http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/nyregion/10dna.html

It’s yet another case of an innocent guy jailed (he’s free now, after 16 years..) having an appeal denied.

“We have considered all of petitioner-appellant’s arguments and find them to be without merit,” the ruling said.

This cost the guy another six years of his life…

The majority of those warming their arses on SCOTUS benches are Statists on the Right. Sotomayer looks and sounds like a Statist from the Left. The SCOTUS is nothing but Statists One side uses Vaseline, the other KY jelly, but they both use sawed-off broom handles. So what’s the big deal?

Disappointments all around. I’m disappointed (but not surprised): that the Dems would nominate an authoritarian, that the opposition party Reps would spend most of their energy on inane bs (‘wise latina’), and that, by and large, Dem-supporting/liberal blogs spend more time focusing on rebutting the inane Rep attacks instead of focusing on the essentials, like Radley is doing here. Kudos, Radley; I’m agitated.

(I don’t know if there were any other, less authoritarian judges that Obama could have nominated, but, even if there weren’t, that wouldn’t make me any less agitated.)

@ James, #34:

There’s a difference between wanting to always defend law and order, and wanting to always defend those who act under the color of law and order. True justice requires that we are all equals under the law. It requires that one acknowledge that police officers, legislators, judges, presidents, etc. are just as likely (that is, have the same incentives: greed, petty vengeance, power-lust, etc.) to violate the rights of others as everyone else. The badge, the robes, the seat on capitol hill do not, by themselves, confer any legitimate authority: it is only one’s actions and ability to live up to what the badge, the robes, and the seat represent.

But I agree with your first question/point: those who seek out power are likely to be authoritarian in the first place. Major drag, huh?

“8 national law enforcement groups endorse Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor”

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-sotomayor-endorsement,1,722490.story

the difference I see- a ‘virtual tar and feathering’ is powerful because it exposes the truth. I agree with the your contention of the dangers of misleading the public with propaganda, but I like to believe the truth is more powerful.

LOL!! Heres a tip… put your tounge in your cheek and then read his comments again. Itll work better that way. ;-)

I’m pretty sure Dave’s comments were written with the sarcasm tags on full blast….

I do agree with that comment, but keep in mind that plenty of conservatives call libertarians a bunch bed wetting liberals as well. Both parties lump us in with the other in an attempt to marginalize both libertarians and the other mainstream party.

Ultimately, I think libertarians do a good job distinguishing ourselves from the other two parties. But liberal and conservative bloggers/pundits have agendas. They will always lie about libertarian principals.

#22 Whim

I would suspect that the number of Federal Judges whose background was limited primarily to Prosecuting Attorneys/DA’s far exceeds the numbers emanating from Public Defender/Defense Attorney ranks…..

That’s because defense attorneys are sleazy low-lifes who allow criminals to weasel their way out of doing time for their crimes by whining about how their so-called “Constitutional rights” were violated and other technicalities (like the exclusionary rule) that have nothing to do with guilt or innocence.

That’s why so many cops feel they have no choice but to dispense justice on the spot. Sure they kill or injure innocent people now and then, but it’s you soft on crime people who leave them no choice. Next time you see a story about a cop who accidentally killed the wrong person, go beat the crap out of your closest “compassionate” friend, because it’s those milquetoasts who are responsible. Not the cop.

All I hear around here is how many people are incarcerated in the U.S. compared to repressive totalitarian states. Whine, whine, whine. Sure we have a lot of people in prison. That’s because we have a tradition of knowing how to get the riffraff off the street. In other words, we’re a hell of a lot better at fighting crime than those other countries. It’s not something to apologize for. It’s a badge of honor. But, the fact is that probably only half the people who belong in prison are actually there, thanks to those defense attorney’s you talk so highly of.

The whole country would be a better place if we just skipped the trial phase of incarceration. If a cop arrests you, the chances are 99.99999999% that you did it. Everyone knows that.