:: walterindenver ::

:: Friday, January 17, 2003 ::

Justice Inches Forward

One Mr. Amini has been granted a new trial, according to The Rocky Mountain News:

A lawyer asked the interpreter if he remembered when the judge was questioning the defendant.
The answer: "I suppose if he asked him, yes the answer, but if he asked him a question the answer is yes, but if I remember vividly because basically Mr. Amini was not on the stand during the trial, that's because of that I say I don't remember that because he was not on the stand if I do remember."
Translation of that quality is why Mohammad Naim Amini, a native of Afghanistan who speaks Dali, won a new trial Thursday.

According to a December Westword article, the evidence against Amini wasn't very convincing and he didn't realize the charges were being taken seriously until perhaps it was too late. That can happen when you don't speak English and your translator is incompetent.

It's worth noting that Amini's appeal lawyer is Paul Grant, former chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party and a strong civil rights defender. Congratulations to Paul on a job well done.

:: Walter 4:02 PM [+] ::
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Socialism in Action

“It's one of the worst, if not the worst situation — human rights abuse situation — in the world today,” - Sen. Sam Brownback.

“They trained me not to treat the prisoners as human beings. If someone is against socialism, if someone tries to escape from prison, then kill him.” - Gulag guard Ahn.

Via Jim Henley.

:: Walter 10:04 AM [+] ::
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Mad About MADD

Them Durn Lib'ruls lists some of the sins of MADD. There's probably a lot of well intentioned folk who support MADD without realizing what they're up to these days. MADD is part of the problem, not the solution.

:: Walter 10:20 PM [+] ::
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David Bryant

The longtime Colorado Libertarian activist has a web page. I just became aware of it over the weekend. He's writing a synopsis of Ludwig von Mises' Human Action, just as a hobby. I wish I had so much energy, not to mention his expertise on economics.
He should have a blog.

:: Walter 9:57 AM [+] ::
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I'll Referee

As an anti-left, anti-right Libertarian, (and anti-Dems and Repubs as well) I'm a natural arbitrator to judge left vs right arguments. I can hear howls of protest from both groups now... but any way I'll do my best.

TalkLeft and others have noted that the Bush administration is packing the Justice Department with ideology based picks. This is probably not a good thing.
The left's protestations seem a bit much. The Washington Post reports:

The administrative changes have alarmed some current and former Justice employees, especially those who identify themselves as Democrats, who said the previous version of the program was highly regarded and had the crucial benefit of being separated from any hint of politics.

This just doesn't pass the smell test. I suspect Democrats were happy with prior administrations' hiring methods because it produced their desired ideological results. The Bush administration is unhappy with those hires for the same reasons.

Either way I'm not happy with the Justice Department.

:: Walter 9:26 AM [+] ::
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