly the greatest infringement of free speech I've ever heard of, but this doesn't sound right: The manager of a North Chicago sandwich shop learned in a Lake County courtroom this week that the difference between a joke in poor taste and an inflammatory remark is about 75 bucks. Arjunsinh Sindha, 64, said he feels as if he was treated unfairly when he was fined $75 … [Read more...] about “Hey, are you a terrorist?”
Know Any Good Protest Songs?
I'm trying to put together a music playlist, and so I'm appealing to you, my Gentle Readers, to help me find songs of a certain type. I'm calling them protest songs, but that's probably not a very good description. I'm not talking about, for example, '60's anti-war chants, and I'd like to avoid an excess of Dylan. The only way I can think of to explain what I want is to give a … [Read more...] about Know Any Good Protest Songs?