rescue elephants from circus abuse

Undercover PETA footage reveals Ringling's abuse of circus elephants--and also reminds us that living creatures are not petty items in existence for our pleasure.

The most painful part of watching the video is that these elephants were not "acting out" or being rowdy. They were calmly standing, yet trainers still felt the need to hit them, even on their sensitive ears. One elephants even sways back and forth out of madness.

You can view the video and sign the PETA petition here. (Note: I have a lot of issues with PETA, but will get on board for an honorable goal of sending these elephants to a sanctuary)

You can also sign an online Facebook petition and invite your friends!

why all the smack about the exclusionary rule?

I am trying to understand all of the frenzy surrounding the exclusionary rule, or at least quell academic criticisms (that through some scholastic snobbery feebly posit American adversarial courts as less concerned with justice by deeming illegally-obtained evidence as inadmissible).

Thanks to Mapp v. Ohio (1964), evidence obtained in violation of the 4th and 5th Amendments is thrown out of court to deter wrongful police conduct...

EXCEPT when there is a good faith attempt by police to obtain the evidence legally, and
EXCEPT when evidence would have been obtained by other means (free will, inevitably, whatever)

Can we all recognize the wiggle room here and quit the yapping?

Benoir's doctor charged in a new 175-count federal indictment

Wrestler Chris Benoir strangled his wife with a cord, his son with a choke hold, placed bibles next to both of their bodies, and hanged himself with a piece of exercise equipment.

Now his doctor, Phil Astin, is facing a new charges:

The new indictment alleges that Astin illegally distributed prescription drugs by providing multiple, undated prescriptions, writing prescriptions for inappropriate combinations of drugs, or feeding the methadone addictions of patients for months or even years.

Astin was initially charged with illegal distribution of prescription drugs to two patients other than Benoit. Those charges came after the June 2007 killings at Benoit's suburban Atlanta home.

75 students arrested in drug raid

frat boys, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, weapons--and a lot of kids who just got their lives fucked.

Christian Nation, Prison Nation

I just read an insightful little post from Atheist Revolution, exploring the irony that our "Christian" nation is also the world's largest prison nation. Although the US has less than 5% of the world's population, we have nearly 25% of the world's prison population.

Since "real Christians" do not commit crimes, they insist, it must be the atheists and false Christians who are filling our nation's prisons.

Of course, those who bother to investigate this possibility soon find that godlessness is unusually rare in correctional facilities. Contrary to the often repeated claims that atheists are simply immoral monsters, the data show that we are underrepresented in prison.

This seems to be a case of trying to have it both ways. The Christian nation crowd argues that America is deeply Christian while at the same time decrying our insufficiently Christian culture and its alleged effects.