Violence is OK. Porn not so OK

The Hill: The Supreme Court

“What kind of First Amendment would permit the government to protect children by restricting sales of that extremely violent video game only when the woman — bound, gagged, tortured and killed — is also topless?”

I'm not really against this decision, I think kids are tougher and handle these kind of influences better than we expect but .... how can you allow the violence but not the sex? It just doen't make any sense. We are ruled by idiots.

tnb

Freedom of speech

Balkinization touches Libertarianism, campaign finanace and freedom of speech in a good post on the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Balkinization - Libertarian premises and campaign finance

tnb

Justice for all?

Well, not really. I guess it depends on which side of the power structure you're on.

Here's an update on this post: [tnb - justice for all]

Here's a quick summary of two similar "irresponsible parent" cases in the same general area of Indiana.

A mom drives drunk, has an accident, her kid gets two black eyes and a bump on the head. The mom gets some time in jail, 2 years probabtion and her kid taken from her (at least temporarily) [link]. Down the road a few miles, (indiana Highway 52), a cop leaves a loaded gun where his twin 4 year olds can get to it and one of them is killed. [link]

The cop will not be prosecuted. [Accidental Shooting]

BROOKVILLE, Ind. -- Criminal charges will be not filed in the shooting death last week of the 4-year-old son of a Franklin County deputy.

Franklin County Prosecutor Mel Wilhelm announced Tuesday through the Indiana State Police that his office would not seek charges in the Feb. 16 accidental shooting death of Aiden Mehlbauer.
The preschooler's funeral was held Tuesday at the St. Louis Catholic Church in Batesville.

Last week, Aiden and twin brother Mason were playing in the basement when they found a loaded, .40-caliber semi-automatic Glock handgun in the "office" area where their father, Deputy Greg Mehlbauer, kept his uniforms and other law enforcement equipment.

The boys were handling the gun when it discharged, striking Aiden in the abdomen, Indiana State Police Sgt. Noel Houze said.
Aiden's mother, Shavonne, was upstairs helping her 6-year-old daughter with her homework and Greg Mehlbauer was on duty when the shooting occurred. Aiden died about 2 hours later at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Indiana prosecutors often recuse themselves from cases involving local police officers with whom they work on a regular basis, but Wilhelm told the state police the circumstances surrounding the incident did not meet the elements of a crime under Indiana code.

Wilhelm said he had carefully reviewed the state police reports and spoken at length with investigators concerning their findings in the case

WTF?

tnb

How much Justice can you afford?

Stories like this tie together nicely. Madoff acted by himself to defraud people of millions so he goes to jail. Mazilo was part of a system that defrauded people of millions so he goes free.

There is another possibility. Madoff was basically broke when he was caught as he lost everything. As far as I know, Mazilo is still filthy rich. That makes a difference.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Bernie Madoff; He Was a Nice Guy Back Then; - George Stephanopoulos; Bottom Line

Countryside's Angelo Mozilo will not be charged.

This originated at FDL and I've adjusted it slightly. See the last paragraph here [FireDogLake]

"If you owe the bank $100 that’s your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that’s the bank’s problem.”

"If you commit massive amounts of fraud by yourself, that's a problem but if everyone in an industry conspires to commit the same kind of fraud, That's not a problem".

"If you're broke after the fraud, that's a problem but if you still have a few million left that's not a problem"

tnb

Justice for All?

Interesting Indiana cases to compare.

A mom driving drunk has an accident that injures her child. A few quotes from the article. Mom sentenced for drunken crash that hurt daughter | jconline.com | Journal and Courier

Faye A. Grimes, 30, pleaded guilty in December in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 to neglect of a dependent, a Class C felony, in connection to a July 31 wreck on U.S. 52 near County Road 500 West in West Lafayette.

Grimes was sentenced Thursday to 56 days in prison.
But that was negated by a combined 56 days credit for time already served and for good behavior.
She was further ordered to spend two years and 309 days on probation.

Grimes' daughter suffered two black eyes and a bump on her forehead in the wreck

Tippecanoe County Deputy Prosecutor Elizabeth Goodrich said the girl was placed in foster care afterward and that she remained in foster case as of Thursday.
Under a plea agreement, Grimes is required to complete substance abuse and mental health treatment.

A cop leaves a loaded gun where his twin 4 year olds can get to it. One is killed.

Gun Discovery turns deadly

What do you think will happen to the cop, his kids and family? Will the kids be placed in foster care? will the cop be charged? will he have to attend gun safety classes?

tnb