And this year's Sam Sheppard Award for jumping to the wrong conclusion goes jointly to the media (especially electronic) and the prosecution for:
New DNA evidence does not match any family members to the death of JonBenet Ramsey, according to the Boulder County District Attorney.
Via Hit & Run, here is a helpful Detroit Free Press graphic explaining Flint's new law against saggy pants. That ought to kick the crime problem in the butt. Niney-three days to a year in jail and/or up to $500 in fines -- zowie, that's a serious law.
Criminal genius of the week:
The victim of a brutal rape in Somerville was able to convince her dim-witted alleged attacker to give her his phone number, which police then used to identify the thug, law enforcement sources told the Herald yesterday.
How often do we have to point out that whenever there is a bad dog, there is most likely a bad owner? This clown wants the officer punished and the city to pay his vet bill:
When Elwood reserve officer Gary Cole arrived, he said the dog jumped on his police car, and charged at him.
"I was scared. You got an animal charging at you, you don't have a lot of time to think," Cole said. "He wasn't there to shake my hand. He was barking with teeth showing."
This story caught my eye last week, and I was going to comment about it but forgot:
SYDNEY, Australia — New regulations making it a crime to annoy or inconvenience people gathering in Sydney during Pope Benedict XVI's visit later this month were criticized Tuesday as a heavy-handed blow to free speech.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's repeal of the ban on handguns in Washington, D.C., may be a boon for a segment of the firearms industry whose last major windfall might have been in the heyday of the Dirty Harry movies: those who make and sell revolvers.
What? No cut-rate college education for illegal immigrants? Goodness -- if we aren't careful, they might start getting the idea they aren't supposed to be here:
Some states are making it harder for illegal immigrants to attend college by denying in-state tuition benefits or banning undocumented students.
I've frequently posted about dumb laws. Here's a Web site devoted entirely to that subject. Just a quick scan of the opening page gave me this favorite:
I just received this email from a staffer in the U.S. Senate:
Scenes from a world gone mad
Coughing and spluttering resonated around Tweede Kamer coffeeshop in Amsterdam yesterday as customers got to grips with new Dutch smoking regulations that prohibit tobacco but not marijuana.
“They're having to smoke pure weed now and they're not used to it,” Frank, working behind the counter, said. “That's why there's all this coughing. It's going to be quite tricky.”
[. . .]
Scenes from a world gone mad
Coughing and spluttering resonated around Tweede Kamer coffeeshop in Amsterdam yesterday as customers got to grips with new Dutch smoking regulations that prohibit tobacco but not marijuana.
“They're having to smoke pure weed now and they're not used to it,” Frank, working behind the counter, said. “That's why there's all this coughing. It's going to be quite tricky.”
[. . .]
