Free Republic

Prosecutors are using a law originally enacted to go after mobsters to accuse former principals, teachers, and administrators of trying to boost their bonuses by conspiring to artificially raise kids' test scores. While only 12 ex-educators are on trial in Atlanta, dozens of teachers and administrators were initially charged and many have since pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation. The dozen on trial could get up to 20 years in prison, and they might never have been prosecuted if it weren't for a pair of ambitious reporters at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). Back in 2008, Heather Vogell, now a...

There are hornets in the siding of my home. Every time I smoke them out, they set up shop elsewhere. But today’s tale is about the ones inside. A few get in through the bathroom vent. They wear themselves out against the plate glass window, trying to escape. Eventually, they fall to the floor and die. I realized this week that there is a lot in common between those dying hornets and civilization in the United States. The dying hornets first lose their ability to fly, and then their ability to walk. But driven by ancient memories, they try to...