Marc Shiner used to prosecute murderers; now he defends them. Read about what changed his life in the N.Y. Times. One imagines the difficulties in feeling responsible for incarcerating a 13-year-old for the rest of his life are tremendous. This must be particularly so if you believe the young man can be rehabilitated. Marc Shiner’s…
Op-Ed Blog
Big Thicket Threatened?
The Big Thicket National Preserve may be getting some new neighbors – housing developments. Read the story in the Houston Chronicle. Living in what’s rapidly becoming suburbia as I do, I see the development of lands in my area as a nuisance at best. It was inevitable, however, that my immediate area be spoiled by…
Legacy of 9/11: Big Brother
The Department of Homeland Security is coming. Will our privacy be destroyed under its heel? Student newspapers rarely have meaningful contents, but read Matt Chock’s essay in the Cornell Daily Sun on this subject. Consider also what the N.Y. Times has to say. Are you prepared to live under the microscope? Don’t think it can…
Miss Cleo Settles with FTC
Miss Cleo’s psychic hot line agreed Thursday to cancel $500 million in customer bills. Read the CNN.com story. There’s irony in this quote: “The amount involved eclipses the record $215 million that Citigroup Inc. agreed to repay customers in September to settle deceptive lending charges involving mortgages and credit insurance.” Perhaps Wall Street insiders and…
Safe Seats? Term Limits are the Answer
The L.A. Times reports that only five of the 153 races in the recent election were true contests. Read the story. Since politicians seem to have adopted gerrymandering as a means of preserving their jobs, there’s only one way to get them out of office: term limits. Incumbents hate term limits, which is nearly enough…
Women Demand Augusta Accept Them
Martha Burk and the National Council of Women’s Organizations have declared war on an the males-only Augusta National Golf Club. Read Ron Borges’ commentary on MSNBC.com. What right does Burk have to lead this boycott? The right of an American exercising freedom of speech. What reason does she have? Only that of a foolish destructionist….
College Footbal BCS a Good Thing
We like the NCAA college football Bowl Championship series. Mike Celizic of MSNBC.com doesn’t. Who’s right? It doesn’t matter. It’s a question of fun versus order, unpredictability versus defined outcome. We think the BCS makes college football more interesting and gives college football fans something to talk about. Every game means something. In then end,…
Iran: Leaning Toward Democracy?
Is the time ripe for Iran to re-open itself to the west or even become a democracy? Some people think so. Read a story about one man defying death to make it happen. It’s been obvious for some time that the religious power-brokers in Iran have little to no interest in the will of the…
Joke Guaranteed to Piss Off a Muslim
Everyone seems to be wondering why Muslim fundamentalists are so quick to blow themselves up and commit suicide generally. Let’s see now … No beer No booze No bars No television No Internet No baseball No football No basketball No hockey No golf Soccer only, and all the time No tailgate parties No hooters No…
Web Panhandling Pays Off
See how Karen Bosnak mooched her way out of a $20,000 debt. Oddly, Karen seems to have stirred up some resistance to her leech-like behavior. Who says there’s a recession on? We’re going to look into this ourselves…