We’ve all seen CSI, where within an hour two or three impossible cases are pieced together and there is an arrest headed for conviction. Or Law and Order, where they usually limit themselves to one case. The reality is different. Despite decades of law and orderism breaking out all over the United States, it is more possible to get away with a murder now than before.

Well it is a myth, and one which favors the right wing, because it creates the impression that modern police work is better. It’s not, the old police departments had more murders to deal with, and they had a better rate of clearing them by arrest. Now some of these clears as we find out later, was because they arrested the wrong person, but not by the proportion that we see a drop in solving crims.  Read more 

This fascinates, and scares me. I’m not kidding when I say I expect many of these kids to end up enforcers for the state someday. Nor do I believe that the particular peculiarities of this “gang” came solely from teen brains. Get to know Straight Edge:

You wouldn’t expect a splinter faction of teens that rejects alcohol, tobacco, drugs or promiscuous sex to be an active criminal street gang, but in Washoe County that’s exactly what’s happening, authorities say.
In March — following a six-month investigation — Straight Edge was officially classified a gang by the Regional Gang Unit. Nearly every week, gang officers investigate Straight Edge crimes or harassment that doesn’t seem to subside following arrests.
Authorities describe Straight Edge attacks as random, opportunistic, violent beatings that can be spurred by minor comments from nonmembers. Members — who sometimes use bats, shovels, knives, brass knuckles and Mace — don’t engage in violence unless they can outnumber their targets, police said.  Read more 

 Read more 

America, that is. Let’s see, I think this blurb has it all. Tell me this doesn’t sound strangely like someplace you know, fast foward a few years:

 Read more 

This is too mildly worded for me, but it’s still a good post to keep handy for the next time you need to shut up a Rethug coworker or neighbor.

Death tax my ass.

Yeah, yeah, I know—this sort of thing has gone on since forever. But weren’t we supposed to have a set of higher standards these days? A shiny, high-tech, high-quality military? Some things never change:

A Bangor Area High School senior who admitted his role in a BB-gun shooting spree that blew out about 200 windows and caused nearly $74,000 in damage won’t have to go to prison — but only if he joins the Army and stays in.  Read more