Fables of the reconstruction

Happy Thanksgiving

Cop Killers

Some guy was sentenced to death yesterday for murdering a Philly cop who walked in on an armed robbery. I've got no special brief for criminals and especially anyone who shoots someone whose job it is to stop knuckleheads like him, but as I get older I have less and less stomach for capital punishment. The local media seemed very eager to see this guy on death row. It just seems bizarre to me to think that killing someone is somehow more just and is going to make the victim's family and the public feel better, and that life in prison with no possibility of parole would be a gift to the murderer.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour before deciding to impose the death penalty. I'm very big on juries' ability to do their jobs in a fair and impartial way, and try to push back against people who criticize juries' decisions. But deciding whether someone lives or dies in less time than it takes some people to eat lunch? This tells me they didn't bother to actually re-read the jury instructions and deliberate. They had, either as a group or individually, decided in advance that the sentence was death.

Of course, in a blue collar town like Philly, you can't expect the decision to come out differently when a cop is murdered. But I do expect people to take the job of juror seriously, and to do it the right way.  They owe that duty to the victim's family, the defendant and his family, and the court.  They also owe it to themselves. In this case, there was no rush. It was mid-day when they went into the room. Either way the jury came out, life or death, it was a decision they would have to live with for the rest of their lives. I do, because I have served on a death penalty jury. If I could have advised them, I would have told them to take their time. I think that they're going to regret that they didn't.

The flip side of the general pro-cop attitude in Philly is that bad cops get away with too much. This past Saturday, an off-duty cop with a history of repeatedly flying off the handle and waving his gun around charged into a fight in the street outside his house to break it up. Witnesses say he was drunk. At some point, the cop claims he was attacked and fired his gun in self-defense. He shot and killed an unarmed 21-year-old neighbor who was also trying to break up the fight. Despite that, the cop is free and, while he's under investigation, I don't expect him to be charged with anything. If a civilian had done what he did, he'd be in jail on a murder charge, no question.  It's double standard in this town, with one law for cops and another for everyone else.

Pennsylvania State Job Cuts Undermine Stimulus Effect on Infrastructure Spending and Environmental Safety

Duncan, talking about the self-defeating focus on the federal budget deficit:

I'm not talking about make work, I'm talking about real projects from basic maintenance to sewers to pothole filling to the demolishing and reclaiming of property with abandoned buildings etc... etc... The fact that the administration is signaling that it's more worried about the deficit than unemployment is incredibly frustrating.

He's also complained, rightly, in the past about the fact that stimulus funds for the states were cut at the behest of people concerned about spending too much.

There's a similar process at work here in Pennsylvania. Recently, the Rendell administration announced it was cutting an additional 319 state jobs:

[T]he Department of Environmental Protection will see the greatest reductions, losing 138 positions, or about 5 percent of its workforce ....

I was talking to a civil engineer last night who is working on several stimulus-funded infrastructure projects. He told me that people don't realize that every project requires the DEP to issue a permit before work begins. The DEP staff is already overworked; now, with the cuts, permits will be delayed even further. The net effect is that the stimulus money that Pennsylvania is getting won't be spent as quickly as it could be.

The state officials downplay it:

[DEP secretary John] Hanger said the layoffs, plus unfilled vacancies totaling an additional 120 jobs, would reduce the agency's overall staff complement from 3,011 to 2,760. He said sparing the inspection and enforcement staff was "the highest priority" but said the reductions might lengthen the permit-granting process for certain construction projects.

Making the unfilled vacancies permanent means that DEP is actually losing 258 staff, which is over 8% of the workforce.

But when it comes to development, they have their priorities:

Cuts to the Department of Environmental Protection will not affect oversight of increased natural gas exploration in the so-called Marcellus Shale reserve, the rich vein of gas that underlies most of the state, agency secretary John Hanger said.

He said the 120 salaried staffers who review applications for permits to drill for gas or oil and inspect drilling sites are covered by fees paid by the industry and aren't affected by the cuts.

The fracing that is required to extract the gas from the shale is also going to dump huge amounts of pollutants into the Susquehanna, which is already making people sick. And guess what? Under a law passed by Congress in 2004, fracing is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, which means the federal EPA has no jurisdiction over the practice. That leaves the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which is now down 8% in staff, to regulate the problem.

It's Not the Shittiest Week of My Life

But it's pretty fucking close.

I am not superstitious really, but I briefly hesitated to write that. Attention: I am not saying, "Things couldn't get worse." They could. No thanks.

The Definition of Decadence

Coming right after the report on hunger in the U.S. (and around the world), this is particularly revolting:

Philadelphia restaurant Barclay Prime paid $4,100 for a 1.1 pound white Alba truffle, outbidding a New York restaurant in an auction for the fungus. Barclay Prime is a upscale steakhouse that charges an average of $56 for a steak.

Catholic Church Attempting to Blackmail D.C. Over Gay Marriage

Typical of the hateful bigots:

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

Fortunately, D.C. City Council doesn't want to negotiate with terrorists:

[City council member David A.] Catania, who said he has been the biggest supporter of Catholic Charities on the council, said he is baffled by the church's stance. From 2006 through 2008, Catania said, Catholic Charities received about $8.2 million in city contracts, as well as several hundred thousand dollars' worth this year through his committee.

