There is a scourge in the media today, a genre so perverse that it makes people better killers, and undermines the very fabric of a civic-minded society. I am talking, of course, about CSI. From the New Scientist:

There is an increasing trend for criminals to use plastic gloves during break-ins and condoms during rapes to avoid leaving their DNA at the scene. Dostie describes a murder case in which the assailant tried to wash away his DNA using shampoo. Police in Manchester in the UK say that car thieves there have started to dump cigarette butts from bins in stolen cars before they abandon them. “Suddenly the police have 20 potential people in the car,” says Rutty.

It gets worse. The popularity of CSI has also increased jury perceptions about forensic evidence – they now expect evidence to be scientifically rock-solid and acquired at Flash-like speed.

“Jurors who watch CSI believe that those scenarios, where forensic scientists are always right, are what really happens,” says Peter Bull, a forensic sedimentologist at the University of Oxford. It means that in court, juries are not impressed with evidence presented in cautious scientific terms…”Jurors expect more because of CSI shows.”

Given that this show is currently number one, and can easily be seen by children, clearly what is needed is congressional action. I strongly recommend that Hillary and Lieberman start an investigative committee pronto.