The picture of Timothy ‘Jake’ Laird stared out at me from page one of my morning paper–so terribly young, so much like the idealistic young criminal justice students in my classes. He was gunned down before he really had a chance to live, as much the victim of failed public policies as the man who pulled the trigger.
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Author Archives: Sheila
Symbolic Justice
The opening salvos have been fired in the battle over Sandra Day O’Connor’s replacement, offering vivid, if disquieting, reminders of just how polarized America has become.
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CommentsPlaying Well With Others
Didn’t Brian Bosma or John Hostetler ever play with other kids when they were young? Or have they just forgotten how to play well with others?
We are used to these “Righteous Brothers” whining whenever anyone objects to their efforts to use government to force their beliefs on everyone else. Tell them to stop bullying others, and you are accused of prejudice against “people of faith.” It reminds most parents of their three-year-old stamping his foot and insisting that if he can’t take that other kid’s candy, it isn’t fair.
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CommentsThe Wrong Way to Protect Neighborhoods
One of the consequences of treating drug addiction as a crime rather than a public health problem is the damage done to many urban neighborhoods. Current policies have made drug dealing a profitable venture, so it is not surprising that people in neighborhoods where profitable ventures are rare choose to deal drugs. Well-meaning public officials want to help reclaim those neighborhoods for law-abiding residents–a laudable goal. But like the drug war itself, these efforts can be misplaced.
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A Piecemeal Federalism
The recent Supreme Court term has ended with a flurry of decisions, some of which can only be characterized, charitably, as troubling.
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