"If they find living under our laws so oppressive that they can no longer take city resources, the city will have to find an alternative partner to step in to fill the shoes," Catania said. He also said Catholic Charities was involved in only six of the 102 city-sponsored adoptions last year.

So, over $2 million per year for the past three years. If the international pedophile ring that calls itself a religion bails on D.C., I am sure other service providers would love to have that money.

The Excitement of a Military Career

In video game form:

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

In other news, Mikhail Kalashikov turned 90 yesterday. If he got royalties for the gun he invented, he'd be a very wealthy man. Instead, he had the bad luck to create the AK-47 in the Soviet Union, which was notoriously bad at protecting intellectual property rights.

Happy Armistice Day.

Second-Most Senior RNC Member Resigns After Stalking Ex

Whoa:

Blake Hall, a leading figure in Idaho and national politics for 25 years, was fired Monday as a deputy prosecuting attorney in eastern Idaho and has resigned from the Republican National Committee. ...

Idaho Falls police reported that witnesses said Hall disposed of used condoms on the lawn of the woman's house. Nineteen condoms were turned over to police, collected on 10 different dates, according to a police report. Both Hall and his lawyer acknowledged the condoms belonged to him, according to a police report.

Wow. How crazy do you have to be?

Also, between March and August, Hall repeatedly followed the woman to restaurants, the movies and her home, and he ignored her repeated requests that he leave her alone, according to police and court records.

The victim testified Friday that Hall once followed her to a Walmart and took her car keys and would not return them until she agreed to "hear him out" concerning her marriage, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported.

"I was so tired of being victimized," the woman said. "It is unimaginable that a 56-year-old would be so deviant."

Hey, remember that Kentucky state official who shot his girlfriend to death in September? He was 56 years old. Good thing Hall was "just" obsessive, not violent.

Just like the attorney for that guy in Kentucky blaming the victim for her own death, some people in Idaho have some wacky ideas, too:

Hall, 56, will keep his $31,000-a-year job as the civil attorney in nearby Fremont County, according to Prosecutor Joette Lookabaugh, a Republican who hired Hall in January.

Lookabaugh said she told Hall he would keep his job "unless or until his ability to do an outstanding job for Fremont County citizens is compromised."

In a news release, Lookabaugh suggested Hall was singled out because of his notoriety.

"I understand that political figures are held to a higher standard," she said. "What is disturbing is the fact that often people who have devoted their lives to public service are not given the same benefits, or are treated more harshly, than the public at large. There seems to be a certain amount of political glee in striking down the well-known for any real or perceived foible."

Hall admits throwing used condoms on a woman's lawn. Does Prosecutor Lookabaugh really believe someone who does that should retain a position of trust?

Hall continues to accumulate pension benefits from Fremont County. Hall's law firm gets about $600,000 worth of business from the state, but that is being looked at.

Way to Go, Habibi

According to witnesses, Hasan shouted "Allāhu Akbar" before opening fire.

Sergeant Kimberly Munley shot Hasan four times. He is paralyzed and on a vent. He shot her once; the round passed through both her legs. She is stable and well enough to call her friends.

Half the wounded have been operated on and are in stable condition.

Some of the victims may have been shot accidentally by responding police officers. (This initially struck me as likely, because I was trying to figure how someone shot 41 people with handguns while under fire himself.) It would be really stupid for the Army to cover up another friendly fire incident, so I am glad it's come out so quickly. However, base officials say Sgt. Munley was the first armed person on the scene and she put Hasan down, so (assuming that's true) unless her shots also hit others, it seems less likely there was friendly fire.

Also, I have seen the ridiculous argument that friendly fire is somehow a data point in favor of gun control. It's not, unless you're suggesting the police officers who respond to shootings should be unarmed. (The non-police soldiers in the room were not armed, per the commanding officer.) When gunfights break out, even trained shooters miss.

Hasan is Alive and in Custody

Per press briefing by Ft. Hood CO. "His death is not imminent," he said, in reply to a question about Hasan's condition.

A female, civilian Department of Defense police officer who had been wounded by Hasan shot him and stopped the attack.

Hasan Didn't Want to Go to Iraq; Total Dead is 13

Says MSNBC:

Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq on Nov. 28, officials said. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said military officials had told her that Hasan was “pretty upset” about his deployment orders.

The Associated Press, quoting military officials, said Hasan received a poor performance evaluation at Walter Reed. The officials would reveal no further details, citing the confidentiality of military records.

A 12th victim has died, bringing the total dead to 13.

Hoof It: SEPTA Stays on Strike

Rendell met with the head of the transport workers' union and nothing came of it. Strike day 4 tomorrow.

Shooting at Ft. Hood

The radio tells me that U.S. Army Col. Maj. Malik Hassan Hasan and two accomplices have killed 12 10 soldiers and a civilian contractor. Hassan was shot and killed by MPs. The others have been apprehended.

