"There are men, in all ages, who mean to exercise power usefully; but who mean to exercise it. They mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters." Daniel Webster

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Retrained?

The former deputy chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, police department writes about going through TSA screening.

I stepped between two glass walls and was subjected to what my police training would allow me to conclude was a procedural vacuum.

I had been told repeatedly I would be subjected to a “pat-down.” I correctly suspected otherwise. During the course of my police career, I have conducted many pat-downs on the street. The Supreme Court has described pat downs as a cursory check of the outer clothing of a person by a police officer, upon articulable suspicion that the officer’s safety is at risk of being compromised. My department’s procedure indicated that this pat-down was to be conducted with an open hand, gently patting the outer clothing of an individual, for purposes of officer safety only, with the goal of detecting weapons. In other words, it is not a search.

What happened to me in Albany was not the promised “pat-down.” It was a full search conducted in full public view. It was also one of the most flawed searches I have ever witnessed.

Monday, November 29, 2010

U.S. Blocks Packages from Japan

Ron told me about this several days ago, but I still haven't seen anything in the U.S. media.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

South Africa Is the Rape Rape Capital of the World

More than one in three men in the country have committed a rape.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Is China's Competitive Edge Eroding?

Megan McArdle says the country's low-wage export-oriented model is unsustainable.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010