Hey everybody. . . . .did you know that radio lab did a piece on Penny Bernstein a few years ago? (The woman who was victimized in 1985). In typical radio lab fashion, it’s pretty crappy, but it is interesting to hear Penny Bernstein’s story. http://www.radiolab.org/story/278075-a… Given how radio-lab portrayed the…

Yeah. . . . .the two pieces of evidence that I’ve heard about (that were left out) were 1) DNA under the hood of the car and 2) The manacles (which Avery said were for him and his girlfriend). OH, and 3) some suspicion that Avery had previously harassed Halbach and/or requested her personally from Autotrader. I don’t…

Agreed. He definitely did not get a fair trial—regardless of innocence. And what happened to Brendon Dassey? Horrifying.

Agreed. To me it seems like the documentarians did exclude some relevant evidence that would have made the audience potentially doubt Avery’s innocence. I wish they hadn’t done so. Because the defense had a good case anyway. And if the documentarians had given us the full picture—we would still be faced with the…

Can you give me good sources for the evidence against him? I’m slightly addicted to reading about this now. ****SPOILER ALERT**** What I’ve read is that they did find manacles. . . .it seems to me to be super dodgy not to have included that detail. Do you have any recommendations for articles describing other things…

I just couldn’t w/ the treatment of that child. It was despicable.

It’s definitely worth watching. . . . .If only for the defense lawyers. . . .who are just fascinating characters. It’s super addictive. . . .

I tend to read more books by women writers too (for the same reason). . . .out of curiosity, which book are you reading now?

Well said. People seem to be under the impression that presidential elections are still largely determined by “swing-voters.” This may have been the case 20 years ago—but, as the party’s have actually become more and more distinct—and as the liberal electorate grows (while the conservative electorate shrinks), the key…

I think you make a good point about ignorance re: the American electorate. . . . but would Rubio or Cruz eat him alive in swing states?

Good points! The GOP has royally screwed itself.

All excellent points. I would add (for the naysayers, not you), that Sanders has detailed platforms on racial justice and immigration that would get a lot more press come a general election—and would potentially appeal to minority voters. Also, he appears to have quite a bit of cross-over appeal. Maybe it’s because he…

I don’t want to place too much faith in polls as predictors of the general election (or even more generally)—a lot could change between now and Nov., particularly once nominees are selected, and depending on developments in the economy and national security.

I really like the way you have laid this out. At first, I was made very uncomfortable by the endorsement. . . . but I wasn’t sure if this discomfort was justified. Planned Parenthood is in a very specific position, in terms of how the two parties either defend/attack it. I think it’s better—both strategically and just…

This might be the best comment ever.

Oh gross. So gross.

LOL. This is the best. I read the question “Does every man commit rape?” and was like

I’m so sorry that this happened to you. I think we need to talk about this phenomenon much more openly. Thank you for sharing your own experience. It’s so tricky—we negotiate the shame through changing small details—but then, when we change those details—it increases our own isolation and our ability to process the…

This is from a letter written by the woman who accused Kobe Bryant of sexual assault in 2003. This kind of detail-changing is very, very common and, regardless of the UVA case, I wish we talked about it more openly. This letter was written to a chief investigator on the case.