Black Jogger Gunned Down In The Street

[Tigers!]

Lots of people, including myself, think that life without parole is a bit much. I could easily see some governor commuting their sentences to "time served", a few years down the road. When the media heat is off, and somebody needs to score some points with "the base", quietly setting them loose with "a stern talking to" is all too possible. Life without parole seems excessive, but four years is way too little. Given the state of things in the current political climate, that's all too possible.
Tom

I occasionally think that life without parole is too much. But I recall that Arbery and his family will never get parole. Their pain/loss (and the punishment that has been meted to them) is with them until they die.
Trials like this make me think that capital punishment is fit and proper result for such persons.

(damn editing - removed Blastula's text but not the place marker)

 

[Toni]

I happen to think that a life sentence without the possibility of parole is extremely harsh as well. I think everyone in prison should have a chance to either redeem themselves or show that they are fit to re-enter society after an appropriate penance.

Depending on the crime no. It's already hard enough for former drug dealers, thieves, and so on to turn their lives around when they get out. Because society won't let them forget many of them go back to the life of crime as a result. Do we really want murders to go back to their life of crime? The jailing system needs to change. I don't understand why there are jobs available for immigrants when we can just move people around in the prison system to where labor is needed under the vessel of parole. This way when they get out of Jail there are out of the old environment and into a new one with a job and fresh start. There is a lot of cheap labor just waiting to get tapped. Not the current system of slave labor that serves no purpose in helping inmates ease back into society.

Edit: OMG I derailed.

I see so much potential for abuse ( see current use of inmates as slave labor) but I also see some genius potential for genuine rehabilitation and providing genuine work experience, opportunity to acquire marketable skills, experience. At the same time I’m so accustomed to hearing how important it is for those convicted of crimes to have an opportunity to maintain relationships with their families so I’m not sure how this would balance out. I see the value in removing from bad influences but also the need for live abs support from family….

 

[Jarhyn]

When I read such racist filth I feel dirty. I cannot comprend feeling or saying such things about another human.

Truly the human heart and mind are a cloaca maxima.

Quit broad brushing please? Some of us tend the garden of our hearts and minds a little more thoughtfully.

 

[Tigers!]

When I read such racist filth I feel dirty. I cannot comprend feeling or saying such things about another human.

Truly the human heart and mind are a cloaca maxima.

Quit broad brushing please? Some of us tend the garden of our hearts and minds a little more thoughtfully.

Reading those racist comments had no effect on you then? I was not referring to your heart and mind but rather those murders.

 

[Jarhyn]

When I read such racist filth I feel dirty. I cannot comprend feeling or saying such things about another human.

Truly the human heart and mind are a cloaca maxima.

Quit broad brushing please? Some of us tend the garden of our hearts and minds a little more thoughtfully.

Reading those racist comments had no effect on you then? I was not referring to your heart and mind but rather those murders.

Your post didn't distinguish which hearts and minds. Just "human". Hence my nitpick.

Your claimed religion commonly ascribes that this is universally true of all people so it's reasonable to believe given your usage you were declaring all human hearts and minds such cloaca maxima.

 

[Keith&Co.]

When I read such racist filth I feel dirty. I cannot comprend feeling or saying such things about another human.

Truly the human heart and mind are a cloaca maxima.

Quit broad brushing please? Some of us tend the garden of our hearts and minds a little more thoughtfully.

Reading those racist comments had no effect on you then? I was not referring to your heart and mind but rather those murders.

Meh.
People are scum.
Trump has spent sixty years convincing such people that they're not wrong and shouldn't be ashamed of their truths, the last six almost on continuous blast.

Closest thing to an effect is the feeling, "Dude, my expectations were low, but Holy Fuck!"

 

[Jarhyn]

When I read such racist filth I feel dirty. I cannot comprend feeling or saying such things about another human.

Truly the human heart and mind are a cloaca maxima.

Quit broad brushing please? Some of us tend the garden of our hearts and minds a little more thoughtfully.

Reading those racist comments had no effect on you then? I was not referring to your heart and mind but rather those murders.

Meh.
People are scum.
Trump has spent sixty years convincing such people that they're not wrong and shouldn't be ashamed of their truths, the last six almost on continuous blast.

Closest thing to an effect is the feeling, "Dude, my expectations were low, but Holy Fuck!"

Some people are scummy. Some people are fine, scummy ones can become fine, fine ones can become scummy.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Some people are scummy. Some people are fine, scummy ones can become fine, fine ones can become scummy.

People are scum. Some just haven't disappointed me...yet.
They probably disappointed someone.
Or, they have disappointed me, did i but know.

 

[Jarhyn]

Some people are scummy. Some people are fine, scummy ones can become fine, fine ones can become scummy.

People are scum. Some just haven't disappointed me...yet.
They probably disappointed someone.
Or, they have disappointed me, did i but know.

I think the scum stops sticking when we decide to be better than we were, not just like, by saying "new years resolution!" but actually accept that one must do the work, and keep taking the next step.

That comes down to a decision to do the work.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Good luck with that.

