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Flogging for Flogging, Deporting Dreamers, & More Justice-Related Must Reads


IN DEFENSE OF FLOGGING

Suddenly everyone has taken notice of Peter Moskos new book,In Defense of Flogging“—-which is exactly what the author intended. Moskos, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, insists that he is not suggesting flogging law breakers as a thought experiment or something Swiftian.

He says he’s serious, that for many criminal offenses, flogging would be a far more humane (and certainly less expensive) sanction than putting a lawbreaker in prison. (Especially if one is talking about California’s overcrowded lock-ups, with their 8th Amendment issues.)

Salon Magazine decided to probe deeper into what Moskos had in mind with what certainly appears to be a stunt book title.

Here’s a clip from his answers:

People have to read beyond the title of the book because I’m not actually pro-flogging; however, I am entirely serious about my belief to offer it as a choice instead of prison. I was much more hesitant when I started working on the book, but as I did my research and writing, I succeeded in convincing myself!

I think flogging is evil, but it’s the lesser evil of the two. I think it’s strange for people to say that even though flogging might be better than prison, we still can’t do it because it’s bad. That’s not much of an argument. I always try to keep the focus on prison because that’s really what the book is about. But flogging is essential on a huckster level to get the book noticed. If I had written a book called “Why Prisons?” nobody would read it. I already wrote a book calling for drug legalization and no one read that one…..

Read the rest. It’s very good and pretty much dead on.


AN UNDOCUMENTED UNIVERSITY HONOR STUDENT VOTED “MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE WORLD” BY HER H.S. IS ON THE BRINK OF BEING DEPORTED

I’m so, so sick of these stories.

Mandeep Chahal, a pre-med honor student at UC Davis, is facing deportation to India along with her mother. Mandeep was brought to the US when she was 6.

The DREAM act would, of course, call a halt to these depressing tales of brave young men and women who have served in our armed forces, or who are academic stars like Mandeep, yet who are either slated or at risk for deportation despite the fact that they are clearly assets to the US, not weights, were brought here at such young ages that they are utterly American in every way but in the eyes of the law.

The Sac Bee has the rest of the story.


BLOGGERS QUARREL LOUDLY OVER NY TIMES STORY ABOUT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH WEALTHY FUNDER OF CONSERVATIVE CAUSES

Politico has a round-up of the liberal/conservative blogger battle over Thomas, ethics, and whether or not his associations affect his actions on the bench.

Sunday’s NY Times story up for discussion is here.


HUNTERS AND FISHERMAN HAVE DIMINISHED EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY RULES THE CALIFORNIA SUPREMES

More specifically, the court said that game wardens were entitled to stop hunters and fisherpersons to ask, “Say, how many fish you got in that cooler, dude?”—without having to satisfy the usual Constitutional requirement of “probable cause.”

The Sac Bee has the details.


ONE PERSON’S PUBLIC NUISANCE IS ANOTHER PERSON’S WORKING SINGLE MOM

LA Times columnist Sandy Banks went along with community activist, Najee Ali, as Ali went to talk to the streetwalkers who have the neighborhood parents up in arms. Banks finds that the the situation is a lot more complicated.

Los Angeles police officers will hold a community meeting Wednesday night to talk about law enforcement options to quell prostitution. In the meantime, Ali and his small band of warriors are taking a more personal tack:

“These women are someone’s mother, sister, daughter or neighbor,” Ali said. “If we don’t reach down and help them, who will?”

Read the rest.


N.J.’S GOV CHRISTY ORDERS STATE’S FLAGS FLOWN AT HALF MAST FOR “THE BIG MAN”

I am not exactly a fan of Gov. Chris Christy, but give the guy credit for doing the absolute right thing in this instance. Here’s the deal according to the NJ Star-Ledger:

Gov. Chris Christie ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on Thursday in honor of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons “in special recognition of his contributions to the state, people, and culture of New Jersey.”

“Clarence Clemons represented the soul and spirit of New Jersey,” Christie said in a statement. “His partnership with Bruce Springsteen and the rest of the E Street Band brought great pride to our state and joy to every fan of this music around the world.”

Yep. Right is right.

(Christie, it turns out, has been to 125 Springsteen concerts.)

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