I am cut to the brains

December 07, 2018

Lear and His Daughters - Character Notes

Some director's thoughts on the characters of Lear, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia.

Lear is a man of massive emotions, uncontrollable passions, dictatorial, uncompromising, magnificently charismatic, a brilliant politician, an iron-fisted leader, totally opinionated, egotistical, dogmatic, and overbearing. He inspires in some enormous love, devotion, respect and loyalty; in others, loathing and contempt.

Goneril is utterly ruthless, totally compulsive, paranoid, devious, vitriolic. She is never at peace, never satisfied,

Another terrible nomination.

William Barr helped establish mass incarceration. Now Trump wants him as attorney general.

November 22, 2018

Judge Says Federal Law Against Female Genital Mutilation Violates U.S. Constitution

The Federal government should protect the inherent right of individuals to control what is done with/to their own bodies. Including children who should not be forced into something that will affect the rest of their lives. That goes beyond which government entity has jurisdiction over crimes. The remaining 26 states who have not yet criminalized this disgusting practice need to do so NOW.

It is estimated that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in the countries where the practice is concentrated. There are an estimated 3 million girls at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year. We should not be part of this.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/21/669945997/judge-says-federal-law-against-female-genital-mutilation-violates-u-s-constituti

November 03, 2018

Greatly recommend Radley Balko's blog and books.

This one is an excellent indictment of both the moral hazard and perverse incentives of privatizing the criminal justice system - an area of governance that is a true responsibility of government.