We’ve Found One Of The Causes Of Gun Violence, And It Isn’t Video Games… It’s Wayne LaPierre’s Mouth

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Wayne LaPierre knows his audience. (via Denver Post)
Denver police have arrested a Colorado Springs man for sending racially and sexually offensive e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields, including one that said he hoped she would meet the same fate as a congresswoman who was shot in the head. Franklin Glenn Sain, 42, was arrested Friday on suspicion of harassing Fields, D-Aurora, and unlawfully attempting to influence a public official. Sain told police he was "just voicing some frustrations" about the Aurora legislator's efforts to tighten state gun laws.
Just voicing some frustrations? Let's look at how he allegedly did that.
Sain admitted sending Fields e-mails laced with profanity and racial and sexual epithets and leaving her similar voicemails. Denver police also believe he sent an unsigned, threatening letter to Fields that said: "I keep my 30 Round Magazines There Will Be Blood! I'm Coming For You!," according to an affidavit supporting his arrest. The letter also mentioned Fields' daughter and said: "Death to Both."

Sonia Sotomayor Doesn’t Suffer Fools

On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor called out the racially insensitive comments of a federal prosecutor. Via TPM, here's what Mr./Ms. "Professional" Prosecutor said:
The prosecutor–whom Sotomayor refused to name–said during cross-examination of a drug conspiracy case: "You've got African-Americans, you've got Hispanics, you've got a bag full of money. Does that tell you–a light bulb doesn't go off in your head and say, This is a drug deal?"
Here's Sotomayor's response:
"It is deeply disappointing to see a representative of the United States resort to this basic tactic more than a decade into the 21st century," Sotomayor said. "We expect the government to seek justice, not fan the flames of fear and prejudice." "I hope never to see a case like this again," Sotomayor concluded.

Why Privatize the Port Now?

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The Kinder Morgan proposal to privatize the Port of Wilmington ought to be much in the news this week -- their Bond Bill Hearing is set for 10AM this Wednesday (in Dover) and the Wilmington City Council will conduct a hearing into this action on Thursday 28 February at 5pm in City Council Chambers. I know that the Wilmington hearing will be live streamed online, and I don't know what access we'll have for the Dover hearing other than in person. One of the things I want to point out today, and I'm hoping that decision-makers keep in mind, is that while DEDO was publicly touting an investment partnership to build out the Port, their RFP (released approx 2 months prior to this article) included a privatization option that customers and businesses at the Port did not know until months later. And still, this privatization deal is quite different than from the talking points DEDO was using to promote this deal as an expansion opportunity.

Greg Schauer’s ‘Between Books’ To Close

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This is depressing. Beyond depressing, really. Between Books, a superb Claymont book/game store that specializes in fantasy, horror, sci-fi, graphic novels, comics and related genres, will soon close. Owner Greg Schauer has lost his lease. Greg Schauer is so much more than a bookstore owner. He is a one-man support system for authors and artists. He is a voracious reader who always has great suggestions for his clients. He holds workshops and readings for writers and would-be writers. He reads manuscripts at no charge and provides incredibly helpful feedback. He actively supports other local businesses. We need people like Greg Schauer.

State Votes To Close Pencader Charter School

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Pencader has struggled for quite a while. I've written about the school last July here, and last August here and here. I've watched all this come to a head, and held off calling for outright closure once the new Pencader Board came into being, but this passage from Nichole Dobo's article had my eyebrows raising.
The new school leadership submitted plans for moving forward that contained errors and omissions, said John Carwell, director of the charter school office in the state Education Department. For instance, Pencader’s leaders reported that the school outperformed the state average on student achievement tests, Carwell said. In reality, the school was below the state average on math and reading assessments, he said. This mistake, and others, showed the school’s leaders were “ill-prepared, at best,” he said. Subsequent reports did not convince state leaders otherwise, he said.
Ill-prepared, at best? At best? If it's true that the new school leadership reported false achievement test scores, as well as other errors and omissions then they should be investigated. Isn't this sort of thing against the law?