You may have seen the headlines about riots in Lebanon in recent days. They can be easy to gloss over. We’re used to riots in the Middle East. These riots, however are not about Hezbollah or Israel – they’re about electricity. Five people died protesting that their power was cut off. Surely, if Lebanon was […]
A friend tipped me off to a small story from last month’s New York Times: “World Food Supply Is Shrinking, U.N. Agency Warns” You’d think it would be front page news, but it was buried in the section C. Food prices are spiking, especially for the world’s poorest people. Global warming is causing crops to […]
The Washington Post is reporting this afternoon that various telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps when the bureau failed to pay its bills, one as high as $66,000. The FBI, which has trouble keeping track of guns, computers and evidence, pleaded administrative incompetence. So, either: Telephone companies don’t mind unconstitutional breaches of citizens’ rights, […]
… why the primaries are important, check out this New York Times article on today’s Supreme Court session. The issue at hand is whether the current “three drug” system of lethal injection constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Oral arguments gave Antonin Scalia more opportunities to taunt those on death row. He does this because he […]
Illegal drugs are big news here in Vermont. In Windsor county, Robert Sand the state’s attorney (the equivalent of a district attorney) has long been an advocate of reforming marijuana laws. He says prosecuting cases and sending people to jail for small amounts of marijuana is a waste of taxpayer money and diverts resources from […]
One Nation, Under Water
Did you heave a sigh of relief on January 20th? Did you think, “Finally, we’ve got less than a year before we get these criminals out of the White House”? Don’t celebrate yet. The Bush/Cheney appetite for crime will likely increase, if anything, in the months ahead. This morning’s Washington Post gives good examples. Attorney […]