Radley Balko is not a UU sort of guy, at least in the political sense.
He's a libertarian, first off. He seems to agree with the my opinions on Walmart that have gotten a mixed reception here. He is a crusader against Washington DC's smoking ban and he even works for Cato.
That said, he is right now doing something far more meaningful than waving a "Fuck Bush" poster or telling people who disagree with him how "sick" they are for not believing everything Micheal Moore has to say.
He's asking some good questions about a death penalty case in Mississippi where a guy seems to be seriously getting shafted. And prosecutors are listening, even responding to his blog posts.
Radley tells it best, but to give you a summary, it appears that the police in Prentiss, Mississippi had a warrant to raid a guy's house in the middle of the night. What they didn't know, and didn't bother to find out, was that said house was a duplex. When they raided the other side of the duplex, where Cory Maye lived with his 18-moth old daughter. Maye heard people breaking into his house and shot at them, killing a police officer. Maye is now on death row.
Judging by his blog, Balko has a streak of Nancy Drew to him. (This is totally a compliment. Nancy Drew has no greater fan than CC.) He has called people on both sides of the case and has promised to post a Pdf of the search warrant as soon as his copy arrives.
As far as I can tell, Balko basically started this.
It hasn't hit the mainstream press yet, but if Instapundit cares, real attention can't be far behind.
If every time we were thinking of making a giant puppet or bitching at someone who disagrees with us, we tried to actually right a wrong instead, the world would be better for it.
CC
9 comments:
Totally OT, but I just found your blog a few days ago, and am greatly enjoying it. In one of your older posts, I think you mentioned that you once belonged to Community UU in NOLA. Did you know Kathleen Korb when she was minister there?
I could have sworn I said pretty much exactly that to you years ago CC. Speaking of wrongs that need to be righted you need to write something here. . .
Maybe you can persuade PeaceBang and Fausto to right something here and here.
The UU response to the injustices and abuses that I have been airing for years is best summed up in the words of Rev. Brian Kopke of the First Unitarian Church of Ottawa -
"Nobody DID anything."
Just today a member of the Unitarian Church of Montreal told me that hec was very sorry about what had happended but there was nothing that he could do about it because the initial events occurred before he joined the church. That's UU justice, equity and compassion for you. . .
BTW What Montreal police and prosecuturs didn't know, and didn't bother to find out. . . before arresting me and prosecuting me on trumped up criminal charges in December 2000, is that my perfectly legal and quite "peaceful" public protest outside of the Unitarian Church of Montreal on any given Sunday is not audible from within the church sanctuary, is barely visible from within the church sanctuary, and has never at any time actually caused even the slightest disruption of a church service held in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Church of Montreal. . .
More recently a couple of overly aggressive Montreal police officers who didn't know, and didn't bother to find out, certain important facts. . . before seizing and destroying most of my picket signs. They will be facing accountability in a few different forms shortly, but in the meantime it looks like the Unitarian Church of Montreal is in for some more bad press just in time for Christmas. B-a-a-a-h Humbug!
Yes, I knew Katy and liked her a lot.
CC
As did I, though I was never a congregant in her church. I was the DRE at First Church in San Antonio, and would see Katy at SWUUSI and GA and whatnot. I still think she's one of the best people I've ever have the privilege of knowing. Integrity like that is rare.
This Emerson Avenger guy certainly gets around, doesn’t he?
Katy performed my wedding, BTW
She and I still talk sometimes. Shall I tell her you said "hi"?
CC
I am going to be using that giant puppet line for a long time. It is the ultimate in scathing snark!
I take note of the fact that Peacebang seems more interested in making use of the snarky *giant puppet* line than righting any wrongs. . . The U*U World would certainly be better for it if U*Us finally got around to righting the various wrongs that I have brought to the attention of U*Us over the last decade or so but U*Us seem to prefer making giant asses out of themselves. I guess I will just have to continue lighting a fire under U*U asses for a while yet.
Do you honestly have nothing better to do than comment on year old posts on my blog?
Honestly?
CC
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