This morning Bob Herbert published his fourth column on the horrifying story emerging out of Tulia, Texas. It seems that a police officer there arranged for a "drug raid" that rounded up over ten percent of the town's black population in 1998. Most of these people were later convicted, but now disturbing new information has come to light. The officer in question took notes by writing on his arms and legs, picked black faces out of mugbooks randomly, "lost" physical evidence (inluding the drugs that were supposedly found), and other irregularities. Most disturbing is Herbert's information that the US Department of Justice had a criminal investigation pending under the Clinton administration which was terminated under Ashcroft (surprise surprise). I am appalled by the blatant racism evident here.

You can see today's column in The New York Times by clicking the link and then going to the Op/Ed section (if I link to the column directly, you are asked to login but it will refuse to recognize your ID and password). Bob Herbert's other columns on the Tulia affair are also available. I'm going to continue to follow this story...