MILLION DOLLAR BLOCKS, WHAT ARE THEY?

This here is a must read: http://tinyurl.com/azd964
In a nutshell, million dollar blocks are city blocks that have been identified via mapping that certain citizens used to call home who now call various penitentiaries their homes. The mapping is beyond interesting. Suffice it to say that it is probably not a shock to most of us that these blocks are home to an overwhelming majority of the poverty stricken, but isn't it worth noting that the poorest neighborhoods are costing the government the most? The government is actually spending a million dollars a block and sometimes even five million dollars a block to rid these neighborhoods, either permanently or temporarily, of certain individuals that used to dwell in these neighborhoods who mostly all fall below the poverty line. And, what exactly is it getting for its buck? Is it getting a return for its investment in the removal of these persons from their communities and families? You bet it is! That is if your definition of "return" includes the concept of a negative. Wouldn't it be more prudent to consider investing any sum of money to SERVE the people on these blocks rather than PUNISH them?

CRIMINAL FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST

Everybody please read Radley Balko's article posted yesterday at reason.com entitled Manufacturing Guilt?

It's nothing short of shocking and a call to action. PLEASE PASS THIS ARTICLE ON TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW. I can't stress the importance of this article. Not only for the incarcerated in Mississippi and Louisiana but for anyone interested in the possibility of a true "justice" system and not just the legal system we currently have in this country.

R.I.P. Billey Joe Johnson

The Grand Jury in Lucedale, Mississippi today announced in a nine page report that it ruled the death of local football hero, Billey Joe Johnson, an accidental death. The story is heartbreaking. The family of the boy will never believe this, although the information that was forthcoming may have supported the ruling. Why is it so much easier to believe a conspiracy or something evil and heinous than just to believe an accident happened? We want so much to have answers to why bad things happen to what looks like good people. It is terribly sad to know that this young man's life was cut short right when his life looked so promising. I did not know the boy but my prayers go out to his family. A real tragedy.

Scary Days

Okay, things are getting scary in this country. I'm 52 and it's way scarier now than it has ever been. Far too many people are incarcerated. Not only can we not afford to continue this insanity, what we are doing to people is downright immoral. States are going broke and the legislatures seem to see nothing wrong with spending more on corrections than higher education. WTF? Who in their right mind could not see that the current state of affairs must change?