Travis Henry may have Smoked Pot

DEAR GOD, THE MORALITY OF THE NFL IS IN SHAMBLES I TELL YOU!

“Have to refer you to the League, we have no comment,” general manager Ted Sundquist told The Associated Press in response to an e-mail inquiry about a Denver TV report that Henry had tested positive for marijuana.

Just wait until Henry (inhaling smoke from a burning plant) is casually compared to Mike Vick (murdered animals and gambled illegally) and the Patriots (violated the spirit of the game by cheating). With all the physical abuse these athletes endure and the debilitating mental ailments that later result from such abuse , its a wonder they all aren't smoking MJ.

Sick to Death of "Galas"

I know, I know, candidates need to make money, and one way they do is by holding exorbitantly expensive "support galas".

I wish they would take a financial poll of supporters at the outset of a campaign and just not send these "invitations" to me, because they are thoroughly depressing. No matter how much I support Donna Edwards, it makes me sad that to eat with her I have to cough up $500. And for that $500, I would get to be a "supporter". Aren't I already a supporter by being on her email list and blogging in support of her? Can I show her act blue receipts for my paltry contributions and, I dunno, at least bus the tables?

Greenwald: The America Bush Built

He's right, as usual. Every time we accept the reckless lawbreaking of this Administration, our national character is demeaned.

Every time our representatives give an inch to this president we move closer to becoming a nation of torturers and eavesdroppers, dictators and murderers.

Police Attack "Main Weapons" Used in Drug Trade

Which apparently are, you guessed it, illegal guns. Thats right, the main "weapon" of the DRUG trade, according to police, is somehow illegal guns, not illegal drugs. Really, how do these police ever expect to accomplish anything when they are starting out with incorrect assumptions.

Does anyone believe for a second that even if all illegal guns(heck, even legal guns) were removed from the equation that murder, crime, and poverty would somehow be lessened? People would be stabbing each other over drug real estate. The market for crossbows and other clandestine instruments of war would skyrocket (or more likely, guns still will exist, only ALL of them will be illegal).

Its not the illegal guns that are causing the crime problem.

“Obviously, there’s a disconnect and there’s a failure in the criminal justice system,” Ross said of the numbers. “I don’t understand why they’re being released if there’s a gun crime.”

See, I don't understand why "they" are being arrested if there is a "drug crime." Criminologist Jeffery Ian Ross gets close to the answer:

Ross said that the situation likely will remain unchanged unless there are more job opportunities for young men in Baltimore.

But there’s a catch, Ross said: The jobs have to pay well.

“The drug trade is very lucrative,” he said. “Nobody is going to give up a flexible, lucrative means of supporting themselves to get a Mickey Mouse job.”

As long as drugs remain illegal, they remain more lucrative to the participants in the drug trade than any job you could offer. I can see the job description targeted at these drug dealers now:

Looking to hire Sales Staff immediately, no experience required, no education necessary. Tax free income of $600-1,000 a day. Set your own hours and hire and fire (perhaps literally) your own staff at will. Motivated employees can freelance to earn extra pay. Work from home or withing walking distance. Simply buy direct from our distributors, no advertising or sales experience necessary. This stuff sells itself!

I have a prediction for Baltimore City and for America. The "chaos" is going to continue.

Update: It looks like a bunch of new jobs just opened up! I wonder how many man hours went into locking these 8-9 people up for being effective capitalists? Not like it matters, because all that work was useless. There are no addicts who will go without heroin tonight in Baltimore, as I am sure Mr. Brewer's corners were filled with new dealers hours after his arrest.

Clothesline Project Goes A Bit Too Far

I am big fan of the clothesline project. When the project would come to Towson University, it was always a moving event, one that could easily bring tears and contemplation from anyone in the audience. Hundreds of t-shirts, decorated by rape and sexual assault victims, are hung in a public area. I hope to upload some photos of an event that came to Towson a few years ago when I get home. It is truly a sight to behold.

But I can't agree with students who are protesting to be allowed to place the names of ALLEGED rapists on their t-shirts. The key here is "alleged". Convicted I have no real issue with, but the issue here is that these people who could be listed as sexual criminals have not been found guilty of anything. The correct course of action for the victims would be to go to the police (though I do understand the difficulty and often inefficacy of such a strategy).

Futhermore, the clothesline project is powerful not because of the names of potential rapists or abusers, but because of the collective outrage, disgust, and unity displayed by the hundreds of shirts created by anonymous victims. What would be a real shame is the clothesline project being shut down, or cast into a dark corner, due to a universities endorsement (at least in legal terms) of slanderous speech.