• CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DEPT.

    The Special Case of Darren Wilson

    In response to my earlier post about the grand jury in the Michael Brown case, Jack Marshall posted a lengthy comment. Events have somewhat overtaken that post, but I wanted to address a few points Jack makes. (He wrote his comment before the grand jury decision came out.) I don’t find the fact that a… Read more

  • CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DEPT.

    The Drunk Under the Street Lamp Meets Saddam Hussein

    Ferguson is breaking my heart. I’m not talking about the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown. I pretty much expected that. What’s breaking my heart is the magnitude of the destruction going on during the protests. I paid pretty close attention to the earlier batch of protests,… Read more

  • CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DEPT.

    Awaiting the Grand Jury…

    We keep hearing about police plans to respond to protests in Ferguson, Missouri if the grand jury investigating Officer Darren Wilson’s shooting of Michael Brown decides not to return an indictment. On the other hand, if the grand jury decides to indict Wilson, there would be a warrant for his arrest, and that would mean… Read more

  • INTERNET DEPT.

    Fast Internet is Not a Free Market

    Last week in an opinion piece for Time, Nick Gillespie smacked around Obama’s plan to sneak net neutrality in the back door by having the FCC reclassify internet service providers, essentially regulating them as public utilities. In addition to questioning the tactic, he also slams net neutrality for the usual reasons, which essentially boil down… Read more

  • CRIME AND PUNISHMENT DEPT.

    Thinking About Lethal Force – Part 1

    We’ve heard a lot of argument about whether or not George Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin was murder or self defense, and more recent controversial shootings such as that of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri have raised many of the same issues. Some of the disagreements represent a genuine clash of values,… Read more