The King’s Friends

By Richard Nikoley | July 2, 2007

When I heard the news today of the Presidential commutation of Libby’s sentence I was immediately reminded of the first paragraph of a post by David Friedman a year and a half ago, which I took particular note of and (obviously) have not forgotten. One thing that may have become clear during those conflicts was that, if criminal prosecution was controlled by the crown, the King’s friends could get away with murder. Now, of course, Libby is neither accused of, nor has he committed murder. But I trust you get the underlying message. The other thing that rings true is how much more clever we’ve become. Rather than simply sway his federal prosecutors, as any President could surely do if he played his cards right, he waited to see if Libby could get off by conventional means. When that failed, Bush took action. By going this route, most people are fooled into trusting in a magical Crown justice. The end result is exactly the same. Don’t be a fool. I don’t really care; that is, I disagree that Libby did anything immoral. He didn’t hurt anyone so far as I can tell and that’s the only standard that matters to…

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JesusPhone: Laying on of Hands

By Richard Nikoley | July 1, 2007

Sorry, but I can’t help it. I’ve never been much of a MacHead (and yes, I work with them — I prefer PCs; as incomprehensible as the smug Mac using, hybrid driving, aerobics practicing, vegan eating, “socially conscious” would have you believe). Nonetheless…the iPhone is simply a wonder of technology, and those who tell you that you can get phones for free are simply to be dismissed as clueless in this discussion. I went down to the wondrous (I mean it) Apple store at the local mall and stood around the table waiting to get my hands on one. There’s no substitute. It’s true: we’re human beings and the tactile is — really, if you contemplate it — the most important data collector in our arsenal of senses. As much as going blind or deaf is terrifying to consider, imagine having no sense of touch. That’s the negative aspect, but the positive is equally profound. The Internet is wondrous, yet it always falls way short of delivering the sort of experience to be had by simply getting your hands on something. There’s millions of years of evolution behind that, and it’s going to take us quite a while to get…

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