Because of recent malicious spam comments, I’m forced to shut off comments for awhile. As a result, I’m also unable to post several comments to recent posts—but the comments deserve a response.

One comment concerned the “causes of Columbine” and school shootings.

Response: I can’t Google the topics you suggested, because to do so would cause Google to do two things, neither of which I wish to have them do: 1) Google would add these search terms to my personal search history—and as a result I would be forever labeled as someone interested in child pornography; 2) various law enforcement and security agencies would start monitoring this blog. I’ve already had the second of these problems happen when I made an off-hand remark about someone who was in the military.

Two comments concerned the trial of Juan Mendez, Jr.

Response: One commenter was convinced of Mendez’s guilt but expected the jury to find him not guilty, because the police investigation was shoddy and the prosecution’s case was weak. One commenter was convinced of Mendez’s innocence and considered the verdict to be racist. I disagree with both of these comments: the prosecution’s case seemed inadequate because of the shoddy investigation, but my instincts tell me he did it; and I see no evidence of racism in the investigation, prosecution, or jury verdict. I think the verdict resulted from moral outrage at the viciousness of the crime and the abuse Mendez inflicted on his wife.