Author Archives: Karl

$125 a piece for murder

Posted on by

…Morley delivered her suitor to the slaughter.

They walked down a black gravel road toward a junction of trees. Morley began to undress. Then Sweeney took off his shoes. That’s as far as he got.

A blow came from a small-handled hatchet. It struck Sweeney on the head and knocked him to the ground.

Sources said it was followed by blows from a hammer and more blows from the hatchet as he tried to get up.

Another assailant used a brick. Later, one of the boys used what one detective described as a “boulder” type of rock to crush Sweeney’s head.

Nearly all of the blows struck Sweeney on the head and face, according to a source familiar with the injuries.

As the grisly slaying unfolded, Morley stood off to the side and did not take part, according to sources.

When it was over, though, she allegedly shared in the blood money – $500 – divided four ways.

A total of $125 apiece, for murder.

…The detective said the alleged perpetrators, the three who were arrested and charged with murder on Tuesday, appeared to express little remorse during their interrogation at police headquarters, asking indifferently, “When are we going home?”

Daily News: Cops: Teens used sex to draw pal into deadly trap, all for $500. A horrific story from one of my old neighborhoods.

Update: I’ve taken the liberty to remove the comments thread from this post. There were some hateful and hurtful remarks being thrown about when prayers and support for the family should be offered instead.

That Was The Deal

Posted on by

I am not sure, in this economy, someone can do what I did the last ten years. I don’t think the same opportunities exist. But what can be done about it? Will the coming tax breaks help or hurt?

Democracy presumes and enshrines equality. Capitalism not only presumes but requires and produces inequality. How can you have a society based on equality and inequality at the same time? The classic answer is that democracy and capitalism should reign in their own separate “spheres” (philosopher Michael Walzer’s term). As citizens, we are all equal. As players in the economy, we enjoy differing rewards depending on our efforts, talents, or luck.

But how do you prevent power in one from leeching into the other? In various ways, we try to police the border. Capitalism is protected from democracy, to some extent, by provisions of the Constitution that guard individuals against tyranny of the majority?for example, by forbidding the government to take your property without due process of law. Protecting democracy from capitalism is the noble intention, at least, of campaign finance laws that get enacted every couple of decades.

Separation of the spheres also depends on an unspoken deal, a nonaggression pact, between democracy’s political majority and capitalism’s affluent minority. The majority acknowledge that capitalism benefits all of us, even if some benefit a lot more than others. The majority also take comfort in the belief that everyone has at least a shot at scoring big. The affluent minority, meanwhile, acknowledge that their good fortune is at least in part the luck of the draw. They recognize that domestic tranquility, protection from foreign enemies, and other government functions are worth more to people with more at stake. And they retain a tiny yet prudent fear of what beast might be awakened if the fortunate folks get too greedy about protecting and enlarging their good fortune.

That was the deal. Under George W. Bush, though, the deal is breaking down.

Read the rest by Michael Kinsley in Slate Magazine (via rc3.org). Today Paul Krugman in the NYTimes asks and anserers, “The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out, this latest tax cut reduces federal revenue as a share of G.D.P. to its lowest level since 1959. That is, federal taxes are now back to what they were in an era when Medicare and Medicaid didn’t exist, and Social Security was still a minor expense. How can we maintain these programs, which have become essential to scores of millions of Americans, at today’s tax rates?”

A great conversation related to all this is taking place over at Oliver Willis’s.

It starts with the blues

Posted on by

“The impulse that created the blues, I believe, is the same impulse that created hip-hop, which is to share in a public forum what is essentially private,” Ainslee says. “To take your experience and put it on the line in a performance medium as a warning and a comfort to the people who follow you.”

Read the rest by Lynne Margolis in the CSMonitor.

Willard Rouse III, 1942-2003

Posted on by

Bill Rouse was our champion. More so than anyone else, he could overcome Philadelphia’s all-too-frequent lack of self-confidence,” said Peter Hearn, former chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a former candidate for mayor. “He defied the doubters time after time, and succeeded. The loss of Bill is staggering.”

Gov. Rendell said yesterday that no other figure in Philadelphia could match Mr. Rouse’s civic brawn.

“Do I see anyone on the scene? No, I don’t,” Rendell said. “But gosh, I’ve been involved in tons of major cities in my capacity as mayor, and I have never seen any individual have as significant an impact on the direction of a city and region, anywhere in the country.”

…Often referred to as “bigger than life,” he loved nothing more than to scoff in the face of what others thought impossible. Consider this piece of typical Rouse braggadocio:

“They laughed at us. They said it couldn’t be done.”

Read the rest by Peter Dobrin in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Prayers and thank you to him and his family.

Working poor get screwed again

Posted on by

Let’s see: they work, are not on welfare, and are contributing to the tax coffers…

But they don’t vote in the numbers required to make them a threat. They aren’t noticed, and are largely forgotten.

So what happens?

David Firestone in the NYTimes: Tax Law Omits Child Credit in Low-Income Brackets: ” after studying the bill approved on Friday, liberal and child advocacy groups discovered that a different group of families would also not benefit from the $400 increase ? families who make just above the minimum wage….Because of the formula for calculating the credit, most families with incomes from $10,500 to $26,625 will not benefit. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal group, says those families include 11.9 million children, or one of every six children under 17.”

If the Democrats could energize this voting base along with the squeezed middle class… well they just won’t will they? via dangerousmeta.

Blabbermouth gets it right

Posted on by

From a fan perspective, of course I’m going to dig Blabbermouth.net. But the web-tech guy in me wants you to take notice – the site gets a topic based weblog right. Straight forward design. Sticks to to subject. Content right were you can see it. Notice how Road Runner records owns the site, but is not responsible for content. And notice how I just gave Road Runner free advertisement. It’s great work. Check it out.

I would be amiss if I didn’t mention BlogCritics contributor, metal (true metal dude) fan and critic, fellow Philly blogger Chirs Puzak. I wouldn’t have known about Blabbermouth if it wasn’t for him pointing to it. All this and a fellow “The Prisoner” fan too!