Crosblog

So you've been sequestered with a bunch of strangers, kept away from your family and the world at large, and forced to spend your days listening to gruesome details of a callous murder, as well as the lengthy, not nearly as exciting as Law and Order makes it sound details of the police investigation that connected the defendant to the victim's death. How do you spend your evenings?

How about food fights, men racing each other in high heels, and painting each other's toenails?

The judge found no misconduct, feeling that letting off a little steam was reasonable given the circumstances. What's interesting is the case, where John Myers was convicted of the murder of 19-year old Jill Behrmann, was a circumstantial case relying in part on the testimony of Myers' relatives, who were candid about incriminating statements Myers made. Normally cases like that are difficult to resolve, but in this case, the jury came back in just 50 minutes, following two weeks of testimony.

A law professor thinks the quick verdict may be grounds for an appeal. The actual verdict is usually hard to attack on appeal - the appellant would have to show that no reasonable juror could have reached that conclusion construing the evidence in the manner most favorable to the verdict. Do you have to take a certain amount of time deliberating before you qualify as a "reasonable juror"?

Gator attacks naked man on crack.

Florida's an interesting place.

A New Republic article discusses the idea of "pet politics."

According to a poll of dog owners, John McCain was preferred over Hillary Clinton by 7 points in a hypothetical matchup. However, according to said owners, the dogs themselves would prefer Clinton.

In an unrelated poll, a solid majority of dogs agreed with the statement, "I am, in fact, plotting to kill Dawn Summers and steal her tasty meat gum."

While the article poses some interesting questions about how politicians would reach out to pet owners (suggesting a Democrat might lobby to subsidize vet care or a Republican might fight to restrict government limits on dog ownership.) It also raises the question of how my own pack of wild beasts would vote, if given the opportunity.

Dog: Mishka
Dominant Trait: Aggressively friendly. Needs to be the center of attention.
McCain or Hillary? McCain. Mishka is a Democrat, but he's a Reagan Democrat who would be swayed by McCain's greater personablity.

Dog: Koshka
Dominant Trait: Paranoid. Hates other people.
McCain or Hillary? Clinton. A supporter of the Iraq war who also favors a more activist, involved federal goverment, Clinton's positions towards other people suggest a willingness to kill them or run their lives. Koshka thinks this is about right.

Dog: Otchki
Dominant Trait: Dumber than a sack of hammers.
McCain or Hillary? Accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan.

So, as you can see, neither of the two 2008 front-runners would gain an advantage in my household.

Unless they brought Pup-a-roni.

It's not our fault you guys are blowing the season.

Again.

Sincerely,

Atlanta.

...let the woman post a Christmas wreath shaped like a peace sign.

I didn't post over Thanksgiving, but I would like to take this opportunity to declare that I am thankful that I live in subdivision where the homeowner's association doesn't try and pull crap like this.

Thanks, neighbors. You're the best. Getting those leaves out of the front yard is tops on my to-do list, honest.

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock split up.

If the model/actress and the rock star can't make it work, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Also, a logistical question - since they had three wedding ceremonies, do they have to have three divorces?

Ah, holiday travel.

Whose bright idea was it to put Ohio so far away from Georgia?

One of the big stories getting blogger attention today concerns the fatal shooting of 92 year old Kathryn Johnston by Atlanta police officers. Johnston had opened fire on police when they broke down her door to execute a search warrant.

The Instapundit post on the subject has reactions to what I'm concerned will quickly become the legend - that police burst in with no warning and no identification and killed an innocent person. I have no more idea what actually happened than anyone else who wasn't there (and even those who were there may not be 100% sure what happened), but a few things should be noted.

According to the police, they were at the right house. Undercover agents had purchased drugs there earlier in the day. It appears illegal narcotics were present at the scene and seized. The police were not wearing police uniforms, but they were wearing vests with the word "POLICE" across the front.

The AJC story has a statement that police knocked and announced first. Radley Balko quotes the police spokesperson as saying the announcement didn't come until the door was already being burst in.

Johnston was not the person who sold drugs to the undercover agent, and the identity of the person who did either has not been released or is not known. Ditto any connection he may have to Johnston. A 92-year old drug dealer seems unlikely, but I've heard stranger. Would Johnston have fired had the police knocked, waited for a response, and gone through the process of assuring the occupants of the house of their status? Probably not. That said, when the cops are on the other side of the door and drugs are on yours, people occasionally make irrational decisions. Giving advance notice to the subjects of a search warrant has downsides of its own, and the best that can be said about it is they're less likely to lay an ambush if they're busy destroying evidence.