Update: Hasan is said to have used pistols, which suggests a lack of a plan. Also, this: "Fort Hood is home to the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which is designed to help soldiers overcome combat stress issues." It doesn't say if Col. Hasan had seen combat. This could be a PTSD-related incident, if the accomplices prove to be innocent.

On TV, CNN says that there is also known gang activity at Hood.

Update 6:08: Sen. Hutchinson went out of her way on CNN to note that the troops killed were on their way to Iraq. Let the politicization begin!

Update 6:19: Hasan was a doctor.

Update 6:23: Suspected accomplices have been cleared and released. I say PTSD.

Update 6:30: Hasan was a psychiatrist licensed in Virginia.

Update 6:50: Hasan worked at the stress management center.

Update I quit: CNN is interviewing some dude from Facebook. "Are there memorial pages that have been set up?" Um, okay, news over.

Former NM Chief Justice Dies Giving a Speech to One Ls

Imagine the judge's poor wife (who was in attendance) and students who had to go through this:

Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gene Franchini died Wednesday afternoon while addressing first-year law students at the University of New Mexico. 

... Franchini was giving his annual speech on ethics and the role of a judge Wednesday evening when he collapsed.

Faculty members said Franchini apparently suffered a heart attack. Students tried to perform CPR until emergency crews arrived.

Local Programming: Meet Death Row Exoneree Harold Wilson This Afternoon

Thursday, November 5th

4:30-6:00 p.m.
Meet Death Row Exoneree Harold Wilson at Temple Law
Meet Harold Wilson, who was wrongly sentenced to death for murder and then subsequently exonerated. The event is sponsored by the American Constitution Society, Witness to Innocence, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. The program will be held at Temple University Beasley School of Law, 1719 North Broad St. (southeast corner of Broad and Montgomery Ave.), Philadelphia, PA 19122, Room K2B, from 4:30-6 p.m. Contact Chris Wickman for more information.

Philly Surprise: SEPTA On Strike

The radio tells me that SEPTA operators of buses, trolleys, subways and the El are on strike. Regional rail is running. 

This move is sure to endear them to commuters and parents of private school kids, given that they went out without warning at 3 a.m.  Public schools are closed today, so at least those parents aren't totally hosed.

Good luck.

Things to Do On Facebook When You're Dead

Here:

We understand how difficult it can be for people to be reminded of those who are no longer with them, which is why it's important when someone passes away that their friends or family contact Facebook to request that a profile be memorialized.

A Small Change for the Better

Bush never went to Dover.

Another South Carolina Politician Resigns

Caught in a cemetery with a stripper, sex toys and Viagra:

[Police officer Mike Wines] stopped [state Assistant Attorney General Roland] Corning Monday after witnessing his car pull into a secluded spot in Elmwood Cemetery in downtown Columbia.

Corning was in the car with an 18-year-old employee of Platinum Plus Gentlemen’s Club, Wines reported. After receiving conflicting stories from Corning and the woman, Wines searched Corning’s car and found some sex toys and sex enhancement drug.

No laws were broken, so that's a plus. Corning resigned from the Attorney General's office anyway.

Urban Legends

How stupid do you have to be to believe this shit?

A drug dealer marks his spot by tying the shoe strings of sneakers together and hanging them over a line, he said: Look for those shoes. Near them is an alleged drug house his group is targeting.

Following Phillips’ directions, a reporter and photographer drive up 25th Avenue with a video camera aimed out the passenger’s side window.

Sure enough, shoes hang there on a line. Beyond them, men stand in a front yard. Noticing the camera, one yells, “What the f--k is goin’ on!”

That’s the kind of confrontation drug fighters like Phillips face regularly, in their marches, night watches and camp-outs, as they try to drive the dealers out.

People throw shoes over power lines for all sorts of stupid reasons. Who knows, maybe some drug dealers have heard the urban legend and did it. But most dealers don't hang up signs - their customers know where to find them.

But yeah, in any tough city neighborhood aiming a video camera out a car window will at least earn you "What the fuck is goin' on!" It could also get you killed, which would be your own foolish fault for brandishing something that could be mistaken for a gun out a window.

Bad Time of Year to Kill Yourself

No one believes you:

The body of a 75-year-old man sat decomposing on his Marina del Rey balcony for days because neighbors thought the lifeless figure was part of a Halloween display and didn't call police.

Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed had apparently been dead since Monday with a single gunshot wound to one eye. He was slumped over a chair on the third-floor balcony of his apartment ... .

Neighbors ... noticed the body Monday "but didn't bother calling authorities because it looked like a Halloween dummy." ...

"The body was in plain view of the entire apartment complex [and] they all didn't do anything," [a witness] said. "It's very strange. It did look unreal, to be honest."

Good time of year to be a zombie, though. Same reason.

Guy Claims He Was Fired Because He Voted For Obama

Right before the election, the CEO of a Kansas company sends out this email:

A week before the November 2008 election, Brandt sent a “Notice to All Employees” outlining “new policies” if Obama was elected. It concluded with: “If for any reason you are not happy with the new policies, you may want to rethink your vote on November 4th.” ...

