Godstud wrote:Apparently, the police and judge did.
This seems to be more about interpretation and opinion than about what the evidence actually was.
Godstud wrote:Sorry your opinion doesn't carry any weight and you were not privy to all the evidence that the court was.
So is the issue of law & justice and individual cases beyond the purview of political discussion?
If you're always going to claim they must have had some reason we don't know about, then you've pretty much shut down all possible criticism about anything.
May we assume you're not one of those "always trust the government, they'll make the right decision" types?
Godstud wrote:If intent can be proven, then the crime need not actually occur.(Eg. removing the bolts on a street sign. It's obvious that the intent is to steal it.)
The trouble is what evidence is taken to "prove" intent.
Certainly in the example you gave, the intent would be obvious.
I do not believe that is the case in this story.
There are certain things individuals should have the right to do, or even if they do not have the legal right to do those things, they should have the right to do those things without an associated intent automatically being implied.
As a conservative, I believe individuals should have the right to have a gun without intent to commit murder being assumed (even if having that gun is illegal and we agreed it was not a right to have a gun), for example.
Godstud wrote:Yes, but as already evidenced, you hold the law in disregard because it condemns the things you wish to do.
Perhaps, but on the other side of the coin, you may be equally biased, in the other direction.
Perhaps we should remember that quote from Martin Niemöller, we should defend the things we personally do not wish to do or think are important, lest things we think are important come under attack and there is no one else in society willing to defend it.
I believe the concept of "tyranny of the majority" comes into play. And ironically "tyranny of the majority" can end up oppressing the majority of persons.
(example: "I'm not gay, so who cares if being gay is made illegal." "I'm not a woman, so why should women have rights?" "I don't drink alcohol, so why should I care if the state gets very strict on alcohol drinkers?" "I'm not homeless, so who gives a crap about them?" and so on)