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DParker wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:But that was in France, and as bad as it gets here, it is very difficult to find that kind of pervasive corruption in our judiciary. Wrongheadedness, yes. Lack of constitutional understanding, yes. But here, corruption in the judiciary tends to get dealt with fairly quickly, and fairly forcefully. The decision "products" of our court system in America are largely a matter of public record. Therefore, it is fairly easy for a litigant to find a court which has a record of rendering decisions in landmark cases that are favorable to the litigant's interest in the case at hand. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has such a reputation. Its decisions on social policy issues, for instance, are almost always in favor of a hard leftist interpretation. In fact, the 9th Circuits decisions are so wacky that they hold the distinction of being the most overturned (by the Supreme Court) circuit court in the nation. Consequently, if you are an ACLU lawyer whose personal mission is to try and legalize gay marriage for instance, you start by finding a gay couple in California that is willing to be the plaintiffs against the state in such a suit, and then you bring that suit (eventually) to the 9th Circuit appellate court, where you know you are going to get a sympathetic hearing in front of the judges. Please note that it starts with a lawyer with an agenda (ACLU agenda, in this case), who then finds a client, and then finds a sympathetic court - instead of like most civil cases, where you start with an aggrieved client, who finds a lawyer, and then goes to court in the local court system.

That's all true in cases where a group/individual is shopping for a case to bring before the courts. But in this instance we're talking about an appeal of a specific federal district court ruling that's already been made. This means that appelant doesn't have any choice regarding which court it goes to. It goes to the circuit court that oversees that district. In this case that's the 5th Circuit. Furthermore, appelant doesn't get to shop for the (usually) 3-judge panel that will hear the case, as they are chosen randomly from a pool of...IIRC...something like 22 judges currently sitting on the 5th's bench.

That's correct, of course, but it doesn't negate the fact that corruption in the judiciary is far less common, and far more vigorously prosecuted here than in other countries; and that was the kind of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" to which israel67 was alluding.

Well I've learned something new tonight, and if what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), then I salute the United States' system, which is manifestly more just and equitable than the rotten-to-the-core set-up we have here. I have a deep and abiding loathing for slimeballs like Chirac and Juppé who manipulate the law in their favour, whilst preaching their holier-than-thou calls for 'tougher penalties' for ordinary people who violate it.

They are quite simply scum.

Another reason for me to hurry my arrival in the US.

The Annoyed Man wrote:That's correct, of course, but it doesn't negate the fact that corruption in the judiciary is far less common, and far more vigorously prosecuted here than in other countries; and that was the kind of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" to which israel67 was alluding.

I think we have a case of quasi-violent agreement here

israel67 wrote:Well I've learned something new tonight...

Yeah, that happens to me sometimes too...when I'm not being careful enough to avoid it

israel67 wrote:..., and if what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), then I salute the United States' system, which is manifestly more just and equitable than the rotten-to-the-core set-up we have here.

I think it might be. Now, don't get me wrong. It's certainly far from being perfect, and being a human enterprise is susceptible to a certain amount of corruption. But nearly as much as many might think.

israel67 wrote:I have a deep and abiding loathing for slimeballs like Chirac and Juppé who manipulate the law in their favour, whilst preaching their holier-than-thou calls for 'tougher penalties' for ordinary people who violate it.

I think you're going to get along just fine here.

DParker wrote:

israel67 wrote:I have a deep and abiding loathing for slimeballs like Chirac and Juppé who manipulate the law in their favour, whilst preaching their holier-than-thou calls for 'tougher penalties' for ordinary people who violate it.

I think you're going to get along just fine here.

Thanks, I hope so.

My late and much belovèd father taught us honesty and honour. The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

israel67 wrote:My late and much belovèd father taught us honesty and honour. The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

We gotta work on your spelling though. In the colonies we spell that word "honor"

The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

I was fortunate to be able to attend and be a part of the 60th Anniversary Ceremonies for D-Day. As we were standing in the secured area waiting for Presidents Bush and Chirac to arrive I had the opportunity to speak with quite a few French citizens, the majority of whom were from the Normandy area. To say that they loved the United States would be an understatement. When Bush arrived they all cheered and clapped. The boos and hisses were painfully obvious when Chirac appeared. What was even more sad is that the Chancellor of Germany got a better response than Chirac. The French openly told us that they hated Chirac and would have rather listened to Schröder speak than him. I don't know if those feelings were prevalent all over France or if they were just confined to the Normandy region.

On a side note - while Schröder was speaking a French lady turned to us and said, "Do you know why the French plant so many trees along all the roads and boulevards?" I said no and she replied, "So that the Germans can march in the shade." And to think that I had been led to believe that the French hated Americans and didn't have a sense of humor. The ones that I met in Normandy proved that to be a falsehood.

