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Archive for the 'Crime' Category

Culpability

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

by Mike

Make sure to read this excellent article by Stanley Fish, Law Professor and New York Times opinion contributor. This gist of his observation is this:
“If the bad act is committed by a member of a group you wish to demonize, attribute it to a community or a religion and not to the individual. But [...]

Shooting Themselves In The Foot

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

by Mike

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
[...]

On Bullying

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

by Mike

Bullying has been in the news a lot lately, unfortunately due to a teen’s suicide in a small Massachusetts town and the ensuing prosecution of some of the kids who were involved for statutory rape and civil rights violations.
That particular case is a tragedy all the way around. The behavior of the kids involved [...]

Kidnappers With Good Intentions

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

by Mike

I have no idea why 10 Americans, in Haiti on a humanitarian mission, thought it would be a good idea to take 33 Haitian kids to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. No one that I have seen has suggested that they were paid or had any insidious motive. My guess is that [...]

Second Chances

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

by Mike

The Supreme Court will soon hear a series of cases on whether or not juveniles can be sentenced to life without parole for crimes that aren’t murder.
Personally, I think it is silly to sentence a juvenile to life without parole for any crime.
Take this quote, which is actually a defense of the practice by the [...]

Criminalizing Harassment

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

by Mike

There is an article in the New York Times today that I think raises an interesting question: how many times must a harmless act be repeated to become hurtful?
Here’s the background information on the lawsuit: In Minneapolis area there are two elite private high schools, Breck and Blake. They are both small, extremely expensive, [...]

Short-Sightedness and Stupidity

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

by Mike

I apologize for my extended absence. I could tell you a story about taking care of a two-year old, getting the flu, and then working on a book (all of which are true), but the greater reality is that I simply allowed myself to get out of the habit of posting here. But [...]

Breaking Down the Gates Arrest

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

by Mike

Sit down in a circle everybody, because Uncle Mike is going to tell the story of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., with editorial comments injected. (I’ve been taking care of a two year old all week, sorry.)
Our story begins with Professor Gates returning from a trip to find himself locked out of [...]

Fiscal Benefits of Marijuana

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

by Mike

In an internet Q&A with President Obama last week, he was asked about the beneficial effects on the economy and/or fiscal health of the nation if marijuana were legalized and taxed. I’ve seen this argument before, so I thought I might run through some back-of-the-envelope calculations to see if there is any merit to [...]

Consistent Standards of Behavior

Friday, March 20th, 2009

by Mike

Here’s a question for the audience to ponder: to what extent is the belief that “men shouldn’t hit their wives (girlfriends/children/etc.)” a sexist notion?
I bring this up because domestic violence is once again in the news the last couple of weeks, with the Chris Brown assault on his girlfriend, Rihanna. Brown is an R&B [...]