Has America's justice system become blind in the right eye?

[backscatter712]

Last edited Thu Jan 28, 2016, 01:55 PM - Edit history (1)

"Blind in the right eye" - that's a saying that was originally used to describe the criminal justice system of Weimar Germany before the Nazis took over.

Look at Hitler's trial, for high treason, after the 1924 Putsch - Hitler himself got a slap on the wrist, even though police officers were killed in that incident and there was full violence in the streets. He got a light prison sentence, he was let out early, they ignored his probation and parole.

Overall, in that era and beyond, right-wing groups like the Nazis got treated with kid gloves, while left-wing groups were punished far more harshly for far less.

Is the same thing happening here in the U.S.?

Look at the Meth Mouth Militia. Today, each of the ringleaders is charged with "conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation or threats." One felony for each one.

Which is pathetic.

Normally, if the feds wanted to really break someone's balls, they'd be charge-stacking. For Bundy et al., they'd get conspiracy to impede US officers from discharging their duties, AND seditious conspiracy, AND RICO charges AND terrorism charges, AND trespassing, AND illegally accessing federal computer systems AND property damage to the refuge and buildings, AND endangerment and damage to endangered species and archaeological artifacts AND felony murder in connection with the death of "Tarp Man".

If the feds wanted to, they could completely ruin these guys. When they want, they can be incredibly creative in finding new ways to criminally charge people they want to fuck over.

But they're not. They're giving each of them ONE felony charge that looks good on TV, and in a few months, after the media's focused on other shiny objects, they'll let them plead down to a slap-on-the-wrist misdemeanor.

Do you think that if the Malheur occupiers were black, or had left-wing ideology, that they'd get treated like that? I think not.

America's criminal justice system is blind in the right eye. And that's extremely bad for democracy.

[1939]

1. What punishment

did the Native American occupiers of Alcatraz get?

[backscatter712]

2. Couldn't find that information.

Though IIRC, the Native Americans occupying Alcatraz weren't waving guns around.

[kwolf68]

3. Maybe but

Your concerns worry me too, but maybe the feds are putting together their list of charges. After the debacle with Cliven Bundy, the feds need to come down hard now and these fools need to serve justice to the maximum of the law. Have faith, not busting these assholes would be another fuck up by the government, who to this point has done EVERYTHING brilliantly in dealing with these people....so good they have actual video of Tarpman being shot, video that supports the FBI claim that Tarpman was reaching for his gun.

[AZ Progressive]

4. There's a simple reason why the left wing and the right wing are treated differently

Bullies go after the weak.

Left wing protesters are usually nonviolent and usually a minority group outside of the mainstream, thus seen as weak and like blood in the water to a shark, makes law enforcement feel powerful and see the protestors as easy pickings. Its bully psychology.

Right wing protesters like in this case are more likely to be armed, a part of the white majority / white establishment with lots of sympathizers that are armed, relatively violent and of which seek revenge. Of course law enforcement will feel intimidated and like the bully who has no intention of going up against someone who could fight back or even severely hurt them, is far less inclined to treat them harshly.

[backscatter712]

6. Yep. That's why we need to openly call our law enforcement and prosecutors cowards.

If they can't do their job in an even-handed manner, why should we respect them?

[RandiFan1290]

5. Yes