Well you opened another can of worms when it comes to trial. I am of the opinion that all trials should be open to the public. ( Military trials aside for obvious reasons) After all, it is the People Versus _____ right? We forgo our right to self imposed justice for the rade that society as a whole will accomplish proper punishment. How can we be assured that is happening when we don't have access to a trial?
Kinda makes me wonder why the Smart offender is just 'unable' or 'unfit' to stand trial. If Saddam can stand trial, just about anyone can stand trial.
When it comes to clear evidence like a video,this is where the internet comes into play, why should prosecution be up to the individual? The law was broken and clear evidence of it is out there for all to see. It appears to me that when given this choice, some can define who is above prosecution for breaking it. It just doesn't sit well with me.
Last I knew trials were all open to the public. There might not be room in the court-room but they are open to the public. I don't know about minors.
Kinda makes me wonder why the Smart offender is just 'unable' or 'unfit' to stand trial. If Saddam can stand trial, just about anyone can stand trial.
I am not familiar with the facts of the Smart case.
When it comes to clear evidence like a video,this is where the internet comes into play, why should prosecution be up to the individual? The law was broken and clear evidence of it is out there for all to see. It appears to me that when given this choice, some can define who is above prosecution for breaking it. It just doesn't sit well with me.
I don't agree with your proposition. It is not the duty of law enforcement to troll the internet for free speech and call it a crime. (I do however, agree with the Nightline set-up to catch child predators.) It is up to the victim to prosecute a crime. I don't know what you mean by given the choice, some can define who is above prosecution. I don't believe anyone is above prosecution but I do believe there are those who do not want to prosecute. Don't those who choose not to prosecute have a right to decide if they want to appear in court or not?
Law enforcement has enough to keep them busy. Teenage antics for exploitation are the game-of-the-day along with filming police arrests and phoning in speeders and the drunks on the highway. We have a bunch of cell-phone busybodies running around with movie cameras playing cop or trying to catch a cop, yet those same busybodies find fault with everything the police try to do. I am sick of the crash in California on the freeway making the news. The train wreck in Tim-Buck-Too. And joe blow crashing his plane in a field. I am sick of stranded folks on mountains who cost society lots of money for their folly while the family in NY had to pay for the helicopter to find her parents only off the edge of the freeway dead after many days. We are a sick society--plain and simple and seem to thrive off other peoples misfortunes.
The media can be a good thing but the degree that they take the so called news only serves to point out the inequities inherent in life and make famous the bottom feeders. And we wonder why there are so many wierdo's?