Author: Mark Draughn

  • Cash For Kidneys, Part 2

    [This is a followup to Cash For Kidneys, Part 1.] One of the things that would bother me about donating a kidney is that I’m using it. Granted, living with one kidney isn’t much of a hazard. You really only need one to do the job, and having a spare isn’t all that useful since… Read more

  • Cash For Kidneys, Part 1

    Virginia Postrel, who recently donated a kidney to a friend, has an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times about the disincentives of becoming a donor: My parents were appalled. My doctor told me, “You know you can change your mind.” Many people couldn’t understand why I didn’t at least wait until my friend had been… Read more

  • Police Shootings that Make You Go Hmmmm…

    Radley Balko has been researching police shootings of innocent citizens during SWAT-style drug raids. It’s surprising how often this happens and how little press it receives. Recently, Balko was researching a raid back in March that scared the hell out an elderly couple when he came across a letter to the editor from a man… Read more

  • On the Unlikelihood of a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

    A friend of mine was concerned a few days ago that the anti-gay-marriage amendment might actually pass, which would cause her some personal heartache. I told her I thought it was just a stunt, and not worth worrying about. Other people seem to think so too. For example, the D.C. Examiner supports a ban on… Read more

  • You Be the Principal!

    You’re the principal of a high school on graduation day. Students are supposed to arrive at 5pm for the 6pm ceremony, and the rules say nobody will be admitted after 5:55. The senior class vice president shows up late and is turned away by the guards at the door. Somehow, she manages to get inside… Read more