Sweetheart Plea Deals (& A**hole Prosecutors who Get Them)

Certainly I'm not the only one who noticed that the Johnson County Prosecutor has pled guilty to a number of crimes, including felonies, and has been removed from his official position. Good riddance! I find the law enforcement apparatus to be sufficiently despicable (deplorable, anyone?) without having a known, convicted wife beater as a prosecutor. (Apologies . . . apparently it was his fiance).

Anyway, in reading through this story, I couldn't help but notice that this guy was charged on April 15, 2019 and signed a plea deal (that supposedly expired at 9:00 a.m.) on April 15, 2019.

This is a lot like the Scott Harris case and begs numerous questions. First and foremost, why is it that the powerful get advance warning of their impending charges and have a plea deal drawn up before they're even charged? How does that happen? It seems pretty obvious to me that there was "collusion" between the prosecutors and their "targets" in both cases to ensure that the "indiscretions" of the powerful were quickly swept under the rug.

I also can't help but note the difference between how these powerful men are treated and how, for example, educators (or professional athletes, for that matter) are treated when they get busted for OWI. Before anything is proven, and often before formal charges are even filed, these poor people have their faces plastered in the newspaper. For example, here is a prototypical "newsblotter" crime story.

Clearly my feelings on prosecutor tactics are unambiguous.

Snowflakes and Safe Spaces

How many times have I read the same old op-ed about these ultra-liberal campuses that are "suppressing free speech" by not allowing alt-right nationalists (i.e. Nazis) speak on their campuses? I mean, if you've read anything by Bari Weiss, Brett Stephens, Megan McCardle, et al in the last four years, I'm sure you're familiar with the general outlines of the argument:

"Look at these little snowflake college kids that are so insecure in their own opinions and beliefs that they can't stand to hear opposing viewpoints. This threatens all of our liberty!"

The argument is true to a certain degree, but I note that it is never used to engage the broader suppressions of free speech that are going on right in front of us.

Well, TableTopJoe is here to help try to even things out! I give you that manliest of manly things, that would never ever be some little snowflake who needs a safe space, the National Football League.

NFL owners have unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer, it was announced Wednesday.

So, to be clear, when a private liberal arts college refuses to host a white nationalist as a speaker, this is an intolerable erosion of our freedoms because all political statements apparently have value. However, when wealthy white football team owners decide that they are going to force their (largely black) football players to either make the "preferred" political statement or no statement at all, well that is just patriotism, y'see!

A few more points:

• The NFL is a private organization and is not bound by the First Amendment.
• That the NFL is not bound by the First Amendment does not mean that it is not bound by both common decency and the preferences of its customers (i.e. fans).
• Standing for the National Anthem is every bit as much of a political statement as kneeling for the National Anthem.
• By telling players they are allowed to make one political statement (STAND) and not another (kneel), the NFL has inserted itself into a political controversy.
• The NFL has indicated that protesting the unwarranted killing of unarmed black men in their players' communities is a sanctionable offense, whereas standing for the Anthem and making THAT political statement is A-OK.

The NFL and its fans: a bunch of delicate little snowflakes that need their safe spaces. Who knew?

School Comparisons

For the first time, the Indiana State Board of Education has released a study comparing the effectiveness of charter schools versus traditional public schools.

Before getting to the real meat of this post, I note that the Indy Star has precisely zero mention of this report on its home page (the main page right now discusses how the Indiana Lottery often ends high-prized scratch-off games before awarding all prizes . . . an issue of importance I'm sure, but I value a quality education for my children (and the rest of the children in this state) over getting something for nothing via the lottery, but that's just me).

I had to go to the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette for some actual (what do they call that?) reporting. Some highlights:

As of the 2016-17 school year, there were 93 public charter schools serving 44,444 students. That is about 4 percent of total enrollment in the state.

Good to know that baseline number.

On enrollment, it found charter schools enrolled more free-and-reduced-price-lunch students but fewer special education students and English-language learners.

On performance, it found charter students are doing better in improvement on state tests but worse when it comes to passing the test. 

OK. That seems like fair reporting. I've always believed that charter schools cherry pick their students, but perhaps it's a bit more complicated than that. Similarly, the school choice advocates I know maintain that charter schools perform better, but you can see that too is a bit more complicated than a bumper sticker slogan.

