John B., I was under the impression that the law, and particularly the criminal law, was merely the expression of the legislature's and courts' philosophy for our societal needs and thus a proper topic for discussion here. Perhaps you meant ideology. Ideologues like Duer should have a different forum or study "how to win friends and influence people" with greater intensity.

For an NPR story on the International Criminal Court (and why the US didn't attend opening ceremonies), go to NPR's web site.

I feel like I just entered a parallel universe. (See posting at end of previous page) John's New Year's Resolution? April Fools? Dan, what have they done with your brother?

Jana, I figured the stress finally got to him. Fear not, he is soon headed to Jazz Fest and will likely return to his old self, hounding ne'er-do-wells and bondsmen into meek submission. Until then, someone take notes. And tell me if he starts dressing in softer tones.

uh-oh. Did I tell you that he has a whole wardrobe of pastel colored dress shirts?

The United States is not among the 78 countries subject to the new International Criminal Court, but the first prosecutor tapped for the court has spent a lot of time in the United States recently. Luis Moreno Ocampo, 50, is currently a visiting professor of Latin American studies at Harvard University and previously taught at Stanford University. But the Buenos Aires-based attorney's credentials for the post come from his days as a prosecutor of Argentine military figures for human rights violations during the "dirty war" in the 1980s. Moreno Ocampo has worked on anti-corruption issues for the World Bank and the United Nations and in several Latin American countries. He starts his new job in June.