Maryland State House Unveils Statues of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman

Posted on: Tue, 02/11/2020 - 09:35 By: Tom Swiss
citizens view the Tubman statue

Maryland has placed statues of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman in the State House -- in the very room where the post-Civil War state constitution banning slavery was adopted. Nice.

The statues are life-size and set at ground level rather than on pedestals, as if these American heroes were actually present in the room. They help clear the psychic stain of the statue of Roger B. Taney, author of the Dred Scott decision, placed on the State House grounds in 1872 and removed in 2017.

Court rules we have no right to not be robbed by police

Posted on: Tue, 09/24/2019 - 23:45 By: Tom Swiss
Cartoon of police

You might think that if police stole your stuff, you'd have some legal recourse.

But the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled otherwise.

Via Forbes:

While exercising a search warrant in 2013, Fresno police raided and seized $50,000 from Micah Jessop and Brittan Ashjian, two businessmen suspected of illegal gambling (neither was ever criminally charged). Worse, the two claimed that police actually grabbed $151,000 in cash and $125,000 in rare coins, and “stole the difference” above what was reported on the inventory sheet. Critically, the $225,000 that was allegedly stolen wasn’t included on the inventory report for seized property or booked into evidence.

Arguing that the alleged stealing violated their constitutional rights, Jessop and Ashjian sued...

"Green Army Women" make militarism more gender-neutral

Posted on: Mon, 09/23/2019 - 14:34 By: Tom Swiss
Plastic Army Women

With BMC Toys adding "Green Army Women" to its icon "Green Army Men" plastic toys, militarism becomes a more gender-neutral phenomenon. Hooray.

Via NPR:

"My name is Vivian. I am six years old. Why do you not make girl army men?" wrote Vivian Lord to BMC Toys.

To Jeff Imel, the president of BMC Toys, which makes the iconic Green Army Men figurines, it was a worthy question and one he had mulled over for years.
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