The increased use—and abuse—of Tasers by police has been the subject of some recent controversy. Kip Esquire sums it up perfectly: A big part of the problem with tasers is that they were originally marketed as a substitute for guns, but have become a substitute for exertion. Tasers are, increasingly, not used to save lives but to merely make cops' lives easier. … [Read more...] about The Taser Problem in a Nutshell
Those Other People Should Pay Their Employees Better
Radley Balko discusses the hypocrisy of the living wage movement. … [Read more...] about Those Other People Should Pay Their Employees Better
Tremors of Terrors
I'm not sure what to make of this latest busted terrorist plot in Germany: BERLIN - Three suspected Islamic terrorists from an al-Qaida-influenced group nursing "profound hatred of U.S. citizens" were arrested on suspicious of plotting imminent, massive bomb attacks on U.S. facilities in Germany, prosecutors said Wednesday. ... Sudwestfunk televison, citing unnamed security … [Read more...] about Tremors of Terrors
Evil Lawmaking: License Suspension
Continuing my series of articles on bad, sloppy, or downright evil lawmaking, I'd like to talk a little bit about how much states love to suspend or revoke people's driver's licenses. A suspended license is a branch of a problem I mentioned earlier: Free Punishment. A suspended license is just a database entry and a form letter. It probably costs the state less than a buck, … [Read more...] about Evil Lawmaking: License Suspension
Jury Duty: The Prosecutor Speaks
A few months ago, I posted a followup to my Jury Duty series in which I expressed my curiosity about whatever happened to the defendant, whom I called "Jose." I had been unable to find out what sentence he received. Well, one of the prosecutors (I think the one I referred to as the "blonde prosecutrix") just stumbled across that entry: Imagine my surprise to see a Jury that … [Read more...] about Jury Duty: The Prosecutor Speaks