The ‘Militarization of Mayberry’ by Eric Schansberg Radley Balko’s “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces” is must reading for those interested in police reform. Balko is careful to say that his book is not anti-cop — but rather, anti-policy and anti-politician. When politicians pass policies that create strong incentives, you can blame individuals, but you should start with the system.  Balko discusses “no-knock” warrants — like the one used in…

“‘I think this (rioting) is a blind spot for Democrats. I think Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away, and it’s not going to go away,’ he added before arguing the violence needs to be addressed by Biden before the election.” — CNN anchor Don Lemon quoted by The Hill, Aug. 26, 2020  THE RECENT VIDEOS of restaurant customers being surrounded and threatened by protesters appear to be sticking in the collective…

by Mark Franke I gave up watching political conventions decades ago. The never-ending primary season ruined for me the suspense and excitement of the convention floor voting. “The proud state of Ruritania casts 12 votes for her favorite son . . .” Once all the states got through the first ballot, the smoke-filled back rooms kicked into gear and trades were made. In those days delegates were bound for the first ballot only and then could work the best…

by Leo Morris I love my car. Not driving it. I am one of life’s designated passengers. Driving is somewhere between tedious and terrifying on the annoyance scale. It is impossible to stop fixating on the destination and simply enjoy the journey. There are too many details to attend to, and I can never forget that there are other drivers out there trying to kill me. But I love being in my car, once it…

by Mark Franke I am sick and tired of all the negativity, the vitriol, the hatred, the divisiveness, the assault on everything I believe in. Having said that, I now feel much better. And I will make my small contribution to helping others like me feel positive, encouraged, optimistic and thankful to be Americans. Sure, no matter what I write here will do nothing to cancel the Cancel Culture movement or find a cure for COVID-19. But…

“No, that’s not a line from Kamala Harris’ DNC acceptance speech. It’s Indiana’s Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.” — The Point with Chris Cilizza on CNN, Aug. 20, 2020 WITH ERIC HOLCOMB assured reelection, Indiana Republicans might spend some time thinking about what the heck they are doing. Why are they spending so much energy and money pushing to the fore a political anachronism? Holcomb’s address this week on “equality and equity,” applauded wildly by everyone from CNN to the…

by Leo Morris Here’s a thought for the day: The planet is a hot mess right now because of the indefensible stupidity of the politicians and professors, journalists and generals and preachers, administrators and artists, in fact the entire leadership class to whom we have entrusted our fragile civilization. So, let’s give the philosophers a chance. What have we got to lose? That line of thought got started a few days ago when I tried…

by Mark Franke I spent my entire professional career in higher education administration, eventually rising to a senior position. I used to be proud of that. No more. The lofty goals of college study, such as free inquiry and critical thinking, were things we challenged our incoming freshmen to take as their own. Now this Olympian-like quest for well-formed knowledge and liberal mindedness (liberal here being with a small “l”) has become a marble man, a statue, rather…

THERE’S A CERTAIN TYPE of councilman — you will recognize him once described — who wants to be someone else. Don’t get me wrong, these are men and woman of some accomplishment in their profession. It’s just that . . . well, they’ve always wanted to be a banker, a developer or some other captain of their own ship. That is a human failing too common to judge. At one time all of us fall…

by Richard McGowan, Ph.D. “I have always been a believer in truth. Palliatives are harmful.  One must have the courage to face reality. Without that courage, life is meaningless.  The people who do us the most harm are the people who shield us from reality.” — Agatha Christie, Murder in Retrospect, p.150 When President Donald Trump was elected my hope was that people would do their own research on various claims made by politicians and…