Wednesday, January 29, 2014

There is no right to know

The Colorado media shield bill has failed. On the surface, it sounded like a good idea, protect the media and their sources, after all, we have freedom of the press. t needs to be balanced though because the Constitution also protects our privacy. We have the right to be secure in our persons from unreasonable intrusion, and some times the press over steps that boundary. its a fine line, but it is one clearly drawn.
Jena Winter reported that James Holmes mailed a notebook to his shrink that detailed what he intended to do. What right did she have to that information? Holmes has rights too. Yes, I am 100% certain he is guilty of mass murder for shooting up the Aurora theater. No, I do not buy that he was insane when he did it, or that it is an acceptable defense. What I do buy is that broadcasting that information violated his right to be secure in his person from an unreasonable search. It is reasonable for the police to have that information, and if it is deemed relevant at trial, then and only then is it public information.
The disclosure may also have hurt the prosecution in this case. It allows the defense to paint him as a mentally unstable person, and it could cause jury bias that might lead a prospective juror to hide his belief that Holmes was insane and therefore not guilty from the examination when jurors are screened. That could lead to a hung jury, or worse, an acquittal on grounds of insanity.
There are other things though that are not in the right to know realm. The source for the drugs used by states to make murderers better people. As in room temperature good. Herbert Smulls is a worthless piece of shit on Missouri's death row. he was supposed to be made into a better person at midnight. Sammy Alito, a member of our Supreme Court decided to grant him a stay of execution because his liars err lawyers whined and snivelled that he was skeered at the prospect of being made better by a drug from an undisclosed source. In my opinion, Cheryl Pilate, his liar err lawyer should have a belt containing high explosives fastened around her neck. she should then be placed in a sealed small container buried in the ground with him, given a revolver, a knife, a hammer, and a garrote, and told she has 24 hours to decide how Smulls dies, or they die together in a fiery explosion.
There are lots of things you don't have a right to know. There are also plenty of things you should know. The bad thing is, the government won't let you know those things.

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