Scarborough Country: Where Idiot Judges Are Liberal

[lady lib]

I suppose I should be shocked and appalled at this comparison, but all I can do at this point is sigh and shake my head.

Look at the excerpts of the transcript from Scarborough's show (courtesy of a link through C&L). There's more at the link.

(SCARBOROUGH) Coming up next, it’s happened again. Talking about no sense. A judge in Ohio rules that a convicted child molester who raped a 5-year-old boy shouldn’t get jail time. What can be done about this growing problem with liberal judges?

snip

SCARBOROUGH: Judge John Connor sentenced Selva to probation and counseling, using the same explanation Vermont Judge Edward Cashman did, that Selva did not pose a threat to the community.

snip

CATHY HARPER LEE, THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF OHIO: Well, Congressman Scarborough, first I want to say that I am disgusted with Judge Connor’s decision. Judge Connor has decided to send a message to these two children and to all children who are currently being victimized by crime, that their lives, in the view of the court, have no value. That a person can commit such a horrific, violent crime against them and get away with not spending any time in prison.

snip

LEE: The community is outraged. We get a number of calls—the calls have been pouring in, that the community is outraged that a judge could make such a decision.

Continues... Go down to the middle of the page.

What?!! :wtf:

Does Scarborough think "the (outraged) community" is comprised only of conservatives? I mean if the judge is supposly "liberal"...

Leave it to Scarborough to use his position as a TV commentator to paint liberals as loony child molester apologists.

Hey Joe, the judge is an idiot. He and that judge from Vermont should be removed from their positions for incompetence, violation of the public trust, and dereliction of duty. It's obvious to liberals as well as conservatives that molesters need to be removed from the community to protect children from their crimes. Your biased (not to mention inaccurate and vicious) comparison adds yet another reprehensible action in this whole sad event.

Feel free to send MSNBC your thoughts, if you're so inclined. It's not like it's the first time they've heard from us.
[e-mail]

(Whew! Sometimes you just need to rant.)

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. How did we confirm this judge was liberal?

[lady lib]

2. Scarborough presented the judge that way

in his introductory remark to that segment of the show. "We" don't know what the judge's political/ideological leanings are. My point is that Scarborough is using this situation to smear liberals.

[TahitiNut]

3. Do we know whether this was a failure of the judge and not a failure of

... the prosecution? It seems to me that the judge is only ethically permitted to assess penalties to the degree shown as warranted by the prosecution. I really don't trust press reports of such cases, since it's on the right-wing agenda to cast the judiciary as flawed by liberalism, independent of whether it's the truth.

Incarceration of an offender is warranted, according to my understanding, under several theories of what's accomplished by such incarceration. These include

• rehabilitation (including the effect of penitance)
• public safety (based on liklihood of further offenses)
• deterrence (example to others)
• revenge (which I regard as morally invalid).

Does the prosecution have a duty to substantiate the rationale?
I don't know.

[lady lib]

4. Here is a link to a report on the case.

I should have included it in the original post, but didn't think of it at the time. Apparently the offender has admitted to his crimes, so I would think your cited reasons for incarceration have been met. Certainly, there's a need for public safety that can only be assured by removing this person from the community.

http://www.nbc4i.com/news/5492395/detail.html

Selva was originally charged with 20 counts of rape, but agreed to a plea deal involving two counts of sexual battery. He apologized to the victims and his wife.

During sentencing, he told the judge that he must spend the rest of his life proving that he has changed.

"I do not want to make any excuses for what I have done. I've been struggling to overcome this, but it's really hard," he said.

After hearing from psychologists about the potential to re-offend without treatment, the judge placed the most dangerous of sexual offender labels on Selva.

"Mr. Selva does meet the criteria of a sexual predator," said Judge John Connor.