Outside the Beltway

Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a bill making pot possession (at certain levels) the equivalent of a traffic ticket.

Western athletes who’ve complained about the conditions at the Commonwealth Games are coming in for a firestorm of criticism.

Our 24/7 media culture has created a climate where persons accused of sensational crimes are presumed guilty.

One Republican analyst thinks that President Obama could learn a few leadership lessons from Vito and Michael Corleone. In order to do that, though, the President would need to stop acting like the weakest of the Corleone brothers.

Why do innocent people confess to crimes they didn’t commit, and what should we do about it ?

Affluent whites are astounded that Adrian Fenty appears about to lose his bid for re-election as DC’s mayor. But the majority black population is less than thrilled with his tenure.

It is impossible to read Dirty, Sexy Politics and come away with the impression that you have read anything other than the completely unedited ramblings of an idiot.

An academic study reveals that police officers with college education are less violent than their peers. But the real story is how violent cops are, period.

Did you know that more Christians than Muslims were victims of hate crimes in America? Did you also know that there are a lot more Christians? Oh. Never mind, then.

The idea that we are in the middle of an illegal immigration crisis is not supported by the evidence.

A quick flip-flop from Swedish authorities on a very serious charge.

The United States has promised $150 million in aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan. Should we have?

The 9th Circuit yesterday ruled that Stolen Valor laws violate the 1st Amendment and that there is a limited right to lie.

Ross Douthat’s latest New York Times column demonstrates an appalling misunderstanding of history in the context of immigration.

According to a new poll, 87% of border residents feel safe.

Two Florida teens have been arrested for being in possession of naked pictures of themselves.

Americans get apoplectic at stories of police officers shooting people’s pets but seem unphased when they shoot innocent human beings.

Despite assertions that the violence in Mexico is spilling over the border, we find a rather stark comparison of two key border cities.

Portland authorities have decided, for a second time, that there isn’t enough evidence to charge Al Gore with sexual assault in a 2006 case.

The link between immigration and crime rates that many immigration opponents point to simply does not exist

Congress has (after many years of debate) narrowed the gap between sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

Yes, a lot of people are dying on the Arizona border, but the cause is not the drug war. Rather, it is simple fact that crossing the desert on foot is a dangerous proposition. (And this is not a new phenomenon).

Less than 24 hours before it was set to take effect, a Federal Judge has put a hold on most of the key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law.

Marco Rubio doesn’t want to see the proliferation of SB1070s to other states.

Today’s outrage of the day comes in the form of a new report claiming that the United States supported the release of the only man accused. But the report itself proves that isn’t what happened.

Inception has imposed itself as the film to beat for Best Picture and, I would guess, will become the lodestone for “mind movies” for a generation. Don’t miss it.

More decapitation talk.

Oakland’s police chief, miffed at recent budget cuts, has listed 44 crimes that his officers will no longer respond to.

Since 9/11 there has been a steady trickle of stories about jihadists hooking up with Latin American drug cartels and the like. Here is a guide of story points that can help you identify when such a story is almost certainly bogus.

Switzerland will not extradite scumbag Roman Polanski.

A Russian spy may be stripped of a degree he earned at the Kennedy school under a stolen identity.

Let’s revisit the question of crime levels in Arizona.

A white police officer has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for killing a black man. Now, the Feds are considering leveling their own charges.

Arizona has been experiencing a massive increase in violent crime of late, right?

Did the American media cover up torture by the Bush Administration?

San Francisco’s gay pride parade celebrates its 40th anniversary with Nancy Pelosi, the Backstreet Boys, and some dudes riding bike’s nekkid.

Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling and media mogul Conrad Black got new life today from the Supreme Court, who ruled the use of the “honest services” doctrine against them unconstitutionally vague.

Al Gore has been accused of sexually assaulting a “masseuse” in a Portland hotel room.