Yearly Archives: 2006

Torture and Murder in Florida

This entry was posted in Anarchism Domestic Terrorism Government Law Law Enforcement Libertarianism on by

If this is true, if these six to eight thugs are guilty of this behavior, then more than an investigation is required:

Two state lawmakers, Sen. Gus Barreiro, R-Miami Beach, and Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, who viewed a videotape of the incident, said that six to eight officers at times kicked, punched and choked the boy in their efforts to get him to perform exercises. A nurse apparently stood by without rendering assistance, Rep. Gelber said.

How is this different from torture? A complete housecleaning is in order.
First, there can be no excuse for apparently having a policy in place that allows physical assault and battery, torture, as a persuasive tool. Not in the United States, not anywhere.
Second, this incident probably only became an issue because of the death. How many other have been kicked, punched, choked and more? Each incident deserves to be brought to light and the perpetrators brought to justice.
Third, Those who approved these policies should not be relieved of responsibility. Are there sheriffs, mayors, even governors that need to be brought to trial.

Last, but not least: the victims and their families deserve restitution. Something more than just jail time for the perpetrators, high and low. For the family of the dead 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson the perpetrators owe at minimum the equivalent of 60-70 years income.

On Attracting Readers

This entry was posted in Blogging on by

While discussing why he blogs and the relation of blogging to traditional media Dave Neiwert says:

Actually, the function in the old communications model that bloggers come closest to replicating is that of the editor — not in the sense of being an overseer of writing and reportorial quality, but in setting priorities: deciding which stories are important and deserve greater attention, ascertaining which stories are reported upon.
A good blogger is not so much a journalist as a good editor (and remember, most editors are writers too). A blog is thus a kind of publication, and it attracts readers according to the quality of insight its editor brings to it.

My first reaction was to think in terms of quantity of readers. Then I relealized there was more to it than quantity. Some attract readers based on the quality of insight alone; others based on a combination of quality and quantity of content and still others based on quantity and a quality of insight calculated to attract various sects of true believers.
All of which leads to realizing that the quality of a blogs readers are directly related to the quality of the editorial insight and the editorial goal. We can all point out blogs that attract lots of readers because the editor had the insight to focus the content on a particular ideological orientation, sport or hobby. Nothing wrong with this but it seems to be something more than what Neiwert is suggesting.

Do read the rest of his interesting post.