ribs 'n corn puddin' On an unrelated note, I recently went through a brief period of introspection and realized that the centerpiece of almost every one of my blogs was some sort of graphic. I like going to google images and trying to find a funny picture, and Al Gore made it so easy when he invented the whole internet thing.

So, my new day's resolution is to write a blog without downloading a picture. The skeptic in you might say, "dude, what a lay up." But, I will remind you to "judge not lest thou be judged." And if you live in Iraq, being judged could mean having your head yanked off in a botched execution.

Which brings up yet another thing that we Americans should be thinking about instead of March Madness.... the death penalty. We have one of the highest incaceration rates in the free world, and yet we execute more people than any country but (Russia or China...can't remember). So the paradox here is, we are supposed to be the freest country, yet we incarcerate more people. Those people aren't free, and are supposedly jailed for violating the social contract of our laws, which are supposed to be more permissive than anywhere else. Am I missing something here?

Somehow other countries manage to more effectively deter people from violating their supposedly more restrictive laws without locking up a big chunk of the men between the ages of 18-24 and without the deterrent of execution.

Where are we screwing up?  ¶ 8:56 PM