- Buz was interested in some recent plea bargains in Baltimore's Court. In one a doctor driving drunk the wrong way on I83, crashed into a car and caused the death of one woman who died at the hospital and seriously injured another person, who has had several surgeries, and will probably never fully recover. The doctor whined and cried and said "I'm sorry". What BS. He's only sorry because he got caught. He'll only do a year in jail. Betcha: 7-1, he will not successfully complete his probation and go back to the juice, but he'll not go back to jail. And the judge said he could get his "conviction" erased!
- The woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the methadone poisoning of her daughter and got a completely suspended jail sentence; the prosecutors went for this because they couldn't prove she actually gave her daughter the methadone. Then her lawyer gets out front in front of the cameras to say the poor thing didn't do it, and had to plead guilty to get some help. Well, duh, the lack of responsibility here is astounding. One of the things a judge reads to defendants when they plead guilty is: "you are pleading guilty, because you are in fact guilty". Betcha: 24-1, she won't get the help she needs, without the push of some actual jail time. (Many people sentenced to treatment stop coming to it.) Her lawyer would have better served her by having all but say a year of jail suspended, then after a few months taken her to Marian House, so she has an inpatient type of support system to help her break out of the miasma of ills in the Inner City. Of course, the good sisters at Marian House will not introduce her to birth control, though. But otherwise she would have what she needs there, along with a drug treatment regimen. Betcha 5-1 that she gets arrested again, but does not complete what a reasonable person would call a successful probation, and betcha 8-1, she still does not get violated. Betcha 3-1, she'll get pregnant again.
- Buz notes that in the two above cited cases Baltimore prosecutors declined to take their chances with Baltimore juries, in the first case thinking the jurors might have felt the doctor did not cause her death because the family is suing the hospital for negligent treatment. Well, she would not have been in the hospital if the doctor hadn't slammed into her car. In the second case, the defense would have said one of her many boyfriends at the party might have given the baby the methadone--by mistake of course.
- Buz heard Marc Steiner out at Goucher last night, and agrees with him on the sense of hopelessness which pervades the inner city now. And for young adults, especially, it's the thug culture of toughness and fighting and contempt for the rest of us. Marc stated that conditions for the black underclass are probably worse now than at any time since slavery. Dunno about that, but it is pretty bad.
- Read the Sun article today about comments Judge David Young said at the sentencing for the bus beaters and one becomes overwhelmed with anger, contempt and hopelessness oneself.
- A friend was driving back from Columbia the other day, and cut thru the West side and was driving along North Avenue, when she was shocked by the thugs driving All Terrain Vehicles all over the streets: "terrifying" in their intimidation of all others.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Baltimore's a hotbed of crime news!
Man, there's a lot going on with crime in Baltimore!
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7 comments:
"A friend was driving back from Columbia the other day, and cut thru the West side and was driving along North Avenue, when she was shocked by the thugs driving All Terrain Vehicles all over the streets: "terrifying" in their intimidation of all others."
I've also seen thugs on North Avenue blowing through stoplights & acting like savages, except they were on dirt bikes. It's astonishing that they can just blatantly ignore the law like that.
Many years ago, police used to chase them, but a couple of the thuggy-wuggys ran into moving cars to get away from the cops. Families of the poor things sued, claiming the police "irresponsibly" caused the accident.
Anyhoo, the word came down from on high: no chasing dirtballs on dirt-bikes. So now when they take over the streets on many days in many neighborhoods, the police look at them an wave as they go by.
In one of my first blogs I lamented the Mayor's apologizing to the mother whose kid got arrested at 8 years-old while sitting on a dirt-bike. Yeah, the officer could have handled it better, but you know the Mayor could have taken the case as an opportunity to blast the illegal use of dirt-bikes on city streets and parks --and of course, for the mom buying a bike to fit her tyke. (That rhymes!).
It sounds to me like we need to change our laws so that it's essentially impossible for someone who's hurt or killed in the commission of a crime to sue. Of course with all the bloodsucking lawyers running the legislature in Annapolis that'll never happen.
Every spring it happens. The dirt bikers start zooming around like the gates of hell have opened and just let them out. There is something about the dirt bike thugs that makes many people red-hot angry, a certain provocative aggressiveness to the popping of wheelies that rubs people the wrong way. I suppose that is fully intentional.
But the reality is these people are _vastly_ more likely to hurt themselves than anyone else. Chasing them is probably not worth it, as they will flee recklessly jumping sidewalks and going the wrong way through traffic and endanger others even more than they were doing. Much better to let them go.
Seriously, you can hear them coming from half a mile away. Watch your mirrors and hold your lane till they pass. No big deal.
Pity we have to pay for their medical care when they end up in Shock Trauma.
Responsibly said, Helix!
I usually do that though I must admit I sometimes give a loud blast on my Explorer's horn as a sort of protest when I feel safe doing it. Usually it merely elicits the one-figured salute (his bowling score or his IQ?)
Ah, jeez.......where are the Chosen Sons when we need them? Oops, I forgot, they are merely law-aiding working people who only scare you legally. Besides, they're still mourning Norm up at the Haven. (heaven?)
Nice notes Buz, Thanks.
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