7.24.2007
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Outrage of the day
When can a man rape a seven-year old and walk away? Why, when he can claim to not understand English. Of course, that should be the politically correct "alleged" rapist. Yes, we are all innocent until proven guilty, blah blah blah.
This particular defense hinges on another allegation: that the court system could not find an interpreter who could translate from English into an obscure language called Vai. The accused is originally from Liberia, where at least three people speak this dialect. Perhaps more than three, but, hey, who's counting?
The outrage? The judge, in Montgomery County, Maryland (which runs a violent shade of blue on the political spectrum), dismissed the charges. Something about a speedy trial, and other alleged constitutional requirements.
From a WaPo story, the basics:
Assuming that this is true, on what planet was this judge living? And what is the obligation of a court to provide translation assistance when the accused has graduated from one of the best school systems in the country? One must also assume that the perp was not taught in his allegedly native language of Vai, although, given that it's MoCoMd, he could have been taught in Spanish or in ASL.
I'd say that political correctness has become more important than justice, at least in Montgomery County, Maryland. Perhaps I'll rob a bank, and, when caught, claim that I can only understand Martian.
This particular defense hinges on another allegation: that the court system could not find an interpreter who could translate from English into an obscure language called Vai. The accused is originally from Liberia, where at least three people speak this dialect. Perhaps more than three, but, hey, who's counting?
The outrage? The judge, in Montgomery County, Maryland (which runs a violent shade of blue on the political spectrum), dismissed the charges. Something about a speedy trial, and other alleged constitutional requirements.
From a WaPo story, the basics:
Prosecutors in Montgomery County said yesterday that they intend to ask an appellate court to overturn a judge's dismissal of a case against a Liberian immigrant charged with raping a young girl. The judge had ruled that repeated delays caused by the court's failure to find an interpreter fluent in the accused man's native dialect had violated his right to a speedy trial.Now, what's missing from this little story about a politically correct judge is this little fact, not reported in the WaPo story but heard on Fox News: the perpetrator is a graduate from a high school in...drum roll please...Montgomery County, Maryland. Which prides itself on having really, really good schools.
Assuming that this is true, on what planet was this judge living? And what is the obligation of a court to provide translation assistance when the accused has graduated from one of the best school systems in the country? One must also assume that the perp was not taught in his allegedly native language of Vai, although, given that it's MoCoMd, he could have been taught in Spanish or in ASL.
I'd say that political correctness has become more important than justice, at least in Montgomery County, Maryland. Perhaps I'll rob a bank, and, when caught, claim that I can only understand Martian.
Labels: law + order, Political correctness
posted by Jack Rich at 9:47 AM
I was born, grew up, and went to school in the Bronx, New York -- on the wrong side of the
tracks. Got the chance to go to college, so instead of joining the NYPD (the obvious career choice at
that time and place), I became an engineer. Spent
some years designing things that go boom (or things that take things that go boom to their destinations...), principally for our military.
Also took an interesting career turn and for some years was in charge of counter-terrorism for my agency...so I learned something about guns. And when to use them.
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