Waving hello from Gadsden County! Great story. 🙂

I get what you’re saying. What you said doesn’t excuse the harm done to the kids. What I’m hearing is the consideration that there is more than one aspect of the story and that people aren’t uni-dimensional beings.

I also come from run-toward-danger stock, which probably explains why I work in state psychiatric hospitals and with violent felons on a regular basis. Adrenaline just kicks in and you do whatever you have to do in order to help. When I was 24, I was mugged by about 5 guys (I can’t remember clearly). I was on the…

Pretty much the same here, which is probably why I work in state psychiatric hospitals and corrections. I've always been the one who forgets to yell for help because I'm too pissed.

Damn, I would love to hear that story. I definitely understand the need to keep it to yourself, though.

LOL I had the same experience.

I’m way late to the program, but I felt compelled to contribute. If it makes you feel better, I had a fellow classmate in my doctoral program (clinical psychology) who believed firmly in creationism. How does one go through THAT much schooling, with a top notch education and very rigorous science program, and STILL…

Dahlia Lithwick consistently does a great job. I’ve been reading her stuff for almost 20 years, and it’s always sharp, comprehensive, and engaging. I just love her stuff.

Forgive me, it was a stupid question.

...What kind of taco?

This may not have been a genuine threat, but the fear that the Parisians are experiencing just breaks my heart. It’s horrible to know that such a relatively small group of extremists can inspire such terror for years to come.

I just cracked up laughing over the title of this article. Fabulous!

Oh, spice. I got to know you WAY too well in KY (from working in corrections). Sadly, when I started encountering this in 2011 or 2012, urinalysis testers could not identify it yet, so it was the go-to for substance abusers who enjoyed freaking out and going paranoid. Thankfully, I was spared from feces smearing.

Mmmm, Gewürztraminer.

The poor dear has a terrible case of TMJ.

If there's an invitation, there's no "crashing" that is happening. They fail.

I can’t even begin to tell you how frequently this happens with joints or cigarettes in correctional settings!

Noooo, sadly there are a LOT of dumber robbers. For example, the couple who posed with their wads of cash on Facebook, after robbing a bank, in Ohio. :)

Here’s what I don’t get. I can MAYBE understand the blanket (maybe it’s cozy, even if it’s weird as hell), but why the hell did he include a coffee maker? This was a seriously strange mishmash of a gift basket.

Stilettos, if you forego bringing a weapon. Otherwise, flats so you can move fast as you cut a bitch.