[spdrun]

How would I say this — I have less of a problem with disparate sentences due to character and people asking the judge for leniency than people getting longer or shorter sentences largely due to differences in race or ethnicity. The latter smacks of repeating the mistakes of another era in reverse.

As far as people who “screw up”, I’d be more tolerant of people who do so in hot blood (say got in a barfight and it went too far) than people who do so in cold blood (“knockout game” type stuff, regardless of victim’s origin).

spd, on criminal law, I could see you saying “you did the crime, you do the time” to your son, cousin or nephew who committed a crime. That’s the price to pay for a screw up.
People from good families will tell their criminal relatives: “don’t worry, dear, we will get the best lawyer for you. We will ask the bishop, the mayor, the firechief, the scout leader, to vouch for you.” That’s the very definition of a discriminatory, selective process which is deep seated and institutionalized.

[spdrun]

Personally, I think that the US is too much of a lost cause for me to have any chance to change it. I’d sooner move.

[spdrun]

Having this leeway for people of certain ethnic and racial groups, but not for others, is patently unfair. A range of possible sentences is enough.

Point being, I don’t consider a racially, ethnically, etc motivated crime to be any worse than one motivated by other arcane motives. Say I got run down on a motorcycle because the driver was upset that bikers were keeping the driver up at 3 am revving their motors.

[spdrun]

That’s what ranges of sentencing are for. No need to tack on ADDITIONAL crimes.

[spdrun]

Yet the rate of violence has actually gone down a lot in the last 20-30 years. EVERY era will have its problems, its challenges, and its joys. Ours is no different.

[spdrun]

Jeebus Xhrist, another incident that’s evolved to more than it actually was. If you listened to the media last month, you’d have thought that Upper Manhattan was owned by the Hell’s Angels and Pagans or something.

I’m not a proponent of censorship. But I do think that the media should show some decorum and not play up every anomalous incident, whether it’s a sick game or a school shooting to more than it actually is. Publicity encourages copycats.

[spdrun]

Honestly, I think there may have been one group of teens playing this “game”, the media picked it up, and now every mugging and beating is a sign of the “knockout game.” Now that they’ve publicized it, there will be copycats. Yay. Congrats to the fearmongers for creating a phenomenon.

[spdrun]

Age affects the ability to make informed decisions, so no. Unless you’re saying that people of certain races and orientations are less capable of informed consent…

[spdrun]

There should be a certain range of sentence permitted. This range should not be altered by the victim’s race, gender, orientation, etc. In any case, the basic offense should be the same regardless, with no additional “bias” charges slapped on.

And no, I don’t think a top student at Stanford engaging in random violence is any better than an HS dropout doing so. Though I suppose they’re more likely to get off, since they’ll more likely to be able to afford a good lawyer (think about how Leopold and Loeb didn’t go to the electric chair for their crimes).

[spdrun]

Nope.

Punishment for deliberate assault should be pretty much the same regardless of the victim. What if the firefighter was himself of Chinese origin and he was upset about wealthy Chinese investors from Hong Kong buying up houses? He hit an Asian gentleman who was carrying an open house flyer and getting into his Tesla Model S, with malice aforethought.

What if he ran into a guy in a BMW because he thought a rich guy in a BMW was boinking his wife?

Should this be punished any differently than your Jewish example? My opinion is “no.” Random yet premeditated violence should be punished similarly regardless of the victim and perpetrator.

[spdrun]

We’re not arguing reality. We’re arguing whether unequal punishments SHOULD exist, not whether they DO exist.

[spdrun]

Driver’s licensing is a fair factor because driving without a license is a CHOICE and in itself illegal. Membership in an ethnic group is not either.

[spdrun]

If the firefighter attacks a person randomly on the street without provocation, absolutely. And mitigation that their beaaaaudddiful family causes will be counterbalanced by the fact that their job is to help the public, and they violated that trust.

[spdrun]

Record all interactions with the tenant. CA requires all-party consent, but a periodic beep tone is legally enough to put the recorded party on notice.

[spdrun]

Morality is ultimately a matter of opinion, not data, and my opinion is that punishments for like crimes should be like.

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