In accountability grades, charter schools received more A's and fewer F's than similar traditional public schools.

I question that statistic. It would seem that given the disparities in numbers, traditional public schools would have both more A's and more F's. After all, charters only account for 4% of total enrollment in the state.

All four virtual charters received an F grade in 2016-17.

And, above, we have the award for the most predictable outcome.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick said other states focus a lot of quality and not “choice for the sake of choice” and asked about charter school closures.

Twenty-three charters closed between 2011 and 2017. 

23 huh? There are currently 93 operating, and 23 more have closed in the past 6 years? If we have a total of 116 charter schools opening since 2011 and 23 have closed, that is a closure rate of nearly 20%. That is pretty distressing. What happens to that 20% of charter students? Are they then dumped back into public schools after missing a year or more of instruction in their destined-for-closure charter school?

Over all, I think that charter schools can be a positive force for good; it all depends on how they are implemented. A former teacher myself, I was always concerned that charter schools would take what was the figurative equivalent of working at a GM factory in the 1970s and turn it into the figurative equivalent of working at Wal-Mart. Conversely, a charter school could be the figurative equivalent of a small law firm . . . it does one or two things really well and is owned by the teachers (as law firms are owned by the lawyers).

Food for thought. I'm hungry.

 

The Lives That Matter

Remember "Black Lives Matter"? I do.

Remember how people were convinced that saying that black people shouldn't be randomly shot by the police was somehow disrespectful? I do.

Another thing: remember how the protests were concentrated, in particular, in Baltimore? I do.

Well, an interesting story recently:

A federal jury convicted two Baltimore police detectives Monday for their roles in one of the biggest police corruption scandals in city history.

Detectives Daniel T. Hersl, 48, and Marcus R. Taylor, 31, were found guilty of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and robbery. Prosecutors said they and their comrades on the Gun Trace Task Force had acted as “both cops and robbers,” using the power of their badges to steal large sums of money from residents under the guise of police work.

Please note that these are not allegations. These are convictions by a federal jury. The charges were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. More quotes about "the blue":

“Their business model was that the people that they were robbing had no recourse,” acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning said after the verdict. “Who were they going to go to?”

To protect and serve, indeed. (BARF)

Prosecutors said police handcuffed a man, took his house keys broke into a safe in his basement and found $200,000. They took half the money, prosecutors said, returned the rest to the safe, and then filmed a video showing the officers “discovering” the smaller amount.

Exhibit A in why some people distrust the police. A (civil) defense attorney by trade, I am generally inclined to disbelieve accusations against people, particularly when levied by those in positions of authority. Stories like this don't help. I do, however, recognize that as a white male who earns an above-average living, I am a walking poster board for privilege, especially when it comes to the police.

Hersl was charged with taking part in the robbery of $20,000 from a Carroll County home after a man and his wife were detained without having committed a crime. Officers testified that Hersl was among a group that split up the money at a bar afterward.

I think my point has been made. For those who haven't grasped it, I will put the point in bold for you: The Black Lives Matter protests were justified, and the people participating therein had a point.

I wonder, though, what a Google search of "IMPD convicted" would turn up? Of course, we would get some David Bisard stories. Who among us has ever heard of the following, though:

• Christopher Charles' domestic violence issues;
• Allen Johnson's drinking/driving/crashing into telephone poles proclivities;
• Bryan Neal's "drinking and copping" hobby;
• John Constable using his girlfriend as a punching bag;
• David Butler stealing from the dead;
• Jason Edwards, Robert Long, and James Davis' drug-dealing ring; or
• Courtney Harris raping a woman while on duty.

I don't mean to pick on the IMPD. Coming from Ft. Wayne and having lived in Chicago, I can say that the IMPD is head and shoulders superior to the police force in those cities. Furthermore, I can say that my impression of the Speedway Police Department has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Nonetheless, remember these things the next time someone ponders why people would protest the police or mindlessly refers to the Black Lives Matter crowd as somehow "criminal." Sometimes, the police neither serve nor protect and instead merely victimize, just like those the police are paid to put in jail.