All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Mister Mets]

Saw a news report of another shooting, and it is making me wonder. I'm wondering who is doing the shooting? I haven't heard of any arrests or any other mention of who is behind it.

So, if it turns out to be White people with ties to Alt-right, White Supremacist groups, then they might be doing this to give Trump and excuse to send in his secret police to round up innocent people and protestors.

If it is anything else, gang-related for example, then they are just playing into Trump's hands and might as well be with the group mentioned above.

The increase in crime in New York City, Washington, Atlanta and other cities does not appear to be the result of alt-right white nationalists.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/14/us/po...rnd/index.html

Why crime is rising

Crime is a symptom of summertime. The combination of heat, no school, outdoor hangouts and interpersonal conflict mean cities often see their highest rates of crime in the warmest months.

But this summer is a different beast.

Richard Rosenfeld, a criminologist who teaches at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said it's "reasonably clear" that crime is climbing at least partially due to cities reopening and activities resuming.

Rosenfeld recently published research that found the homicide rate in large US cities plunged in March, April and May compared to the previous year. He said he's almost certain that coronavirus lockdowns caused homicides to fall.

His analysis of data for June isn't complete, but he said the uptick in crime is clear. He said it's highly likely that widespread social unrest in response to George Floyd's death and other police violence is contributing to an increase in violent crime.

Rosenfeld believes the protests have stoked existing tensions between police and the communities they serve. When people don't trust police or fear their response if they call for help, they won't contact them when crimes occur or cooperate with investigators.

The pandemic, which has disproportionately sickened and killed Black Americans, and the Black Lives Matter protests have hit a raw nerve among people of color, said Richard Aborn, president of the Citizens' Crime Commission of New York City. This has fueled distrust of institutions, including police, and led to a "crisis of police legitimacy," he said.

And when people don't trust the police, Rosenfeld said, they're more likely to take matters in their own hands and settle disputes on their own.

[The no face guy]

The conservative view would be that the constitution can be changed, through the amendments process.

It is also worth noting that many legal matters aren't constitutional questions. The legislature has a lot of leeway on policies.

A problem with critical legal theory is that it gives conservative justices the opportunity to use the same rationale to get their preferred policy outcomes.

There is some legal commentary suggesting that current conservative justices use originalism and textualism as fig leafs and that their votes are usually pretext, but it would still be worse to have judges who don't care about it at all, and become truw right-wing activist judges

Agreed, it threatens to break down objectivity completely, because if the left can do it, why can't the right. My biggest worry about critical legal theory though, is that transforms the law into an exercise of political power, which begins to negate the need for an independent judiciary, the cornerstone of free society.

As per example; In Canada, Human Rights Tribunals have been established to deal with alleged racial & gender discrimination based on hate. The problem with these is that they operate as a parallel legal system independent of the traditional British legal code. If you are accused of hate by someone, there is no due process, and no defense lawyer, you simply show up in front of a tribunal of government bureaucrats to have your punishment doled out. Critical legal theorists argue that these independent tribunals are necessary to combat hate, as the high courts are open to subjective bias.

Canadian conservatives have pointed out that these tribunals tend to be politicized in that it has a 99% conviction rate of white males, while selectively dismissing other cases brought forth. (The 1% being a transgender woman who won a case for being denied access to a woman's rape shelter because she was trans) Now before you start cheering, imagine if this was flipped, and that these courts were set up by Trump and his surrogates to deal with issues of immigration & law and order...chilling thought don't you think. (As you say, If the left can do it why not the right)


Critical legal theorists are correct in that the law in not applied equally based on income and race in the United States if one looks at the incarceration rates, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, we must try our best to apply the law impartially and objectively as possible, for applying the law subjectively as an instrument of political power, is what they do in autocratic states like China and Russia.

[PwrdOn]

Agreed, it threatens to break down objectivity completely, because if the left can do it, why can't the right. My biggest worry about critical legal theory though, is that transforms the law into an exercise of political power, which begins to negate the need for an independent judiciary, the cornerstone of free society.

As per example; In Canada, Human Rights Tribunals have been established to deal with alleged racial & gender discrimination based on hate. The problem with these is that they operate as a parallel legal system independent of the traditional British legal code. If you are accused of hate by someone, there is no due process, and no defense lawyer, you simply show up in front of a tribunal of government bureaucrats to have your punishment doled out. Critical legal theorists argue that these independent tribunals are necessary to combat hate, as the high courts are open to subjective bias.