 

[Gospel]

I see so much potential for abuse ( see current use of inmates as slave labor) but I also see some genius potential for genuine rehabilitation and providing genuine work experience, opportunity to acquire marketable skills, experience. At the same time I’m so accustomed to hearing how important it is for those convicted of crimes to have an opportunity to maintain relationships with their families so I’m not sure how this would balance out. I see the value in removing from bad influences but also the need for live abs support from family….

Every good idea has the potential to be exploited (see most of the humans' greatest inventions). What we currently have is a bad idea that is getting exploited and is not working (at least not for anyone not currently making bank off prisons). At a time when America was addicted to building new privately run prisons, we could have built some factories as well then contracted them out to private companies. For example, the clothing, tech & automobile industry can all benefit from it while running "working to make the world a better place" commercials. I'd assume the best way to do this would be a third party acting as a vendor who runs the facility (like LETS DO THIS INC.) and they perform the work for NIKE INC using inmates. The incentive for companies is no out-of-pocket cost for the facility, the facilities maintenance or energy costs & cheap + tax-deductible labor.

 

[Gospel]

I forgot to mention it's all about giving inmates a viable income and work history so when they are released they have a better chance at life after prison.

 

[Jarhyn]

I forgot to mention it's all about giving inmates a viable income and work history so when they are released they have a better chance at life after prison.

I like it in theory, but we would need a much more Nordic model of housing and rehabilitation, and it would have to be voluntary work, at reasonable wages, utilities, and health billing. Of course one of the utilities is "social oversight".

 

[Gospel]

"Jackie, this is Greg," the elder McMichael is heard saying in the voicemail. "Could you call me as soon as you possibly can? My (inaudible) and I been involved in a shooting and I need some advice right away. Could you please call me, as soon as you possibly can? Thanks. Bye."

Calling the district attorney for advice after killing a man = privilege. The last person anyone wants to talk to when they are suspected of a crime is the damned district attorney. It's the district attorney's job to represent the state (not a private citizen) in criminal judicial proceedings. I can't wait for them to throw the book at her ass.

 

[ZiprHead]

A jury finds Ahmaud Arbery's 3 killers guilty of federal hate crimes

A jury in Brunswick, Ga., found defendants Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan guilty of hate crimes in the 2020 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

www.npr.org

Guilty on all charges.

 

[Gospel]

 

[blastula]

The federal trial is underway. I was kind of skeptical of why they would bother with this and how it would be hard to prove anyway, but they've been going over a bunch of their text and social media messages and, wow, it makes me see why they might.

I can well imagine why they're literally making a federal case out of it.

Lots of people, including myself, think that life without parole is a bit much. I could easily see some governor commuting their sentences to "time served", a few years down the road. When the media heat is off, and somebody needs to score some points with "the base", quietly setting them loose with "a stern talking to" is all too possible. Life without parole seems excessive, but four years is way too little. Given the state of things in the current political climate, that's all too possible.
Tom

No way. Brian Kemp praised the verdict, and helped change the citizens arrest law and also signed Georgia's first state hate crimes law, because of Arbery. The state also declared tomorrow's date, the anniversary of his death, Ahmaud Arbery day. Very unlikely any governor commutes their sentences, but now it doesn't matter. Not even Trump would pardon them.

 

[laughing dog]

Not even Trump would pardon them.

I admire your optimism.

 

[TomC]

The federal trial is underway. I was kind of skeptical of why they would bother with this and how it would be hard to prove anyway, but they've been going over a bunch of their text and social media messages and, wow, it makes me see why they might.

I can well imagine why they're literally making a federal case out of it.

Lots of people, including myself, think that life without parole is a bit much. I could easily see some governor commuting their sentences to "time served", a few years down the road. When the media heat is off, and somebody needs to score some points with "the base", quietly setting them loose with "a stern talking to" is all too possible. Life without parole seems excessive, but four years is way too little. Given the state of things in the current political climate, that's all too possible.
Tom

No way. Brian Kemp praised the verdict, and helped change the citizens arrest law and also signed Georgia's first state hate crimes law, because of Arbery. The state also declared tomorrow's date, the anniversary of his death, Ahmaud Arbery day. Very unlikely any governor commutes their sentences, but now it doesn't matter. Not even Trump would pardon them.

OK. Maybe a little more than 4 years. I don't know how much longer before Kemp has to stand for election.

But given the current political climate, would quietly making a campaign promise to free the McMichaels 3 be an asset to an election campaign or a debit? I'm guessing it would be an asset to a hardcore TeaParty candidate.
Tom

 

[southernhybrid]

Kemp is up for reelection in November. It would not serve him well to pardon these murderers. I've not known anyone who would support pardoning them for their vigilante crime. Plus, we do have a small percentage of Black Republicans in Georgia, and Kemp needs every one of those votes. Kemp has the advantage of being the current governor. He has done quite a few things that please his base. He doesn't need to mess that up by pardoning three murderers. I don't support capital punishment or life without parole, but these three need to serve a lot of time before society will be ready to take them back. I seriously doubt any governor of Georgia will ever pardon them. It would be extremely controversial and divisive. Candidates usually try to avoid such things.

I'm not a fan of Kemp. I think he's sleezy and dishonest. I just don't think it would be in his or anyone's best interest to pardon 3 men who have caused so much bad publicity for the state.