Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on. – Robert F. Kennedy
In a lovely example of synchronicity, the brilliant Amy Winfrey (creator of Making Fiends, one of my favorite TV comedies) posted a new video, “Tea Time with Cobra”, the same day I published “My Favorite Short Films“; you can see it below, after six links from the ever-vigilant Radley Balko. Next after the video you’ll find three links from Popehat, two from Cthulhuchick and one each from Melissa Gira Grant, Walter Olson, Korhomme, Deep Geek and Neil Gaiman (in that order), plus a second video called to my attention by Antonio Lorusso. I found it interesting because I’m subject to severe, debilitating motion sickness myself, and it’s rather nice to know that because of that I probably needn’t worry about accidental ingestion of neurotoxins.
- The power of precedent: US federal government plans to seize an entire township because weeds were growing on it.
- Today’s edition of “Never call the cops for any reason whatsoever.”
- Fingerprints are not as unique as people have been led to believe.
- The Nazis Meet the Buddhist Iron Man from Outer Space.
- Cop trespasses on private property, murders dog.
- When prosecutors attack.
- Leaders of a cop-dominated European working group are angry that somebody leaked their list of moronic suggestions on how to “improve” the internet by making it more totalitarian.
- A blogger discovers the identity of a vicious stalker troll, confronts him in real life, and demonstrates the courage of his convictions.
- Cop murders wheelchair-bound double amputee for the crime of “aggressively waving” a pen.
- This bittersweet story about a sick dog left me sobbing.
- Ice cream company learns that not all Muslims live in Pakistan.
- Bronx prosecutors officially acknowledge that cops lie most of the time.
- Lawyer sues couple for a crash involving a vehicle they sold almost a year ago.
- Man convicted of “sex crime” for accidentally sending an intimate text message to his entire mailing list.
- Cops oppose law requiring warrants to spy on citizens on grounds it would have “adverse impact on criminal investigations.”
- Author invited to speak at school for Banned Books Week (which starts today) was later uninvited because his books are “too edgy”.
- “[Mel Sembler’s] rehab… ‘treated’…teens with…beatings…sleep deprivation…restraints that…left youth wetting or soiling themselves, public humiliation…lack of privacy…kidnapping and false imprisonment.”
- Does a cabbie’s debilitating fear of dogs trump the “non-discrimination” requirement to allow service dogs?
- So, will the cops be prosecuted for “depraved heart murder” of a fetus?
- Scientology minister accused of molesting Thetans.
- We’ve always been at war with Eastasia.
- Night of the vigilante crosswalk painter.
- It’s so very easy to upset busybodies.
- Welcome to our world, Juggalos.
Maggie asks,
“So, will the cops be prosecuted for “depraved heart murder” of a fetus?”
Probably not. There was a case where BATF agents assaulted a house, stomped the family’s cat to death. kicked the pregnant wife in the abdomen, and even with no criminal behavior found by the agents, (despite their best efforts) when the wife miscarried, there was no redress, discipline or criminal charges.
Actually, it was two separate incidents. Harry Lumplugh was the cat-stomping incident and Louie Katona was the miscarriage incident.
The ATF denied that the first happened and in the second, they agency ruled that their thugs had adhered to all agency policy and procedures.
Oh, these religious types. First they molest human children and now not even the spirits of our alien overlords are safe? Oh, the Humanity! (er, um, broadly speaking…)
Ah, motion sickness. My father occasionally took temporary jobs in ships during the 70’s, and when I was about 12 my mother and I went with him for one during the summer. Well, most of the time the sea was very calm, and it was kind of a fun trip. Except for three days on the Northern Sea. Mind you, no storm or anything even close to that, just gentle swells (according to my father). Last time I have ever set foot on a ship willingly. Puked everything up three days straight (mother made me eat, but it never stayed down very long). And I didn’t get used to it even a little bit, I was feeling every bit as miserable at the end as I felt on the first day.
Yes, nice to find out there might actually be a somewhat useful reason for that reaction.
By the way, wasn’t there some belief that witches should have problems crossing water? If so that would be the second test I’d fail. I also float like a cork.
I the old Vincent Price movie, “The Witchfinder General,” he tied up three potential witches and had them thrown into a pond. Two floated and were condemned. One old woman drowned and he said, a beatific smile on his face, “she was innocent.”
“By the way, wasn’t there some belief that witches should have problems crossing water?”
I have actually read several different theories about this test, but the one that was used in 1650 in Connecticutt was the the “water of baptism” would reject the body of a witch. However, there was also some alternate theological thinking that would make the ones who died the guilty ones, so the judges could use it to prove a woman was a witch whether she sank or not.
Witches, vampires, ghosts (especially evil spirits), and the like are unable to cross water in older myths. Water represents life and purity and they are the opposite of that.
For another example, see Robert Burns’s poem “Tam o’ Shanter”.
Re: the EU working group on the “internet rules” proposal.
The article has updates, including a quote from the programme director of the group who states, “”I do fully understand that the publishing of the document led to misunderstandings,” he told Ars. “If we publish like this, it will scare people—that’s the reason that we didn’t publish it….””
Translation: “We didn’t have the chance to couch it in Orwellian Nuspeak, so you got to see the true face of it. Oops.”
Re: the Troll
That was a very interesting story. I get the feeling that this describes most trolls: stunted maturity, whether the calendar agrees or not. This Troll is very lucky that his target was a friend of his parents and a civilized gent to boot. I probably wouldn’t be so civilized, family friend or not.
This is only vaguely apropos to the general subject in this thread, and maybe everybody knows it already because it’s about a month old. But I’ll post it anyway because it’s at least a glimmer of good news to see that a major circulation publication has noticed something we all knew already.
Trevor Butterworth at Forbes has an op-ed: Why Nick Kristof’s Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Us All.
Tip o’ the hat to Walter Olson at Overlawyered.
Yes, I quoted & linked that one in TW3 (#35), subheading “Feet of Clay”.
The Juggalos say it hasn’t happened to the Deadheads, but I could swear that I read something to the effect that cops were pulling over anybody with a Grateful Dead bumper sticker and checking for drugs, and that some idiot judge had agreed that a Grateful Dead bumper sticker constituted “reasonable suspicion.”
An end to the War On Drugs? Ah, if only.
I think I know what Indiana Jones is going after next!
The story of the man and the Troll was inspiring. He’s a better man than I am. This also led me (via links on page) to all sorts of interesting stuff, like the dad who found is son’s porn and suggested better sites, ones which won’t harm his computer.
The motion sickness video was interesting, and likewise led me to other videos, on racewalking, Cloud’s giant sword, and even problems with Pellucidar.