The least one can say is that these last decades have failed to assure Americans’ health or safety. There’s irony, too, as even the regulation-favoring Richard Nixon would not have imagined nor supported the course the war on drugs has taken. We’ve wasted money, enriching only agencies and vendors quick to slop at a trough…
Crime
Crime, Liberty, Tyranny
When Nat Hentoff Met Che Guevara
by JOHN ADAMS •
In this clip, civil libertarian Hentoff describes a meeting he once had with Che Guevara. Hentoff notes that even in a simple interview, Guevara, a tyrant and mass murderer masquerading as a liberator, was dissembling, initially choosing to hide behind an interpreter. YouTube – When Nat Hentoff Met Che Guevara.
City, Crime
Common Council: Synthetic Marijuana
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update: There’s a solid follow-up from Walworth County Today about the reach of the ban — it won’t apply to our campus, as that jurisdiction is under the authority of the state and university system. See, City of Whitewater can’t ban synthetic pot on campus. At last night’s council meeting, a clear majority of the…
City, Crime, Police
Common Council: Crime Prevention
by JOHN ADAMS •
Property crimes, although not as reprehensible as crimes of violence, are yet significant wrongs. Theft injures its victims, and undermines civil society. One has no reason to be sympathetic to thieves. Individuals and society benefit from strong private property rights. Whitewater, perhaps more than other towns nearby, has a problem with property crimes, including car…
Crime
Over-Criminalization
by JOHN ADAMS •
Anthony Cotton has an article online about Wisconsin’s criminal law, entitled, “Wisconsin needs to address over-criminalization.” Cotton writes that A fundamental principle of the American justice system is individuals should not be subject to criminal prosecution and penalties unless they intentionally engage in inherently wrongful conduct or conduct that they know to be unlawful. With…
Crime, Law, Walworth County
Update: Walworth County District Attorney Koss’s Foolish, Ignorant Price Tag on Justice
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote in January about Walworth County District Attorney Koss’s Foolish, Ignorant Price Tag on Justice, where D.A. Koss expected a crime victim to pay for the cost of an expert witness against the woman alleged to have defrauded her. Needless to say, this expectation called the prosecution of the criminal defendant, Beth Reeves, into…
Crime, Official Misconduct
The Talented Dr. Steven Hayne
by JOHN ADAMS •
Dr. Steven Hayne is a forensic pathologist in Mississippi. He’s a fraud and liar, too. Here’s a description of his method (citations omitted): Until 2008, Hayne performed about 80 to 90 percent of criminal autopsies in Mississippi, and has testified to performing more than 1,500 autopsies per year. Performing more than 325 autopsies per year…
Crime, University
GazetteXtra: Threat closes UWW’s Williams Center
by JOHN ADAMS •
WHITEWATER – UW-Whitewater has closed the campus’ main athletics building after a written threat was found in a men’s restroom. A spokesman said there has been no explosion or injury. Here’s the text of a notice on the university’s website: “Williams Center will be closed for the remainder of today, Tuesday, April 19 and all…
Crime, Laws/Regulations
Reason’s Nanny of the Month for March 2011: Drug Warrior-in-Chief Barack Obama
by JOHN ADAMS •
Crime, Official Misconduct, Press
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism: Indiana prosecutor resigns over Walker email
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s hard to overestimate the outrageousness of this prosecutor’s actions: An Indiana deputy prosecutor and Republican activist resigned Thursday after the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism uncovered an email in which he suggested faking an attack on Gov. Scott Walker to discredit union protesters. Carlos F. Lam submitted his resignation shortly before the Center published…
Crime, Government Spending, Official Misconduct
Bell Officials’ E-Mails: We Act Like Pigs – CBS News
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers may recall the story of excessive municipal compensation of officials in Bell, California, an impoverished town where officials helped themselves to huge salaries. See, Excessive Public Compensation in Bell, California (Lessons for the Rest of America) and Update: Excessive Public Compensation in Bell, California (Lessons for the Rest of America) It’s even worse than…
City, Crime, Police
Authorities investigating Whitewater bank robbery, bomb threat
by JOHN ADAMS •
Officers responded to a robbery at about 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Westside branch of Whitewater Commercial Bank, which is located at Sentry Foods at 1260 W. Main St., Whitewater, a news release from the Whitewater Police Department said. The suspect reportedly was carrying a brown paper grocery bag and a computer bag containing two…
Cats, Crime
Cat-Hating Misfit Pleads Guilty
by JOHN ADAMS •
Giovanni Estrada, now 20, entered the plea in court this morning. Investigators say he tried to drown the cat in its locked carrier back in September because it killed one of his pet crawfish. The cat, later named “Lovie” for her affection towards caretakers, had been shot by a BB gun multiple times. She was…
Crime
GazetteXtra.com: Man Jailed After Ramming Estranged Wife’s Vehicle
by JOHN ADAMS •
A story from nearby Janesville — After an argument at their home Christmas Eve, Michael Thurman, 49, of 2017 Purvis Ave., went looking for his estranged wife, Jodi Thurman, 37. As he pulled into the alley at 12:15 a.m. Dec. 25, behind Weirdo’s Bar & Grill, 209 W. Milwaukee St., he saw her leaving the…