Originally Posted By RoadTrip I wonder if OJ can get the award to Goldman reversed. He also was acquitted prior to the civil trial.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "And jurors who are basically too dumb to know they are being played. It's just a giant game played by a legal industry who have made themselves a nice living off it." The linked case is simply bad law, and hopefully a higher court will reverse it. If people want to generalize about the entire system, that's certainly their right, but of course they'd be wrong. Every field of endeavour has its flaws, but in the law, they're magnified more because of the effect it can have on people's lives. 99.999% of the time we get it right, however. Statements like the one quoted above are simply ignorant. There's no use in debating it, because some preconceived or ill-informed notions get set in stone. But I'm proud to be involved in the system, because the vast majority of us who work in it every day are honorable, well meaning and provide a vital service.
Originally Posted By jonvn "99.999% of the time we get it right" No, they don't. "Statements like the one quoted above are simply ignorant." No, it's not. I've sat on a jury, a few times now. It doesn't take a lot to see what goes on. "the vast majority of us who work in it every day are honorable, well meaning and provide a vital service. " Yes, the legal profession has a very high opinion of itself, but few othres do. Odd, that. Of course you will hear lawyers says "No one likes lawyers, until they need one." Yes, to protect them from OTHER lawyers. I am not a lawyer, but I have been around enough as either a participant in a lawsuit or as a jury member, or just watching Judge Judy to know what a pile of nonsense most of this stuff is. Things were a lot better when everyone just walked around with six shooters and justice was handed out swift and sure.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Have at it, jonvn. You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm entitled to mine.
Originally Posted By jonvn And you're trying to say that the system is perfect and there is nothing that can be done to improve it?
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I'm trying to say I'm not going to waste any time debating this with you. Serving on a few juries does not qualify you as an expert on anything here, but nonetheless, you're entitled to your opinion.
Originally Posted By jonvn I didn't say I was an expert, nor did I know that one had to be an expert on things to discuss them here.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Our legal system certainly isn't perfect, but I would far rather stand trial here than any other country on earth.
Originally Posted By jonvn Yeah? Why? I mean, sure, we're better than North Korea, but what's wrong with the legal system in Canada or New Zealand or France?
Originally Posted By jonvn And frankly, in looking at these other systems I see nothing to indicate that they are inferior to ours at all. Since you're an expert, perhaps you could enlighten us.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I'm not an expert, but I believe that the U.S. system provides more safeguards for the defendant than any other system... from initial arrest through sentencing.
Originally Posted By jonvn That's what you hear. IS it actually true? Our rights as citizens have been whittled away slowly but surely, first by the war on drugs, and now aided by the war on terror. Of course, it's better to go on trial here than it is in North Korea or Mexico. On the other hand most countries of the world have banned the death penalty. So maybe it's not all the horror show in every other country that we are led to believe.
Originally Posted By jonvn Oh, this just popped up on CNN. Yeah, totally reasonable: <a href="http://www.ketv.com/news/13657698/detail.html" target="_blank">http://www.ketv.com/news/13657 698/detail.html</a>
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Does the word anecdotal mean anything to you? "Well, guess what? I'm not going to rob a bank anywhere." Whassamatter, no guts? Come on, do a little research, get out there and experience these things before you pass judgment. Who knows, maybe being on trial in France is a croissant compared to here. Live a little!
Originally Posted By jonvn No guts? Why would I rob a bank, when it's much easier to just mug someone in a back alley? Much less chance of getting caught. Anecdotal...well, how many of these sorts of things have to accumulate before it's not just anecdotal anymore?
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder So get on a plane and go mug Pierre, already. Grab Fifi while you're at it.
Originally Posted By jonvn Fifi the cockatoo from the Tiki Room? I think I will skip France, and the entire criminal route. I just fought a traffic ticket and that fills the legal mumbo jumbo quota for the month.
