On Sun, 22 Aug 2010, R.A. Hettinga wrote:
JUDGMENT ON REVOCATION OF SUPERVISED RELEASE
Thanks, Greg.
I neglected to say thanks in my reply - bad Alif. Thank you for the PACER-puff Greg.
Sometimes, it helps *not* to stand on a street corner and throw rocks at cop cars.
Pretty much what everyone is likely thinking. While I wrote pretty much the same thing, I *do* get his rage (I'm involved in a>2 year old BS federal case myself, and I also get madder and madder every day) at being the floppy boneless chicken that is thrown about the grounds for the entertainment of those who are mad at Jim for having a lick of sense, and a taste of freedom (he had so heavily paid his price for). I just hope that whenhe gets out, next, he is able to either work *somewhere*, or lacking that, find some way to get by. It's tough having a felony in these post 9/11 days: there is no longer a concept of "done the time, the crime is paid for" - today, a crime is punished by lifetime unemployment (even Walmart won't let you sell sodas if you have a felony behind you. Even 40 years behind you!), as well as lifetime punishments that are unexpected: no more fair access to the courts (any case filed against you, no matter how off the wall or just plain crazy will succeed, and any case you file, no matter how locked-in and unquestionable, will be dismissed at your costs); little to no protection from the police (but plenty of harassment); extreme difficulty in finding housing; a permanent loss of basic rights to self defense (this one I *really* don't get, at least for non-violent offenders - of course, if you've punched that ticket, you're *obviously* violent, right?); the loss of you pretense at picking your leader (no loss there), etc. Really, the *only* upside to having a felony is that you are permanently barred from jury duty. //Alif -- "Never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty." Joseph Pulitzer, 1907 Speech