Free Republic

So, what did you learn in school today? Margaret Wente Toronto Globe and Mail Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Shortly after the shooting death of Jordan Manners, the 15-year-old Toronto student, eighth-grade students at nearby Oakdale Park Middle School were called to an assembly. The subject: relations with the police. It's a hot issue in that part of town. The community is in an uproar over the shooting and allegations are flying that police have been heavy-handed in their hunt for Jordan's killer. But the group invited by the school to address the students weren't interested in improving relations with...

Ever heard this line before? There are also some close variants, such as “Do you know who my mother/father/third cousin is?” If you haven’t, my bet is that you’ve never been a cop, or you haven’t been one for very long. There seems to be a never-ending and constantly-replenished supply of self-important jerks who believe that the rules and customs that the rest of us follow do not apply to them. Most of the time, dealing with these folks is just amusing, and has given rise to some great comeback lines. But last Wednesday, The Honorable Cynthia McKinney, Member of...

Brandon Jackson and his friends were returning home to East Oakland one night last month when they spotted thieves breaking into a neighbor's car. When Brandon tried to stop them, they shot him dead. He was 16 years old, and on Feb. 25 he became the 18th person killed in Oakland this year. His mother, Cynthia Smith, is terrified of the violence consuming her neighborhood and others around the city. She's so scared that she won't let her 11-year-old son outside, and with good reason: Little more than two months into the year, 22 other people have lost their lives...