What makes you think he also hasn’t just gone through a 30-something page thread with idiots thinking they know how to read rules and that they alone can interpret them?
This. News is infotainment, not informational. Outrage sells almost as well as fear. I don’t trust stories like this to tell the whole story accurately.
Well! That makes me feel… better?
You are right to be wary.
For this though where do you think the sensationalism is?
The DA is quoted as saying (bolding mine):
“We had been talking with them about this misdemeanor disposition for a while now,” Hurlbert said. “The misdemeanor charges really are what he did.”
So, there seems little to no disagreement that a hit-and-run occurred and that the Mercedes driver did it.
Now the issue is whether it was felony or misdemeanor hit-and-run.
For that we have the list of injuries which are central to a determination of whether the crime is a felony or a hit-and-run.
It is here where the sensationalism could be. His brain hemorrhage might have been a bloody nose and his reconstructive surgeries might be removing a 1/8" scar from his pinky toe.
Thing is the DA is not quoted as saying the injuries do not rise to the level of felony hit-and-run. He is quoted as saying bring a felony charge would jeopardize the guy’s job.
Now, if the media is misquoting or taking his words out of context I expect the DA would be issuing a correction. Seems he has found himself at the center of a shit storm over this and so far I have not seen him pointing out where the media has wholly misrepresented the case.
At the end of the day a court should be deciding this.
Is it worth noting that this is the DA who tried (and failed) to launch a political career off of his failed prosecution of Kobe Bryant on those questionable sexual assault charges several years back? Probably worth noting. This guy has questionable judgment and a penchant for the spotlight.
It’s not supposed to make you feel better. It’s supposed to make you feel like something is very, very wrong with out system. But hey, I work in immigration enforcement, so everyone already knew that.
There is a difference though.
The issues you describe are the result of a broken, fucked-up system that I would guess is overwhelmed. That is not a good thing of course but a far cry from a DA playing favorites.
You and I don’t know what we don’t know. You say I am right to be wary but then you go on to be unwary. Your entire post is predicated on the assumption that there are certain known facts (which may actually be wrong) and that there are not significant others you are not being told (which there may be), and you assume you are being told all the technical legalities that may affect the position (which you may not be).
I am saying if the facts are as they have been presented, and to date no one has provided anything whatsoever to dispute then, then my reasoning stands. If someone does provide new evidence that disputes it then fine, I’ll reassess my opinion.
I am saying let the guy have his day in court and let the court decide as is proper. If it really is only a misdemeanor the court should be able to decide that rather easily. Trot in the medical records and apply the law as written to them. Seems pretty straightforward to me.
But it’s not that straightforward: there are a bazillion cases a day where line ball decisions have to be made by prosecutors as to what they should charge with. If they just charged everyone with every offence they thought might conceivably stick or even where they don’t think the charge is appropriate for some particular reason the courts would be totally clogged with cases that shouldn’t be there. You trust prosecutors with exercising this judgment every day. The difference is that in this case you think the prosecutor has got it wrong, but I just don’t think there is any solid foundation for thinking that.
Wow. This post basically boils down to “poor people good, rich people bad.”
You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Of course he is. The only reason, the ONLY reason Rand Rover is defending this guy is because he’s rich, and like a lot of other fatcat teabaggers out there, he believes the rich in this country are under attack, so right or wrong, they need a break. If this was a poor guy, what do you want to bet he’d be calling for his head.
Basically he’s the type of “damn the little people” asshole who gives rich Republicans a bad name. You have to remember this is the same guy who started a thread bitching about having to perform “pro bono bullshit.”
Do you know why snakes don’t bite lawyers?
Professional courtesy.
O.J .is in jail proving that rich people don’t get breaks in our system.
Good point, well taken!
Now that you mention it, the OP story left out the most important fact – whether the driver is white or not.
I have a list of injuries which, if massively overstated, no one is gainsaying and if true at the very least suggest a court should make the determination. I have the cyclist’s attorney and the cyclist who seem pretty hot about it. I have a DA who is now in the center of a shit storm making no defense for himself that says the injuries, which are central to a determination of whether it is felony hit-and-run, don’t merit bringing those charges. I have a DA who stated his rationale for leaving it at a misdemeanor is because the accused has a good job.
Yep…I got nothing. :rolleyes:
How so?
I said it is not good and it isn’t. It is the result of a fucked-up system though which is different from corruption.
Should it be fixed? You bet. Am I happy some of those people walk? Hell no.
How does that change anything in this case though?
Other news outlets have picked up on this and had a picture of the guy. He’s white.