Dear Sage Dixon: Your Lack of Due Process is Damaging Our Republic

True Idaho News ^ | July 22, 20221 | James Wilson

[Twotone]

Due process of law, both procedurally and substantively, is a feature that makes American jurisprudence unique in this world. For people accused of wrongdoing, “due process” places the burden of proof on accusers. This means anyone who is accused of anything need not prove innocence; accusers must prove guilt beyond doubt. Moreover, they must employ fair means, including an absolute prohibition against coercing or conning the accused into assisting them.

Due process makes it difficult – although still possible – to use legal and ethical codes to settle scores or eliminate rivals. This is especially true in politics. In fact, due process is in serious jeopardy in the legislature of Idaho, which, ironically, is reputed to be a last bastion of traditional American values.

A few months back, a member of the Idaho House of Representatives – Aaron von Ehlinger – was accused of rape. Police investigated the charge and dropped it. They later re-opened the investigation but have never charged him.

Meanwhile, the Idaho House Ethics Committee convened a hearing with the stated goal of expelling von Ehlinger, not necessarily of getting to the truth. That goal came straight from the mouth of Ethics Committee member Brent Crane, who called himself the third most powerful member of the House, saying he would ensure von Ehlinger’s expulsion. It is troublesome that Crane’s boasting and proclamation of von Ehlinger’s guilt came before the hearing convened.

[Don W]

While that is the ideal, it most assuredly is NOT the actual practice. Prosecutors routinely grossly over-charge defendants, then present plea deals to those same folks knowing that those accused don’t have the financial means to mount an effective defence.

The citizen is financially forced to accept pleading guilty to a lesser charge for a MUCH smaller sentence and the prosecutor marks another one in the “win” file, enhancing electability and future earnings.

Justice and law have less than NOTHING to do with it, it’s all a numbers game to a lot of prosecutors.

[Socon-Econ]

Sorry Ehlenger resigned. Better to go down fighting than to go down smeared. He and his supporters should have fought like mad dogs to the bitter end.

[OneVike]

Nowhere do I learn anything about which party the accused belongs to

I know Republicans control the state, but what party is the accused a member of?

I really hate writers who refuse to name the party of the parties involved when the whole damn article is about a political institution

[Twotone]

All parties are Republican. Priscilla Giddings is a conservative & her antagonists are essentially good ol’ boy RINO types that don’t want their apple cart upset.

[bobbo666]

Am pretty sure US is not unique in this. Nonetheless, the damage is done. The Republic died in Nov. And, again when Roberts cowardly took the dosh and ducked his duty. Due Process is dead if anything like the #MeeToo crappola lives where the accuser is automatically accepted and “the trial” is forced into looking like a large rodent.

[OneVike]

Thanks. I live in Idaho, new up here. I noticed that the Republicans are very RINOish and of the good ol boy partiers type. Unless we replace them California will be the states destination.

[Twotone]

We moved here in 2016 & were rather surprised that there were so many problematic Republicans in office. The general population is either oblivious to what is happening or outraged at the newcomers. I’m with the outraged folks. Don’t come here if you’re going to vote like you did in your old Blue State. But Democrats in particular seem to think Idaho Dems are sane. No, they’re just like all the other ones.

[OneVike]

When I first arrived in California back in 1988, I saw the exact same attitude. Many thought the Republicans were great, just to learn they were mostly RINO’s. While in Orange County there were still some Reagan conservatives, up North most were, but not the ones in control.

Voters have never really paid attention enough to local politics to fix the problems.

After Rush became popular, then local talk show guys showed up. I remember Bruce Sessions, was a local guy and very popular and as conservative as Rush. Kind of corny, but he was local. Soon he helped conservatives win the County, and the city of Chico for us.

Yet after he retired, the citizens got lazy again, and while they voted for strong national candiddates, we never had enough pull to stop the RINO’s from winning down South and they controlled things. Our choice for statewide seats were conservatives, but they lost to the more mainstream RINO candidates in the primaries.

Soon Butte County and a few others returned to being RINOish, because Sessions wasn’t there to fire up the locals. His 3 hours were taken over my national shows who could care less about local politics. Soon, the left gained control again. The best we got was again the good ole boy Republicans.

I like Lamalfa, but again he is our Representative to Congress, the local guys are not so strong.

These things I see in Idaho with good ole boys are in control, will destroy the whole state. Which will not take as long as it did with California, because the population is so small. A sudden shift in leftists moving here can really change the whole state over night

[OneVike]

By the way, we moved to Idaho in May 2019. My house was 10 miles from the fire that destroyed paradise. I have hundreds of friends who lost some or everything. I am still learning of friends I forgot about over the years who were effected by it.

So that being the last straw, we moved up here. Thinking it was more conservative, but seems like the same money and power that has corrupted Utah, has corrupted Idaho.

[Twotone]

I recently saw something about a leftist group coming in to deliberately start changing Idaho the way they did Colorado. I’m sorry I can’t remember the group’s name. They are indeed trying to figure out how to change every state, & now we’re barely holding on.

[OneVike]

Sadly, money is what will do it. Using donations from Soros funded groups as a back way into supporting things they will lie by painting leftists as conservastives.

In the last election, there was a leftist Democrat woman running for a state legislateure seat. She ran adds about being a rancher who loves guns. Well she lost big, but they will keep on trying and if we do not stand up and fight as conservatives by calling them out as the communists they are, they will eventually win.

We need to paint them with the same extremist brush they use for us. Never refer to them as anything but a leftist communist sympathizer. When we speak of them, we use extreme language to make them ugly to the voter. tell the truth, even if they say otherwise.

I do not care if they are a true middle of the road Democrat, call them an extremist, call them a baby killer, call them an open borders antiAmerica. We need to start making the very word Democrat sound evil. After all, there is no such thing as a friendly Democrat. They all want the destruction of our way of life.

Repeat it time and time again, by pointing out how the extreme democrats are, and calling all moderate Democrats the same thing. Using their tactics against them, by referring to every Democrat in the state as an extremist antiAmerican, anti 2nd Amendment, abortion loving, open border communist sympathizer.