From Texas lawyer, Scott Henson’s blog: http://www.gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/
If it bleeds, it leads ----
The new gallup poll - shows American's fear of crime has increased despite crime statistics showing lower crime rates.
See: http://www.gallup.com/poll/102262/Perceptions-Crime-Problem-Remain-Curiously-Negative.aspx
"Americans’ pessimism about crime may reflect an overly negative interpretation on their part of the fact that the decline in crime has tapered off. It could possibly reflect a real increase in media attention to crime on the local and national news. Or it could reflect Americans’ broader dissatisfaction with the way things are going in the country, a sentiment that extends from ratings of President Bush and Congress to the economy, as well as to their satisfaction with the direction of the country more generally."
Yours in the Law,
Glen R. Graham, Tulsa Attorney, Tulsa, Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomacriminaldefense.blogspot.com
If It Bleeds, It Leads --- Fear of Crime Disconnected From Lower Crime Rates
More Quotable Quotes about the Law & Politics
Check out the blog at http://www.lawofcriminaldefense.com/blog/
A few excellant quotations from the above:
"A lawyer shall represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law."—§ 1:1, Rule 3(a) (not "should" from CPR Canon 7)
"The very premise of our adversary system of criminal justice is that partisan advocacy on both sides of a case will best promote the ultimate objective that the guilty be convicted and the innocent go free." —Herring v. New York, 422 U.S. 853, 862 (1975)
"The right to the effective assistance of counsel is thus the right of the accused to require the prosecution's case to survive the crucible of meaningful adversarial testing. When a true adversarial criminal trial has been conducted ... the kind of testing envisioned by the Sixth Amendment has occurred. But if the process loses its character as a confrontation between adversaries, the constitutional guarantee is violated."—United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 655-56 (1984)
"The right to offer the testimony of witnesses, and to compel their attendance, if necessary, is in plain terms the right to present a defense, the right to present the defendant's version of the facts as well as the prosecution's to the jury so it may decide where the truth lies. Just as an accused has the right to confront the prosecution's witnesses for the purpose of challenging their testimony, he has the right to present his own witnesses to establish a defense. This right is a fundamental element of due process of law."—Washington v. Texas, 388 U.S. 14, 19 (1967)
"[T]he Constitution guarantees criminal defendants 'a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense.'"—Crane v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 683, 690 (1986) (quoting California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479, 485 (1984)).
“If you’ve got the right lawyer with you, we’ve got the best legal system in the world.”— Robert Trott, “Justice,” Fox, August 30, 2006, episode 1.1
"We, as criminal defense lawyers, are forced to deal with some of the lowest people on earth, people who have no sense of right and wrong, people who will lie in court to get what they want, people who do not care who gets hurt in the process. It is our job–our sworn duty–as criminal defense lawyers, to protect our clients from those people." —Cynthia Roseberry
You must be the change you wish to see. Your rights can only be protected to the extent that another person's rights are protected. Voting is only 10% of the factor but it is very important, as some elections are changed by that 10% factor. The dominant political party in your local area is going to control most issues. But, factions within that political party will impact the agenda and ultimate policy decisions. Most political parties are like a "big tent" where a multitude of people with different points of view gather to participate in the process. The minority party usually does not have the power to influence the ultimate political decisions that are decided.