This happened last night, so anyone who's sure what went down, or what should happen next, is wrong. But just because something sounds good, or a narrative fits a person's ideology, doesn't mean that's what actually happened.

There's a Twisted Sister Christmas Album.

Tip - Corner. To sum up every other post on the Corner - it appears Mitt Romney is Mormon, and this may be an issue should he run for President.

Israeli High Court of Justice orders recognition of gay marriage.

Best I can tell, the ruling doesn't require Israel to perform gay marriages themselves, but when gay couples marry legally abroad, requires Israel to recognize those marriages as valid. Apparently, under Israeli law, the only form of legal marriage in Israel is the Orthodox Jewish ceremony, however, civil marriages performed abroad are recognized.

Meanwhile, the quest for gay rights moves at a somewhat different pace among Israel's neighbors.

Runner up in Mexican Presidential election builds giant fort out of sofa cushions in middle of Mexico City, calls it "the real super-neato bestest Presidential palace ever," and declares himself "President of all the cool Mexicans, not the goobers who follow the other guy."

"I pledge ... to serve loyally and patriotically as legitimate president of Mexico," Lopez Obrador said. "I pledge to protect the rights of Mexicans and to defend Mexico's sovereignty and patrimony, and ensure the happiness and welfare of the people."

Unless you work in tourism or for President Calderon or have any sort of interest in order or stability or in not making Mexico's left look like a bunch of whiny loons.

On the other hand, sofa cushion forts are cool.

OK, who had Kramer in the "Which celebrity goes absolutely batshit out of his damned mind" pool?

Be honest.

Oh, and Kramer - hecklers are tough, but if you let them know they've gotten to you, it's all over.

Saw Casino Royale last night. One of the better Bond movies, and Daniel Craig is just fine as Bond. And although the movie takes place in the present instead of the 60's, and baccarat is replaced by poker as the game Bond and Le Chiffre play, it's actually a fairly accurate retelling of the book.

Also worth noting is Casino Royale is your first shot at seeing the trailer for Spider-Man 3 on the big screen. The Sandman looks great, but they're trying to fit a lot into one movie. Is nobody signed for SM4?

Or something. A guy who represented himself as a CBS foreign correspondent was scheduled to give a talk at UGA's pro-Israel "Dawgs for Georgia" group. Obviously, the idea of an Israeli supporter working as a CBS correspondent is highly suspicious, so a UGA journalism professor began looking into it: "

I was thinking, wait a minute this isn't right." said UGA journalism professor David Hazinksi. "I know what the rules are ... a reporter can't go and speak on one side of an issue."

David Gilbert, a former stringer for WCBS News Radio in New York, was representing himself as a network journalist who made frequent paid appearances at major universities.

Gilbert was invited to speak to Dawgs of Israel, a UGA student-led organization that promotes support for Israel on campus.

When Hazinski, a former NBC correspondent, read a notice about Gilbert's upcoming visit, he and his students started digging. They didn't uncover any stories by Gilbert as a CBS correspondent, but they learned he worked at WCBS News Radio as a stringer three years ago.

At Hazinki's urging, Dawgs for Israel head Amy Berelowitz questioned Gilbert about his credentials and he confessed. His appearance was cancelled.

OK, first of all - "Dawgs for Israel?" Really? That's your name?

Ooooo-kay.

Second of all - no, actually, there really isn't any second of all. Nice catch. I sleep easier knowing that journalists are policing themselves and making sure they are not using their status as journalists to present themselves as one side of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, whatever side that journalist might be on.

What? Why is everyone looking at me like I was being sarcastic there?

