Sometimes they do. Hey, I’m just trying to be fair and balanced. It’s one of those nasty character flaws of liberals like me–the desire to see all sides of a issue even if it doesn’t support their position. The story from WSBTV in College Park, Georgia: Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives…
Month: May 2009
Drug Decriminalization in Portugal
If you have an hour-plus to spare, listen to Glenn Greenwald talk about Portugal’s experience with drug decriminalization since 2001. Here’s a link to the video and also a downloadable audio podcast. Under Portugal’s new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for…
Tasing Naked Man
A man at a concert, probably tripping, is naked. He ends of getting tased. I’m generally against the use of tasers. And I particularly oppose the use of tasers as a compliance device. Especially when the suspect is unarmed. Even more so when the suspect is unarmed, naked, and there are three burly officers involved. And yet, I think this…
Judge Rules L.A. Police Must Be Paid For Dressing Time
I think all employees should be paid to put on work clothes, if it’s part of the job. Here’s the story in the L.A. Times. I wonder if I’m eligible for back pay from my time in Baltimore?
Maximum Enjoyment
I just finished reading Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. Best book I’ve read in a while. Non-fiction book about the city of Bombay. Great arm-chair traveling. But some good deep insight, too (and a fair amount about the Mumbai police, too). I loved it.
This Stephen Morgan is not a murderer!
This mild-mannered Stephen Morgan lives a quiet professorial life in Ithaca with his wife and kids (at least that is what he tells me). This Stephen Morgan is a grad-school friend of mine and was nice enough to invite me to speak at Cornell University last month. Some of his best friends are Jews. And I saw no homicidal tendencies.…
Guns for good or bad?
So I’m writing a comment about guns when this story pops up on my screen. It illustrates both the good and bad of gun ownership perfectly: “[Off duty] Officer John Castro, left his gray BMW running … when the thief hopped in and sped off shortly after noon…. ‘The man ran after the car and jumped on top of it.’…
Balto Cops Bust Wrong Door, Leave it Hanging
My NYPD students tell me that New York doesget the doors they bust down fixed. Not in Baltimore. Police bust down your door in the course of duty? It’s on you. Even if it turns out you’re innocent. Peter Hermann writes: First city cops bust down the wrong door on a drug raid. Then, when Andrew Leonard tries to get…
Schwarzenegger wants to debate marijuana legalization
This is huge. While I would like all drugs to be regulated, for now I’ll settle for a real debate on the merits of legalizing marijuana. To me it’s a amazing that simply debatingsuch an issue has been taboo. At least until now. Why? Because prohibitionists are going to lose this debate. I’ll give Schwarzenegger props for this one. The…
Yankee Pitcher’s Mom Arrested for Selling Meth
Joba Cahmberlain’s mother, Jacqueline Standley, was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska. Read Tony Newman’s take on the situation: America likes to promote itself as the “home of the free” but, unfortunately, we have the embarrassing honor of being known as the incarceration nation. … We lock up more people on drug charges than Western Europe locks up for EVERYTHING and they…