Yet, I do have compassion and I have thoughts on federal mandatory sentencing guidelines.
When you break the law you should be punished. But, I wonder, when someone is breaking the law selling pot, with a gun? When you put it in those terms there seems to be little one can say in his defense of a lesser sentence.
Yet, the DA wanted to make a pretrial deal. I have so many issues with that I cannot even begin to know where to start.
Many recall the young boy, in Florida, who claimed he was doing a wrestling move he saw on TV, that resulted in the death of a little girl. The boy's mother would not do a pretrial deal, and, the boy was found guilty and sentenced to life, until the Governor and state courts got involved. There are many other issues with this case but that his mother could have done a deal that would have kept in jail less then the trial has me questioning the DA's power. The same feelings I have that this young man told the big bad government that he wanted to have a trial by his peers and sadly that if he lost the DA would be much tougher. Why?
I brought up the Tate case because I feel that mother should have made a deal, and when she didn't the young man suffered a tougher punishment. The same is true for this young man in Utah.
I think we have taken to much away from our judges and we need to think hard and long if that is what we want our society to be or if we need to reel these mandatory laws back to a more reasonable punishment.
To be clear:
This young man deserves jail time, he clearly broke the law, but, laws that were imposed for Kennedy assassins are dated.
I feel that congress has to much leverage in the process.
That making deals while saving the government time and money should be part of the sentencing if the defendant decides to use his right to a trial.
The idea that a rapist and murderer gets less time is something I cannot stand for.
All thought are welcome, again, we know as voting block we can make a difference so lets start making a positive difference.
mandatory-minimum laws **ping**
This is an important subject that I think requires open and honest discussion.
Thanks in advance!
You do the crime, you do the time. If this guy was carrying a gun while doing drug deals, it was (is) only a matter of time until he shot someone.
This was not just about doing drug deals. It is being armed while doing drug deals where people are impaired and violence is extremely likely.
I have no qualms about getting this guy of the street until he is 80 or 180.
"The bulk of that term — the 55 years imposed Tuesday — is based on just three firearms charges for carrying a gun during two drug sales and for keeping additional firearms at his Fort Union apartment. "
Throw away the damn key!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Utah-based rap music label "
That sentence makes me giggle.
Gun laws being enforced properly is the way to decrease gun violence. Mandatory minimums are one of the most important ways we combat the gun control lobby and the gun criminals. And, dealing drugs deserves a harsh punishment. Destroying the lives of others for personal gain is evil.
There are a lot of people that care about gun rights.
There are a lot more that don't really care about gun rights, but they care about crime.
And then there are anti-gun fanatics.
The anti-gunners have made hay with gun related crimes for a long time and used it to push their anti-gun agenda through.
Laws like this don't help them, and they don't hurt the law-abiding citizen that has a gun. They only apply to criminals that use a gun.
The middle-of-the-roaders like that. It does the gun-rights crowd no harm as it won't apply to you if you don't commit a crime with a gun and it ticks the gun grabbers off because it actually does something about gun crime, namely, get rid of criminals that use guns.
Now, some of these laws have been perveted to cover non-violent "paperwork" crimes, but that's not the case in this instance.
This guy broke the law. And he took a gun with him while doing it. He has a long sentence coming to him.
"First my opinion might be colored as the victim of a violent crime."
I sincerely hope that is not why you are a "Former" Military Chick.
Former Military Dude
He was convicted on 16 criminal counts, and each count carried a penalty. Drug dealers with guns are the main weapon - for lack of a better word - the anti-gun lobby use to destroy the Second amendment. I don't feel sorry for "this young father". That young father should have thought of the consequences of his actions.
I'm confused. Which is it that liberals want? Gun control laws with teeth, or light sentences for offenders?
This is Angelos‘ sentence, all right, 738 months. Remember, he was selling pot. A kingpin of a major drug trafficking ring where death resulted 293 months. Aircraft hijacker: 293 months. Second-degree murderer: 168 months. Kidnapper: 151 months. Rapist of a 10-year-old child: 135 months. A rapist: 87 months.
I agree. The rapist and murderer should either be executed or receive life without possiblity of parole. Would you be OK with the sentence then?
Yes, the fact that he was able to procreate clearly makes him a paragon of our society.
Certainly we should reap the rewards of allowing him to procreate some more and I just can't get enough of that Utah rap music. A great loss for all I'm sure.
When some bad guy steals your car stereo, you call your insurance company and in a couple of days, you receive a check and go buy a new stereo.
When some bad guy steals some tools from your garage, you call your insurance company and in a few days, you receive a check and go buy some news tools.
Even if you don't have insurance, you can save up and replace anything that the bad guys took or learn to live without this stuff.
A drug dealer, reaches into the soul of your child and steals its future. Calling your insurance company will be to no avail. You can save all the money that you want, you will never be able to get that child's future back. AND, try that you might, this is not something that you will just learn to live with.
So, for me.............lock them up and throw away the key. My attitude applies to more than drug dealers........3 time losers, rapists, Pedophiles, child abusers and so on.
Having said all of that, I have met a couple of people that went to prison for dealing drugs and when they got out, they changed their lives around. Unfortunately, these "turn arounds" are few and far between.
Criminals + drugs + guns = loss of life for society. Criminals + jails = safer society.
Do the crime, do the time.
Federal Judge Rules Application of Sentencing Guidelines Unconstitutional
Do the crime, do the time. Goodbye and good riddance to Mr. Angelos.