Exhibit A in the lawsuit is the e-mailed memo, which said, in part: “The last few people who were hired should clean out their desks. Don’t feel bad though, because President Obama will give you free healthcare, free handouts, free oil for heating your home, free food stamps, and he’ll let you stay in your home for a long as you want even if you can’t pay your mortgage.”

A week after the election, salesman Elliot Snell was fired. He describes himself as "a vocal Obama supporter". Now he's suing.

Assuming for the moment that Snell was fired for voting for Obama, I agree it sucks but it's probably legal. I'm not a Kansas lawyer, but if this is accurate, Kansas is an at-will employment state. The general rule is, you can be fired for any reason or no reason, so long as it's not one of an enumerated list of bad reasons (such as racial or gender discrimination.) So long as Snell had no contract (and the employee handbook didn't imply one), then he's out of luck.

Sure Sign A Trend Is Passé

I've become the last person in Philly to walk around wearing a pair of white earbuds.

Census Worker Found Hanged

Too early to tell what happened here:

The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery. A law enforcement official says the word "fed" was scrawled on his chest.

The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky.

Investigators have said little about the case. A law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, tells The Associated Press the word "fed" was written on the dead man's chest.

But it's worrying, not least because it happened on 9/12, the day of the Teabagger's March on Washington. I would use the word lynching if it had been "ACORN" written on his chest. As it is, I think the most likely explanation (because of "fed") is political murder not directly connected to the anti-Obama stuff but motivated by general anti-government sentiment by someone living out in the woods. It's also possible that he stumbled on some methshiners.

(Via MG.)

"He's Going to Kill Me."

And two days later, he did.

Oh, and she had bought a gun to protect herself, too. That worked out well.

Son of Murdered Anti-Abortion Protester Says His Father Was a Madman Who Hated Women

The anti-abortion protester who got shot and killed outside a high school in that spree killing in Michigan (and whom the rightwingers tried to turn into a martyr) turns out not to have cared about abortion so much as terrorizing women:

He did this to stalk, harass, terrorize, scream at, threaten, frighten, and verbally abuse women. He had a pathologic hatred of women: his mom, my mom, everyone.

After my mom finally left him and he lost his favorite punching bag the violence and abuse that was always contained within our 4 walls was unleased on the people of Owosso.

My dad used the pro-life movement and 1st Amendments foundations to defend him, support him, and enable him. He fooled them all.

He was at the high shool because my niece was there, and female family members were always his favorite targets.

Again, my dad didn't care about abortion. He wanted to hurt people, upset people. He enjoyed making people suffer. ...

He hid behind the 1st Amendment and was allowed to stalk, terrorise, harass, be obsene, ect. These things are crimes. Offending people isn't a crime, and having different political views isn't a crime, but he committed several crimes over the last 20 years and got away with it.

Yes I really am his oldest son. Owosso is now rid of a mad man.

The son is a podiatrist who hadn't spoken to his father since 2001. Shocking that he would write this, but not so shocking that it's true.  I bet if there were a reliable way to poll abusers, you'd find far more are anti-abortion than normal people.

This is What Happens When You Don't Report Abuse

Regarding the guy who murdered his girlfriend after she got a restraining order against him, this:

Former Republican Gov. Louie B. Nunn alleged in a 1994 letter that his son Steve, now charged with the murder of a Lexington woman, had physically attacked him and abused other family members.

Louie Nunn, who died in 2004, told his son he was too old and disabled to fight with him physically, and that the mental anguish caused by the attack "is more than I need."

Louie Nunn also said he didn't want having hurt his son physically or mentally on his conscience or his record.

"Therefore I respectfully request you never attack me physically again," the elder Nunn said in the handwritten letter to his son. "Neither do I intend to take any more verbal abuse from you."

Nunn warned that if his son ever attacked him again, he would have him charged with assault and seek a restraining order against him.

That would require bringing into court Steve Nunn's sister, children and former wife, Martha Lu Nunn, "all of whom you have abused," Louie Nunn said in the letter.

Just think, if the Nunn family had taken legal action then, Amanda Ross might be alive today.

On the other hand, the letter was part of an official court filing in 1994 and no opposition research brought it to light when Steve Nunn ran for office or was hired by the state to oversee the domestic violence program:

The nine-page letter was included in the court file of a divorce petition Beula Nunn, the former GOP governor's wife, filed against him in 1994 in Metcalfe County.

Amazing.

Remember: It's not a "mistake" when they hit you. They're out of control. Verbal and physical abuse means they're out of control enough to kill. If they grab, kick, punch or slap, call the cops. Nip it in the bud, and you might save your own life or the life of another.

Blaming the Domestic Violence Murder Victim

There was an all-too-common story in the news the other day, with a twist:

After months of trying to use the legal system to protect herself from her former fiancé, 29-year-old Amanda Ross was found shot to death early Friday outside her home in downtown Lexington.

Hours later, the man she feared, former state representative and one-time gubernatorial candidate Steve Nunn, was taken into police custody at the edge of the Hart County cemetery where his parents are buried.

