Free Republic

I am a scientist, not a climatologist, so I don’t dabble in climatology. My speciality is the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. As the film began, I knew Mr Gore would get to mosquitoes: they’re a favourite with climate-change activists. When he got to them, it was all I feared. In his serious voice, Mr Gore presented a nifty animation, a band of little mosquitoes fluttering their way up the slopes of a snow-capped mountain, and he repeated the old line: Nairobi used to be ‘above the mosquito line, the limit at which mosquitoes can survive, but now…’ Those little mosquitoes...

Snitches get stitches. It’s a plot point you see all the time on television and in Hollywood — a witness to a violent crime testifies at trial, only to later suffer serious retribution, usually of the violent variety itself. But how much of a problem is witness intimidation — really — in our nation’s court systems? A chilling Philadelphia Inquirer story out Monday reports that, at least in the City of Brotherly Love, it’s a gigantic problem. “It’s endemic. People are frightened to death,” said District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham. “We’ve had witness after witness intimidated, threatened, frightened.” Indeed, the...

Just 23 years old, John Gassew has been arrested 44 times, mostly on charges of sticking a gun in people's faces and robbing them. But in the eyes of the law, Gassew isn't an armed robber. ---snip--- “There's a law on the books that enhances the penalty when you commit a crime with a gun. It's not enforced,“ noted Ramsey, referring to the state's mandatory minimum five-year sentence for brandishing a firearm in the commission of a felony. “There's no disincentive to carry a gun,“ Ramsey said. “Why wouldn't you carry a gun?“ One result: Among the 10 largest cities...