What can I say - I'm bored, and the WWE's plan for Survivor Series sucks. The show used to be a unique concept, with teams of wrestlers competing in elimination matches that managed to both close old issues and open new ones, and provided something different to watch for one pay-per-view. Now it's just a regular show, with a few "traditional" survivor matches to mix things up. Fortunately, like everyone else who watches wrestling, I have a better idea. Instead of the WWE's random acts of booking, the show should be only elimination matches - my booking follows:

Match 1: ECW
Teams - Superstars (Big Show, Mike Knox, Test, Hardcore Holly, and Matt Striker) vs. The Extremists (Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Sandman, Balls Mahoney, and C.M. Punk.)
Order of Elimination - Striker by RVD (Frog Splash), Mahoney by Test (Chairshot), Mike Knox by Sabu (Camel Clutch), Sandman by Holly (Alabama Jam), Sabu by Big Show (Chokeslam), RVD by Holly (Shenanigans). This leaves newcomer C.M. Punk one on three with Holly, Test, and Show. Punk takes an asskicking, but manages to get Test to tap to the Anaconda Vice. He then takes another asskicking, but reverses the Alabama Jam to pin Holly. And while he gives it a hell of an effort, he sadly has nothing left in the tank, and falls prey to the chokeslam after a valiant effort.
Winner/Sole Survivor: The Big Show. (Yep, stole it from the Bigelow match at the first SS. It was brilliant booking then, and would get Punk over huge now.)

Match 2: Smackdown
Teams: The Cripplers (Chris Benoit, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Matt Hardy, and Jimmy Wang Yang) vs. Los Rudos (Chavo Guerrero, K.C. James, Idol Stevens, Sylvan, and Gregory Helms).
Order of Elimination: Sylvan by Yang (Yang Time), Kendrick by Stevens (double-team), Stevens by Benoit (Crippler Crossface), James by Benoit (ditto), Benoit by Guerrero (cheat to win), London by Helms (Shining Wizard), Guerrero by Hardy (Twist of Fate), Helms by Yang (pinfall reversal).
Survivors - Jimmy Wang Yang, Matt Hardy (Hardy survives and eliminates Chavo to position himself as a U.S. title contender after Benoit/Chavo resolves itself, and Yang gets the final pin on Helms to set up a series of matches for the Cruiserweight title.)

Match 3: RAW
Teams: Team Cool (Carlito, Jeff Hardy, Cryme Time (JTG and Shad), and Super Crazy) vs. Team Hollywood (Johnny Nitro, The Spirit Squad (Kenny, Nicky, Johnny), and Shelton Benjamin.)
Order of Elimination: Nicky by Shad (Cryme Time doubleteam), Super Crazy by Benjamin (Exploder), JTG by Kenny (disqualification), Shad by Kenny (Sprit Squad doubleteam), Johnny by Hardy (Swanton), Carlito by Nitro (Melina distraction), Hardy by Nitro (beaten to death by remaining team members)
Suriviors: Johnny Nitro, Kenny, Shelton Benjamin (Kenny sticks it out to begin setting him up apart from the Spirit Squad, Nitro reasserts the upper hand in his feud with Hardy, and goddammit, I really like Shelton Benjamin.)

Match 4
The Monsters (Undertaker, Kane, Boogeyman, and the Highlanders Rory and Robbie) vs. the Masters (Ken Kennedy, M.V.P., Mike Mizanin, Umaga, and Chris Masters)
Order of Elimination: Masters by Robbie (Surprise drug test - just kidding, Highlander doubleteam), M.V.P. by Kane (M.V.P. gets himself DQ'ed to avoid getting killed), Mizanin by Boogeyman (powerslam), Umaga by Undertaker (tombstone) - This leaves Mr. Kennedy 1 on 5. He sneaks in, steals a pinfall on the Undertaker, eliminating him, then walks off, getting counted out before the rest of the team has a chance to slaughter him.
Survivors - Kane, Boogeyman, the Highlanders. (With the exception of Kennedy and Umaga, the bad guys are going to get killed in this match. MVP and Miz are already established as punks whose mouths write checks their asses can't cash. Umaga goes out after pressing the Undertaker hard, and Kennedy wrestles well, only to have his teammates blow the advantage. At the end, Kennedy pins Taker and then leaves the ring, saying that after beating the Phenom, he has nothing else to prove.)

Main Event:
Teams: Degenerates (John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista, and Lashley) vs. Rated Royal (King Booker, Edge, Randy Orton, Fit Finlay, and Tatanka).
Order of Elimination: Lashley by Edge (ECW interference), Tatanka by Batista (Batista Bomb), Michaels by Orton (RKO), Edge by Triple H (Pedigree), Triple H by Orton (cheating), Orton by Cena (F-U), Finlay by Batista (spinebuster), on his way out, Finlay cracks Batista's leg with the shillelegh, leaving Batista easy prey for Booker, who enters the ring for the first time, and easily dispatches Batista with the axe kick. This leaves a fresh King Booker against a winded John Cena, who like any good guy, has been wrestling his share of the match. Nevertheless, Cena fights back, fends off Sharmell's attempts to interfere, and F-U's his majesty to send the crowd home happy. (And, coincidentally, get his win back from Cyber Sunday).
Sole Surivor - John Cena.

