Showing posts with label John Chisholm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Chisholm. Show all posts

Friday, January 28, 2022

Blind Justice

 

It only takes one broken link.

Statues of Lady Justice, the embodied likeness of the Roman goddess Justita, adorn many courthouses throughout the United States. Blindfolded, with a sword in one hand and a scale balanced in the other, she represents a fair and impartial judicial system. Justice is meted out impartially, without regard to the station of either defendant or plaintiff. The law and the facts presented should determine the outcome of any trial, independent of the race, gender, age or wealth of the accused. In our Constitutional Republic, the rule of law is the glue that holds civilized society together. All are guaranteed a fair trial by a jury of their peers, have the right to not self-incriminate and everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty. These are the linchpins of our judicial system. These rights are enumerated in our Constitution, Bill of Rights and court decision precedent. Without them, our judicial system fails.

Unfortunately, our system of justice is being perverted by District Attorneys that use their position to reject the law and set their own standards of justice. Progressive District Attorneys in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other blue cities decide that precedent and written laws are irrelevant when holding accountable those accused of committing criminal acts. They lead an effort to create a more equitable outcome by reducing or eliminating bail and ignoring criminal behavior in an effort to decrease the number of persons of color incarcerated. The lawlessness witnessed in the cities that have District Attorneys that embrace these ideals is unprecedented. Criminals who understand that there will be no consequences for illegal behavior will be emboldened to escalate their criminal actions.

District Attorneys fail their citizens and abdicate their responsibility to hold criminals accountable when those committing crimes are arbitrarily released without appropriate bail. Bail is meant to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Those released instead of remaining jailed, are free to go out and commit more criminal acts. Darrell Brooks, the perpetrator of the Christmas parade massacre in Waukesha, Wisconsin was released on a $1000 bail, for felony offences in Milwaukee County, including being charged with running over his girlfriend with his car. DA John Chisholm bragged about his policy of leniency in 2007, “Is there going to be an individual that I divert, or put in a treatment program going to go out and kill somebody? You bet. Guaranteed. It’s guaranteed to happen. It does not invalidate the overall approach.” His prophesy was fulfilled. Far too many have paid the price for his recklessness. This cannot continue.

“Defund the Police” casts aspersions upon the very people charged to uphold the law and protect the citizenry from bad actors. Police are vilified and use of force incidents are criticized in an effort to divert the criminality from the offender to the police officer. Mistakes made by police in the heat of the moment are used to attack policing as a whole. Dishonest claims that “systemic racism” permeates law enforcement is repeated over and over by the mainstream media. The number of actual unlawful arrests, police “targeting” persons of color and reports of police “brutality” are so rare that each incident is amplified by the media for weeks and months to make it appear that it as common place as issuing a speeding ticket.

Without the “Thin Blue Line” our society devolves into lawlessness and anarchy. “Woke” DA’s that devalue the work of law enforcement by releasing accused criminals on low bail or fail to even charge them with a crime is extremely discouraging to officers trying their best to protect the citizenry. When these DA’s continually disparage law enforcement, morale and any enthusiasm to enforce the law wanes. When police face more scrutiny than criminals, the resolve to place themselves at risk fades. The assault upon and the lack of respect for law enforcement has begun to take a toll. Fewer and fewer people are willing to apply for positions in law enforcement. In the recent past, there were many more applicants than positions available. This has fallen precipitously. Without qualified candidates to fulfil the role to actually “keep you and your community safe”, our society becomes more and more vulnerable to lawlessness. Police need our support, not unwarranted vilification. Prosecutorial misconduct by “Woke” DA’s is increasing. Don’t stand by and allow another link in the chain of justice to break.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Consequential

 

No consequences, no restraint

Without boundaries or restrictions, humankind’s instincts revert to selfishness and greed. We are born, helpless and dependent upon others for our needs, self-centered to the point that we cry when hungry, wet or cold until those needs are met to our satisfaction. Without rules or laws, humankind regresses back to our childhood, and our innate selfishness. Without consequences there is no need to restrain oneself in an effort to adhere to societal norms. Without consequences it becomes everyone for themselves. Without consequences we devolve into mere animals and anarchy and lawlessness reigns.

The defund the police movement promotes exactly the type of lawlessness we have witnessed over the last two years. Police are ordered to stand down and let the masses “let off steam” by rioting, looting and burning and we are surprised by the resulting chaos. Organized looting hits our cities and the elected leaders point fingers at one another. Would anyone expect any less when unlawful actions are ignored by the authorities? Laws are meant to protect the citizenry by placing constraints on inappropriate societal behavior. Law enforcement is the mechanism to administer those laws for the protection of society. The courts are to mete out the consequences of failures to abide by those communal laws.

In many of our blue cities, there is a movement to eliminate bail and to reduce incarceration. After all, it is not fair and equitable those that are arrested and sentenced to prison do not precisely mirror the current demographics of the population. Progressive District Attorneys fail to meet their obligations to remove from society those that engage in behavior that places others in danger. Prosecutors that engage in this misguided attempt to “level the playing field” are committing malfeasance in public office. Milwaukee County DA’s office, under John Chisholm, set inappropriately low bail for career criminal Darrell Brooks, who was freed on $1,000 bail after he assaulted his girlfriend and ran her over with his SUV. Chisholm’s policy of reducing incarceration, low bail recommendations and greater latitude for offenders of color, allowed Brooks the freedom to use his SUV to mow down more than 60 people, killing 6, at the Waukesha Christmas parade.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Police are ordered to stand down during the rioting in Kenosha, WI and Kyle Rittenhouse fills that void to assist in protecting property. Law enforcement, trained in crowd control, could have ended the violence and properly protected life and property, but Mayor John Antaramain decided to let the mob rule unabated. Far too many with a “D” after their names are embracing these destructive policies. There will be none of that in Washington County. The rule of law is respected and the responsibility to uphold those laws are fulfilled. Mob rule will not be tolerated in Washington County.

Laws are enacted to protect all citizens, their property and their Constitutional rights. Ignoring the law leads to chaos, which apparently is the goal of the progressive left. You see, in order to fundamentally change our nation, it must first be destroyed, then rebuilt. What does this reformed nation look like? Nations that embraced leftism devolved into socialism and then, totalitarianism. Venezuela transformed from a nation with a vibrant economy, to the current hell-hole it is today after electing Hugo Chavez and embracing socialism in 1999. If we fail to act to prevent our downward spiral towards socialism, we will be faced with the same harsh realities that the Venezuelan people are experiencing today.

The momentum that began with the parents petitioning their School Boards to demand accountability must continue if we are to save our country as founded. The Biden administration continues its’ deliberate descent in spending this nation into oblivion, greasing the skids towards the goal of creating a socialist state and threatening our very monetary system. If the dollar fails and is replaced as the standard currency of trade, your investments will vanish overnight. It is only because of the dollar’s status that we can continue to print currency without creating hyper-inflation. We must elect representatives that will stop this insanity. The policies of the left are intentionally destructive. The policies of the left create unrelenting and unpunished crime. The policies of the left teach our children to hate each other based on the color of their skin. It is time to reject all that is the left and re-embrace the visionary aspirations of the founding fathers.