Quote:
Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Actually, I don't blame the legislature; they're doing the best they can writing laws without knowing the facts of the individual case. They only sound stupid when something like this happens.
By comparison, prosecutors have discretion to charge, including the discretion not to charge at all. It happens every day. Ask a prosecutor --- they'll tell you they keep more guilty people out of prison every month than a defense attorney can hope to in an entire year.
The prosecutor should be ashamed of him or herself, for not realizing that em was ruining far more lives than em was salvaging. What else is the purpose of the criminal law than to make a bad situation slightly better? When you're obviously making it worse for all involved, you shouldn't be able to look at yourself in the mirror without spitting.
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Its a combination of political whores writing laws and ambitious - and in this case, very obviously classist/racist - prosecutors fucking up the system. Eliot Spitzer has done impressive work on Wall St, but the Stewart prosecution is an appalling waste of tax dollars. If you or I did what she did, we'd be slapped with a fine. The ludicrous securities fraud charge (based on Martha's protestations of innocence), which the judge will undoubtedly throw out at some point, is nothing short of amazing. The stupidest first year law student wouldn't try to float a theory that absurd, and I think - and hope - it will damage the greater case becuase it makes the prosecution look exactly as they should - absurd whores.
The fault at the end of the day really lies with the prosecutors, not the legislature. The legislature are politically minded idiots and most of them don't know any better. They're elected from the masses and have no idea what their "tough on crime" policies do in reality. The prosecutors should be the filter. I am all for prosecutors' offices being forced to pay for and lose their jobs when they bring frivolous cases to court. The State is like a small child. Unless threatened with fines, it will not learn to keep its ambitious politically minded filth in check. Prosecutor should be a rather sacred position, not a place for people to make their political bones.
