Confession

Yes, it’s true: I’m on JournoList, the “secret liberal journalist cabal.” But now that I’ve told ya, I’m gonna hafta kill ya. Nothin’ personal; it’s just the rules.

Okay. I admit it.

I’m on JournoList.

Ummm … but now that I’ve told ya, I’m gonna hafta kill ya. I mean, the thing is strictly Top Secret. That’s the way it works when you’re a conspiracy whose tentacles reach into the deepest recesses of the American power structure, corrupting the otherwise pristine practice of journalism in the process.

Anyway, the Elders of Zion, our parent organization, insists on it. We do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame. Or something.

In fact and in truth, I’m thrilled. I missed being on the Nixon enemies list because I hadn’t actually done anything that signficantly annoyed Nixon, and although I was barely old enough to vote when he left office I’ve always been secretly ashamed of not making the cut. And now I have Mickey Kaus jealous of me, and Ed Morrissey at Hot Air ranting about a “Secret liberal journalist cabal” while the Hot Air commenters go incoherent with rage. (Okay, so that’s pretty much their normal state. Still, it’s nice to be noticed.)

If Washington is Hollywood for ugly people, J-List (as we insiders call it) is Skull & Bones for people who aren’t pompous preppies. I’m on it, and Mickey Kaus isn’t. And that’s the whole point.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com