Hell Is For Children
May 24The New York State report found students as young as nine years old subjected to sudden, painful, repeated electric shocks for ‘refusing to follow staff directions’, ‘failing to maintain a neat appearance’, “stopping work for more than ten seconds”, “getting out of seat”, “interrupting others”, “nagging”, ‘swearing’, ‘whispering’ and ‘slouching in chair’, and ‘‘moving conversation [...]
Money Changes Everything
Apr 25I just saw Michael Sandel on The Colbert Report expressing outrage at the idea of allowing votes, citizenship, and improved prison cells to be marketable commodities. I don’t have much of a dog on either side of this fight, since the three institutions he mentions (at least in anything like their present form) are all [...]
Death Row
Feb 17358 prisoners have died in a prison fire because the guards a) couldn’t find the keys to unlock the cells, and b) wouldn’t let firefighters into the building. (Story here.) But judging from u.s. news coverage, the really important story is that Whitney Houston is still dead.
An Ambiguous Dystopia
Jul 08Going through old papers I find this gem from my Randian past: a very short sf story that I wrote in (but not for) college, titled “Under the Violet Sun.” Some of my stories actually had plots (hopefully I’ll dig them up eventually). This one, not so much.
It Makes a Fellow Proud, Part 3
Jul 07And now Tom Knapp is in CounterPunch, explaining how the Casey Anthony trial was a failure of justice regardless of whether she was guilty or innocent. You can also hear a clip from Kevin Carson being interviewed by Iranian Press TV here, on the role of big business in war. Those of us who have [...]
Cory Maye To Be Freed
Jul 01Cory Maye, about whose case I’ve blogged previously (here, here, here, and here), is finally due to be released. (CHT Sheldon.) It falls short of what he deserves – he was required to plead guilty to manslaughter for exercising his right to defend himself and his family, and he’s being offered no compensation for the [...]
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