This is really hard to believe that it could happen in America! People arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced for switching public schools. Outrageous!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Micheal Flaherty: The Latest Crime Wave—Sending Your Child to a Better School - WSJ.com
Monday, October 24, 2011
'Mens Rea' Legal Protection Erodes in U.S. as Federal Criminal Code Expands - WSJ.com
I think this is a serious threat to our freedom. Our list of laws that identify crimes continues to grow at Federal and State levels, and they are now so complex that it is difficult for anyone to know what is a crime and what isn't. At the same time, it appears that citizens can be convicted of crimes even when there was no way that they could know they were doing anything wrong --sounds a lot like 1984
'
'Mens Rea' Legal Protection Erodes in U.S. as Federal Criminal Code Expands - WSJ.com
I think this is a serious threat to our freedom. Our list of laws that identify crimes continues to grow at Federal and State levels, and they are now so complex that it is difficult for anyone to know what is a crime and what isn't. At the same time, it appears that citizens can be convicted of crimes even when there was no way that they could know they were doing anything wrong --sounds a lot like 1984
'
Sunday, September 18, 2011
How not to catch a terrorist - latimes.com
Using expensive, elaborate incentives to trap potential terrorists is another example of how our system of justice in the US has gotten out of control.
How not to catch a terrorist - latimes.comI think these law enforcement agencies are doing this to help justify their existence and protect their jobs. It is a very fine line to walk for the law enforcement agencies, and very difficult to stay "on course" without clear guidelines and empowered managers blessed with common sense.
I also think that the same thing is going on in the drug enforcement area.
Friday, August 19, 2011
'West Memphis 3' May Be Freed in Plea Deal - WSJ.com
This appears to be a bizzare situation --'West Memphis 3' May Be Freed in Plea Deal - WSJ.com
If the DNA evidence shows that they are innocent, why not let them free?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Immigration Processing at LAX
Tourism is big business, travel is a huge business, and these combined businesses employ a lot of people and bring in tremendous tax revenue and foreign exchange to help offset our balance of payments.
Homeland Security and immigration/customs control is also important to our country. However it appears to me that we have been unwilling to spend adequate resources to make our immigration check points --particularly at airports--friendly. I believe that to a person entering the country that they would feel like they are going into a prison. Long, sterile hallways ending up with very long lines --and signs forbidding the use of cell phones during the long, painful wait in line. It isn't friendly, and it is very intimidating to visitors to our country. I also think it is almost an insult to American citizens to be treated this way when they return from overseas.
All travelers are now paying a steep additional security tax to cover the costs of the additional security. I believe that just a small investment and a few changes would dramatically improve these checkpoints and help improve our face to the rest of the world, and treat our citizens better. For foreign visitors, this is their first "taste" of America -- we should try our best to make it reasonably comfortable!
Here are my suggestions:
1. Improve the processing speed through immigration--shorten the wait in lines! I understand queuing theory and know how difficult it is to schedule employees and processing stations for a totally random volume of arrival of passengers. However the INS is in the position of knowing far in advance of exactly how many people are going to arrive, and probably even knows how many are US citizens vs foreigners. Passenger manifests are available far in advance. With this knowledge at their fingertips, why doesn't INS schedule adequate staff to handle all stations during the peak periods? At a grocery store, if a queue get's too long, the store may lose business. However since everyone must go through the immigration checkpoint, there is no "cost" to INS to let the lines get unreasonably long. Since everyone must be processed, the long line simply serves as a "buffer" to the processing.
2. Improve the "ambiance" of the waiting area: The appearance of the hallways and waiting room is really sad! The line is unnecessarily compressed into the "snake" configuration and could be spread out over the whole facility--with lines going back into the hallway. Signage in the area is also limited, doesn't cover all languages. Why not have large TV monitors that display the instructions in every possible written language so arriving passengers can read them while standing in lines?
3. Allow use of cell phones in line! Yes, I agree it is annoying to have people on cell phones talking while in line. It is also annoying and impolite to be using a phone while being processed. Why not just forbid cell phones beyond some point in the lines--a minute or so prior to being processed? People have just arrived and need to confirm ground transportation, connect with their hosts etc. This is a perfect time for arriving passengers to do that. We should make it convenient, and do whatever is necessary to make sure cell phone reception is good in the waiting area.
Homeland Security and immigration/customs control is also important to our country. However it appears to me that we have been unwilling to spend adequate resources to make our immigration check points --particularly at airports--friendly. I believe that to a person entering the country that they would feel like they are going into a prison. Long, sterile hallways ending up with very long lines --and signs forbidding the use of cell phones during the long, painful wait in line. It isn't friendly, and it is very intimidating to visitors to our country. I also think it is almost an insult to American citizens to be treated this way when they return from overseas.
All travelers are now paying a steep additional security tax to cover the costs of the additional security. I believe that just a small investment and a few changes would dramatically improve these checkpoints and help improve our face to the rest of the world, and treat our citizens better. For foreign visitors, this is their first "taste" of America -- we should try our best to make it reasonably comfortable!
Here are my suggestions:
1. Improve the processing speed through immigration--shorten the wait in lines! I understand queuing theory and know how difficult it is to schedule employees and processing stations for a totally random volume of arrival of passengers. However the INS is in the position of knowing far in advance of exactly how many people are going to arrive, and probably even knows how many are US citizens vs foreigners. Passenger manifests are available far in advance. With this knowledge at their fingertips, why doesn't INS schedule adequate staff to handle all stations during the peak periods? At a grocery store, if a queue get's too long, the store may lose business. However since everyone must go through the immigration checkpoint, there is no "cost" to INS to let the lines get unreasonably long. Since everyone must be processed, the long line simply serves as a "buffer" to the processing.
2. Improve the "ambiance" of the waiting area: The appearance of the hallways and waiting room is really sad! The line is unnecessarily compressed into the "snake" configuration and could be spread out over the whole facility--with lines going back into the hallway. Signage in the area is also limited, doesn't cover all languages. Why not have large TV monitors that display the instructions in every possible written language so arriving passengers can read them while standing in lines?
3. Allow use of cell phones in line! Yes, I agree it is annoying to have people on cell phones talking while in line. It is also annoying and impolite to be using a phone while being processed. Why not just forbid cell phones beyond some point in the lines--a minute or so prior to being processed? People have just arrived and need to confirm ground transportation, connect with their hosts etc. This is a perfect time for arriving passengers to do that. We should make it convenient, and do whatever is necessary to make sure cell phone reception is good in the waiting area.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Courts nationwide hold hearings with video - BusinessWeek
This article on Bloomberg today points out that video conferencing is being used more and more for judicial hearings, and it is saving lots of money!
Courts nationwide hold hearings with video - BusinessWeek
Maybe this is a good trend and will increase confidence in the use of video for justice. It may also help lead us to true videotapeded jury trials.
Courts nationwide hold hearings with video - BusinessWeek
Maybe this is a good trend and will increase confidence in the use of video for justice. It may also help lead us to true videotapeded jury trials.
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