The twist, in this case, was that Nunn, the son of a former Governor, was not only a former state rep and ran for Governor of Kentucky, but that he lost his job as deputy secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which oversees the state's domestic violence programs when Ross filed for the domestic violence restraining order in February of 2009. (Nunn was a Republican, but I don't want to pile on that point - it's not like Republican men have a monopoly on domestic violence against women.)

The comments to the news stories above contain much of the sickening, misogynistic bullshit you would expect after such events. But this from a story in today's Kentucky Herald-Leader really needs highlighting:

Attorney Astrida Lemkins, who said she is a friend of Nunn's and was co-counsel for Nunn during a court hearing about the domestic violence order, said the issuance of the order "caused all the problems."

"It caused Steve Nunn to lose his job, reputation and drove him to slit his wrists," she said.

"If there does turn out to be a relationship between the death of Amanda Ross and Steve Nunn, it is not because the DVO failed, but rather because the DVO was issued," said Lemkins.

Lemkins said Ross should have also been held accountable for her role in the domestic violence incident.

"Things are not black and white," she said. "There's a lot of gray in there."

Eaton said the domestic violence case was deeply embarrassing to Nunn. "You could tell he was real concerned about his case and what people were thinking about him," he said.

You get that? Attorney Lemkins is arguing that Amanda Ross is to blame for her death because the restraining order was issued. There are people out there who really believe this crap: Someone accused of domestic violence is right to kill the person who got a restraining order against him. 

To their credit, the paper quotes another attorney who points out, correctly, that at the hearing for the restraining order which Ross initiated, a judge had ruled in favor of Ross after hearing testimony from Nunn in his defense that Ross had hit him. Clearly, the judge didn't believe him.

Lemkins, Nunn's defender, is right about one thing: It is dangerous to be a woman who gets the legal system involved in trying to stop domestic violence. The time of maximum danger is when the woman tries to leave the situation. If he's out of control enough to hit you, he's probably out of control enough to kill you. If you get away, get away fully. It sucks, but the police cannot protect you. Even going armed yourself won't save you from an ambush.

On another issue, it's not clear whether Nunn had a permit for the .38 he killed Ross with. If he did, it's another failure of Kentucky law. Anyone who is subject to a domestic violence order should be required to turn in their guns, and placed on a list at gun shops which prevents him from buying another (and the shops held liable if they sell him one anyway). 

As a ironic side note, publius at Obsidian Wings pointed out yesterday that domestic violence is treated as a pre-existing condition by insurers in 9 states (although Kentucky is not one of them - that would have been too much) and 8 of the 16 largest insurance companies use domestic violence as a factor in setting premiums. A woman who files for a restraining order and then seeks medical insurance might not be covered in case her abuser hurts her down the road. Of course, the insurance companies can also bank on the possibility that the abuser will just murder her, which saves them money, too.

Flood Map

Find out if your neighborhood will be under water when the oceans rise.

Long-Time ACLU Staffer Larry Frankel Dies

Accordingly to credible but as-yet unofficial reports, ACLU lobbyist Larry Frankel has died in D.C.  Larry had served as both Executive Director and Legislative Director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania for many years before becoming the State Legislative Counsel for ACLU National.

This story has not appeared on any news sites yet, but was first posted last night by Pennsylvania State Representative Mark B. Cohen at Young Philly Politics. Because it has been up so long without being corrected, I assume the news is true. According to Cohen, the circumstances of Larry's death are still being investigated and a cause has not been determined.

Larry was a great fighter for civil liberties. This is a tragedy and a real loss for everyone who loves freedom.

Ted Kennedy Dies, Age 77

Just announced.

Down

Christ, this whole healthcare thing is depressing.

WHAT?

THE FUCKING EAGLES HAVE SIGNED MICHAEL FUCKING VICK!

You are shitting me.

Wondered What the Helicopters Were About

Armed robbery of Brinks truck quite near where I am.

People Have Lost Their Goddamn Minds

All of them. Is it the full moon this week? The weather? The economy? They're all fucking crazy.

"Captured" v. "Arrested": On the Political Usefulness of Language

Regarding the story of the three hikers who crossed the border from Iraq into Iran:

Note the headline: "Captured." As well as the word "hostage" in the third paragraph.

I presume the hikers are innocent of any deliberate wrongdoing and I hope they aren't held very long, whether as part of some political negotiation or not. But the media's choice of words is interesting. If three Iranians were to have been caught crossing the border in some remote area from Canada into the United States, I think the word used would be "arrested". And people would be freaking out about how they could be - probably are! - terrorists. In either case, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the U.S. or Iran to be thorough in investigating claims that those "captured" were what they said they were.

By using the word "captured" and referencing Mr. Fattal's "redbrick colonial" boyhood home, the Inquirer is trying to heighten the tension and draw a parallel to the embassy hostages - innocent Americans who were kidnapped. Part of this tension is placing pressure on the Obama administration to react as if Mr. Fattal and his friends were hostages, with all the attendant diplomatic and military drama. I guess that sells papers, but it's hardly an evenhanded way of describing the situation.

