January 8, 2005

Circuit Court Judge Ashley McKathan has caused a furor for wearing a robe in court that displays the Ten Commandments in gold lettering on his chest. Without the biblical "truth" he said, "there is no law."

I guess that makes all non-Christians anarchists.

"Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember that all men are strange."
--Robin Morgan

January 7, 2005

Bart Barnes, a journalist who wrote more than 15,000 obituaries for The Washington Post, recently published a great article about his former occupation.

"It taught me that even in the monotony of the daily grind, life could be funny and beautiful, surprising and strange. Death is no big deal if you don't love life. I only wish I could have met more of the people I wrote about," Barnes said.

As a fellow obituarist, I know exactly what he means.

"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster."
--Isaac Asimov

January 6, 2005

This week's Jaded Writings column has been posted. I was actually in the middle of writing an essay about cemeteries when news came across the wires that Andrea Yates' capital murder conviction had been tossed out on appeal.

For those of you unfamiliar with the case, jurors found Yates guilty in the 2001 deaths of three of her children (she wasn't tried for the other two murders), and sentenced to life in prison. Today, the First Court of Appeals in Houston declared that an expert witness had given false testimony at the trial, which affected the judgment of the jury.

While on the stand, psychiatrist Park Dietz mentioned that an episode of the TV show "Law & Order" involved a woman who had drowned her children and then was found innocent by reason of insanity. No such episode had aired.

As such, Yates will need to be tried again.

Today, I'm reprinting a slightly modified copy of an old column to remind future jurors why Yates was convicted in the first place. Hopefully, they'll find her guilty again -- and sentence her to death.

"We all have problems, every one of us in some shape, form or matter, but your children, they're innocent, they don't do anything wrong. No matter what problems you have in your life ... you still don't murder your children."
--David Smith, ex-husband of Susan Smith, who was convicted of murdering their two children in 1994.

January 5, 2005

What are your favorite Weblogs? Which blogs or journals offer the best information on politics, food, photography or entertainment? Nominate your "must reads" for the 5th Annual Weblog Awards. Winners receive a bit of fame and small cash prizes.

Deadline is Jan. 10th.

* Umberto Eco - 1/5/32
* Carl Sandburg - 1/6/1878
* Kahlil Gibran - 1/6/1883
* E.L. Doctorow - 1/6/31
* Alice J. Wisler - 1/6/61
* Zora Neale Hurston - 1/7/1903
* Wilkie Collins - 1/8/1824
* Stephen Hawking - 1/8/42
* Elizabeth K. Burton - 1/9/48
* Jack London - 1/12/1876
* Joseph W. Miles - 1/12/61

January 4, 2005

House Republicans reversed a rule change they foolishly made last November that would have allowed Majority Leader Tom DeLay to remain in power even if he was indicted by a Texas grand jury. DeLay has been admonished by the House ethics committee three times in the past year and is currently under investigation for campaign finance violations.

* Investigators from the Government Accountability Office report that Medicare's toll-free telephone line, one of the main vehicles for disseminating information about new prescription drug benefits and drug discount cards, gave inaccurate answers to 29 percent of callers. Another 10 percent didn't get any answers at all. (The New York Times)

* Among the 22 expressions on the "List of Words Banished From the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness" are "wardrobe malfunction," "blog," "sale event," "erectile dysfunction," "body wash" and "zero percent APR financing." (Chicago Tribune)

* There are 81,000 certified massage therapists and body workers in the United States. (USA Today)

* In 1999, 4.7 million Americans subscribed to broadband Internet access. This year, 64.1 million paid for the service. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

* A single-day adult admission to SeaWorld now costs $59.75. (CNN.com)

January 3, 2005

The Pentagon and the CIA have asked the White House to allow hundreds of people currently in military and CIA custody to be held for an entire lifetime, even though the government doesn't have enough evidence to charge them with a crime. The Defense Department is also planning to ask Congress for $25 million to build a 200-bed prison that will incarcerate people who are unlikely to ever go through a military tribunal.

Ian Ayres of Yale Law School and Katharine Baker of the Chicago Kent College of Law want to see "reckless sex" outlawed. Reckless sex, as they define it, is penetration, without a condom, in a first-time sexual encounter. If such a law was passed, violators could be charged with sexual recklessness and sentenced to up to six months in jail.

Now, I've always been a proponent of safe sex. I encourage people to get tested for HIV, use condoms and contraception and choose their partners wisely. That said, anyone who believes sex between two consensual, adult partners should be outlawed is out of their fucking mind.

January 2, 2005

* watching snow fall
* being inside on a cold night
* the warmth of fireplace
* curling up on the couch with my cats
* homemade hot cocoa

"It's time for the New Year's resolution, that odd annual rite wherein after a month of giving thanks and celebrating all that is good in our lives we resolve to change the very lives we professed to be so thankful for."
--Warren St. John

Past Afterthoughts