121–130 of 157 posts
What a disgusting story. How come the State is so vindictive towards the weak and so powerless against people who starts unjustified wars or brings down the financial system ?
Their hope is that maybe they'll be able to change the future for the better by making an example of someone, even if they have to be excessive, cruel, or unjust toward that person. They're justifying the means by the hoped end.
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A more prosaic and more likely explanation is that states controlled by the Republican party seek to suppress black voting by any means possible because it's a threat to their hold on power.
I find that explanation unlikely. First, the vast majority of states have some type of voting restrictions on felons, with Maine and Vermont being the only exceptions. Second, some states historically and modernly controlled by the Republican party ( e.g. Montana) return the right to vote after release. Third, among states with harsher restrictions (ending after parole or probation) that are historically OR modernly…
Man the US just disgust me. Land of the free my ass. The amount of inhumane policies is just staggering. The most brutal and unjust “justice” system in the free world. That American put up with this system is the biggest puzzle. It seems like the only freedom Americans care about is to carry a gun. Any other freedom they are cool with flushing down the toilet. Sorry for the angry rant, I know there are lots of good a…
Man the US just disgust me. Land of the free my ass. The amount of inhumane policies is just staggering. The most brutal and unjust “justice” system in the free world. That American put up with this system is the biggest puzzle. It seems like the only freedom Americans care about is to carry a gun. Any other freedom they are cool with flushing down the toilet. Sorry for the angry rant, I know there are lots of good a…
>The most brutal and unjust “justice” system in the free world. I generally agree with you about the state of our criminal justice system, but I think you'll find US freedoms are a mixed bag when compared to the rest of the "free world." If you take a step back from just our criminal justice system, let's compare us to the UK. If you want to be more like them you'll need to restrict abortions to the first trimester,…
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While I 100% agree about the amount of inhumane policies and do not believe the US (or any other nation) are free. It is completely untrue that the only freedoms Americans care about is guns, that seems like that because 1. The Mainstream media loves to cover it 2. Guns are a taboo or unusual Topic for many nations 3. Given the US is one of the last if not the last first world nation that has few regulations on ownin…
virtue signal how much "better" they are in comparison because they outlawed the evil gun No, it's much more common for some Americans to virtue signal how free they feel by the number and caliber of the guns they own. People in other countries don't hate guns, they just recognize their destructive potential and limit their availability on that basis. To the extent that they think they're better, it's because they ha…
It's ridiculous.
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I think you're mistaken about how probation is used in practice. Many small offenses will get you put on probation for ten years. Parole and work release are more often used as alternatives to incarceration. The main issue here is whether or not people on probation should be allowed to vote. I don't see why they shouldn't and I can't see any justification for putting them in jail if they do. It's absolutely absurd.
The US frames prison as primarily revenge, it's about taking things away from "bad" people. Take away their nice things, destroy their family, make sure they'll never get a decent job and so on. The EU (and most modern actual thinking on the issue) says prison primarily lets us force convicts to reform, we can impose structure in their lives, show them how to be good - and in the worst case we keep them there if they…
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It's not nearly as dangerous as privatised corporate justice, or jailing people for five years for essentially trivial offences.
An isolated case of voter fraud isn't dangerous. The danger is what would happen if fraud became widespread.
The max jail time in Texas for first time DWI is 180 days (or as little as 3 days).
Some options: Hey, you're not on the list, you can't vote. Hey, you're not on the list, use the computer in the corner to enter your details and see if you're eligible. Hey, you're not on the list, here is a provisional ballot, we will verify your info and if it clears, your vote will be counted. You should not get 5 years in prison because the election board is incapable of securing their processes.
The final option (provisional ballot) is what happened. The problem is she also signed an affidavit stating that she was eligible. It is a completely victimless crime and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
The punishment is excessive, but there is a real crime here.
There was a wrong-doing, but the punishment is excessive.
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The difference is power. Denigrating a politically weak group like black people is just bullying. Denigrating the dominant group is standing up to power.
In other words, you're blind as to whether denigration is justified.