Posted on 12/14/2004 11:33:45 AM PST by DJ Taylor
Why do I think that Phyllis is not giving us the whole story?
bump
Because you trust the government implicitly?
Perhaps you might reconsider who Ms. Schlafly is? She is a lawyer and conservative author of many years standing. I am more inclined to believe her, than your doubts.
I think there's more to this than meets the eye, and I think Phyllis isn't giving us the whole picture. I remember this guy, he was found guilty on charges of fraud and murder.
If he committed fraud with Medicaid dollars then her assertion above isn't true.
Medicaid is paid for with some of my tax money.
My tax money has my blood, sweat and tears all over it.
He HAS hurt someone.
I still don't like it. I don't like in general how a government psychiatrist can send someone off to indefinite confinement without a trial, let alone a conviction.
This can be done (as far as I know) in two circumstances: if the psychiatrist declares the patient dangerous to himself or to others, or if the patient has been accused of a criminal offense and is declared incompetent to stand trial. Sell's case is the latter. His alleged criminal offense isn't even violent, but his liberty has been taken because the shrinks on the government payroll say he's too mentally ill to be tried.
I don't like it, and truth be known, I don't like involuntary commitment on the grounds that someone might harm himself or others, either. Seems like prior restraint to me, and the power to detain a citizen without trial is too terrible to be granted to the government.
The price of striking down this power, of course, would be more violent offenses committed by mentally ill people who'd otherwise be locked up. I accept that. The alternative is worse.
Yes, if. Sell is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and the government is refusing to give him his day in court.
Even if he's guilty as sin, I'd be surprised if the penalty would include eight years of confinement.
Odd that you find murder isn't violent.
Springfield huh? Isn't that where skelnik(sp) said he was tortured? Those with tinfoil hats know what I am talking about.
I'd be a little crazy too if I was locked up for 8 years with no trial.
Right, so based on the fact she's a lawyer and a Conservative, just ignore the details of the charges against him, and agree with her.
Heres a link to Sells charges.
I think the "attempted murder" charge could be bogus, but I'm not privvy to the facts.
http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/02/03/011862P.pdf
He is obviously a political prisoner.
God bless America, and save her from government lawyers.
My bad... I didn't even notice that Sell has been indicted for attempted murder. You're right, of course. It's worth noting that the alleged attempted murder came after his arrest for fraud, and in fact the alleged intended victims were the FBI agent who arrested him and a witness against him.
Nevertheless, I do not approve of detaining this man, or any man, without trial. I would change the current procedure by allowing a defendant's assertion of competence to suffice to allow him to be tried. If he is in fact incompetent, it will only hurt him, and he still has his lawyer to represent his interests.
Sell may be guilty as sin, in which case he should receive the fullest punishment the law can dish out. But he deserves his trial.
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