From the Wall Street Journal, a story about Capt. Denny Flannagan, a United Airlines pilot, who exemplifies an approach to work, life and others that should inspire all of us.  Recently, in a piece I posted about corporate planes, a commenter responded that it was a product of how shoddy commercial flights have become.  Capt. Flannagan proves that one person may not be able to change an industry, but he can damn well try to do her personal best.  So can we all. 

From Jon Katz at Underdog Blog, a Maryland Court of Appeals decision holding that, while probable cause was not met in a search warrant application, the search was nonetheless approved under the good faith exception since it wasn’t so lacking probably cause as to render it entirely unreasonable.  Notably, former Maryland United States Attorney Judge Lynn Battaglia, joined by Chief Judge Murphy, in dissent rejected the “nice try” exception to the Constitution. 

Again from busy Jon at Underdog, a 4th Circuit decision separating Crawford’s confrontation clause implication from data input into a computer.  Somebody puts the data in, in this case about drug levels in a defendant’s blook, and a machine cranks out the testimony that the prosecution needs.  But the prosecution need only produce an expert rather than the individual who actually did the input.  And we all know machines never lie.  Nor do they respond to questions on cross.

Finally, a quote via Grits for Breakfast that applies to so much of what we do, and so many things in life, that it would be a crime not to pass it along:  “We’re tending the flowers around the house while the house is caving in.”  This should be carved into the granite blocks above the entry to every legislative body in America.