I learned a new word today: Hybristophilia. Which means sexual attraction to criminals.

A little over three years ago, a young man named Cameron Herrin (18) received a black Ford Mustang as a high school graduation gift. Two days later, he and his buddy were day drag racing on Bayshore Blvd., Tampa, Florida, less than 15 miles from my home. Yes, I've driven on it, and will do so again.

And day drag racing is its own separate crime in Florida.

A young mother, 24, was pushing her daughter (not yet 2) in a stroller as they crossed Bayshore Blvd. Cameron's buddy managed to swerve and avoid them. Cameron did not. The mother died at the scene, the one-year-old died five days later.

On April 8, this year, almost three years later, Herrin was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

And it was the literally the sentence heard round the world. TikTok and Twitter have erupted into protesting this "unfair" sentence. Young girls in Pakistan are protesting this sentence, because Herrin (by their standards) is handsome.

There are valid reasons for wanting a lesser sentence. Herrin did not flee the scene, no priors, etc. But these fans of his are disgusting. If I had a TikTok account, I'd probably be saying, "Cameron is not going to fuck you if he gets out of prison! It is useless to complain about his sentence because of his looks!"

I first became aware of his sentence when I started following Governor DeSantis on Twitter. It seems after every single tweet of his, bot accounts are demanding a commutation of his sentence. Yes, demanding. Their own words.

IDK, Patrick. 24 years seems excessive, but Herrin's depraved indifference to the dangers driving over 100mph on a crowded city road spark outrage, too. A young mother and child are dead. That debt must be paid.

I've driven Bayshore on my many visits to Tampa over the years. In fact, my sister was married in one of the churches along it. I forget which one. The reception was on Davis Island.

Well meeee-yowwwww.

• Last night, these two sports fans had great sex in hotel overlooking the Thames.

• This tweet has a certain masculine piquance.

“One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.”

― Oscar Wilde

All this smoke and fury will do nothing to clarify the responsibility of social media companies for what's published by their users.

But still!… 😂

Given that gangsters - even the not-so-rich ones - have little trouble attracting women, a "sexual attraction to criminals" is easy to believe in. (Not to mention those women who start pen-pal relations with men they know are inmates.)

But I think this is something different.

Namely, people everywhere tend to lose their heads over the young and the handsome, when they make the front pages. (Personally, from the photos of Herrin, I'd say he looks scary - especially the eyes.) It's just that TEENS are more likely to be OPENLY stupid with their infatuations and selfish demands, even when the person happens to be a criminal. The same thing happened with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2013 - and Chester Gillette, in 1906, for that matter - he was considered handsome too.

(And this is just one reason I would tell people to stay away from rallies as a rule. Even if no violence occurs, "less is more" is a very good rule to follow, since observers and officials tend to get jaded and callous. Save rallies for THE most serious reasons.)

Hello, Conan. We've missed you. Over the last couple of days (in Amy's link threads), we've been discussing an incredibly imprudent move by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. The released a song called "We're Coming For Your Children." It was intended to be a jab at the homophobic contingent that thinks all gay men are out to molest children and supposedly convert them to homosexuality. The jab is that they're coming for your children to teach them to be "tolerant and fair."

Unfortunately, in the hands of the extreme right, it became a weapon. If you visit YouTube and enter San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, you'll find scads of videos about it. I went to their Facebook page and predicted an uptick of hate crimes against gay men. And asked, "Would you guys mind terribly NOT trying to get us all killed? Thanks."

I bring this up again because I was looking forward to your feedback on it, and was disappointed when I didn't see any.

Anyhow, as for Cameron Herrin, a particularly damning piece of evidence, which the defense tried to suppress but to no avail, was the navigation system in Herrin's car. Although he had only had the car for two days, his car has been clocked at speeds in excess of 160 mph.

Another very odd thing about all the interest in this case is that I've spoken to at least five of these bots who are spamming Governor DeSantis' Twitter is that they all have Arabic as their first language.

And they have admitted they are not Americans. So, I pointed out that Governor DeSantis has probably muted them all. They're not even U.S. citizens, much less Floridians.

I guess the standards of beauty have changed. I never considered Herrin handsome. His looks are middling. Not sure what Lenona sees that's so bad about his eyes. Although there's a famous picture of him, sitting in court, just as the judge announces his 24 year sentence, where Herrin's eyes go very wide. Perhaps that's the one you're seeing, Lenona?

I just don't understand, in light of all the sentencing we do in the United States, Herrin's has sparked so much interest from other nations. Especially from the Middle East. Shouldn't they be more concerned with how they treat their own women?

