Turn on prime time television any night of the week and it’s likely you’ll find a show about a cold case murder. The program will feature an intrepid detective or two who dig in and (Voila!) solve the most perplexing cases. The reality, however, is very different. Statistics reveal that more than 40% of the…
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Last week I wrote about the plight of Pamela Smart who, in 1991, at the age of 22, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband. Gregg Smart was shot dead by his wife’s 16-year-old lover and another teenager. Pamela was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. To this day…
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A petition has been filed with the Governor of New Hampshire that breathes new life into an old and very sensational case. It asks Governor Chris Sununu to embrace this era’s evolved thinking on prison sentencing, specifically the sentence of life without parole. A key section of the 695-page petition reads, “The New Hampshire Constitution’s…
Read MoreHere’s an idea. Instead of turning our schools into fortresses to try to prevent the next school shooting how about we do more than just that? As we contemplate adding metal detectors and bulletproof safe rooms to schools how about we try an additional approach as well? How about setting up dedicated lines of communication…
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Whether you believe the involvement of the federal government in our every day lives is a good thing or a bad thing I’m betting we can all agree on one thing. Lawmakers in Washington continue to misspend our money, big time. There ought to be a law but there isn’t. Pork Barrell politics is still…
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The news alerts us to another mass shooting at _________ fill in the blank. A school, a theater, on a busy street or at a shopping mall and we shake our heads in disbelief. What’s the toll this time – five dead? Ten? Twenty? Who would do such a heartless thing? And, isn’t there a…
Read MoreThere are as many as 87 women who say Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them in one way or another. Some charge they were forcibly raped by the 66-year-old ex-movie maker. The now disgraced Weinstein all but admitted his disreputable behavior in a recent interview when he, reportedly, said, “I did offer (women) acting…
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Do you believe in second chances? To be more specific do you believe in second chances for convicted felons, even those sentenced to life in prison or life without the possibility of parole? Your answer probably depends on details about the original crime committed, right? You might say, “Yes” to a second chance for a…
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The editorial cartoon by artist Gary Varvel features what appears to be a bi-racial couple at the maître d’ podium at an upscale restaurant. The caption, quoting the pompous looking greeter, has stuck in my mind ever since I saw the cartoon in my local newspaper. “Dinner for two…Liberal or Conservative Section?” Yes. This is…
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