Not too crazy, not too sane.

[danbaron]

To me, it's really strange how different government "justice" can be, from average common sense.

But, it makes sense if you take the view that, covertly but actually, laws and courts are primarily designed to maintain the system which established them exactly as it currently is, and, not to be fair. Additionally, they function to inflict vengeance on individuals who embarrass the system, and to making frightening examples for the populace of what happens to individuals who disrupt social stability.

In the case of Jared Lee Loughner, a U.S. court decided that he was too crazy to be tried. So, it is forcing him to take anti-psychotic medication, in the hope that he will then become sane enough to try. I think that when a court admits someone is too crazy to try, then, it has gone most of the way to admitting that he was too crazy when he committed the crime to be held responsible for it. Especially, as in this case, when the court's judgment of psychosis was made almost immediately after the crime's occurrence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Lee_Loughner
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Lee_Loughner)
(My anecdotal observation is that U.S. killers often have either, "Lee", or "Dean", as their first or middle names.)

Along the same line, here is more news about Gary McKinnon. My speculation is that the army of bureaucratic lawyers working for the U.S. Justice Department will never relent. Basically, by breaking into U.S. government computers, he damaged the system's pride, so, there must be overwhelming retribution. My guess is that since currently, England (Great Britain?, which is correct?) seems to follow America like a dog on a leash, that McKinnon's chances of never seeing American soil, are not great.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/the-autistic-hacker/0

[Charles Pegge]

Dan,



seems to follow America like a dog on a leash,


That was true in the Bush/Blair years. But now we have a coalition government which is very sensitive to public opinion and both coalition partners: the Conservatives and LibDems are libertarian in nature, not supportive of "Big" government in the way that Labour tended to be.

Gary McKinnon has become an icon of human rights, and the USGvt does not do itself any favours persecuting him, through the misuse of an asymmetric treaty intended for extraditing terrorists.

Our legal and penal systems are severe by most European standards but the US system, at least by prison population is 7x tougher than the UK's. To match the US percentage we would have to build a jail in every town and village in the country, and incarcerate every single UK citizen for an average of six months. :D

Charles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

[danbaron]

I know it is true, you can judge the moral health of a society by the percentage of its population that is imprisoned. By that criterion, the United States is the sickest country in the world.

Similarly, you can judge the physical health of a society by the average life expectancy of its population. And by that criterion, the United States is far down the list. But, you will never hear more than the slightest mention of either statistic from the mainstream media here. All you hear about healthcare is how the United States has the greatest system in the world. Never a mention about the fact that for many millions, there is no system at all - for them there is no healthcare.

Here, every news person you see on TV is almost always smiling, like he/she is living in paradise, it has become truly Orwellian.

This guy, F. William Engdahl, who I have great respect for, was on the radio show I listen to, on Wednesday night. To me, he shows the world situation as it actually exists.

http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/

[danbaron]

(Most of this is just my speculation. I am not certain of anything at all. In other words, in my mind, the probability of any event is, 0 < p < 1. If I was certain, then, the range would be, 0 <= p <= 1., yes? Actually, I'm not more than 90% certain concerning almost anything, for instance, even that the official 9/11 story is very close to being totally phony. (Maybe that is part of the reason why humans are seduced by mathematics. It is the one area (that I am aware of) in which things can be determined with certainty. And, amazingly (and, if I am correct, no one knows why), it seems that every certainty in mathematics directly corresponds to one or more certainties concerning the operation of the universe.))

"That was true in the Bush/Blair years. But now we have a coalition government which is very sensitive to public opinion and both coalition partners: the Conservatives and LibDems are libertarian in nature, not supportive of "Big" government in the way that Labour tended to be."

In the foreseeable future, I don't envision Gary McKinnon having any peace of mind with respect to this issue. I think that an autonomous bureaucratic process is functioning. The U.S. Justice Department is like an army of worker ants. The identities of the individual ants don't matter much, the actions of the colony remain constant. This is a high profile case. The ants there at any particular time realize that resolving it will allow them to move up in the colony pyramid. Administrations in both countries come and go. But, the colony will remain. The mind-set of any particular ant is that he may be the one who applies enough pressure so that either McKinnon is extradited, or, (maybe due to emotional fragility from having Aspergers Syndrome) he commits suicide.

Of course, this is my gloomiest assessment, people often judge me as being too negative, hopefully I am being so here.

[Charles Pegge]

Here in the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service has the option of dropping a case if it is deemed to be not in the public interest.

This device can be used to protect both the individual concerned and the reputation of the justice system as a whole from the application of inappropriate law.

Charles

[danbaron]

Would it be beyond reason to imagine that Rebekah Brooks, first married to soap-opera star Ross Kemp, who she allegedly attacked in 2005, will divorce her second husband, former racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks, and that before long, Gary McKinnon will become her third husband? Or, am I too cynical? Would she attempt to divert some of the public sympathy for him, in order to avoid a jail cell?
Rebekah and Gary out on the town with William and Kate!

Or, as many are convinced, were these two made for each other?

7342
The Count, with Vampyra.

[danbaron]

I'm hoping this "epidemic" is not confined to Great Britain.

:twisted:

http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110720/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking (http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110720/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Murdoch-Hearings--See-No-by-Michael-Collins-110720-85.html

http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/News-Corp-to-replace-Ruper-in-General_News-110719-950.html

[Charles Pegge]

Every time I turn on the radio to listen to the news - this seems to be the only topic. Our minds are slowly going numb and oblivious to other things happening in the world.

Charles