When There is a National Conversation on Race, Black People Get it in the Neck

So, right now, the President of the United States, who happens to be half black, and the preeminent African-American scholar, who also happens to be half black, are sitting down for a beer with a police sergeant. The police officer is the person who will decide how the meeting goes, and the tenor of the resulting media coverage, because he is white, and that gives him the privilege of saying whether the black President and professor were sufficiently deferential and respectful of the authority inherent in the color of his skin.

I hope I am wrong, but I don't think this is going to end well.

Triple Word Score

So, I was playing Scrabble with a friend the other night when she put down the word "ago" in a place that opened up the corner spot to me. I added a D to make "dago" and "dey" in the other direction: 35 points. She challenged, not the somewhat obscure "dey", but "dago" because she knew something I didn't: Sure enough, "dago" is not in the official Scrabble dictionary.

There must be some mistake, I thought. "Dago" is a word, it's not new slang, it has been around for a long time, it's not a proper noun. Turns out that in the 90s Scrabble removed a number of words that are offensive or considered offensive from its dictionary, including "dago". I'm not surprised there are some people (there always are) of a certain age who find such things scandalous. What shocked me was that offensive words were removed from a game the point of which was your knowledge of all the words in English.

Apparently, this is how it happened:

While reading [the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary 2nd. Ed.], Judith Grad found several words she considered to be offensive, including "jew", listed as a verb with the definition "To bargain with - an offensive term". Her initial letters to Merriam-Webster and Milton Bradley requesting removal of the words resulted in politely negative responses. Grad wrote to the National Council of Jewish Women, who began a letter-writing campaign in support of her cause. Publicity in Jewish media led to the Anti-Defamation League writing to Hasbro chairman Alan Hassenfeld, who announced that a third edition would be published with the "offensive" words removed.

How did I miss this cultural landmark? Well, most of my good friends are poor but well-educated. When playing Scrabble in the past, we would use whatever dictionary was handy, usually a well-worn unabridged single volume thing. All of the words are in there, even the naughty ones. But now with the magic of the internet, the official dictionary is online, so we were using it this time.

I wondered which forbidden words were on the list and which weren't. It turns out, there is a lot for me to learn when it comes to offending people. I didn't know a good percentage of these terms. I would have expected all of Carlin's Seven Dirty Words to be on there, but of course "tits" has a perfectly innocuous meaning, so that stays in. If "jew" is out, so are the other antisemitic slurs (kike, hebe, yid, sheenie - that one was new on me), as well as their counterparts (goy, shiksa). I also learned "shegetz", which makes my world so much culturally richer. "Popish" is on there, which conjures up images of 19th-Century Know-Nothing riots. And "jesuitic"? Really, that's an insult?

On race and national origin, we've mainly got you covered. So covered, in fact, that I now know a lot more racial slurs than I did before. Ofay and buckra sound like ingredients on a French bistro menu, but in fact they are both disparaging terms for white person. (I shit you not - of course, "shit" is also on the list, so I really shit you not when Scrabbling.) Nigger, wop, mick, tomming, whitie, darkie, gringo, dago, spic, jigaboo, redskin, honkey, squaw, wetback, of course. "Haole" I only knew because of reading about Hawaii when Obama started his campaign. "Abo" I knew they say in Australia, but I didn't think it was a slur. "Chink" didn't make it, understandably given it's commonly used in an inoffensive way, but where is "gook"? "Coloreds" but not colored is on the list, although the plural also refers to laundry. (Too slangy, I guess.)  Did you know "hunkie" is a disparaging term for a person of Slavic or Hungarian descent? Now you do! I was appalled that "greaser" isn't on there, though; I guess they're thinking it's "a person or thing that greases" instead of a Mexican. I was also distressed to see that neither "towelhead" nor "raghead" made the list - perhaps they're too new. "Haji" is clearly too new in its insulting sense, but I look forward to seeing it on the list as it gets updated. But it turns out that "nitchie" is chiefly Canadian slang for a Native American person. Who knew? And I was pleased as a student of history that "pommy" was on the list - I am sure there are some elderly British immigrants who remember when it was last used in conversation. The list also includes "skimo", but I can't find any reference to it online or in any other dictionary - perhaps it's an insult from another planet?

I was a bit let down on sexual orientation insults. Fag and faggot aren't on the list, I guess because they have innocent meanings, but who ever uses them in those senses? "Faggotry" is on there, which makes my day. Dyke is not on the list, being an acceptable alternative form of the word meaning levee, but "dykey" is. Lesbo isn't on there, but "lez" and "lezzy" are. "Poofs" and "nancy" made it, which is sweet - I love anachronisms. And where are "homo" and "het"?

I was surprised to find cultural and political insults on the list, although I guess "redneck" and "fatso" were predictable if it had ever occurred to me to give this topic more than five seconds' thought. "Comsymp", though, th' fuck?

