My Facts, My Opinions

Dan was tagged by Mike and tagged me in turn 4 Places I've lived : On sailboats (The Caribean, the Atlantic, South Africa, the Med); In my car/tent (travelling up and down the east coast); In dormatories (Cleveland, OH); Red States (KY, TX); (bonus 5th place) Blue States (IL, NY, CA); (extra super bonus 5.5th place) -- Purple State (OH) 4 Favorite Foods: Thai Vietnamese BBQ European food in Europe -- French in France, Spanish in Spain, Italian it Italy , and German in Germany. Terroir matters... 4 Jobs Held: Peanut Vendor at the ballpark Deck Hand Commodities Broker Call Center Supervisor 4 Places I'd Rather Be: On a sailboat New Zealand South Africa SCUBA diving with sharks (Cocos Island? Palau? The Bahamas? Las Islas Socorros?) I tag: THEJESSE

Doing my civic duty...details when they can be shared. Judge Roy Beene humor is prohibited until that time.... Jim

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/british-army-ends-operation-in-northern-ireland/ Mostly symbolic or not, this is a hugely vital step. No matter which side you support, a study of The Troubles should be something every modern American undertakes. Doing so would yield insights into: The categorization of prisoners as criminals, political prisoners, or say "enemy combatants" -- exactly why this can matter. The extent to which imprisioned men will go to maintain/acquire the respect/dignity they believe they are due. The damage done to justice by less than standard evidentiary requirements and the suspension of the right to trial by jury -- the Diplock Courts in Northern Ireland are an abomination of justice. When hearsay is evidence bad stuff follows. Exactly how much the concept of martyrdom can incite/motivate/maintain a community that feels repressed or threatened. How truly damn important human intel is and how it, not ubiquitous survellience cameras, is what lea...