On May 7, Egyptian blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah (علاء أحمد سيف الإسلام عبدالفتاح) was arrested there during a protest. As part of the world-wide response, several other bloggers have have created the Free Alaa blog to chronicle his ongoing detention and legal troubles. You may have noticed that I didn't link to the Free Alaa blog through its name. That's because I'm joining … [Read more...] about Googlebombing For Alaa
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 kidney diseases usually attack both of them at once. Still, I'd be more willing to donate a kidney … [Read more...] about Cash For Kidneys, Part 2
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 on dialysis for a while. This pervasive attitude not only … [Read more...] about Cash For Kidneys, Part 1
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 whose neice had been killed during a drug raid. … [Read more...] about Police Shootings that Make You Go Hmmmm…
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 same-sex marriage, but thinks trying to pass an amendment is a waste … [Read more...] about On the Unlikelihood of a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage