Monthly Archives: December 2011

A Day of Licentious Benevolence

I once worked for a newspaper editor who decided that on each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas we would strive for a “Santa presence” in the paper. Preferably, a picture of Santa. Or a story with a reference to Santa. This idea was probably cooked up by somebody in advertising to appeal to the business […]

Taking Risks With Crime

Like a burglar creeping outside a house testing the windows, Gov. John Kitzhaber has been trying to find a way to get inside the minds of Oregon voters and persuade them to stop locking up criminals. It costs too much, he says. In his corner, Kitzhaber has the Commission on Public Safety, which he created […]

The Crisis Next Door

The woman on the phone wants to kill Robert Kennedy. “He needs to be hooked up on life support until he has eaten every bit of his flesh,” she says slowly. She has given it serious thought. This woman obsesses about all of the Kennedys. “I have a theory about Karen Carpenter. She isn’t really […]

Questions for the Living

If you were murdered, would you want your killer executed? Murder can be a terrible way to die. Even if it’s quick – and it often isn’t – murder is a crime that is stuck on rewind. The killer can revisit his victim’s final moments in his mind anytime he wants to. He can relive […]