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Hopeful Rolling Waves
Alien Abductee
South Sandwich Islands
2154 Posts |
 Posted - 11/30/2006 : 10:28:11 AM
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From: Netscape News
Factor Follow Up Segment
Bad judge in Missouri
Guest: Gov. Matt Blunt (R-MO)
Missouri Judge Larry Meyer sentenced 50-year old Kenneth Slaght to probation after he was convicted of raping his 9-year old step-granddaughter. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt complained that Slaght was convicted just before the state's tough new child predator law went into effect. "This is a great example of why we need to take discretion away from judges. We need to have strict mandatory sentences, and that's what we'll have in the future in Missouri. He would have gotten 30 years behind bars." The Factor added that this is the latest in a series of problematic sentences. "This was a hard-core rape, and this guy Slaght is out on the street. He should be in jail for the rest of his life because he ruined a little girl's life." |
http://db.etree.org/hopefulrollingwaves/ < My Trading List |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 10:40:17 AM
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| i agree that that's a completely bullshit sentence, and that he should be locked up for a good long time. then he can learn from empirical observation why you shouldn't rape people. what troubles me, though, is the idea of "tak[ing] discretion away from judges." what? isn't that what judges do? isn't using discretion part of his job? take that away, and we don't even need judges. you'd end up just get some people together, prove him guilty or not guilty, and give him the mandatory sentence. or, if you want to take it just one small step further, why not just get a mob with torches and pitchforks, and hang him? discretion is what makes a judge a judge. here's an idea: if you don't want bullshit sentences like probation for a rapist, why not get a judge that isn't a jackass. |
death to false metal. |
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Hopeful Rolling Waves
Alien Abductee
South Sandwich Islands
2154 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 10:47:03 AM
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That's the thing, how do you know beforehand what kind of idiot is gonna do something like this? This judge I'm sure at some point would have had to have handed down reasonable sentences to get where he is, so why this grave injustice?
I am sick of the whole one man show this country is so enamored with. If 5 judges had a crack at this one, I am sure 3 to 2 at the LEAST woulda hit this fucking slimeball with the 30 years that the 'soon-to-pass-law' would've mandatorily passed down.
No more President either, let's get some diverse heads in that office, obviously one isn't enough! |
http://db.etree.org/hopefulrollingwaves/ < My Trading List |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 12:32:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Hopeful Rolling Waves
No more President either, let's get some diverse heads in that office, obviously one isn't enough!
I would actually suggest this being a bad idea since there already are more heads of this country than just the president, because we can't forget all the unelected officials that are greatly responsible for our actual foreign policies and military comanding. The last thing we need is a more democracy especially at that level. I would merely suggest going back to the old way of electing presidents and revert their job to what it was originally intended to be. For one the electorial college electing that we do which in turn elect the president is bogus. Since in all but two states it's winner take all votes it screws us to a 2 party system. So turn it back into what it was before where the electorial college can pick the candidates and let congress choose, because then it puts the resposibilty back on congress for things since now we seem to scapgoat everything on to presidents (and have for a while).
Then we need to demand that the president stops vetoing bills because they don't like them (especially the line item veto that Bush and Clinton have started basically, with signing statements) and only veto them if they are unconstitutional. Also by getting us out of world affairs we could drastically cut the presidents power. If anything this country needs to hold congress acountable and quit voting for douchebags. |
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Hopeful Rolling Waves
Alien Abductee
South Sandwich Islands
2154 Posts |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 4:57:10 PM
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| i agree with that assessment. i think that, largely, everyone has lost sight of what the constitution says vis-a-vis the structure of government and the powers and roles of those in government. |
death to false metal. |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 5:41:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dan p.
i agree with that assessment. i think that, largely, everyone has lost sight of what the constitution says vis-a-vis the structure of government and the powers and roles of those in government.
Ya that and the people in this country have grown completely apathetic about politics, which is why the founding fathers didn't want a pure democracy. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 10:06:31 PM
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haha, as it is, i am pretty apathetic about politics. not unless it involves the constitution directly. as long as no one is fucking with that, i don't really care. i mean, i don't vote, i don't follow politics, and i certainly don't identify with any bullshit political party (all of them.) yes, i'm guilty of apathy. and, not surprisingly, i'm not that concerned about it.
let me just cut ahead of someone who's going to type "if you don't vote you can't/don't have a right to complain." oh really. how deliciously unamerican. consider what you're saying. firstly you're saying that felons and people under 18 have no right to complain. secondly, i'm pretty sure that when the constitution covers freedom of speech, it doesn't say "but voters have no right to complain about government." in fact, i'm pretty sure the constitution stands in direct opposition to that sentiment. so, actually, i have every right as an american to complain, and you have every right to deal with it. |
death to false metal. |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2006 : 1:55:06 PM
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Ya, but it's not even so much people not voting that's the problem. I only partially understand why people complain about people not voting. Ya it's sad that more people don't want to vote, but not really. Do we really want more people who aren't informed voting? When elections are already so bought and paid for do we really want people who don't give a shit voting?
You don't vote and from past conversations I can live with that no problem. You still seem willing to discuss and at least give a shit to learn about stuff and to me that's more important than voting. I don't think that most people realize what a fraud our democracy is, and all and I would rather have a country that didn't vote and at least weren't dumbasses then a voting country of douchebags.
The apathetic thing just gets me that people don't care to learn basic civics and be generally informed, and that a majority of the population looks at politics as an evil thing never to be discussed and only looked down upon. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2006 : 11:32:14 PM
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| there's no sense in not obtaining knowledge that's being handed to you, but for me it's largely academic. you never know when it might come in handy. |
death to false metal. |
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