An Open Letter to Judge Joseph Doherty

For those who are unaware, the following open letter is regarding a criminal case stemming from an incident of dog abuse in Connecticut. The crime occurred in January 2008, but public outcry has been building since the case first came to light. The following are links that discuss the case:

http://www.wfsb.com/news/15048042/detail.html (some graphic pics)
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/12959/CT/US/ (site updates as case proceeds through the courts)

To the Honorable Joseph Doherty:

I am, admittedly, a HUGE dog lover. However, I do not see how anyone claiming to be human could read about the case of Saverino Cruz and the pit bull "Baby" and not be outraged. Even the most jaded individuals would be shocked at the details of this case.

I have read several accounts describing what occurred in January and I am aware the man at the center of this case is an illegal immigrant. I am also aware that many of the taxpayers in Connecticut would balk at paying the expense of incarcerating a citizen of another country (but when you established so-called "sanctuary cities" in defiance of federal law, I would suggest that you invite such problems but that is a soapbox for another day).

But please consider the facts of the case. This man found out while at work that his son was injured. Did he go straight to the hospital to check on his son? No, he left work in the middle of the day and went home to deal with the dog. I would submit he already had a vague notion of what he was going to do. Furthermore, he had the entire drive home to come to his senses. Instead, he brutalized a chained and caged dog.

I ask you to consider one other point: what happens when another human angers this man (animal abuse is a known indicator of future violent behavior)? If he doesn't serve time (or worse, gets off scot-free as his lawyer proposes), the greatest tragedy will not be that some one got away with animal abuse. It will be that the justice system had the opportunity to stop this man before he kills/maims someone's child, wife, mother, father, etc. and instead allowed it to slip away.

An Open Letter to the Producers of AMC's "Breaking Bad"

Dear Producers of "Breaking Bad":

I have really enjoyed your new series that follows a high school chemistry teacher, who having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, decides to set up a meth lab to provide for his family after his death. It contains some dark and twisted humor that is right up Mad Chemist Chick's alley.

However, there are some glaring inconsistencies and errors in the chemistry that is presented. I realize that some of it is artistic license, and some of it is that you can not show step-by-step the process for making crystal meth on TV, otherwise every teenager between here and the Canadian border would attempt to cook some up in their bathtub.

But please, for the love of all that is holy, fix the structures of the molecules that appear behind the title of the show in the opening graphics.

Several of the structures contain carbons with 5 bonds. Carbon can only make 4 bonds. Also, some of the charges shown on the structures are suspect. Every time I see them, I get an eye twitch accompanied by an overwhelming urge to grab a red pen and draw corrections all over my TV screen.

If you would like to hire someone to catch such errors before you air the episodes, I gladly offer my services for a nominal fee.

The Mad Chemist

P.S. Last night, I was really disappointed with the main character caving to his wife's demand that he undergo chemo. Especially after he gave that big speech about how he had never made his own decisions and this time would be different.