Waiting for the Debate

I'm at home waiting for the second McCain-Obama debate, full of nervous energy.   Blogging seems as good as way as any to burn it.  So here are a few thoughts and links:

• Here is a link to a provocative piece in Slate that is critical of Obama's criminal justice positions.  

• I spent the afternoon today with Sam Sullivan, mayor of Vancouver, as he toured Common Ground's Times Square project.   Sullivan is a fascinating figure: a quadripelgic (from a skiing accident as a teen) and a conservative with a deep interest in urban planning and novel approaches to crime control (including an emphasis on harm reduction).   More important, at least from my narrow, parochial perspective, Vancouver has just opened a community court that will hopefully serve as another model project for the world. 

• Yesterday, Al and I spent a few hours with Denise O'Donnell, the commissioner of New York State's Division of Criminal Justice Services.   She seemed extremely interested in our work -- and extremely pessimistic about the state's current fiscal climate.    As if to underline her point, today's Times had a story on how non-profits are struggling.  Here's a link.

• I didn't want to end on a down note, so here is a link that celebrates the reunion of one of my favorite bands from the 80s/90s: the Feelies.