But his acquittal in Dutch court is an important victory for free speech in the Netherlands. As a side note, the Dutch legal system has some peculiarities from an American perspective, and not just the fact that somebody can be tried for what they say: The verdict had been expected as prosecutors themselves had called…
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I stumbled across an Asian grocery store in The Bronx that had some of the feistiest crabs I’ve seen a while. Decent sized, too (for New York). I bought six. I was tempted to let one loose on the subway home, but I resisted. But a good eye would have seen some some of the…
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This is good news for Republicans, supply-siders, and those who like to stick their ideological economic heads in the sand: the rich are getting richer. The top 0.1 percent of the population (those making about $1.7 million or more) now have an average income of $5.6 million per year. This is a 385% increase since…
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The LA Times reports that the ATF Director is expected to resign over the “Fast and Furious” gun program. It sure does seem a little strange for law enforcement to watch guns being sold to criminals and not acting. The operation marked a rare instance in which ATF agents allowed guns to “walk” into the…
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I just received an email with a subject line that baffled me: “Enough room to swing a cat.” I’ve actually heard that absurd expression, which as far as I knew, came (at least in print) from Mark Twain. I was introduced to the phrase by a Russian translator in Moscow circa 1991 who liked to…
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[I just stumbled across this postfrom 2008 and rather liked it (if I do say so myself). I don’t really remember writing it. And since I don’t remember writing it, I figure you don’t remember reading it! So here it is again:] A liquor store in Baltimore is being forced to close because a man…
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In the Washington Post. By Marc Mauer and David Cole.
The Boston Globehas an article on recidivism, parole, and lifers.
Here’s an interview about flogging featured in Salon.com.