Rent-a-Judge

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081006/OPINION03/810050307/1007/OPINION

OK, forget what I said in my last entry. Humanity on the whole is greedy and selfish, as evident when our icons of justice and truth start accepting money to let convicted criminals off the hook. Let's look at the common-sense facts for a moment, for those of you who might not be aware of the problem that this presents to our nation:

judge [juhj] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

noun, verb, judged, judg·ing.
–noun
1.
a public officer authorized
to hear and decide cases in a court of law; a magistrate charged with the
administration of justice.
2.
a person appointed to decide in any
competition, contest, or matter at issue; authorized arbiter: the judges of a
beauty contest.
3.
a person qualified to pass a critical judgment: a good
judge of horses.
4.
an administrative head of Israel in the period
between the death of Joshua and the accession to the throne by Saul.
5.
(esp. in rural areas) a county official with supervisory duties, often
employed part-time or on an honorary basis.

That's from www.dictionary.reference.com. As indicated by the first listed definition, a judge administers justice, according to the laws of their city, county, state, and nation. Safe to say, the administration of these laws must be done in a fair and impartial manner, once again according to the law of the land, or else those who violate such laws may go unpunished for their actions- or successfully pin them on innocent citizens the law is supposed to protect. I shouldn't need to spell out for you why it's a problem when these impartial arbiters of justice cease to put the protection and service of justice- and through it, the citizens in their jurisdiction- in favor of lining their own pockets- but I think I will anyway.

Criminals who walk free, as the result of a judge's indiscretion, have the ability to commit more crimes. Sure. There are a handful of truly reformed convicts, and a good number of people who have been wrongly convicted because of circumstancial evidence, the bias of the times- or, you guessed it, corrupt judges- but these sheep-in-wolves'-clothing are relatively few and far between in comparison to those who have gotten what they deserved. Those who have undergone the court's scrutiny once have greater knowledge of what pitfalls to avoid, and what defenses to make on their own behalf. It becomes a vicious cycle in which the guilty parties evade the law further and further until the binding Catch-22's, loopholes, and red tape of our legal system ensnares the just judges and prevents them from convicting murderers, rapists, and thieves and administering the justice they truly deserve- a life behind bars.

Something else! Judges are not entitled to form a bias in favor of social convention- only legal convention. Why do I bring this up? Because of this editorial: http://burtonfront.blogspot.com/2006/07/another-corrupt-judge-busted.html

Corruption does not extend the hand of equality to people, regardless of ethnicity, gender, social circle, appearance, or any other demographic. Compassion, reason, and justice extend that hand. The courts were not established to protect social conventions, but the citizens who engage in them, regardless of what that convention may be. To assume that anyone should be denied a right granted by the government, as the result of a social sanction, is the height of bigotry and arrogance.

That's two cents from an irked, irked, irked BrainBox.

FINALLY SOMEONE LISTENS!

http://www.ksdk.com/news/world/story.aspx?storyid=156133&catid=28&provider=email

Maybe humanity isn't quite as doomed to failure as I had originally thought. Scumbags deserve to be cooked off and dropped like bad habits, and the man who put this particular piece of filth in his grave deserves recognition as a community hero. Thank you, good sir, for going to every length to stop this psycho from victimizing anyone else.

That's two cents from a very, very, very proud Brain Box.