No mistrial for a fake heart attack. Instead, how about 42 years.

Whenever somebody decides to represent himself, every lawyer and judge in the vicinity shakes their head because they know the likely result will not be pretty. In the case of Keison Wilkins, it actually paid off in an acquittal for him on a charge of felonious assault back in 2005. Unfortunately for Mr. Wilkins, the law of averages finally caught up with him and despite courtroom antics ranging from claiming that he was being lynched to faking a heart attack as shown in the video clip, he was convicted of another felonious assault and sentenced to 42 years.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you are going to represent yourself and don't have a law degree, you might at least consider acting lessons and perhaps a rehearsal or two.

On an unrelated note, I know the postings have been few and far between lately and I think I owe some kind of explanation to that hardy band of regulars from all over the world who come here on a frequent basis. The fact of the matter is that I have lately been focused more on other extracurricular interests and haven't devoted the time I previously did to blogging. So, although I won't repeat my previous mistake of putting this blog on hiatus only to to resume it later, for now at least, my posts will continue to be more infrequent than long time readers are used to.

Happy Birthday America!

There are now 232 candles on the cake.

The Chinese idea of a S.W.A.T. Team,

I'm hardly an expert on anti-terrorism but I do know that "S.W.A.T." stands for " Special Weapons and Tactics" and it seems to me that a Segway is not exactly a "special weapon" and shooting from one in a crouched position is lousy tactics for three reasons: 1) it can't possibly help accuracy; 2) it leaves the shooter more exposed; and 3) instead of focusing on your target, you are preoccupied with the thought that you look like a complete idiot.