Other, more serious players reacted the way I did:

The news was generally not well received by members of the National Scrabble Association, which was not consulted in the decision. After receiving mostly negative feedback from players, including threats to boycott events, NSA president John D. Williams announced a compromise, the result of which was the publication of the unexpurgated Official Tournament and Club Word List.

This comprehensive list is such a well-guarded secret it retails for about $500. Used. For a game that involves knowing things, this doesn't seem like the optimal result.

This situation made me think of this Penny Arcade comic, which is based on the fact that Xbox Live not only bans dirty words, but preemptively bans words that are likely to become dirty:

A year ago, we saw a quiz thing that asked you to determine which of four odd phrases were euphemisms for sexual acts. By the time we had discovered this question, every item on the list had developed a carnal reputation. That is to say, every item. We are fast approaching a point where ordering a sandwich at a deli will land you in prison. While I'm intrigued by the dystopian undertones of this scenario, I don't necessarily want to live under its strictures, not least of which because I tend to frequent delis.

Also, I'm pretty sure that "Dystopian Undertones" is guttermouth for the male testes. Make a note.

Anyhoo, now that I have studied the list, this dago is ready to compete no matter which dictionary we use.

Also, ham doctor.

Anti-Choice Terrorist Claims Membership in Operation Rescue, Justification for Killing

No big shock:

In a phone interview Friday, Roeder said he was upset at the president of Operation Rescue, Troy Newman, who had condemned the killing and said his organization had nothing to do with Roeder.

“He said that I never was a member and I never contributed any money,” Roeder said. “Well, my gosh, I’ve got probably a thousand dollars worth of receipts, at least, from the money I’ve donated to him.”

Roeder said he wrote Newman a letter from jail.

“I told him, ‘You better get your story straight because my lawyer said it’d be good for me to show that I was supporting a pro-life organization.’ ”

On the morality of killing Dr. Tiller:

•Justifiable homicide

Roeder said since about 1992 he considered killing abortion doctors an act of justifiable homicide.

He praised Paul Hill, who killed an abortion doctor and his bodyguard in Pensacola, Fla., in 1994, and said he agreed “100 percent with him.” Hill was executed by the state of Florida in 2003.

Roeder said that “a lot of people have problems with violence in general,” but in most cases, a person who prevents a killing is considered a hero.

“When a policeman shoots somebody on the street, for example, and stops somebody from taking the life of innocent people, that’s violence, and everybody’s fine with that,” he said.

He said after he got involved in the abortion issue, “I would counsel with many people, get their viewpoints.” Only 1 percent or 2 percent of those he talked to actually agreed with him regarding the killing of abortion doctors, he said.

Roeder is apparently receiving fan mail from across the country, praising him for his Godly actions, so I fear there are more like him out there who now have another role model to emulate.

Why?

They are all running wall-to-wall MJ funeral coverage commercial-free because they know some people regard it as a landmark cultural event.  You can't not run coverage of it, because people will be irate, and you can't interrupt it with commericals, for the same reason.

It's That Time of Year in Philadelphia.

Bugs.

Big, meaty-looking things. Cockroaches as thick as sausages. And that one with a million legs? That's usually in the sink or the tub? Why is it on the ceiling? Over my bed?

There are also the rotting garbage and the smells. But mainly, bugs.

Busted For Breastfeeding While Intoxicated

Not a joke:

Police responding to a domestic disturbance arrived at Stacey Anvarinia's home to find the mother breast-feeding her 6-week-old baby in front of them. And she was drunk, they said.

Officers arrested the woman, who later pleaded guilty to child neglect and faces up to five years in prison. Now her case has touched off a debate among moms about breast-feeding, alcohol — and privacy.

Since Anvarinia's arrest, blogs have been abuzz with comments questioning whether breast-feeding mothers could risk criminal charges if they drink even modest amounts. Authorities insist police were right to make the arrest, even if the mother had not been breast-feeding, out of concern for the child's welfare. ...

It's unclear how much Anavarina had to drink. Police never conducted a blood-alcohol test. Investigators believed she was drunk, and her arrest on a charge of child abuse and neglect did not require a test. ...

"This case is more than just the breast-feeding. It was the totality of the circumstances," said Grand Forks Police Lt. Rahn Farder. "It is quite unusual for a mother to be breast-feeding her child as we are conducting an investigation, whether she was intoxicated or not."

What a mess. First of all, breastfeeding your kid in front of the police is not yet a crime. Second, while I am skeptical of the healthiness of the habit, all kinds of activities that pose a risk to the kid's well-being are legal - say, smoking - and the police would never even imagine they should lock people up for them. It seems that the woman's job as a mom is somehow open to public scrutiny and disapproval, especially when she is pregnant or breastfeeding. Somehow, the more personal and private the matter for a woman, the more authority male police officers arrogate to themselves to control the woman's behavior.

But McDonalds' Sales Are Up

The good news is I don't have to wait to get on a machine at the gym. The bad news is the gym is empty because people can't afford the membership fee anymore.