Coming up with this actually didn't take that long - most of it occurred to me while waiting for something interesting to happen on Smackdown last week. I understand how desperately the WWE wants the next Rock or Steve Austin to come along, but until he does, I'd just like to see them quit pissing off their base.

You know, kind of like GOP's been doing while waiting for the second coming of Reagan.

Person shot by robbers while waiting in line to buy the PS3.

I mean, really - no hurry to get one of those on my end. I've still got a stack of PS2 games I haven't finished/started yet.

Georgia county is considering fining landlords who rent to illegal immigrants.

Opposition is coming from about where you'd expect.

"If they don't rent to us, where are we going to live?" said Miguel Rodríguez, who came to Cherokee from Zacatecas, Mexico, and was trying to find work Tuesday on a street corner as a day laborer.

Rodríguez, who says he is here illegally, rents a trailer in Cherokee County with five other men, who split the $170 weekly rent.

The ordinance, he said, would discriminate against Hispanics, some of whom won't be able to make a living if they don't have a place to live.

"For those who are illegal like me, taking away housing is like taking away our jobs," Rodríguez said. "If there is no place to live, then we can't work either. Where are we going to go, to the woods?"

Yes, where could the citizen of another country who entered the U.S. illegally go?

It boggles the mind. It really does.

Victorian drama Tipping the Velvet reported to star Beyonce and Eva Longoria as lovers.

Defintely Oscar material.

UPDATE - Ah, crap. They're now denying it's going to happen. Note to Eva - do you really want The Sentinel to be the pinnacle of your film career?

Pretty Numbers.

Go read her take on Borat, especially if you've seen the character prior to the movie.

I mean, you could be the guy who mailed in his absentee ballot and (accidentally, one presumes) posted it with a rare stamp worth as much as $500,000.

And the punchline?

Rodstrom said he did not examine the envelope's postmark, but it had no return address and the ballot was disqualified because it gave no clue as to the identity of the voter.

Now, schadenfreude is hard to come by for conservatives these days, but maybe I can help a little bit. The ballot was recieved in Broward County, Florida - which votes heavily Democratic.

Not that there's any way to know who actually sent the ballot in, but the odds are good it's someone who's also glad to see Nancy Pelosi in charge.

Tip - Bob.

But it's sometimes funny when other people hurt themselves. Then sue.

Like, for instance, hurting themselves participating in a "Shake-It-Like-Shakira" contest.

Talk about what really matters: Britney Spears reportedly files for divorce from K-Fed.

They even have a copy of the petition and everything.

Tip - The Corner. (Where you can also read about the election, if for some lunatic reason that interested you.)

For some reason, I feel now is a good time to revisit Kevin Federline finding himself on the business end of an "F-U" from WWE Champion John Cena.

Yeah, that's still funny. Almost as funny as listening to him rap.

Naked man arrested for concealed weapon.

A man was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon after police found him outdoors — naked — and he told them he had a tool in his rectum, authorities said...

..."You can't get much more concealed than that," Horgan said.

Officers drew their weapons and firefighters were called to the scene. Sheehan removed a 6-inch metal awl wrapped in black electrical tape without incident.

Sheehan, who was paroled from state prison last week, was then booked into jail on suspicion of parole violations, indecent exposure and one felony count of possessing a concealed weapon.

If you see a police officer today, thank him. We do not pay those people enough.

You scored 350 out of 350 possible points, or 100.00%

A+
Not only should you vote, you should consider a career in politics.



Tip - Dawn Summers.

...Good Lord, the cheerleader's an idiot.

More Heroes thoughts here and here.

All I got. Just the one vote, and not really even in a state or a district that anyone gives a crap about, at least not on a national scale. Statewide, by and large Georgia has been pretty well run in recent years, so for the most part the incumbent, be they Republican or Democrat, merits return to office. But for the big national election that's supposed to change or affirm the direction of the whole entire country, for that we have no Senate races, so our only chance to weigh in is when we vote for our U.S. Congressman.