Canadian conservatives have pointed out that these tribunals tend to be politicized in that it has a 99% conviction rate of white males, while selectively dismissing other cases brought forth. (The 1% being a transgender woman who won a case for being denied access to a woman's rape shelter because she was trans) Now before you start cheering, imagine if this was flipped, and that these courts were set up by Trump and his surrogates to deal with issues of immigration & law and order...chilling thought don't you think. (As you say, If the left can do it why not the right)


Critical legal theorists are correct in that the law in not applied equally based on income and race in the United States if one looks at the incarceration rates, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, we must try our best to apply the law impartially and objectively as possible, for applying the law subjectively as an instrument of political power, is what they do in autocratic states like China and Russia.

So unlike autocratic China and Russia, Canada needs to adhere to the rule of law and protect the rights of racist to be be racist, because my gawd what would it be like if the racists were in power and started using the law to oppress minorities??? I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to live in a country like that.

[Steel Inquisitor]

So unlike autocratic China and Russia, Canada needs to adhere to the rule of law and protect the rights of racist to be be racist, because my gawd what would it be like if the racists were in power and started using the law to oppress minorities??? I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to live in a country like that.

Autocractic would be the correct word.

[The no face guy]

So unlike autocratic China and Russia, Canada needs to adhere to the rule of law and protect the rights of racist to be be racist, because my gawd what would it be like if the racists were in power and started using the law to oppress minorities??? I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to live in a country like that.

No not at all, I believe in protection from hate speech by implementing the law into the existing legal code, not by setting up a parallel legal system. In short, if a lowlife is caught verbally attacking someone with racist names, they should be charged and fined. It is unacceptable to use racist slurs in a tolerant diverse society.

At any rate, it seems you've once again intruded into a conversation without knowing what we are talking about. I thought I made it clear that I no longer wish to converse with you, good day.

[Tami]

Federal judge's son shot and killed, husband injured in attack at their NJ home

The son of a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, has been shot and killed, and her husband shot and injured in an attack at the family's home, according to law enforcement sources.

The judge, Esther Salas, was not hurt.

Francis "Mac" Womack, the mayor of North Brunswick, New Jersey, tells ABC News that the judge's son has died.

The condition of husband was not immediately known, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone told ABC News.

The judge's son opened the door to the family's North Brunswick home and was immediately shot, sources said.

"He was shot through the heart," Womack said. The son was a freshman at Catholic University.

The judge's husband was then shot multiple times, according to sources.

A suspect "remains at-large," a law enforcement official said.

Some people on Twitter are saying [unconfirmed] that the judge was assigned to a case or cases relating to Epstein and Duestche Bank.

[Iron Maiden]

Federal judge's son shot and killed, husband injured in attack at their NJ home



Some people on Twitter are saying [unconfirmed] that the judge was assigned to a case or cases relating to Epstein and Duestche Bank.

So could this have been a clumsy hit?

[Kirby101]

So could this have been a clumsy hit?

Sounds like it. Gunman dressed as FedEx.

[Kirby101]

Some people on Twitter are saying [unconfirmed] that the judge was assigned to a case or cases relating to Epstein and Duestche Bank.

I think that has been confirmed.

[Tami]

I think that has been confirmed.

Went back and checked Twitter and yeah, it looks that way. This is going to be a big story come morning.

Her son was a freshman in college, had nothing at all to do with anything. I hope her husband survives. If Trump is somehow associated with this, I mean how many more nails do you have to hammer into his coffin to get that vampire out of the White House?

[Mister Mets]

Agreed, it threatens to break down objectivity completely, because if the left can do it, why can't the right. My biggest worry about critical legal theory though, is that transforms the law into an exercise of political power, which begins to negate the need for an independent judiciary, the cornerstone of free society.

As per example; In Canada, Human Rights Tribunals have been established to deal with alleged racial & gender discrimination based on hate. The problem with these is that they operate as a parallel legal system independent of the traditional British legal code. If you are accused of hate by someone, there is no due process, and no defense lawyer, you simply show up in front of a tribunal of government bureaucrats to have your punishment doled out. Critical legal theorists argue that these independent tribunals are necessary to combat hate, as the high courts are open to subjective bias.

Canadian conservatives have pointed out that these tribunals tend to be politicized in that it has a 99% conviction rate of white males, while selectively dismissing other cases brought forth. (The 1% being a transgender woman who won a case for being denied access to a woman's rape shelter because she was trans) Now before you start cheering, imagine if this was flipped, and that these courts were set up by Trump and his surrogates to deal with issues of immigration & law and order...chilling thought don't you think. (As you say, If the left can do it why not the right)


Critical legal theorists are correct in that the law in not applied equally based on income and race in the United States if one looks at the incarceration rates, but you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, we must try our best to apply the law impartially and objectively as possible, for applying the law subjectively as an instrument of political power, is what they do in autocratic states like China and Russia.

Critical legal theory does seem to conflict with the notion of checks and balances.

