Avoiding doing taxes. . .

It's amazing what-all I can find to divert my energy from pulling together our taxes. Well, maybe not amazing, just very telling.

I have carefully read a New York magazine article about a NY cop who joined S&M (and worse, much much worse) chatrooms, where he met men of similar tastes with whom he emailed detailed descriptions about killing and torturing certain women, including his wife. His wife found the emails, promptly loaded herself and her baby on a plane for her parents' home in Colorado, and called the police. The legal issue is: can a person be criminally charged and convicted for thinking and discussing repellent, illegal activity on which no action is ever taken? Accessory before the fact comes to mind as the pertinent legal charge, but if there's no "fact" to follow the "before" part, have the thought-control police acted prematurely? I'm all for setting the scene and arresting the parties as they begin their illegal behavior (sting operations are common, after all), but what if no action has ever been taken and no set date has arisen for the fulfillment of the pre-planning? What if it's all wishful thinking?

Oh Lordy, I'm sounding like a lawyer. But it's a dilemma for our society - can and should we be convicted for our evil thoughts? I tend to the side that God knows what's in your heart, and She'll handle it at the appropriate time. On the other hand (again, my lawyerly side showing its two-sides-to-every issue training), shouldn't the sickos be put out of action well before they can act? Reminds me of the Philip Dick story (and movie starring Tom Cruise) where you could be convicted before you committed any crime that the computer said you might, sometime in the amorphous future.

Catherine Deneuve was featured in another article, photographed in her 70 year-old glory, wearing a black lace teddy, black stockings, and shock of all shocks, a large tattoo in the middle of her back, between her shoulder blades. Catherine Deneuve with a tat? OMGOMGOMG. I feel as if I've missed the cool-older (ahem, cough) lady memo.

Now I really must do something about the taxes. Huge sigh. Maybe after I bake some chocolate chip cookies. . . .