General Discussion Thread

[jemhouston]

There's a new sheriff coming to DC. She's there to kick butt and chew gum. She's out of gum.

[Wolfman]

Hopefully she can keep the person living at 1600 from doing anything extremely stupid…

[jemhouston]

Hopefully she can keep the person living at 1600 from doing anything extremely stupid…

I'm glad you added extremely. She's good, but not good enough to prevent stupid.

[Wolfman]

Hopefully she can keep the person living at 1600 from doing anything extremely stupid…

I'm glad you added extremely. She's good, but not good enough to prevent stupid.

Politicians, need I say more?

[Wolfman]

Hey, Matt, anything new about the idiots who were busted shining lasers into cockpits?

[Matt Wiser]

Haven't heard much lately, though I do understand the legal process is taking its course. A couple of them were College trust fund kids, and got their rich parents' lawyers to defend them. They are saying "Oh, we thought it was a good idea to have some fun, didn't mean to hurt anyone, etc.," but the fact that this took place at Hill, Mountain Home, Fairchild, Larson, McChord, Portland IAP, and NAS Whidbey has the FBI still looking for anyone else involved. Those two Red Lawyers in Portland keep coming up, along with a radical professor who was at Evergreen College in Washington before it was shut down during the war-and hasn't been reopened. But from what the 419th's Legal Officer says-and I do keep in touch now that I'm IRR-it's hearsay. Nothing about them that can be admitted in court and not enough to take to a Grand Jury.

[Poohbah]

Haven't heard much lately, though I do understand the legal process is taking its course. A couple of them were College trust fund kids, and got their rich parents' lawyers to defend them. They are saying "Oh, we thought it was a good idea to have some fun, didn't mean to hurt anyone, etc.," but the fact that this took place at Hill, Mountain Home, Fairchild, Larson, McChord, Portland IAP, and NAS Whidbey has the FBI still looking for anyone else involved. Those two Red Lawyers in Portland keep coming up, along with a radical professor who was at Evergreen College in Washington before it was shut down during the war-and hasn't been reopened. But from what the 419th's Legal Officer says-and I do keep in touch now that I'm IRR-it's hearsay. Nothing about them that can be admitted in court and not enough to take to a Grand Jury.

All I will say at this point, having been involved through the shenanigans at El Forko Grande, is that one should never say never. (Looks smug.)

[Wolfman]

Poohbah, you know something, don’t you? So, how classified is it?

[Poohbah]

Poohbah, you know something, don’t you? So, how classified is it?

It's not classified at this point, there's just some wrangling about admissibility, it's at Eighth Circuit now, ruling expected presently.

[Wolfman]

So, spill, you old reprobate.

[Poohbah]

So, spill, you old reprobate.

At this point? All I can say is that we gathered evidence. Defense attorneys for all of the cases are trying to exclude it. Draw your own conclusions.

[Wolfman]

You’ve got them dead to rights?

[Poohbah]

You’ve got them dead to rights?

Once the Eighth Circuit rules, we shall see.

[Johnnie Lyle]

You’ve got them dead to rights?

Once the Eighth Circuit rules, we shall see.

His lawyers pro bono, or billing by the hour ?

[Poohbah]

You’ve got them dead to rights?

Once the Eighth Circuit rules, we shall see.

His lawyers pro bono, or billing by the hour ?

Pro bono. Not to be confused with Pro Bono, where they work on behalf of U2.

[Wolfman]

I’m pretty sure that the court’s less than amused by the funny business that landed these people there in the first place…

[Poohbah]

I’m pretty sure that the court’s less than amused by the funny business that landed these people there in the first place…

They're arguing over admissibility of evidence, which to us ordinary folk is usually akin to debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, and whether this number changes if they switch from ballroom to breakdancing.

Until one of us ordinary folk is accused of a federal crime, and then the Federal Court Rules of Evidence become downright fascinating, and this case in particular is breaking new legal ground. So I'm content for the nonce to let the judges consult law and precedent, and I don't envy them any tough calls that come up.

[Wolfman]

I’m pretty sure that the court’s less than amused by the funny business that landed these people there in the first place…

They're arguing over admissibility of evidence, which to us ordinary folk is usually akin to debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, and whether this number changes if they switch from ballroom to breakdancing.

Until one of us ordinary folk is accused of a federal crime, and then the Federal Court Rules of Evidence become downright fascinating, and this case in particular is breaking new legal ground. So I'm content for the nonce to let the judges consult law and precedent, and I don't envy them any tough calls that come up.

Good point. What does Sophie have to say about it?

[Poohbah]

I’m pretty sure that the court’s less than amused by the funny business that landed these people there in the first place…

They're arguing over admissibility of evidence, which to us ordinary folk is usually akin to debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, and whether this number changes if they switch from ballroom to breakdancing.

Until one of us ordinary folk is accused of a federal crime, and then the Federal Court Rules of Evidence become downright fascinating, and this case in particular is breaking new legal ground. So I'm content for the nonce to let the judges consult law and precedent, and I don't envy them any tough calls that come up.

Good point. What does Sophie have to say about it?

She's firmly of the opinion that it's better for this to get litigated properly up front than to shoot from the hip and risk getting it wrong. She's said more than once on the digital aspects of law enforcement that deliberative government is always going to lag Silicon Valley because of the latter's mantra of "go fast and break stuff." There's never going to be an easy answer; the law has always lagged technology, and she cited the 19th Century disputes between Mississippi River steamboat operators and the railroads building bridges over the river as an example. America would look very different if those cases had been decided differently.

[jemhouston]

As the saying goes, a liberal is a conservate who's been indicted, a conservate is liberal who's been mugged.

Get the paperwork right first