If you don’t want your yard dug up, don’t get accused by psychics of having buried bodies there. – Ken White
This was an extremely quiet week, which was good because I was so busy working on my house I wouldn’t have had time to deal with a busy one. More details on that next week! But in the meantime, here are two links and a video from Popehat, another video from EconJeff, and the links between them from Amy Alkon, Mike Siegel, Thomas Larson and Radley Balko (in that order).
Miami police chief says those who don’t want to be tased should leave the United States; Ken shares some more helpful hints on how to avoid the senseless brutality of police.
- The Popeye myth.
- Sociopath of the week.
- Florida bans all internet-capable devices.
- Apparently, some cops recognize which side they’re really on.
- Guantanamo inmate who killed himself was cleared for release in 2004.
From the Archives
- A thorough debunking of the oft-repeated claim that “human trafficking is the third most profitable crime”.
- The government just can’t resist trying to control anything involving sex.
- Government “study” made to justify sexist “trafficking” preconceptions.
- How to support decriminalization without revealing personal interest.
- Wealthy control freak wants everyone on the “sex offender” registry.
- Other things FBI agents believe in besides rampant “sex trafficking”.
- Australian prohibitionists say that poor Asian women are all stupid.
- US blocks sex workers from conference, so they set up their own.
- Yet another case of government interference magnifying harm.
- Why streetwalkers are a bone of contention among activists.
- At least Argentinian “survivors” don’t support criminalization.
- Swedish prostitutes win the right to claim social benefits.
- The inevitable result of laws which infantilize women.
- Interview with an escort arrested for looking young.
- The beginning of my guest blogging on The Agitator.
- Transactional sex is an important part of marriage.
- Why I have no sympathy for dangerous enemies.
- French sex workers protest the Swedish model.
- Could bitcoin help in the Greek monetary crisis?
- New York’s most famous madam of the 1920s.
- Five whores protest their pimps’ prosecution.
- The outing of prohibitionist shill “Stella Marr”.
- My first and second anniversary columns.
- A short history of prostitution research.
- A two-part interview with my husband.
- Another week, another rapist cop.
- A mysterious gift.
Re: Popeye;
While the general thrust of the book being reviewed is fine, I could wish the author had not included the sentence “So when Popeye was created, studio executives recommended he eat spinach for his strength, due to its vaunted health properties.”.
Popeye was first a comic strip character in the strip THIMBLE THEATRE, created by Elzie Crisler Segar. The strip had debuted in 1919, and Popeye was introduced in 1929 as a minor character, intended for one story only. While Popeye opt the strip did gain further strength from spinach, its use was rare, and he was formidable without it. The animated cartoons were much simplified, and thunderingly unoriginal. To credit “studio executives” with recommending any aspect of Popeye’s creation is absurd, not to say ostentatiously sloppy research. It calls into question the validity of the rest of the book THE HALF LIFE OF FACTS.
OMG, that theft video was amazing! It’s so disheartening that we make such assumptions, yet it happens all the time. Thanks for posting.
Miami City Motto: “Land of the Free … Home of the Tazed!”
I don’t buy the bicycle thing – actors involved = totally gamed. There is no bigger pussy hound on this planet than me – and no way I would have “helped” that blonde steal that bike. Maybe I would have gotten her phone number for later though – bad girls are a bit of an addiction of mine.
I also don’t recommend that civilians – LIKE FUCKIN’ OLD PEOPLE – approach criminals while in the act. It is dangerous – just ask George Zimmerman who’s now finally acquitted but will spend the rest of his life on the run. Before getting involved – ask yourself how it will affect your family. I am a bouncer at a bar and I get involved in stuff like this but I can handle my own and none of the customers down there knows my real name (they call me by a nickname) and they don’t know what vehicle I drive. This is to protect my family from idiots. I have had to lock the entire bar down – all doors – because I threw a guy out and he went and got three buddies, his pickup truck and a gun to retaliate. There are lots of idiots out there and there is no need to take them on – unless, as in the video – the “idiot” is evaluated as a clear non-threat.