Kalrog wrote:

israel67 wrote:My late and much belovèd father taught us honesty and honour. The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

We gotta work on your spelling though. In the colonies we spell that word "honor"

CHL/LEO wrote:

The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

I was fortunate to be able to attend and be a part of the 60th Anniversary Ceremonies for D-Day. As we were standing in the secured area waiting for Presidents Bush and Chirac to arrive I had the opportunity to speak with quite a few French citizens, the majority of whom were from the Normandy area. To say that they loved the United States would be an understatement. When Bush arrived they all cheered and clapped. The boos and hisses were painfully obvious when Chirac appeared. What was even more sad is that the Chancellor of Germany got a better response than Chirac. The French openly told us that they hated Chirac and would have rather listened to Schröder speak than him. I don't know if those feelings were prevalent all over France or if they were just confined to the Normandy region.

I suspect the difference in attitudes is more a generational than a regional one. We see a similar thing in South Korea, where the older folks who remember their last war are quite appreciative of the U.S. and our troops (albeit a small force) who sit along the DMZ. The ones screaming anti-U.S. sentiments are mostly college kids and other young people.

As for France, my wife and daughter made the same observation when they visited France in '05 for my daughter's French Club trip and attended the ceremonies at Colleville-sur-Mer while in Normandy. They were both profoundly touched by the reverence for the U.S. gravesights shown by the locals (older folks, of course), as well as the dedication and devotion of those who tend the graves regularly.

israel67 wrote:

DParker wrote:

israel67 wrote:I have a deep and abiding loathing for slimeballs like Chirac and Juppé who manipulate the law in their favour, whilst preaching their holier-than-thou calls for 'tougher penalties' for ordinary people who violate it.

I think you're going to get along just fine here.

Thanks, I hope so.

My late and much belovèd father taught us honesty and honour. The posting guidelines of this forum, do not allow me to use the words that I'd like to use, in describing some of France's politicians.

wow i didnt think folks in France knew what a gun was i stand corrected
what part of the country are you coming to

lunchbox wrote:what part of the country are you coming to

Plan is for Amarillo, but it really all depends on which Independant School District is willing to hire me.

Plus I want to go back into the gunshop in Amarillo where I was, say to the guy, 'remember me??' and buy the Kimber (or one like it) that he let me try out when I was there last.

yea gotta love a kimber
Amarillo is nice i lived there years ago

lunchbox wrote:yea gotta love a kimber

Gorgeous, ain't they? If I play my cards right, I can even get my Tucker holster ordered before I get there, so that when my CHL comes through the mail, I'm good to go.

lunchbox wrote:Amarillo is nice i lived there years ago

Here's the unofficial website I did for my school: http://branly-bugle.org/.

If you go to 'photos' and 'films', you'll get some stuff from my recent trip to Amarillo.

lunchbox wrote:wow i didnt think folks in France knew what a gun was i stand corrected

Just a comment on this: people in Europe 'know' (note the quotation marks) that guns are 'evil'.

An example that came to mind today...

Jill Dando was a television personality known for her 'crimewatch' series, where she'd go over unsolved crimes (usually murders) and ask viewers to call in with information ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Dando
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimewatch_UK

In 1999, she was coming out of her home when some whackjob walked up and shot her once in the head at point-blank range. Her death was given huge media attention because of who she was, and there's no denying that to die like that when you're only 38 years old, sucks bigtime.

They busted a guy for it and he got sent down for life ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_George

He's currently being tried again, but the interesting thing is that if you read the media reports surrounding his trial, much is being made of the fact that he was a 'gun nut' ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/13/ukcrime1

Look at the caption under the photo.

Barry George was obsessed with guns and the military, the Old Bailey heard

This is 'SOP' for the media whenever someone is shot. The distinct impression I get, and it's very subliminal, is that yes, Barry George is being tried for murder as any justice system worthy of the name requires and demands, but that there is a second defendant in the dock: firearms.

The message being sent out to Europeans is clear: 'if we had gun control, Jill Dando would still be alive'.

What they forget to mention is that we have gun control. It's almost impossible to get your hands on a handgun in this place. Yet Jill Dando is dead. The sixteen children in Dunblane are dead. The sixteen people in Hungerford are still dead.

Yet you can't speak out. Start to defend firearms' ownership, and they say, 'you're obsessed with guns'. People start to back away from you at social gatherings. Colleagues write anonymous letters to the Department of Education, asking if you're 'fit to be in charge of minors'. The police suddenly find reasons to stop and search you. You're denied 'defence classification', preventing you from working on sensitive government contracts like weapons or aviation.

Man, the whole place stinks.

i really like the reference to Ayn Rand. i highly recommend reading Atlas Shrugged. one of the greatest pieces ever written.