Radley Balko has an article about the killing of Cheryl Lynn Noel, who died from gunshot wounds during an early morning SWAT raid of the house where she lived. When the officers burst into her bedroom, she pointed a gun at them and they shot her down. Given that the raid only found small personal-use quantities of marijuana, it seems likely that Noel, a wife and mother of … [Read more...] about A Minor Shooting
On Scholars and Warriors
"The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." —usually attributed to Thucydides, but may have been General Sir William Francis Butler who may have been quoting Charles Napier. … [Read more...] about On Scholars and Warriors
Sorry, No Pictures
My first catblogging since joining the Catlover's Blogroll, and this is the cooperation I get?I have more pictures of the cats in my Catblogging Archive. … [Read more...] about Sorry, No Pictures
Meanwhile In Congress…
...they're debating whether to allow scissors on planes. Bob Hesselbein, the [Air Line Pilots Association]'s national security committee chairman, said pilots think it's more important to focus on passengers' intent rather than what they're carrying. "A Swiss army knife in the briefcase of a frequent flyer we know very well is a tool," Hesselbein said. "A ballpoint pen in the … [Read more...] about Meanwhile In Congress…
Security Theater at the TSA
Eric's Grumbles Before the Grave has this really good criticism of the Transportation Security Agency's handling of air travel security. A few choice excerpts: As far as I can tell, from the outside looking in, the TSA has not done the basics needed for a truly effective security program. Rather than identifying threat and vulnerability pairs, determining risks, and level of … [Read more...] about Security Theater at the TSA