And, speaking of which, guess who doesn't know who my Congressman is? If you guessed Congress, you're right. I entered my nine digit ZIP code into their site after I bought my house (I figured they'd know, right?) and was told my Congressman was Republican Phil Gingrey. I took them at their word, and have paid some small attention to Rep. Gingrey's votes and public statements. I was rather cross with him over the whole Bill Jefferson affair, and his endorsement of the House leadership's punk-ass response, and was actually leaning towards voting for his opponent as a way of registering my distrust.

Congressman, I owe you an apology. Not for thinking you're a tool (you are), but for taking up your valuable time when I was not, apparently, one of your constitutents. You see, you can vote absentee for any reason in Georgia, such as being too lazy to expect to make it to the poll on time. When I got my ballot, I was stunned to find Mr. Gingrey's name was nowhere to be found. While the United States Congress apparently thinks he represents me, the Cobb County Board of Elections is under the impression that my little corner of paradise is represented by one David Scott, Democrat.

Which changes things somewhat. Scott was unopposed in 2004, but the 13th has been radically redrawn, and many of Scott's new constitutents aren't familiar with the man. (Join. The. Club.) His opponent, Deborah Travis Honeycutt, has been working hard trying to get her name out, and though an underdog, it's not like Scott is a familiar face. OK, he's a familiar face, I mean, I've seen billboards, and all, but I have no clue what the guy actually does.

So I looked. Actually, this guy ain't half bad. He's a Blue Dog Democrat, and has a conservative enough voting record to get shredded on liberal sites as a "pro-war Democrat." The sort of person one could easily live with, if not outright support. If one were a little hacked off with how the Republicans have behaved in power recently, (and if one isn't at least a little hacked off, one has not been paying attention), voting for David Scott would send a message, yet still be a vote for a Congressman you wouldn't mind so much.

And yet...I get this argument, I really do. You can scream all you want about "Look, I don't want a liberal Congress, I'm just sick of the half-assed attitude on corruption and the war being put forth by the idiots currently running the place!" and Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers are still going to take a win as a repudiation of everything even a little bit conservative, because, you know, they're Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers. A party that richly deserves to lose is running against a party that in no way deserves to win. It's like watching Bellick torturing T-Bag on Prison Break to try and get the stolen money - neither of them deserve it, but until Schofield gets his crap together, they're the only two possibilities to get it. (At the moment, at least. I'm writing this prior to 8:00 eastern.) And in the election world, there's no Schofield coming. Besides, nothing in David Scott's career suggests he'd take a stand against his leadership if it were, you know, tough or anything.

Besides, does the stench of Denny Hastert & Friends taint a Republican challenger? Maybe not, but who's to say Denny & the Jets won't take a win as proof they don't have to take their jobs seriously ever again? It's not like the Dems are the only ones we have to worry about reading too much into an election victory.

For me - it's Honeycutt, albeit barely. I get to vote for the candidate I agree with more and against an incumbent, which were mutually exclusive options when I thought I lived in Gingrey's district. I note that in 2008, the stakes go up - in addition to a Representative, we'll choose a President, and here in Georgia, we'll choose a Senator, and I'm not terribly fond of the incumbent. (He claims to be a fiscal conservative, but is really a pork monkey.)

Rationalizations from someone who wouldn't vote Democrat if the Republican platform included setting my mother on fire, but wants to pretend he's somewhat independent? Maybe. My wife can confirm how pissed off I was at Phil Gingrey, but that's a moot point, and in any event my wife may be stranded in a Baltimore airport while the keys to her truck on a plane to Seattle. In any event, I think the GOP will likely lose the House, which I'm not crazy about, but I'm confident enough in America's reslience to believe we can survive Nancy Pelosi. Whether Pelosi herself wants to be Speaker with a 3 or 4 seat majority is an interesting question - she couldn't get a lot passed, but this time, it'd be her fault. The Senate will likely remain in GOP hands, although I'm honestly rooting for it to come down to a tie, with the majority party being contingent on who Joe Lieberman supports for majority leader. Because that would be really really funny.

Anyway, if you haven't voted yet, please do so.

God bless you, and God bless America.

During basketball season, it's understandable (if not exactly acceptable) for Georgia to lose to both Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the same season.

During football season? Not so much.

Borat is laugh-yourself-hoarse funny.

I would love to know how he avoided getting arrested/beaten senseless.

