home

Thursday Early Evening Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 07:50:17 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

More thread.

< The Price Of Triangulation: Graham Seeks Expansion Of Off Shore Dilling | Better Than Reagan >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Thursday Early Evening Open Thread | 20 comments (20 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    The murderer of Dr. Tiller (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Peter G on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 07:57:43 PM EST
    in Kansas was given the maximum possible sentence today:  life with no parole eligibility for 50 years.

    Peter G, in your opinion, could (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 08:03:47 PM EST
    the prosecution have sought death penalty?

    Parent
    It does not appear that the Roeder case (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Peter G on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 08:46:11 PM EST
    would have satisfied any of the "aggravating circumstances" necessary to invoke the death penalty under Kansas law.  My guess is that Dr. Tiller's family, in their capacity as the victims, would have opposed seeking the death penalty on moral grounds anyway.

    Parent
    It seems to me these (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 09:15:23 PM EST
    factors could have been alleged and submitted to the jury:

    Aggravating factors that the jury may consider are limited to the following:
    . . . .
    the defendant knowingly or purposely killed or created a great risk of death to more than one person;
    . . . .
    the defendant committed the crime in an especially heinous, atrocious or cruel manner;

    I would be interested to know if the victim's family asked the prosecution not to allege special circumstances.

    Parent

    No, neither factor would apply (none / 0) (#19)
    by Peter G on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 10:53:24 AM EST
    Aggravating factors are (mercifully) construed strictly, in order that they can perform their intended function of narrowing the use of the death penalty to the true "worst of the worst" murder cases, based on objective criteria selected in advance by the Legislature.  (This tight narrowing function is required by the Eighth Amendment, according to the Supreme Court.)  An assassination of one person, specifically chosen in advance, executed at close range, cannot be viewed as "purposely creating a great risk of death to more than one person," even when it occurs in a crowded setting.  Likewise, a bullet fired at close range to kill, as opposed to a torture-type death, for example, cannot be what is meant by "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel," even when performed in view of others, and in a church, and for the purpose of denying third-parties their civil rights, for example.

    Parent
    I will always be curious though. If the (none / 0) (#20)
    by oculus on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 11:04:30 AM EST
    victim represented a cause more popular in Kansas would the charging decision have been different?

    Parent
    Is this the REAL reason why google (none / 0) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 08:15:49 PM EST
    changed its name to Topeka today, triangulation with hip Red Stater population?

    Parent
    No- I heard it was (none / 0) (#9)
    by scribe on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 09:18:21 PM EST
    the mayor of Topeka had been pitching the idea of changing the city's name to "Google, Kansas" to gain visibility, so Google flipped it on them.

    Parent
    Hmm Politically Astute??? (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by MO Blue on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 08:17:30 PM EST
    Just days after the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO endorsed his candidacy, Arlen Specter tried to make good by rolling out something he called the "Workers' Bill of Rights." Sounds cool, right?

    Specter's bill of rights is a five-point platform: Forcing China to end its practice of pegging its currency to the U.S. dollar, more aggressive U.S. enforcement of trade laws, rescinding the president's authority to overrule the International Trade Commission's recommendations, speedier remedies for illegal trade claims, and stronger "Buy American" requirements under the stimulus.

    The only problem is his spokeswoman shut that door real quick, saying it's more "campaign rhetoric" than anything that will be "actual law."

    A spokeswoman for Specter said that the bill of rights is more likely to stay as campaign rhetoric than make their way toward actual law. The senator, though, has ratcheted up pressure on President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders when it comes to labor issues.
    link

    Now pols will be pols and promise things that never plan to deliver, but most of them don't publicly announce that they are full of hot air.

    Specter needs (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 12:01:40 AM EST
    a new spokescritter if the characterization of what she said is correct.  That sounds more like deliberate sabotage than bungled PR.

    But really, putting "forcing China" to devalue its currency has no business being in a "workers bill of rights."  OTOH, connecting international finance and diplomacy to workers rights is a fairly nifty lefty thing to do, so maybe I like it...

    I'll say this for Specter, he's willing to go all the way when he chooses the politically expedient direction to point himself in.  A few of our "progressives" could learn a thing or three from the way he's been doing this, IMO.

    Parent

    Think NAFTA and Canada during (none / 0) (#8)
    by oculus on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 09:16:27 PM EST
    the primaries.

    Parent
    Digby on a tear about Catholic (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by oculus on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 09:28:57 PM EST
    bishops/Stupak/Pitts/and the continuing revalation of pedophilia by Catholic priests:  link

    Good stuff. Digby cites a Katha Pollitt (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 12:01:21 AM EST
    piece from The Nation:
    The moral authority granted the Catholic Church in the secular world is for me the most repellent aspect of the current crisis. In the succinct words of Jodi Jacobson, editor of RHRealityCheck.org, "Why is a pedophilia-ridden, pedophilia-hiding, child-abusing Church allowed to write laws controlling women's rights?" To which one might add: what gives a church in which celibacy is equated with holiness, in which males have almost all the power, the right to a place at the table where laws are made about women's bodies? The same institution that has dealt so indulgently with its ordained pedophiles had no problem excommunicating a Brazilian mother who sought an abortion for her 9-year-old daughter, raped and impregnated with twins by her stepfather, or pushing for laws in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Chile banning abortion even to save the woman's life.

    Amen to that.

    Parent

    Obama and patience (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by diogenes on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 11:01:08 PM EST
    From Yahoo:
    "Facing a public still wary of his massive health care overhaul, President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Americans not to judge the nearly $1 trillion legislation he signed into law last week until the reforms take hold."

    Of course, the bulk of the taxes and reforms conveniently do not go into effect now but in 2014, well after the 2012 election.  Why the wait?  Don't ask me--I'm just a cynic.

    Easternmost in quality... (none / 0) (#5)
    by Dadler on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 08:18:06 PM EST
    ...westernmost in flavor.  If you like ESPN's Jon Miller, and his Vin Scully impression especially, if you want to know what happened to Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's hair after a few hours of wearing a TV headset in 1990, the latest post at the memoir blog is overhyped and under-read.

    It's my public first draft experiment.  And an ugly one at that.  Next installment soon to appear.

    Peace, y'all.  

    Anderson tries Stewart (none / 0) (#11)
    by waldenpond on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 09:32:20 PM EST
    Jon Stewart/John King

    OK,this is weird... AC360 just had a screen 'dispatches chchch from chch planet chch washington'   ala Jon Stewart to discuss Cuba tipping over.  Anderson then used the map to draw on while Cuba was being discussed.  Bizarre.

    Environment legislation moving forward (none / 0) (#13)
    by Politalkix on Thu Apr 01, 2010 at 11:19:08 PM EST
    Please follow link
    Emissions limits, greater fuel efficiency for cars, light trucks made official.

    Npt really (none / 0) (#16)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 06:02:52 AM EST
    "At a time when it is unclear whether Congress will pass climate legislation this year, the new rules also mark the White House's most significant achievement yet in addressing global warming."

    This is something that could have been done anytime by the Obama Administration. It's not legislation.

    Parent

    Pretty sure the timing of it (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by ruffian on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 08:25:20 AM EST
    is supposed to serve as a balance to the drilling announcement. Nice try.

    Parent
    I just noticed that Booman (none / 0) (#17)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Apr 02, 2010 at 07:49:05 AM EST
    has also been giving Biden big sloppy wet kisses too.  That access, it must be better than chocolate :)

    Thursday Early Evening Open Thread | 20 comments (20 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment