Wedding bells are in the air for Mary Kay LeTourneau and Vili Fualaau, and isn't it about time these two crazy kids got hitched? Get them a gift. People have often noted that society normally treats statutory rape differently depending on whether the older person is a man or a woman. A man is assumed to be exploiting the young girl, whereas an older woman is assumed to be … [Read more...] about Marriage Is an Institution
A Letter to the Governor
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich Office of the Governor 207 State House Springfield, IL 62706 Dear Governor Blagojevich, I'm a taxpayer, voter, and 40-year resident of Illinois. I'm writing to thank you for signing SB3007, which mitigates the damage to people's lives as a result of a minor criminal conviction. It was so very much the right thing to do. I hope you … [Read more...] about A Letter to the Governor
Creepy Parallels
There's a sculpture in a public park in Chicago that people aren't allowed to photograph because the artist still owns the copyright. Apparently the guards hassle people they see taking pictures. According to the comments in this Hit and Run article, this is pretty common, although usually in private displays, not on public property. Also, personal photography is usually … [Read more...] about Creepy Parallels
Frightening Decision
Big Bill Of Rights news today, as the Illinois Police and the Supreme Court pile another rock on the chest of the Fourth Amendment, hoping this time to crush it to death. (Metaphor courtesy of Bryan Gates at I respectfully dissent.) The court's ruling in Illinois v. Caballes says that police can use a drug dog to search a vehicle without any individualized suspicion. The … [Read more...] about Frightening Decision
Digital Immortality
Glenn Reynolds says: Digital images are potentially immortal, so long as they get recopied from time to time onto fresh media, but reality being what it is, hardcopy in a shoebox is probably likely to outlast things that require actual human effort. What effort? Hard drive technology improves so fast that every time I get a new computer I just copy the entire … [Read more...] about Digital Immortality