The Canadian human rights tribunals also do seem to have potential problems. Any authority that is granted is subject to abuse, so something intended for progressive ends can be used when the other side wins a few elections, and staffs tribunals with their people to determine, for example, whether religious Christians were victims of hate. As a conservative, I would also be worried about extreme liberals. What kind of decisions would be made by the people who worked at the Smithsonian and hold the racist view that the scientific method and delayed gratification are unique to white culture? The people hired by a cultural institution administered by the United States government would be analogous to those hired for another bureaucratic process administered by the United States government.

[Mister Mets]

Went back and checked Twitter and yeah, it looks that way. This is going to be a big story come morning.

Her son was a freshman in college, had nothing at all to do with anything. I hope her husband survives. If Trump is somehow associated with this, I mean how many more nails do you have to hammer into his coffin to get that vampire out of the White House?

The situation is horrific. This is going to be subject to a massive investigation, as it should.

But, how would Trump be associated with the murder of a judge's son?

[Tendrin]

The situation is horrific. This is going to be subject to a massive investigation, as it should.

But, how would Trump be associated with the murder of a judge's son?

The same way Putin is associated with people falling out of windows in Russia.

But, come now, you know as well as I do that the assumption is that the judge was the target, and it's not unreasonable to think a judge associated with an investigation into Deutche Bank and Epstein would be a target for people who want those particular threads to not be pulled, the same way people who speak up about Russian oligrachs keep dying.

We'll see what the investigation does, and does not, deliver.

[The no face guy]

Critical legal theory does seem to conflict with the notion of checks and balances.

The Canadian human rights tribunals also do seem to have potential problems. Any authority that is granted is subject to abuse, so something intended for progressive ends can be used when the other side wins a few elections, and staffs tribunals with their people to determine, for example, whether religious Christians were victims of hate. As a conservative, I would also be worried about extreme liberals. What kind of decisions would be made by the people who worked at the Smithsonian and hold the racist view that the scientific method and delayed gratification are unique to white culture? The people hired by a cultural institution administered by the United States government would be analogous to those hired for another bureaucratic process administered by the United States government.

Wow! I had to google the Smithsonian article to inform myself on the matter and look at the poster. Yikes! I'm a liberal, but I recognize that Whiteness theory is out there on the far left fringe, despite veiling itself in a cloak of anti racism, it itself has racist overtones, but my real problem with it, is that it is completely subjective...I will leave it at that, and just say that one of my best friends lives in Korea, and they are the masters of delayed gratification. They put our work rate to shame, and the far east has been outstripping us in many scientific ventures for quite sometime.

Yes checks and balances is the safeguard of our democracies, without an independent judiciary and due process, almost everyone in this forum could be yanked from their homes and thrown in a work camp for typing the wrong thing, particularly if the US was an autocracy under Trump, a government that I personally think he would prefer, cheers.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The same way Putin is associated with people falling out of windows in Russia.

But, come now, you know as well as I do that the assumption is that the judge was the target, and it's not unreasonable to think a judge associated with an investigation into Deutche Bank and Epstein would be a target for people who want those particular threads to not be pulled, the same way people who speak up about Russian oligrachs keep dying.

We'll see what the investigation does, and does not, deliver.

And isn't Trump in hock up to his eyeballs to Deutchebank? While it's highly unlikely he personally called in a favor to Bad Vlad, that doesn't discount the possibility of guilt by association. Yeah, an investigation needs to be launched ASAP, and for god's sake, keep Droopy Dogg Barr far away from it!

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House Democrats Urge Probe Into Trump’s Use Of Federal Officers To Quell Protests

The Trump administration has “abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans,” they wrote in a letter to federal inspectors generals. Meanwhile....

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Trump Prepping To Dispatch Federal Squads To More Democratic Cities, Warns Mark Meadows

The president claims violence is up in “Democrat-run” cities. “They are liberally run, they are stupidly run,” he said in an interview. Meanwhile....

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Don’t Blame Protesters For The Rise In Violent Crime

The president is peddling a debunked myth about the relationship between police morale and homicide rates.

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In coronavirus news:

Dr. Deborah Birx Told The White House That Coronavirus Surge Was Fading: Report

A damning New York Times report reveals that Birx encouraged the Trump administration to believe the virus was soon coming to an end. At this point, I wouldn't trust advice from Birx on how to take care of a paper cut. She's betrayed the Hippocratic Oath.

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Trump Doubles Down On Claim Coronavirus Will Disappear: ‘I’ll Be Right Eventually’

The president also took a jab at Anthony Fauci, calling the country’s top infectious disease expert “a little bit of an alarmist.” With 140,000 dead and cases out of control in the Sun Belt and California, I'd be alarmed too!

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Colorado Gov. Calls National COVID-19 Testing A ‘Disgrace’ As Trump Fights Increased Funding

“The national testing scene is a complete disgrace,” with results so delayed they’re “almost useless,” Gov. Jared Polis said.