Chicago gang members hold press conference to … criticize police, city
We’ll stop our thuggery – only if you give us some jobs! Via CBS 2 – Chicago:
Hands off my moonshine!
For something on the light side this morning, here’s a short video from Reason.TV arguing that outdated laws against amateur distilling (i.e., “making moonshine”) should be repealed, using analogies to craft brewing of beer by home brewers and micropubs:
NC’s “Racial Justice Act”: Not really about “justice” nor “race”
This is going to be longish, but I do hope you’ll read it – or print it to read later, and forward this to people you think need to read it. This issue is one of paramount importance for all, especially anyone concerned with the (wrong) direction the criminal justice system appears to be headed in this state. Our elected officials and other public figures in positions of power depend on people to not pay attention to what’s going on in order to get away with the stuff like what I’m about to write about, but an informed person armed with the facts is a powerful weapon against the “we know better than you” crowd.
Abusing the Constitution: health care and the case of the Commerce Clause
While we rightly agree to abide by the decisions of the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of what is and isn’t constitutional (barring changes via amendment), that doesn’t mean all its decisions are correct, or that its errors are without consequence. Among the more famous errors of the Court, consider Dred Scott v Sandford, which upheld fugitive slave laws; Plessy v Ferguson, which upheld segregation in state law; Buck v Bell, which upheld state laws mandating forced sterilizations; Korematsu v United States, which permitted the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII; and the recent Kelo v City of New London, which made a mockery of the 5th Amendment’s takings clause.
The NC SBI serology “scandal”: What you need to know
The state of North Carolina has been buzzing the last couple of weeks thanks to a series of articles run by both the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News and Observer about the NC State Bureau of Investigation that either insinuate or outright allege widespread, systemic, deliberate suppression of lab evidence that may have helped defense attorneys better defend their clients against charges brought against them by the state. The most damning of the articles came this week after an independent review of the SBI found some 230 cases where they allege that state law requiring all evidence be shared with the defense wasn’t followed. Both Observer news outlets have done a fantastic job sensationalizing their news stories for maximum effect, painting state investigators in the harshest possible light – which shouldn’t be surprising, considering that both Observer news outlets are affiliates of the liberal McClatchy news organization, and we all know how liberals feel about harsh punishments for criminals.
And the verdict in the Blago trial is … GUILTY
… coming shortly.