Re: A modest proposal (eas Re: Outlawing drug speech - EEK!)

From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Thu Feb 03 2000 - 22:44:23 MST


On Wednesday, February 02, 2000 7:44 PM Harvey Newstrom
newstrom@newstaffinc.com wrote:
> I had a similar idea about cops who violated suspects' rights. Instead of
> letting the suspect go free on a technicality, I propose that we go ahead
> and prosecute the suspect in a court of law. Then we also prosecute the
cop
> for violating the suspects' rights. Two different crimes, and two
different
> trials. One alleged crime does not influence the judgement of the other.

I'm not sure if I agree, but Harvey was not the first I know to suggest
this. Robert James Bindinotto suggested this several years ago in _The
Freeman_ (the magazine, not the book) in a three part series on crime. (He
has a web page at: http://www.ios.org/info/sbrbidi.asp) His argument was
much the same.

Still, I do think law enforcement agents and members of the court who do
violate procedural rights -- rights such as that due process as opposed to
more fundamental rights such as that of self-defense -- should not go
unpunished. Of course, a big problem in our culture is few really see
procedural rights as all that important -- at least, not in any justifiable
way. (Claims like "It's in the US Constitution" are only appeals to
authority -- not a valid form of justification.)

Quo vadis?

Daniel Ust
    Find out why tar water increases human intelligence, decreases abdominal
fat, and keeps everything else in balance at:
http://mars.superlink.net/neptune/



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