America is more of a “guilt” culture than a “shame” culture. What does that mean? Guilt is something you feel. Shame is what you feel based on what othersfeel toward you. We want our criminals to feel remorse. That’s guilt. Ashamed to show your face in public because your grandma will think less of you?…
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I was. Last night. On the night train coming back from Boston. I met Charles Rangel in the cafe car. I was chatting with the cafe man and drinking a beer. Here is one of the most powerful men in America. Taking the night train. Tired. No entourage. Willing to talk. We did. He knew…
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Does a tough economy mean more crime? Not necessarily. Good policing is more important, sez me. Here’s the story in the New York Times.
I have advocated that all drug defendants demand jury trials. It’s a constitutional right. It would end the war on drugs. That is kind of sort happening on a small scale. Here’s the story in the Sun. Our system of justice is broken.
Peter Hermann of the Baltimore Sun has an interesting article about discharges… that is, shots fired but nobody hit. No harm, no foul.
Apparently I’m going to be on the radio again Monday. But this time I can actually listen to what I say. It’s a rerun.
Why not have road construction flagmen be cops? Yes, it’s a bit of a scam. But police have to make overtime some way. And better to pay a cop than pay a union private construction employee. Without this overtime, I wonder if arrests will increase. Read about it in the Boston Herald.
From John Kass and the Chicago Tribune: What bothers the Mettes—and just about every other cop—is that there were no protests on Mike’s behalf. Liberal university professors didn’t write angry op-ed pieces demanding justice. The crowd that fights wrongful convictions wasn’t interested, either, perhaps because Mike wasn’t some violent gangbanger with a rap sheet as…
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When we last visited Mexico, tens of thousands were protesting violence resulting from drug prohibition. Now Mexican President Felipe Calderón has proposed decriminalized possession of small quantities of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine to those who agree to undergo drug treatment. This is similar to a bill he proposed two years ago. But that bill…
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Seems like the brother of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is a heroin kingpin operating under U.S.-tolerated immunity. I’m shocked. Shocked.