Year: 2008

No wonder people like him

I am proudly liberal. I am not an economic libertarian or social conservative. With that, I heard Ron Paul interviewed on National Public Radio yesterday. Of course like any politician, he was playing to his audience. On NPR, he’s talking about ending the war in Iraq and not, say, overturning Roe v. Wade. But with…
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More bad news from the war on drugs

Thanks to the War on Drugs, submarines are slipping undetected into the U.S. The Boston Globe has the latest story.

The Wire

I have a secret. Until a few days ago, I hadn’t seen the last season of The Wire. I love The Wire. But I don’t have HBO. And I don’t want to go somewhere to watch it in case I miss an episode. So I wait until it’s out on DVD. On DVD you can…
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Colleges: Drinking age ‘not working’

Top university officials in Maryland – including the chancellor of the state university system and the president of the Johns Hopkins University – say the current drinking age of 21 “is not working” and has led to dangerous binges in which students have harmed themselves and others. “Kids are going to drink whether it’s legal…
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Police officer indicted for Taser death

This is rare: “A grand jury in a small Louisiana town last week took the rare step of indicting a police officer for repeatedly shocking a handcuffed suspect with a Taser.” Here’s the story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Race is involved. The tased guy was black. The officer, who was fired, was white. Meanwhile, in…
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Baltimore City juries less likely than suburban juries to convict, study says

No shit, sez I. Here’s the Baltimore Sunstory by Julie Bykowicz. People talk about how the criminal justice system is biased against blacks. And it is. If it weren’t, nearly half the people in prison wouldn’t be black. But, dot dot dot, if you are going to be arrested for drugs, it’s far better to…
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Real Police

I just received this email. It’s an interesting take on on the concept of being “real police.” “Real police” is both a concept and a compliment. It’s what in the NYPD they call a “cop’s cop.” Also, when you actually say “real police,” you have to stress “real” and the first syllable of “police.” Otherwise…
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Drug Dealers vs. Business

A liquor store in Baltimore is being forced to close because a man was killed there and drug dealers congregate. Here’s the story in the Sun. I’m of mixed feelings. Liquor stores in the ghetto are hardly the most sympathetic businesses. But if they were all shut down, it’s not like the neighborhood’s problems would…
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Life for the American Brewery Building

Last time I was in town I noticed the scaffolding around the building from the train. That had to be good news. I think it might be the most beautiful building in the world. It just happens to be in the Eastern. It was a bad shape when I roamed around it in 2000. Now…
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Man suspected of selling drugs on bicycle hit by car

Oops. Sorry. Not really. The story from the Baltimore Sun is here. This is Sector One in the Eastern, for those who care.