I passed by this house every Saturday during my long run. Right after the election I made sure to snap a photo of the sign so that I could get a picture before they took it down.

Here in Maryland, Howard County has a bumper sticker you see on almost all the cars - it’s basically that green sign on the top right (without the deplorable thing, of course). So when I saw this, I was blown away at the awesome creative nature of the situation. It’s a nice bit of humor in what’s been a horrible election.

These guys show up during rush hour every Friday. I don’t care if you agree or disagree with their views, but it’s so annoying that it backs up traffic as people try and read the signs.

https://youtu.be/jayTknqC2uc

…is pretty universal: punishment.

The man who recorded one of two videos showing Baltimore cops dragging a screaming Freddie Gray into the back of a police van was arrested Thursday night, two days after voicing concerns that police were trying to intimidate him by plastering his photo all over the news, saying they wanted to interview him.

For the past two years we’ve had increasing evidence that something needs to change in the police/neighborhood dynamic. But Fergusson, New York City, and Baltimore are only the tip of the iceburg in every sense of the metaphor. If, like me, you follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Boing Boing, and other organizations committed to justice, you know that for every Freddie Gray there are dozens whose injustices don’t make it to national prominence. Of course, this isn’t even a new trend. African Americans have been complaining about harassment and being framed for a long time.

The lives lost are tragic, but the constant police misbehavior has an even worse effect on society. I came across the following today on an article about Stingrays:

Well, the supposed “good guys” (cops) no longer really care what is legal and what is not, so why should I?

Once this type of sentiment becomes entrenched, civil society is in danger. Just like paying taxes, we need people to believe in the social rules or the illusion comes crashing down.

For all those who say the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to have a gun…..

“William Coleman III of Gresham, Oregon, was robbed of his Walther-brand P22 handgun. The gun was stolen by a young man who walked up to Coleman, pulled out his own gun, and said, ‘I like your gun. Give it to me.’”

Sometimes you can’t see something about yourself until you see it in someone else.

World-famous lawyer Lawrence Lessig on why we should be protesting like those in Hong Kong.