More Uighurs Released

The 17 Uighurs held in Gitmo are innocent of any wrongdoing but have been imprisoned since 2001. In 2007, five Uighur detainees were released to Albania.  A couple of days ago the Obama administration announced that the nation of Palau had agreed to take in temporarily some or all of the Uighurs. And today, the Justice Department [sic] announced that the country of Bermuda has accepted four Uighurs for permanent resettlement.

QOTD: No True Scotsman

Without comment:

"The responsible white separatist community condemns this," he said. "It makes us look bad."

It's Okay If You're a Cop

Police officers probably feel they more often get treated like shit than are given breaks, but when stuff like this happens, it just galls me:

Back in September 2006 -- with no lights or siren -- [New Jersey State Trooper] Robert Higbee ran a stop sign while in pursuit of a speeding suspect in Upper Township. 

Christina and Jacqueline Becker were on their way to buy milk, and happened to be in his path.

He was acquitted of vehicular homicide, which in New Jersey requires a showing that the person driving acted recklessly:

A person acts recklessly when (he/she) consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that death will result from (his/her) conduct. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that, considering the nature and purpose of the defendant's conduct and the circumstances known to (him/her), disregard of the risk involves a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the defendant's situation.

So, you're engaged in a high-speed pursuit, in this case doing 80 in a 35 mph zone, and you don't have your lights or siren on. And you end up killing two kids. In any comparable civilian circumstance, that driver would not only be going to prison, he'd be getting the max. But because this guy is a cop, he walks.

Local Programming: Love Park, 5:30 p.m., Vigil for Dr. Tiller

YPP:

STAND UP FOR DR. TILLER, STAND UP FOR ABORTION
Tuesday, June 2, 5:30 pm, Love Park

WMF has received inquiries from pro-choice women and men asking what is going on in Philadelphia to mark the death of Dr. George Tiller. Join us as we gather to honor the work and memory of this courageous and principled man.

Those who have had abortions and are willing to be public about it are especially invited to speak. If you are interested, send your name to Tom Pich, tompich1@hotmail.com.
-----------------------------------------------

Just 10 days ago WMF honored abortion clinic escorts for their courage. We screened "Silenced," an amazing short video that is now online. To honor Dr. Tiller's memory with a contribution to WMF, click here.

Dad Wore Grey or Blue

I should have realized there are lots of people still alive today whose fathers fought in the Civil War. The last Union widow died only in 2003. And I guess that site implies there is at least one Confederate widow still alive.

It's the 21st century and we still have the living reminders of the 1860s. I find that amazing.

Police On My Back

The followup on the post yesterday:

Lower Merion police caught two suspected bank robbers who attempted a getaway via SEPTA yesterday afternoon.

A man who claimed he had a gun robbed the TD Bank at 401 W. Lancaster Ave., Haverford, at 12:54 p.m. and escaped on foot, police said. Pursuing police found paint from the bank money's exploded dye pack on the steps of the Haverford train station and arrested a man walking by himself about two blocks away, on Montgomery Avenue near Woodside Road, who had "traces of dye on his arm," a police news release said.

A witness at the train station told police the arrested man had been with another person who got on the eastbound R5. SEPTA held that train at the Ardmore station, and police arrested a woman passenger found with the bank's money, police said. Police did not release the names of the suspected robbers.

Via the reliable source, this is how it went on the train:

A young African-American woman gets on at Haverford, carrying a drawstring sack. She sits down in front of a middle-aged black woman who is on her way home from work in Bryn Mawr. The older woman sees the young one looking around nervously, "talking with her eyes".

"Are you okay?", she asks.

"We just robbed a bank," she says confidingly. A beat to absorb this information. "We do it all the time out here. They don't have security in the banks."

A moment passes while the young woman continues to look agitated. A young white man notices and asks her what's wrong.

"Nothing," the young woman says.

The train is stopped in Ardmore and the police take her off. Later, the older African-American woman says, "Just because I'm black, she thinks it's okay to tell me she just robbed a bank?"

Philly Carshare in Trouble

Last year, PhillyCarshare was a major hit. Today, they're stumbling and may be heading for oblivion.

The current problem is that on Friday after business hours, they sent out an email to all of the members who had the plan with no monthly fee that they would be switched over to the $15/month plan in six days, on May 1st, and their credit cards automatically charged every month until they canceled.

What a stupid, greedy move. The incentive is obvious: Give customers only 6 days to cancel, and many will miss the deadline, giving Philly Carshare a big shot of revenue. Some of these free members may have changed their email addresses, or even moved out of Philly. The account was free, why bother to cancel? They might not even realize they were being charged until they got their credit card statements and examined them, which might even be after they were charged a second time.

Naturally, members are incensed at this and have started complaining and canceling their accounts. But this is just the latest in a series of problems that have annoyed and worried members. Last year, they changed the way the cars were refueled, which led to a rash of break-ins to steal the gas cards from the cars, which resulted in members having to buy gas and seek reimbursement. Rates have fluctuated wildly. The phone reservation system went from a live person to full automation, practically making it worthless. Car maintenance became spottier, and the cars inevitably aged and began looking it.

All of these stumbles points to an entity with no effective leadership. When that happens, you have to think they're going out of business.