Court on Saddam Hussein: Hang the bastard.




Here's a musical tribute to the Saddam Hussein verdict, courtesy of Trey Parker and Matt Stone via Cannibal! The Musical.

Russell Crowe: Australia legal system better equipped to handle my violent outbursts.

And, for the love of God, take A Good Year with you.

In case I neglected to mention this before, my wife is a lunatic. Yet, for some reason, her employer insists on shipping her off to various locations for business related purposes. Which is fine, except the spouse and air travel go together like John Kerry and comedy. You know there's going to be a disaster, you just don't know when it will come or what form it will take. In a way, when it finally comes, you're almost relieved.

Should you remain unconvinced of this pattern, permit me to provide some historical perspective.

Fast forward to yesterday. Spouse is going to leave on a business trip, which means I should be getting a crisis related phone call at some point during the day. I'd say you could set your watch to it, but setting your watch to anything my wife does would make you crazier than she is. At any rate, the call comes.

"Honey, I can't find the keys to the truck. I've looked everywhere (emphasis mine), and now I have to call a cab to get to the airport and I'm going to miss my flight!" I assure her I will look for the keys in my car - they're not there. I assure her I will look for the keys when I get home, but I'm a little concerned about this - after all, she looked everywhere.

I arrive home, expecting to spend my evening tearing the house apart looking for her damn keys. Before I do this however, I check the truck. When the spouse misplaces the keys, history teaches us to check the freaking truck. And here I locate a silver lining. The spouse is getting better. The keys are not in the truck.

They are, rather, on the truck. Specifically, on the hood. Of the truck. In my driveway. Which is not enclosed and is accessible to anyone.

So, once again, Atlanta thieves missed a low-cost opportunity to obtain a 2004 Chevy Silverado.

And I, for one, am trying to look on the bright side of things. The appropriate place for the keys was the kitchen counter or her purse. The hood of the truck is closer to these locations than the ignition. So she's getting better, in a way. Right?

And better is something, I guess. Still crazy. But better.

So bad, it's OK for a school bus driver to flip him off in front of the kids she's driving.

Now, the school doesn't think it's OK. It's just the driver who does.

The 43-year-old driver, whose name was not released, was driving middle school children back to school after a zoo visit on June 16 when the president and Republican Rep. Dave Reichert drove slowly by in a motorcade.

From the bus, the children waved; with the windows down in their car, Bush and Reichert waved back.

That's when the driver gave the president the finger, according to Reichert and Issaquah superintendent Janet Barry.

"The congressman hadn't seen it, but the president turned to him and said, 'That one's not a fan,'" said Reichert spokeswoman Kimberly Cadena.

Reichert later called Barry to tell her about the incident, but the bus driver had already been fired. District officials learned about the incident after the driver boasted to colleagues about it, Cadena said.

The truly unfortunate thing is the potential this incident has to distract from the children's education.

Because if they don't get a good education, they end up stuck in...

...oh, heck those jokes are already old.

The dogs hate Halloween. Frickin' hate it. A parade of strangers coming to the door, demanding we give them stuff. The dogs are of two minds about this. The boys (Mishka and Otchki) are both very friendly dogs, and would love the chance to greet anyone who came to visit. The Wolverine would like to show them what their entrails look like. Unfortunately for the boys, their exuberant greetings are frequently confused with Koshka's come-one-more-step-and-you-die warning bark. (They really sound different, but maybe that's just because I've been listening for years.) Since the visitors are children who we don't want to scare off (or have killed), the dogs spend the Trick-or-Treat portion of Halloween upstairs in the bedroom, hearing the doorbell ring time and time again, and hearing and smelling strangers on our threshold.

The only holiday they hate worse is the Fourth of July, when those same kids break out the firecrackers.

Pretty good night, though. Key stat: Non-costumed, vaguely threatening teenager count: 0. Everyone was trick-or-treat age appropriate, and more or less costumed. (I question the two kids who wore blazers and turtlenecks, but it did show something of an effort.) Lack of teenagers may have had something to do with turning off the porch light at 9:00, to which I say, thank you, Veronica Mars!

And, while we're on the subject, if Veronica's such a great detective, how comes she wrongly accuses so many people? It wasn't just Weevil this week, heck, last season, how many people did she accuse of causing the school bus crash before the guy who actually did it finally fell right in her lap? Hell, how many times has she just wrongly accused Weevil?