Social networking sites have taken over as the new neighborhood block parties; except these parties are global and the most we can do in terms of a party is that of a virtual toast being made. Craigslist, Facebook, MySpace…they all have their draws. I have a better time of keeping up with my son through our Facebook accounts than I do in our daily ‘real’ lives. I just found out he got yet another speeding ticket…except I didn’t find out because he willingly volunteered this information; he just forgot I keep a close eye on his page. Needless to say, he’s about to embark on a few less than pleasant conversations. This, of course, is the lighter side (for some who manage to avoid speeding tickets, anyway) of these social networks. It’s the darker sides that are hitting the news.

This time, Craigslist is on the hot seat. With the recently dubbed “Craigslist Killer” finally being captured after having solicited women off of the popular site only to kill them in and around Boston, the spotlight’s now on the high number of ’sex for sell’ ads that seem to be plaguing its want ads. The problem is that Craigslist’s founders and their lawyers insist there’s no way to possibly monitor the millions of additions made to the site on a daily basis and further, they are in no way responsible for what people try buy or sell on their site, thanks to state laws. Besides, they say, they’re too busy scrambling to keep those who participate in human trafficking and crimes against children off of their sites.

In a recent post, there was a similar controversy involving a young woman who was auctioning off her virginity as a way to pay for her education. At first glance, one might wonder why it’s OK to auction off one’s first sexual act while it’s not OK to offer similar sexual services on another site. The difference is the woman auctioned her virginity within the state lines of Nevada, where prostitution is legal. Missouri’s not Nevada and these attempts to force Craigslist to rein in its ad monitoring (or lack of) is sure to become a legal quagmire like none other. A federal judge has been asked to step in and force Craigslist’s founders to completely eliminate its erotic sections. This request has resulted in a meeting with Missouri’s attorney general.

It’s yet to be seen what Craigslist will be required to do, if anything, to clean up its site to the satisfaction of those who disagree with its policies. The first meeting was scheduled for today, although there’ve not been any reports on any outcomes at the time of this writing.

One of the most enduring figures in the American justice system died Monday at the age of 90. Griffin Bell made history on many fronts that shaped the way our current legal system operates today. He was the attorney general for President Jimmy Carter and is said to be one of only a few to have passed the bar exam even before graduating law school. He served in the US Army Quartermaster Corps until 1946 as well as served as a city attorney for Warner Robins, GA. One of his highest-profile cases

Former AG Griffin Bell

before entering the political arena was the investigation into E.F. Hutton & Co. in 1980 for check kiting activities. Before being sworn in as the attorney general during the Carter administration, he served as a chairman in John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960. From there, President Kennedy appointed him to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a year later.

While awaiting Senate confirmation for President Carter’s attorney general nomination, there were a few less than pleasant questions he fielded regarding his membership in private segregated clubs as well as some of his controversial decisions made while he was a federal judge. Still, he was confirmed shortly after Carter took office.

Born in 1918, it’s reported he was a son of a Georgia cotton farmer who helped build the well-known Atlanta law firm, King and Spalding. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that he returned, after his political works, to retire from this same law firm. Most recently, he was one of the few Democrats who supported President Bush’s re-election in 2004 and was also responsible for a study that criticized the FBI’s internal policies for disciplining agents. He’s quoted in this report as saying the methods for agent reprimands are “seriously flawed”.

Perhaps one of the most important contributions he made, however, was the public confidence that was restored after the Watergate scandal that he’s widely credited with. It’s said he restored professionalism by posting publicly every day each third party contact he’d made, including all contacts with those in the White House, Congress and others.

President Carter, after hearing of his death, released a statement saying he was “a trusted and enduring public figure with integrity, professionalism and charm that was greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations.”

On a personal note, he was the first politician to ever grace Mr. Blackwell’s best dressed Americans list.