By the way – I say it was “gamed” because – look at the way the folks harass the hell out of the dude of color. They only did this because they identified a level of weakness in him and evaluated him as a non-threat – so schoolyard mob tactics take over because they feel totally safe.
Put a guy out there who’s wearing the colors of one of the Logan Heights gangs in San Diego and do you think you’d see the same response from these people?
Nope.
Well then, LIARS – he wasn’t cleared for release. More accurately – he was tentatively approved for release as long as certain conditions were met. They weren’t and he wasn’t released – pretty simple.
First rule of Gitmo – don’t apply Constitutional principles of law to detaining these people – they aren’t U.S. citizens and our laws do not apply to them. They are there because of the “black hole” created by asymmetrical warfare (i.e. terrorism) – which has NO governmental authority governing it. When we took prisoners in the first Gulf War – we negotiated their release (and the return of our own captured people) with a government that was technically “constrained” by international law in the form of Saddam’s Iraqi government.
This DOES NOT exist with Al Quaida. They are not constrained by international law and – in fact – laugh at it.
Again – there are two types of “environments” that can exist. “Constrained” – meaning that it’s a government that is subject to diplomacy, international law, and world public opinion. “Non-Constrained” – meaning that it’s a lawless organization not subject to law – which exists outside the boundaries of the law and is subject to NO constraint.
So who do you negotiate with?
You don’t release these fools simply because they were clever enough to figure out a way to fall into a “black hole” status. They created the situation – let them deal with the fallout.
All of our guys taken prisoner by THEM have ended up dead … mutilated … like they were animals.
It is the supreme demonstration of WEAKNESS in a man to look at that and demand better treatment for the people who perpetrated these crimes – than he insisted on for his comrades in arms.
All of these Gitmo stories play on the ignorance of the average American reader – WHO HAS NO CLUE about how that place is run but is constantly bombarded with the lie that these beheaders are being mistreated. THEY AREN’T. If anything they’re treated to a level of civility that none of them have ever earned. And here’s one Islamofascist we no longer need to feed. Please give me a second to wipe the tears from my keyboard. By the way – I was nice to a Muslim taxi driver in Hamburg today from Afghanistan. He said he was glad the U.S. took out the Taliban because now he can visit his homeland again. You’re welcome Sir – but there’s still plenty more to take out and I doubt that the weaklings in America have the balls to stick it out even though no one ever asked them to risk their life in the effort.
I read your husband’s interview, and I tip my hat to the fellow.
There used to be a series called “Candid Camera” on the goggle-box here many years ago; it showed people’s reactions to crazy scenarios. I don’t think they ever had a bike thief on it. The reactions of people to the “bike thief” certainly reinforce a stereotypical view of Americans, sadly.
Because we invented racism?
I think this is a typical reaction for anyone – anywhere on the globe.
As I said above – it’s not a legitimate test. Why are people falling for this silly stunt.
Look – the video’s taken in the same location in the same park – they run the white guy out there and no one stops him – they interview the people and then those people go tell other people … “Oh hey – there’s a video being shot – go get in it”.
What are the OTHER differences? To me – the White guy actually looks more intimidating than the black guy. WTF? They went out and found the one black dude that’s not actually intimidating to white people – so yeah they approach him because they feel safe. Or they approach him because they know they’re on “candid camera”.
If I told you that the US government produced this video you’d swear it was an absolute sham. Why do you believe it then?
Because YOU WANT TO. Yeah – we all want to think we’re so “open-minded” and forward thinking and ha! Look at these other petty humans – RACISTS! It makes us feel good inside.
We insist on scientific principles – swear by them – and along comes a video shot in an entirely unrealistic and unscientific manner and we all believe it?
Nope – not me.
Links. Meow. I’ll get back to it.