As I mentioned, I’m at Liberty Forum in New Hampshire this weekend.
Yesterday, I was walking with Jacob Hornberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation to a dinner with Judge Andrew Napolitano. There were two kids, probably around 10, taking tickets at the door. Hornberger says to the boy, “You mean I have to have a ticket to get in?”
Once every two years, I put up one post for one day asking you to contribute to this site. Or rather, to me. Since I’ll be traveling to New Hampshire today, seems like a good time to make the biennial appeal.
In the past, I’ve used part of the contributions to buy something that benefits this site. A laptop, a camera for photos of the day, that sort of thing. This year, I’ll continue in that vein, and plan to get some photo editing software and a new lens. However, anything leftover will go into the Radley’s-much-needed-vacation fund. That will sort of, indirectly, in a round-about way, benefit the site too, in that a relaxed Radley is a better blogging Radley.
Couple other things: I will be taking a vacation at some point this year, and will likely line up guest bloggers during that time. Just saying. Other bloggers have taken heat for asking for money, then going on vacation a short time after. Also, this site will undergo some extensive changes in the future, though not in the next six months, and likely not in the next year. But definitely in the next two years. I think you’ll like them, but I figure I should throw that out there before you decide if you want to contribute.
Anyway, thanks in advance if you’d like to support what I do here. You can contribute here, or you can sign up for a recurring monthly contributio of $6, $12, or some other amount (use the buttons to your left). If you’d rather not use Paypal, email me and I’ll send you an address where you can send a check.
I’ll of course keep blogging whether you all contribute $10 or $10,000. But I figure if you get as much information and value from this blog as you get from subscribing to a magazine or newspaper, it can’t hurt to ask from time to time.
And thanks also for reading. This site has gone from me sending an email to friends and family every time I put up a new post to 20,000-25,000 readers per day between direct visits and RSS feeds. It’s encouraging to know that there’s such an active audience for the ideas and stories I cover here.
Blogging will resume tomorrow, although lighter than usual this weekend. I’m speaking at the Liberty Forum in New Hampshire. It’s my first time visiting the state, so I’ll probably tool about with my camera.
According to Jackson TV station WLBT, Bruce Levy, who is the Tennessee state medical examiner and the owner of the private company in Nashville where Mississippi began sending its autopsies after firing Steven Hayne, has been arrested in Mississippi on a drug charge.
I only know what’s in the short story linked above.
MORE: I have more on this, including the suspicious timing of Levy’s arrest, over at Hit & Run.
My Reason cover story from last May is up for a Maggie award for best news story. And congrats to my colleagues. Reason is up for seven awards in all, including best magazine, best blog, and best magazine website.
My crime column this week looks at the disturbing apprehension of David Pyles, who woke up to SWAT teams outside his home and had his guns seized despite having committed no crime. I spoke with Pyles on the phone Friday. Fun quote:
“They woke me up with a phone call at about 5:50 in the morning. I looked out the window and saw the SWAT team pointing their guns at my house. The officer on the phone told me to turn myself in. I told them I would, on three conditions: I would not be handcuffed. I would not be taken off my property. And I would not be forced to get a mental health evaluation. He agreed. The second I stepped outside, they jumped me. Then they handcuffed me, took me off my property, and took me to get a mental health evaluation.”
The police described Pyles’ surrender as “voluntary.” Not sure that’s what I would call it.
Today at 5:05 pm ET on the Supertalk Mississippi radio network, I’ll discuss Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s opposition to a bill that would bar disgraced medical examiner Steven Hayne from continuing to do autopsies in the state.
Excellent profile of the amazing jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, though I think the author gives short shrift to Ethan Iverson of The Bad Plus when it comes to blending pop and progressive jazz.
The new series from David Simon and Ed Burns, creators of The Wire and Generation Kill, premieres next month on HBO. I guess the gist is that it will look at the music scene in post-Katrina New Orleans. Can’t wait. Here’s the first (rather cryptic) teaser.
My crime column this week looks at a couple of scandals to hit NYPD in recent weeks—one alleging that police commanders were pressured to downgrade or bury actual crimes, and another that rank-and-file cops are given arrest and citation quotas.
…or any other corrupt New York state public official for that matter. ProPublica reports that under New York law, there’s nothing a state employee can do that’s so bad he won’t be able to collect his pension.
This means that politicians receive their pensions even after they become convicted felons, such as State Sens. Joseph Bruno ($8,007.11 monthly pension) and Guy Velella ($6,251 monthly pension). (Messages to the former senators have not been returned, but we’ll update you if we hear from them.) Pensions are determined by averaging the largest salary of three consecutive years…
Harry Corbitt, the State Police superintendent who resigned this week following revelations that he knew that state troopers had visited a woman who was intending to file assault charges against one of Paterson’s aides, will receive a $7,064 monthly pension from the state, according to the state comptroller’s office. Even if he had been fired, it wouldn’t have made a difference.
According to the article, more than half the states have similar laws.
So a day after Washington, D.C. and Mexico City legalize gay marriage, both a Vatican official and an anti-gay California legislator have been caught in high-profile gay sex scandals. Does anyone honestly believe this is mere coincidence?
Clearly the creeping acceptance of gay marriage is driving otherwise straight men directly into the arms of other men. Just as gay marriage opponents predicted would happen! So please. Think of the Stanley Kurtzes of the world. It’s damned time we stopped gay marriage, before another vigorously, outspokenly, Pet Shop Boys-loathing hetero man is driven . . . er . . . to his knees.
TheAgitator.com
