I've created a monster

One morning last week a friend called at 6:50 a.m., loudly and half-seriously complaining that he'd gotten up that morning, made his coffee, and was disappointed to find the same material at the top of the blog as he'd left the night before. Did I plan to write anything new that morning, he wanted to know?

I recognize that a disproportionate number of posts at Grits come between 5 and 6:30 in the morning, but I didn't intend for the practice to set such high expectations. I DEFINITELY don't want to encourage such behavior among readers, AT ALL, and on some days, like today, I'm busy with other stuff. Still, please know, without feeling the need to call, that I'll do my best to feed the hungry pack. But you should always check out the other good folks linked on the right if you finish your Grits and you're still hungry. For those of you not reading quite so closely, if you didn't catch them, while I'm out check out these recent Grits items, and the stuff posted over the weekend.

Surveillance Society

• Biometric passwords risk gravest form of identity theft
• TX DPS thumbs nose at legislative will
• Company bidding on Texas drivers license project has DL data stolen in Nevada
• Why surveillance cameras don't reduce crime
• Safer with surveillance cameras, or just more exposed?
• British Home Office: Surveillance cameras do not stop crime
• Texas Senate Boosts Big Brother

The Overincarceration Crisis

• Katy Bar the Door: More prisons needed if new penalties pass
• Bleeding Red Ink: Why LBB is to Blame for Bad Prison Budgets
• Best argument against a full-time legislature
• Fiscal Note Fantasy World
• Perry's blue-ribbon panel shouldn't stop reforms now
• Do conservatives want less government?

And Elsewhere: While I'm at it, everybody should read this piece by the Instapundit -- the line of argument represents a strand of conservative ideology that, I think Texas has shown, has potential to combine with populist liberal strains to promote criminal justice reform, even in "red" states.