Guns and Punishments

[originally posted at ATLMalcontent, regarding the recent non-charging of a man for shooting two robbers of the house next door, and is still WIP.] I see the gun lobby shill has shown up late to the thread, having moved at the speed of Google. Posting in their wake feels somewhat like making tea with hand-me-down bags. Still, this sounds like one of those football cases, where details are buried or rejected, for fear of spreading independent thought. That being said, some notes: Where was the getaway car and/or subdivision exit? Their location can indicate intent of the robbers: get away or hit the next house. I see the terms "conviction" and "acquittal" thrown about various comment pages, but were charges even filed? This was a grand jury, not a trial jury. IIRC, there's a large difference between grand jury producing no charges, and a trial jury acquitting of a specific set of charges. Specifically, "no charges" means "neither murder, nor any other charge that could stem from shooting two robbers with a 911 operator on the phone. Speaking of whom, the operator on this call wasn't taking the old man seriously, until it was too late. Within that context (right or not), inaction by this jury speaks volumes of the views of crime and justice in that part of the world; they've effectively chosen to neither validate the criminals' existence, nor assume a role of law enforcement. Likewise, the howls from various external parties place their agendas in lieu of any explanations from the jury.

posted at: 11:18 | permanent link to this entry

Critical Mass, Indeed.

It seems the local Critical Mass had its balloon popped (or at least, pinched) last weekend, after being written up in the local paper. So, the argument that appeared at Shelbinator last month, has expanded into minor controversy, with extra exposure over at CNN. There are a couple of underlying points with this train wreck in-progress: First, the timing of this conflict is an indication that City Hall (and/or APD brass) moves with the AJC's news cycle. Second, I see this situation getting worse before it gets better, as self-indulgent members of each tribe will alternately bait and attack each other, followed by much whining and pablum.

posted at: 11:17 | permanent link to this entry

Today's topic for discussion is:

Atlanta Braves: Major league baseball, minor league marketing.

posted at: 11:16 | permanent link to this entry