I did ask one how they thought Herrin should be sentenced. They said 3-6 years with "hard work" then six years no driving. They tend to exaggerate, though. They insist that they're ending Herrin's life. (He'll be 45 when he gets out, assuming he serves the full sentence.)

Ridiculous. 3-6 years for two deaths, acting with depraved indifference to human life? I don't think so.

They're also fond of saying that Herrin is "not a criminal."

But he is. Day drag-racing is a crime. And according to his vehicle's navigation system, unless someone else was at the wheel, it's a crime he's repeated.

24 years seems excessive

How much is a life worth? about 12 years of incarceration each? that seem...too little. He'll probably serve about 15 years, the rest on probation.

I have to wonder, what would the punishment in Pakistan be? I found a similar incident, but no followups as to the final legal disposition.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/91755/tragic-accident-main-accused-in-drag-race-case-arrested

I bring this up again because I was looking forward to your feedback on it, and was disappointed when I didn't see any. ~ Patrick at July 12, 2021 7:45 AM

Sorry to disappoint. I was pre-occupied with being accused by Artemis of transphobia. He's tedious and takes up way more time than he's worth.

I think the SFGMC tweaking social conservatives' antipathy for homosexuality was probably warranted in the minds of its members, but was impolitic overall. I don't think anyone's going to get killed over it, but it will reinforce the social conservatives' animosity simply because no one likes to be mocked. The SCs may not believe the SFGMC members are actually coming for their children, but the tweak will irk them and exaggerate existing divisions in our society.

If I understood the lyrics correctly, it's less about converting your children than instilling in them acceptance of homosexuality. On that, they're probably right in that gay people do want acceptance.

Personally, I can see the humor in the song, even as a I bemoan the why of it. A sober sit-down is better than a jovial mocking in terms of reconciliation.

I've worked (and lived) with gay men and women over the years, so I bear no hostility toward them on sexual orientation, preferring to judge people individually. I'm not particularly religious, so biblical morality is not a major motivator of mine, even as I acknowledge that people should not be forced to operate in violation of their religious beliefs wherever possible.

We're all attracted to the people and features we're attracted to. I'm pretty sure the "gay agenda" is not coming for the children. If it is, I know a few I'd happily hand over.

Hope that helps.

https://twitter.com/DaveLeeERMD/status/1413816144218230789

The implications for acute COVID-19 are enormous. Not only would it explain why steroids work in this disease, but it would suggest that we should be treating the disease more like other autoimmune diseases of the lung.

Python, the snake not the computer language.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-python-challenge-kicks-off-again-with-10000-on-the-line

> The same thing happened with
> Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2013

That was weird! They put a close-up photo of him on the cover of Rolling Stone (which was a paper "magazine," an old-timer's form of media here in the United States). And I looked at it and thought, 'This is what a murderous asshole looks like.'

But an enormous number of people, including many who should have known better, thought it was an honor. They thought it was glamorous....

It's difficult to mourn mainstream media, or people's adoration of it. Riddance.

How much is a life worth? about 12 years of incarceration each? that seem...too little. He'll probably serve about 15 years, the rest on probation. ~ IRA Darth Aggie at July 12, 2021 8:35 AM

True. It wasn't intentional, but it was depraved indifference. Bayshore is way too busy for speeds exceeding 100mph. And for that, a stern sentence is called for.

I wonder, too, about the parents who bought their son a car that he was too immature to handle.

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Although he had only had the car for two days, his car has been clocked at speeds in excess of 160 mph. ~ Patrick at July 12, 2021 7:45 AM

I didn't even know a Mustang could go that fast. Unless Ford has beefed up the suspension on the newer models, that car does not have the stock underpinnings to handle that kind of speed.

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Day drag-racing is a crime. And according to his vehicle's navigation system, unless someone else was at the wheel, it's a crime he's repeated. ~ Patrick at July 12, 2021 8:02 AM

Street drag racing is stupidity on wheels - in daylight or darkness. And I say that as a sports car enthusiast.

Hollywood shows the thrill of driving fast, shooting guns, and having random sex - but never the consequences. And 18-year-olds are not geared toward looking at consequences, so they see only the thrills.

Python, the snake not the computer language. ~ IRA Darth Aggie at July 12, 2021 8:45 AM

I've got a friend who, after retiring from the Army, hunts pythons with a group of fellow veterans.

Many of his fellow python-hunting vets are suffering from various levels of PTSD and have said python hunting helps.

Conan: I was pre-occupied with being accused by Artemis of transphobia. He's tedious and takes up way more time than he's worth.

