We did so in Iraq. Syria will probably be next. I’m not too confident about Egypt… but that wasn’t our fault. Still, shouldn’t we be more supporting of strong secularleaders?
I’m not generally one to comment on geo-political religious issues. I’m not really religious, myself. But I do think it’s shame, and strange, that country by country, American presence seems to mark the end of religious communities, usually Christian, that have survived, literally, for millennia.
A very good episode of This American Life. Specifically about Trenton, paying too much tax, paying too little tax, budget cuts, and policing. Notice (what is still denied by many academics) the basic link between cutting police, ineffective policing, and rising crime. Or course it could always be just coincidence. Except it isn’t.
[thanks to Admiral de Ruiterweg]
I’m about to read the Village Voice’s one-sided new “scoop” about Adrian Schoolcraft. I’m going to predict it says 1) there was pressure to reduce crime stats, 2) the NYPD makes a surprisingly good faith effort to get to the bottom of the issue, and 3) keep in mind (this won’t in the article) everything Schoolcraft has done has been motivated by his desire to sue the NYPD for a lot of money.
I’ll be happy to be surprised and admit I was wrong….
Here’s what I’ve written about Schoolcraft in the past.
Update: Well, not to brag, but I told you so. I’d like to emphasize #2, which of course the Voice holds against the NYPD. Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.
I wrote about juking the statsin February, 2010. And I mentioned this problem back as early as April 2009, when I even got on my soap box and warned young officers: don’t do it.
A year later I wrote this, after Schoolcraft went public:
All [Schoolcraft] seems to show is something we all should already know. In the NYPD, everybody is under intense pressure to produce good “stats” (arrests and citations) and reduce bad stats (crime numbers).
Schoolcraft isn’t the first to point this out. He’s just the only one, in my humble opinion, who has tried to martyr himself and turn number fudging into a tidy personal $50 million profit. He and his father have tried twice beforeto sue police departments for money. Maybe the third time is the charm.
[Update: it was]
(Update with working links to all the posts on Schoolcraft.)
When I was a cop, we got a memo stating the mayor’s young daughter thought we had a dirty parking lot. The best response (from Gotti, naturally) implied something that would definitely be illegal, even withconsent. Reminds me of this:
The Superintendents will take the greatest care that nothing is permitted, either by noise at relief hours, or by any irregularity or want of cleanliness in the Station house, or neighbourhood of it, which may justly give cause of complaint or annoyance of the inhabitants of the vicinity.
Source: Metropolitan Police. Instructions Orders &c. &c.1836. London: W. Clowes & Sons.
Funny how a few illegal searches for drugs might cost your job and next thing you know, you, the “good guy,” is in prison. Why did you do it, Sarge? Was it worth it? Did you really think you going to win the drug war? From the Times:
Mr. Eiseman, who lost his job as a result of his guilty plea, had supervised the Impact Response Team, made up mostly of recent Police Academy graduates like Officer Carsey, in Upper Manhattan. The unit patrols high-crime neighborhoods.
Mr. Eiseman, 39, and Officer Carsey, prosecutors said, said they had smelled marijuana coming from an illegally parked van. In seeking a search warrant for the driver’s home, both testified that the man had admitted to having contraband in his apartment, where drugs and a gun were later found. But the two had actually learned of the contraband when they found pictures on the man’s phone, prosecutors said. The case against the driver was eventually dismissed.
Off-duty officer accused of some pretty bad stuff. From the Sun:
Law enforcement sources say the .22-caliber rifle believed to have been used in the shooting was found inside his personal vehicle. Two boys, ages 12 and 13, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter; the officer has not been charged with any crime.
So much bad going on here. I got no special insight. But if you do, let me know.
In issuing to the Police Force the new badge to be worn when the men are on Duty, the Superintendents will fully explain that the object in view is to prevent the constant complaints that would be made by the public on seeing those of the Police Force who are not on Duty walking or talking together, which they will not be able to do without that unpleasant consequence; the badge will be worn on the left arm, just above the cuff.
Source: Metropolitan Police. Instructions Orders &c. &c.1836. London: W. Clowes & Sons.
I haven’t said anything about the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslims because, well, I have nothing to say. If it’s legal and good, I’m for it. If it’s illegal and bad, I’m against it. If it’s illegal and good, well then it better be damn good!
But I have no clue. So I’ve kept my mouth shut.
But what if it’s legal and bad? That’s a possibility raised by an FBI agent, writes Al Baker in the New York Times.
#6. “Well, $500,000 a Year Might Sound Like a Lot, but I’m Hardly Rich.”
#5. “Hey, I Worked Hard to Get What I Have!”
#4. “If I Can Do It, So Can You!”
#3. “You’re Just Jealous Because I Made It and You Didn’t!”
#2. “You Shouldn’t Be Punishing the Very People Who Make This Country Work!”
#1. “Stop Asking for Handouts! I Never Got Help from Anybody!”
For the long and thoughtful explanations of each, go to cracked.com.
[thanks to somebody for liking this on facebook]
Pulaski Day was our favorite day off from school, growing up in Illinois. Even then we knew it was special.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
But why is Casimir Pulaski honored here rather than any other Polish war hero from the Revolutionary War? Because Pulaski is easier to pronounce than Kosciuszko.
There you have it. Here in New York, Pulaski and Kosciuszko are just a couple of bridges between Queens and Brookyln. And we get Jewish holidays off.