Suddenly, prisons full of 'retarded'

Philly.com ^

[Age of Reason]

Judge was convicted of the murders in 1987 and sentenced to die. Two days after sentencing, he vanished, leaving guards at Holmesburg Prison baffled

Sounds pretty smart to me.

They should have special IQ tests for criminals that test their criminal intelligence-like how to obtain a gun, shoot people, hide from the law, and then find a clever lawyer.

I'll bet you this fellow would score pretty high on one of those tests.

[Age of Reason]

About the only behavior, of itself, that I think the legal system should excuse is that of someone who falls-down, foaming at the mouth in some kind of seizure.

And then, while flailing about unconciously with his arms, injures a bystander.

Now, that's someone who's mentally incompetent.

[quebecois]

This is strange...whenever the topic of race and IQ comes up, the libs say one of the following:

1) There is no such thing as "intelligence"

2) There may be such a thing as "intelligence", but IQ tests do no accurately measure it.

3) IQ tests are culturally biased, and therefore unfair and worthless

If any of these arguments are true, then why are other libs using arguments against the death penalty which rely on the accurate measurement of intelligence?

[Age of Reason]

If we excuse people for their actions because their intelligence is below average--then we should also excuse people whose intelligence is above average.

[SAJ]

Original post, in full (excl. cited phrase):

Your anger is misdirected. The lawyer is ethically obligated to explore all defenses available --- for the person that is already prosecuted. This is different from enticing someone to start litigation.

Your anger should be directed at the proper target and not against what makes our legal system fair and stable.

An inquiry is then made as to what the proper target is, and your reply to that inquiry is:

It's given in the previous post; I am sorry you missed that.

, subsequent to which you indicate that ambulance-chasers would constitute a proper target. Fair enough, except that a subsequent comment can hardly be said to have been ''given'' at any previous point. I ''missed'' nothing here; I'm simply not psychic. A ''proper'' target, in the context of this thread, might -- depending on one's political, moral, legal, or even psychological viewpoint(s) -- be any of a LARGE number of people, policies, laws, and/or institutions.

And, as long as we're discussing word usage, the phrase ''the previous post'' is abominable, from the standpoints of both usage and clarity. First, there are several posts previous to the post cited, so the usage of the definite article is inaccurate de facto. Second, presumably, your reference was to your (single) previous post, and therefore the optimum phrase to deliver the semantic intent of your post in a way leaving no doubt whatever for the reader would have been ''my previous''.

Because you appear to be an attorney (extrapolating from context, absent the lack of your 'about' page), please accept my best wishes for the use of more precise language in the assorted briefs you file from time to time.

[norton]

Your post would carry more weight if you were to identify just what you consider "the proper target" to be.

Personally, I believe that the justice system is supposed to serve society and not the bad guys. If you do the crime, you pay the price and if you did bad because you are "retarded", "abused", "obsessed", or really, really, needed the money; tough!

[SAJ]

I am really surprised at this remark

There's an old story about Noah Webster, caught by his wife one day while closeted with a housemaid in the pantry.

''MISTER Webster, I am surprised!''

To which he replied, ''No, no, my dear. You are astonished; it is I who am surprised.''

[SAJ]

You will also note that FReeper norton, in mssg 26, was in doubt as to your ''proper target''. Still astonished?

[ohmage]

But how are the clinton's going to show they're tough on crime if they don't have a retarded person to execute on the eve of an election?

[Axenolith]

I guess those lawyers being so noble and all is the reason behind their 98 some odd percent donation rate to Clintoon and the 'Rats in the past?...

Are they ethically obligated to support 'Rats? Is it that ethical obligation that has them bankrupting companies selling products with no scientifically discernable flaws (like silicone breast implants) in class action suits? Or the obligation that has them filing suit on behalf of eviral organizations over and over after a company constantly revises a plan for a project that will result in the displacement of a scoop of dirt?

Our legal system is not currently fair, or stable, and it just so happens that the occupation known as lawyer has the primary responsibility for that. Not to knock you if you are one, but its human nature and historically true that the interpreters of the "laws" always seek to further complicate them, multiply them, and entrench their monopoly powers over them, even if it is to the detriment of the society or country as a whole, long term...

[Axenolith]

Soon enough this situation will cross paths with another lawyer fighting for a "right-to-die" group arguing that the retarded should be put to sleep because their quality of life is poor.

To bad the two issues won't interact like matter and antimatter...

[TheAngryClam]

The Trial Lawyers Association is really composed of plaintiff-side tort attorneys- personal injury, toxic torts (think Erin Brockovitch), and the like. Ambulance chasers like John Edwards.

Criminal trial attorneys, both the prosecution (DA, US Attorney) and defense (public and private) are a different kind of animal.

[Axenolith]

In the past though, people could tell the difference easily between the mentally deficient and the evil-but-stupid.

The concept of protecting those who'd committed crime and didn't concieve of it mostly protected those who were profoundly afflicted and commited their "crime" as an accident.

[Calpernia]

House them so we can feed them and support them with our taxes.

[Axenolith]

OK, I'll buy that.

Also, IMO, Erin Brockovitch is a @$#!ing Skank @$# B(*&#@

BTW, you think our boy is gonna settle down for a piece of an Arnold admin so he can pull off a US senate run later? If he hangs to the end I'll vote for him, but he ain't doing himself any favors...

[Age of Reason]

Both extremes are abnormal, and therefore handicapped.

[TheAngryClam]

Don't think that he will.

The problem is that any promise to clear the field for him from the CAGOP is worthless- in a couple of months, when the anointed RINO for the position (Rosario Marin) is in trouble from the right, we'll hear the same "Tom can't win" whining and sabotage that we see whenever a conservative is doing well.

[varon]

Suddenly, prisons full of 'retarded'

Makes sense to me. The smart ones don't get caught ;-)