More Repulsive Tripe from Caitlin Flanagan

In this Op-Ed Caitlin Flanagan (voted one of MSN's 13 Women who make us cringe) is once again cringe-worthy with this absurd argument about Sarah Jane Olsen. As usual she gets it back-asswards cloaking her argument for forcing SJO to serve her parole in California in the rhetoric of racial equality.

But that's probably why this self-styled housewife should stick to writing about domestic issues rather than legal or political ones. If she'd managed to talk to anyone involved in the criminal justice system, including even the one person she quotes in the piece, she'd realize that the problem isn't allowing SJO out of prison nor is the issue that she gets to go home to Minnesota, the problem is others don't get those benefits. And the solution? Not to burn precious space on the TImes Op-Ed page whining about Olsen's crime, but rather to advocate for more liberal parole rules everywhere.

How about a little note about how overcrowded California prisons are already stuffed full of parole violators sent back only on "technical specs"?

How about a nice piece about the dangers of mass incarceration or the absurd sentences meted out to those self same folks who have committed lesser crimes? Flanigan has made a career out of shaming working women and glorifying home-makers.



Time to make some donuts.

RTB en Italia...

I came across a listing for "Avvocati a New York" And what it is? Yep, RTB.

Here's the awesome auto translation of the description...

"The series tells the stories of private and professional group of young lawyers of the Big Apple, the court rivals, but friends in private life. Every day have another case to solve that sees them in opposing the classroom, but their relationship of mutual friendship that has lasted since the university is stronger than any rivalry.
Among them is Jerry Kellerman (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the popular protagonist of Bayside School), a public defender and courageous idealist who is always committed to the maximum for his client. His head is Rosalind Whitman (Gloria Reuben), including but tough, that spurs the most of his team. Together with them, work Woolsley Patrick Richard (Teddy Sears,) and Roberta "Bobbi" Gilar (Natalia Cigliano). In the department of public prosecution, however, there are Ernhardt Michelle (Melissa Sagemiller), Nick Balco (Currie Graham) and Marcus McGrath (J. August Richards), really relentless in putting criminals behind bars. The group is also the Judge Trudy Kessler (Jane Kaczmarek), a former public defender who presides over the court with an iron fist, and his mysterious assistant Charlie Sagansky (Jonathan Scarfi).

Most Immigrants In Detention Do Not Have Criminal Records

"The data show that 18,690 immigrants had no criminal conviction, not even for illegal entry or low-level crimes like trespassing. More than 400 of those with no criminal record had been incarcerated for at least a year. A dozen had been held for three years or more; one man from China had been locked up for more than five years."

Outrageous.

Barbie Party...

Fun. But over by 10.

Top Judge in Texas Closes Early to Insure Execution...

Evil judge Keller

And what kind of Judge is she? In 1998, she wrote the opinion rejecting a new trial for Roy Criner, a mentally retarded man convicted of rape and murder, even though DNA tests after his trial showed that it was not his semen in the victim. “We can’t give new trials to everyone who establishes, after conviction, that they might be innocent,” she later told the television news program “Frontline.”

Her campaign slogan? "Pro-Prosecution"

Shame on Texas. Conduct like this, she should be off the bench.

Here comes the DVD...

Judges get paid to incarcerate kids...

No really. It's true.

Fox News Producer's Arrest Warant

Oops, looks like it's for child porn

ColorLine's 2009's Innovators

Guess who made the list? You guessed it. The Bronx Defenders!

Starve the inmates and get rich...

Amazing piece about this sheriff, finally jailed for essentially starving his inmates. Bear in mind, he spent less than $1.75 per day to feed them.


this is the guy...

Finger Puppet Palin

Yes we Can!

Hate to Break it to you...

Thank you Canada...

So it seems we're getting a very warm reception in the dead of winter north of the border.This, today's nice nod from the Globe and Mail...

CTV Raising the Bar (Jan. 9) Shades of Perry Mason: There are still signs of life in the TV legal drama. First broadcast on the U.S. cable channel TNT last September, this series hails from iconic TV producer Steven Bochco. Revisiting his days of L.A. Law, Bochco romanticizes and idealizes the lives of a handful of capable lawyers working opposite ends of the legal system – the district attorney's office and the public defender's office. Former Saved by the Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, whom Bochco tapped to replace Rick Schroder on NYPD Blue several years back, takes on the central role of Jerry Kellerman, idealistic public defender drawn to hopeless cases. Jerry has an even more earnest boss, Rosalind, played by Canadian Gloria Reuben, and a formidable courtroom opponent in Nick Balco, played by another Canadian, Currie Graham, who succeeded Gosselaar on NYPD Blue (Bochco likes to work with the same people).

Former Malcolm in the Middle mom Jane Kaczmarek is grand as a hardball judge. The show was well-received and highly rated upon its U.S. debut, even with the distraction of Gosselaar's incredibly girly hairstyle.!

Shades of Perry Mason? I'll take that.

Amen!

What a perfect wish for 2009. Thanks New York Times!

Behind the Times...

Finally, the New York Times has gotten hip to passive solar homes, publishing, (a few days ago) The Energy Challenge - No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in Innovative ‘Passive Houses.’ The piece is reasonably good, though it sadly, omitted Josef Kiraly, the architect of passive solar homes I pitched four years ago and profiled for Lexus in 2006.

