I guess it must’ve been posted on a bullletin board or discussion thread somewhere as a result of Mike Nifong’s recent disbarment, but my old Fox column using the Duke lacrosse case as a jumping off point for a broader discussion on problems with the criminal justice system has gotten a lot of email responses lately. This one is my favorite thus far:

If you and any of your [media] colleagues have any courage, you would put a spotlight on the injustice that is rampant in Amerca’s justice system. Here are a few story ideas: 1. The War on Drugs has created a climate in the US where almost everyone is a criminal, violent gangs have arisen, and terrorists use drug money to attack our interests throughout the world. This is very similar to what happened during Prohibition when the mafia gained power as a direct result of the government criminalized drinking a beer. Don’t you think it is sick to watch television programs showing SWAT teams armed like paramilitary officers breaking into houses and terrorizing families to snag a bag of marijuana? Each one of those cops is a coward. Not one of them has the guts to go after real criminals. They are a type of gang in and of themselves. They look like cartoon characters breaking into houses with battering rams like they are hunting for Al Queda. There are children in those houses who are being traumatized? 2. Every law enforcement officer or prosecutor who is found guilty of misconduct in convicting an innocent person should receive life in prison without parole. 3. Every defendant should be provided with the same financial budget to hire defense lawyers as is spent by taxpayers for the prosecutors’ offices. 4. Grand juries should be abolished. It’s an old idea that doesn’t work and is anti-American. Why don’t you and your cohorts cover some important news instead of which celebrity farted on You Tube or rewriting PR news releases. It’s called investigative journalism. You actually might have to get in your car and go somewhere. It’s called W-O-R-K.

Sorry, buddy. I’ll try to do better.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 17th, 2007 at 1:12 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.