let’s not overreact

Illinois Overhauls Death Penalty Law

[Governor] Blagojevich vetoed a section that would allow a police officer to lose his badge if a review board found he had committed perjury in a homicide case.

Why is this even a question? Why aren’t there more cops in prison for perjury (in homicide cases or otherwise), let alone disbadged?

Posted in politics | Leave a comment

well, he’s got the Newspeak thing

Daniel Kurtzman: Learning to love Big Brother / George W. Bush channels George Orwell

Posted in politics, prose | Leave a comment

due care

Chris Leithiser writes:

I want someone to start a free-condom-distribution program outside or near most major high schools, with the President’s slogan emblazoned on each package: “Leave no child behind.” That is what he meant, right?

Posted in general | Leave a comment

the ever-changing barrage

Do you ever get curious about changing fashions in junkmail? I haven’t had “we’ll submit your website to 312 search engines for $39.95” in years; on another hand, suddenly here’s a flood apparently intended for insurance agents.

Tuesday: In about one day I’ve had three advertisements for a paranoid website:

This is my yahoo id click it if you want to get in touch with me regarding my website but I want you to know!!!
This Government Conspiracy cant go on!
BOOKMARK MY SITE NOW TO KEEP UPDATED! I update it as news comes in. I am very sorry that you cant view it now but I am running out of bandwidth on my account. But bookmark it, its well worth the wait.

This is my yahoo id click it if you want to get in touch with me regarding my website but I want you to know!!!
This Government Conspiracy cant go on!
This is not unsolicited mail I am emailing you because you have opted’ into the CIA black list visit my site to remove yourself from the BLACK LIST
Further investigations will proceed if you do not provide the information we seek
Being blacklisted by the CIA or FBI is not a laughing matter.

Send me a message on yahoo PEACE!
I laughed so hard when I saw your post on pav.atoznet.com news server regarding conspiracies and weird stuff I thought you would get a kick out of my website have a look tell me what you think.

Weee-yurd.

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a bundle of sticks

On the Straight Dope site: Semantic and geographic wanderings, over the past two centuries, of the words fag, faggot.

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I can see your house

View from high above a neighborhood where I spent quite a lot of time between 1971 and 1981; much has changed since then.

Elsewhere: Dad’s house, which is new, is not visible – I can’t even identify his street. 2004: The source pictures have been updated, and it’s there now.

Posted in California, eye-candy, technology | 2 Comments

pain matters

I’m surprised to find that this blog has not previously mentioned the problem of undermedication for pain, a side-effect of the War On Minority Drugs. Here is a personal anecdote.

After seeing first-hand the lack of understanding and willingness to treat pain, I’m surprised the suicide rate of these sufferers is only [nine times] the national average.

Posted in drugwar | Leave a comment