Angela, you and your grandson have my sincere sympathy. It's been my experience that anyone who has had to interact with the criminal justice system, regardless of how they're involved or on which side of the "V." they fall, find it very much a maddening arrangement.
There is very strong pressure from the Courts, law enforcement and the system as a whole to "move things alongs" expeditiously and make it easier for the system to put people away. Public Defenders frequently have to deal with being labeled "dump trucks" for the common perception, which unfortunately is sometimes true, that they don't care about their clients and are merely part of the system that is prosecuting criminal defendants. I tell my clients that, as a Public Defender, my role, if nothing else, is to be sand in the vaseline of the system; to make it difficult and costly for the system to deprive my clients of their liberty; to make the prosecution prove their case and not just roll over because it means less work for me or the prosecution. Fortunately I work in an office and in a jursidiction where most of the public defenders as well as most of the criminal defense bar operates within the same ethos. That's what the Constitution mandates, and what was ratified in the landmark 1963 case, Gideon v. Wainwright, that was the basis for the development of all the different Public Defender systems throughout the USA. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_v._Wainwright ) It's unfortunate that your grandson's appointed attorney apparently didn't do as good or as zealous a job as the Constitution requires, but it can be a hard job and a draining one, too, and the temptation to just go along can be difficult to resist. I feel lucky that I didn't get into this line of work until I was nearly 50 and I still had all my idealism intact. Maybe if I had started in my mid-20s I'd have become jaded and cynical by now. Your grandson is very lucky to have you in his life. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Marek, God bless your hands. > My black grandson was in the hands of Fairfield's > criminal justice system when I returned from China. > If I hadn't been there, they would have knowingly sent > an innocent sixteen-year old boy to an adult prison. > I was able to reign them in because I made them > understand that I was capable of watching their every > move and making very loud and intelligent noise about > them. Had I had your advice, I might have been able > to keep them from making lie in a plea-bargain > arrangement which cost him probation and registering > as a sex offender till he's almost thirty. Tell me, > just for example, what kind of court-appointed defense > lawyer refuses to depose the alleged victim? And when > I made enough noise about it, deposes him, but asks > not one pertinent question? > > > > --- Marek Reavis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Angela, one of the great satisfactions in my life is > > to meet with a > > client in jail (and for the very first time), and > > have her/him say > > that they were really happy that I'm their attorney > > because they've > > heard about me from other inmates and they know that > > they are in good > > hands. > > > > ** > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela > > Mailander > > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > > > Such a person would be awesome in the courtroom, > > > Marek. > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Duveyoung <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > "Marek Reavis" wrote: "A truly good person is > > in > > > > the flow of life, > > > > the Tao. In that flow ownership of action > > doesn't > > > > exist because > > > > everything is flowing with their intentions, > > like > > > > having the wind at > > > > your back." > > > > > > > > Marek, > > > > > > > > Thanks for using that popular metaphor -- it > > > > suddenly hit me from a > > > > new angle. (So keep using those old saws out > > there > > > > people!) > > > > > > > > To have the wind at one's back, it turns out, is > > > > merely one side of > > > > the concept. > > > > > > > > There's the other side too. > > > > > > > > Case in point: To be literal, a "lesson" that > > all > > > > trikke newbies have > > > > happen to them is that they start out trikking > > with > > > > the wind at their > > > > backs, but it is such a slight breeze that they > > > > never notice it; then, > > > > when they decide to return home, the same > > pathway > > > > now has this > > > > "hurricane" blowing them to a standstill. Oh, > > > > there's another "wind" > > > > too: a Trikke is lovingly called a "invisible > > slope > > > > detection device" > > > > by trikkers, because if you're just learning how > > to > > > > carve, you find > > > > out that virtually no surface is level and that > > in > > > > one direction you > > > > can trikke pretty good as a newbie, but in the > > other > > > > you cannot go > > > > even a single foot forwards -- until you truly > > learn > > > > how to work the > > > > beast. Can't call yourself a trikker until you > > can > > > > go up a steep hill! > > > > > > > > To have the wind at one's back (God's help) and > > not > > > > be enlightened -- > > > > oooo, prepare for a shock any second! You're > > going > > > > along great and > > > > think you're on top of things, then suddenly > > your > > > > direction in life > > > > changes and you come to dead stop without any > > > > resources to move > > > > forwards at the easy-peasy pace you were > > enjoying > > > > just moments before. > > > > One thinks one's really trucking entirely on > > one's > > > > own merits, then > > > > OOPS! where's my support of nature go? I have > > this > > > > happen all the > > > > time to me when a scenario requires me to have a > > > > whole notch more > > > > compassion or insight or other personality > > dynamic, > > > > and BANG, there I > > > > am with no real traction and a lot of growth > > needed. > > > > > > > > I'm reminded of Karna, Arjuna's evil twin, who > > had > > > > this tapas-earned > > > > boon that would have wiped out Arjuna's whole > > army > > > > in a blink, but > > > > when he went to use it (a mantra that basically > > was > > > > like pulling the > > > > trigger on an atomic bomb) he couldn't remember > > the > > > > damned mantra! > > > > Just like that, suddenly, Karna came up short -- > > > > thought he was a big > > > > shot -- "It's all downhill from here, Baby!" -- > > but > > > > when the direction > > > > of the battle changed, he suddenly found that > > all > > > > his powers were for > > > > naught, and that he was lacking the ability he > > truly > > > > needed to call > > > > himself a complete warrior (trikker) -- in this > > case > > > > it was his > > > > inability to retain subtlety while in the heat > > of > > > > battle. > > > > > > > > Trikkers know all about subtlety, let me tell > > ya! A > > > > small scattering > > > > of pebbles can getcha plowing the sod with a > > > > shoulder if hit them > > > > "just so," and a "light wind" can slow one down > > so > > > > much that people > > > > with aluminum walkers start shooting by like > > hot-rod > > > > teens! Oh, the > > > > shame of it if one doesn't have the chops to > > meet > > > > the challenges of > > > > wind and pebbles. > > > > > > > > So, thanks, Marek, for a new insight into the > > > > support of nature being > > > > an all time reality for the enlightened who are > > > > always sliding down > > > > the gravity well with the wind at their backs -- > > > > it's a free ride all > > > > the way! They're surfing, always in freefall, > > and > > > > wondering what the > > > > rest of us are talking about: gravity? eh? > > whacha > > > > talkin' 'bout > > > > gravity? There's no gravity! > > > > > > > > Edg > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends > > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com >