I know. I've had my dealings with him and prefer not to.

He "speaks an infinite deal of nothing, . . . His reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff: you shall seek all day ere you find them, and when you have them, they are not worth the search." Merchant of Venice, Act I, scene i, Bassanio, regarding Gratiano.

Transphobia has gone throught some evolution. I would have defined it in the classic sense, meaning hate, fear, distrust, and/or discrimination against transgendered persons.

But apparently, it's now become a refusal to date any male who puts on a wig and makes a crude, inexpert attempt at applying makeup and says "I identify as a woman."

Of course, the ones I'm describing are just gay men attempting to shame straight men into having sex with them. I mean, why not? Since they don't have to do a single thing - no hormones, surgery, etc. - just say you identify as a woman, and any straight man who doesn't date you is a transphobe. And if it doesn't work? You can always detransition the next day.

You just can't trust those gay guys! I'm glad I don't know any . . . oh, wait.

Of course, the ones I'm describing are just gay men attempting to shame straight men into having sex with them.

Unless they're the ones who are trying to hook up with the lesbians.

"I didn't even know a Mustang could go that fast. Unless Ford has beefed up the suspension on the newer models, that car does not have the stock underpinnings to handle that kind of speed."

Having been a car guy for awhile, but also having been shown what a duffer I am on the track by actual fast guys, I can say that the driver is without a doubt the biggest performance limitation of any vehicle.

The Mustang - from the 250HP 2.3L 4-cylinder to the 700+HP Shelby Cobra - is tested on racetracks by professional drivers far more brutal than customers, and the car is delivered as a package which does differ by drivetrain. Improvements can be made to the suspension and to the tires, but it remains that the limitation is the driver. Streets also do not have good, predictable surfaces.

Patrick Bedard, a contributor for Car and Driver and a one-time Indy competitor, once penned an article where he was being bothered by his passenger on a track day... "You're fightin' the cah, Patrick, yer fightin' the cah."
"Who did this guy think he was? I'm 4/10ths faster than the class record" he thought.
They changed places, and aside from a change in exhaust note, he couldn't tell when either the brakes OR the throttle were on.
The timers said this guy was FOUR seconds under the class record.
Which was fine.
It was Jackie Stewart.

Conan:

I didn't even know a Mustang could go that fast. Unless Ford has beefed up the suspension on the newer models, that car does not have the stock underpinnings to handle that kind of speed.

Would it be possible on an interstate in a place like Florida, the flattest state in the union?

Or perhaps his parents (who are affluent) might have had some kind of work done on the car to make it more able to handle speed?

If so, maybe they should have gone on trial. Giving that kind of car to an 18-year-old kid. Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, also gave his kid a Toyota Supra. And he crashed into a telephone pole, leaving his passenger in little more than a vegetative state, requiring round-the-clock care.

This is the English equivalent of the Vulcan's Pon Farr:

https://twitter.com/TheSportsman/status/1414249156114272256

> You're fightin' the cah…

Over the weekend: https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/ohi12o/sir_jackie_stewart_mario_andretti_and_emerson/

The Mustang ... is tested on racetracks by professional drivers far more brutal than customers, and the car is delivered as a package which does differ by drivetrain. Improvements can be made to the suspension and to the tires, but it remains that the limitation is the driver. ~ Radwaste at July 12, 2021 11:21 AM

You'll get no argument from me that the nut behind the wheel is the most important part in the car.

I may be dating myself, but when I was hanging around with SCCA buddies in the late '80s, they wouldn't go near an American pony car without an aftermarket suspension upgrade.

Patrick, I looked again in Google Images and I'd say at least half the photos of him in the first page of photos look creepy, even if I hadn't known who he is. Including his mug shot, of course.

I'll also admit that the older I get, the more young people scare me in general. But even so...

I'm going to vote for Larry Elder for California governor!

I'm going to vote for Larry Elder for California governor! ~ Crid at July 12, 2021 7:01 PM

So, it seems California has turned yet another recall election into a clown rodeo.

And I want a piece!

@I R A Darth Aggie at July 12, 2021 8:45 AM:

Thanks for the link. It's been theorized almost since the beginning that severe COVID-19 damage was from a runaway immune system, but this is the first clinical evidence I've seen. The autopsies are pretty convincing, at least for those cases.

However, how can this be consistent with the pattern of nearly all severe COVID-19 cases occurring in people with immune systems weakened by age or pre-existing disease? There are other infectious diseases such as Hantavirus and probably the 1918 flu epidemic that kill by getting the immune system to destroy your lungs, but these killed healthy young adults at nearly the same rate as the elderly and children.