Birmingham on the killing of Carl Williams

John Birmingham talking sense about the killing of Carl Williams:

Carl Williams was killed, brutally, while under the care of the state. It was an extrajudicial killing. Emotionally, even morally, it may feel as though Williams deserved his end. But he did not, because although his punishment was our responsibility, so was his safety. It's an unpleasant reality, even a little sick making given the sort of man he was, but Williams was in our care. And we failed him.

The difficulty of men like Williams is that they force us to confront the fact that being better than them is not easy. Being better than a Carl Williams means having a care for human life, no matter how poorly that life was lived. It means not simply shrugging off our responsibilities because we do not care for the weight of them. For the inconvenience. That is why so many of Williams' victims died. When they weren't an affront to him, they were an inconvenience. As he was to us.

Grouch

My foot is killing me. Stupid plantar fasciitis. It's healing, it's just taking so long. And I think these $200 sneakers I bought to support my feet are actually making them worse.

So-- Grouchy.

Also: haven't written anything this week. Annoying. Thankfully, we have a long weekend coming up. There's a picnic I was planning to go to on Saturday, but right now I'm thinking I'll arse it off. Which is more important to you, David: writing or cake?

Okay. Grouch over. Going to the gym. Take care, gentle readers.