And so while I'm sad they didn't include Josef, who is huge in his field, I'm glad they're giving the technology its due.

Oh, and Happy New Year All...

The wisdom of pardons -

This first person account highlights both the importance of pardons and the continuing tragedy of Bush's failure to use them.

'Tis the Season to Be Generous

And what a wonderful thing it is to be recognized by a spot on The Nation's year end donation list. A big shout out to Katha, for including the Bronx Freedom Fund (of which I am a board member) in this year's list. We were even #2! How cool is that? And what does she say?



2. Bronx Freedom Fund. This year-old organization posts bail for indigent people awaiting trial on misdemeanor or nonviolent felony charges in New York City's poorest borough. These are men and women who without the fund would languish in jail for perhaps six months for lack of $500, including many who are innocent and would plead guilty just to be free. Of all clients bailed out, 95 percent have returned for every court appearance and half have had their cases dismissed. Bonus: money used to post bail is returned when the cases are over, so a single gift can keep on giving. Address: 860 Courtlandt Ave., Bronx, NY 10451;

To donate, Just go to BronxFreedomFund.org and click the "Donate Now" button.

Defiance Rocks...

I just watched the screener of DEFIANCE, and it's terrific. Nothing I love more than some bad-assed fighting jews, struggling with moral questions in a forrest during the second world war. Really a must see. And sure Daniel Craig doesn't look jewish, but you know what? I was willing to accept his pretty blue eyes after about 15 minutes. As far as the guys who brought us 30-something? Amazing. Absolutely great stuff.

I guess we're headed to Canada

RAISING THE BAR Premieres Fri., Jan. 9 on CTV

Kinda cool eh?

Season One DVD...

In a few days, I'm off to LA again. Why? To record a bonus track for the DVD of Season 1 of RTB. I'm actually really looking forward to it. Somehow the physicality of a DVD set makes the whole endeavor seem very real and far more permanent.

Meanwhile, my program at the law school is fast approaching, and I'm trying hard to juggle everything. What suffers? This blog.

I'm hoping to post more soon, ideally on my new favorite target, those assholes who run the infomercials offering cash for gold. There should simply be a law preventing any precious metals dealer from paying a consumer less than 85 percent of the spot market price for fillings and jewelry. The idea that these folks send in valuable pieces for "ready cash" that represents a small portion of a tradable commodity's value is just outrageous...

The most hilarious christmas song ever...

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Willie Nelson Sings

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Nightmare at Day Care

Over the years, I've read several accounts of the Wee Care case, but but this one, by Lona Manning does a fine job of exposing the reality of these awful cases.

Scooter Libby Pardon Countdown Clock...

With his approval rating hovering at historic lows, Bush 43 has little to lose by doling out political favors to his allies as he walks out the door. And if there is anything we've seen time and time again from this administration, it's the naked political rewarding of friends and punishment of enemies. Even though this president has no political capital left, fear not, he's going out a deficit spender. It is in this spirit that I hereby inaugurate the Scooter Libby Pardon Countdown Clock, which will count backwards until 4:25 PM Eastern Standard Time January 24th, 2008, at which time, I predict president Bush will Pardon Libby and perhaps a few others...

Get Your Countdown

Citing Workload, More Public Defenders Are Refusing New Cases

As the economy continues to go south, and budgets continue to get slashed, we're in for a long hard fight to try to maintain even the barest of minimum standards. What's strange, of course, is that politicians don't see how arrest and enforcement patterns are the problem. Anyway, this has been a long time coming.

My favorite bit of the piece:

"On one day in April, Ms. Weber had 13 cases set for trial, so she had to arrange for delays in all but one. That same day, James A. Simons, 59, who was in jail on child pornography charges, was offered a plea: one year in prison. Ms. Weber said she simply had no time to discuss the offer with him, but that he would have accepted it and ended his case.

Not receiving an immediate agreement, prosecutors gathered more evidence and rescinded the one-year offer. Mr. Simons ultimately had to accept a five-year sentence. “My client suffered and it makes me feel terrible,” Ms. Weber said"

Who among us hasn't been there?

Say No More...

That's all folks...

Tonight marks the end of Season 1 of Raising the Bar.
Hope some of you enjoyed it. We've got 15 more on the way...

Big Pig Jig 2008

I'm on my way!

Been a while...

Sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a busy few weeks--a week in California breaking stories and starting to figure out the longer character arcs for season two. There has also been lots of work at the law school getting next semester's courses staffed and scheduled. (And of course there is my obsessive checking of Fivethirtyeight.com and pollster.com.) So sorry about that. It's my hope that I will return to a bit more personal blogging in the next few months.

For those of you that have written to be or posted comments about the show, thanks so much. It seems from an initial bout of skepticism, there is a growing sense of approval and appreciation, which, of course, I greatly appreciate. So thanks for your thoughts and comments.

Tonight, I'm off to South Georgia for the "Big Pig Jig" a massive BBQ competition that my friend Pete (a proud member of the "prime time swine" BBQ team) describes as "redneck mardi-gras." Should be a pork-filled load of fun. I'll post pictures if I can, and meanwhile, enjoy the RTB marathon monday where TNT will show every episode back to back...

The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama

Turns out the guy's a raving anti-semite...

I'm in!