This past weekend, the Rohnert Park police shot a woman who was armed with a straight-edged razor to death.  The woman’s mother called the police to report that her daughter had been drinking and “might have some psych issues.”  The police told the woman to drop the blade, but she began to move forward.  The police subsequently opened fire and shot the woman 3 times in the chest.  The woman died on the way to the hospital.

Do you think the force used by the police was justified?  In certain situations, do you think that the police should shoot to injure instead of shoot to kill?

Addressing a challenge to Washington D.C.’s 32 year ban on handguns, the Supreme Court looked at the Second Amendment for the first time in 70 years this past Tuesday.  The Second Amendment states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”  Although the majority in District of Columbia v. Heller seemed ready to rule for the first time in our nation’s history that the Second Amendment grants individuals the general right to own guns, it was not clear about overruling Washington D.C.’s handgun ban.  The Supreme Court’s final decision regarding the effect of the Second Amendment and the constitutionality of the ban is expected in June.

Do you think the Second Amendment grants individual gun rights?  Do you think Washington D.C.’s ban should be upheld?

Robert Alan Soloway has pled guilty to mail and email fraud on March 14, 2008 in Seattle’s District Court.  Soloway became notorious as the “Spam King” due to the tens of millions of spam messages his company sent out between November 2003 and May 2007 in support of his company’s websites, products, and services.  Not only did the messages contain misleading header information, but they also compromised computer networks with infectious malware.  Soloway could receive up to 20 years in prison and over a half a million dollars in fines upon sentencing.

Do you think Soloway should be given the maximum prison sentence and fines, or is the punishment too harsh?  Do you think the prison sentence and fines will help deter future spammers?