JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Monday, September 11, 2006

AMERICANS

Today we are Americans.

No other label applies. We stand united against evil, tyranny, hatred and those who believe innocent people are targets in what they call a holy war.

We are not perfect. We, as a nation, have made terrible mistakes. But we live in a society that allows us to discuss those mistakes, and vote out the leaders who make them.

But today is not about mistakes. Today is a day for heroes.

The world first saw the character of Americans in places called called Bunker Hill and Valley Forge.

We tested the character of our nation, on battlefields called Antietam and Gettysburg.

More Americans died at Antietam than on any other day in the history of our nation. September 11, 2001 is the second most bloodiest day in our history.
From those battlefields on American soil, came in the words of President Lincoln,

“A new birth of freedom.”

We emerged from our civil war stronger and wiser. When the world needed us in 1917, we answered the call. Americans died in battlefields and trenches an ocean away. Americans died so that other nations could enjoy the freedom we already knew.

Then came the depression, and the emergence of a new evil. Hitler and Tojo underestimated our character. Once again the call came. Once again Americans answered the call.

Americans died on the beaches of Normandy, in the cold winter of the Ardennes Forrest, and in the stifling hot jungles of Guadalcanal. We raised the flag on Mount Surabachi on Iwo Jima, because once we start fighting, we do not stop. We do not surrender no matter the odds against us.


6,821 Americans gave their life on Iwo Jima.

In the battle of Midway in June 1942, , young American boys, many not 20 years of age, flew their bombers – most unescorted and unprotected by fighters- into almost certain death, as again and again waves of American Naval Aviators attacked and sank four Japanese Carriers. When the day was over, Japan was never again able to mount a naval challenge in the Pacific.
Americans had answered the call.

Americans answered the call in Korea, and American and Royal British Marines fought side by side in the frigid cold of the Chosin Reservoir, surrounded by an overwhelming number of Chinese soldiers. The Marines never gave up.

We answered the call in South East Asia, and learned that with power and bravery, a country needs wisdom and temperance. Over fifty thousand names are engraved in granite in Washington DC to remember not the mistake of our politicians, but the bravery and character of Americans.

We took down a wall in Berlin, and nary a shot was fired.

And five years ago today, we once again rose to the occasion.


New York City Firemen, Policemen, and NYC Transit Authority officers ran into two burning buildings. Two buildings that happened to be two of the tallest buildings in the world. Most did not come out.

Janitors, stockbrokers, waiters, lawyers, accountants, secretaries, ordinary people all, stopped in those burning buildings, and helped their fellow Americans out. Some paid for their courage with their lives as well.

And on one airplane, over Pennsylvania, 41 Americans fought back.


They were not soldiers trained to fight. But to fight terror and tyranny was in their blood, in their genes, and in their character forged from those holy battlefields we have mentioned, and thousand others we have not. Those Americans banded together in the face of fear and almost certain death.
They stood up and looked evil in the eye and said “NO. Not anymore. No more Americans will die today by airplanes crashing into buildings.”

You see, we are Americans and we fight when we need to.

United Flight 93 crashed in a farm field in Shanksville Pennsylvania.
That ground is now holy as well.

This is a day we remember heroes.

This is a day when, above and beyond all else, we are simply, proudly, Americans.


And we shall never forget our heroes.

79 comments:

Anonymous said...

Never forget who our enemies are. We are still at war.

Anonymous said...

Well said Rumpole! Please log on to the link below and see the challenge facing us

www.youtube.com/v/-HlaVpqUXF0

Anonymous said...

We must never forget who our enemies are, but most importantly, we must nver forget that our Constitution is not our enemy.

Anonymous said...

Well said Rump.

The fight for freedom and security never ends. We must remain vigilant and remember that others, at home and abroad, do not share our values.

So, today, we should put aside our differences and thank those who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. Not just soldiers, but law enforcement officers (including prosecutors) as well.

Anonymous said...

As Con. Kurtz said," drop the bomb, kill them all."

Anonymous said...

Col. Kurtz was unsound. However, he was inline with the methods of war proscribed and taught by Jomini who felt that total war is the only correct way to wage war. I agree.

Anonymous said...

"prosceuters keep us safe". give me a break. this post was put up by a baby sao who has a misplaced sense of importance. our real heros are the criminal defense attorneys who put barriers between the gov. and the loss of freedom.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for history of american war 101 Rumpster. But this war is distict. This is the first time an enemy has ever targeted innocent civilians on our soil. Afganastan allowed al queda to train out in the open prior to 911. We should have turned that country into dust.
that video posted by 8:11 is insane.

Anonymous said...

Your words are well received! It is important that we remember that we are not white or black; Anglo or Hispanic; Christian or Jew; We are all Americans who live in the best country in the world. We all strive to preserve the Democracy and freedom that we al love. If you look back to the early days of the Iraq war, some of the first to make the ultimate sacrifice were African-American, Native-American, Mexican-American and one was a Female. Their names may fade in history but their stories should never be forgotten. We are all Americans, brothers and sisters with the same goal; protect the freedoms that we all hold dear. That should never be forgotten.

Anonymous said...

best country in the world? have you ever been to france? the cheese and the wine are sooo good.

Anonymous said...

TRIALMASTER---talk about a overblown sense of importance!

I am not a prosecutor (though I was) and, in fact, have been an attorney for fifteen years.

I'm stunned by your inane response to my post. Did you read my message as an attack on defense attorneys? I don't see how you could. Could you be that paranoid? Does it really offend you that someone can respect how prosecutors serve our community?

I find it sad that on a day where we recognize and remember the sacrifices of so many government officials (and, particularly, police officers and firemen) you choose to argue that the "real heroes" are the folks "who put barriers between the gov. and the loss of freedom." It's unfortunate that you're so dogmatic.

If you believe that prosecutors aren't "real heroes," you are a fool. Good prosecutors (who truly understand what that means) serve our community making far less money than they could in the private sector. They (like the police) are critical to our community's ability to protect those of us who live, work and/or play here (all of the arrests in the world won't accomplish a thing if prosecutors didn't see the cases to fruition).

Furthermore, the true believers (the ones who really comprehend what it means to be a prosecutor) understand that defendants are part of our community and only prosecute people they are convinced are guilty (they investigate and review their cases as best they can to minimize the likelihood that they prosecute an innocent person). The true believers go out of their way to be fair, reasonable and respect all of their defendants' rights (yes, I know that there are, unfortunately, a lot of folks who aren't true believers in the SAO. But, the vast majority are good, honest, people who want to do teh right thing).

PS-----Defense attorneys, of course, play a critical role as well. But, it's a different role. Defense attorneys help protect our rights, but that's a totally different issue from the one I'm discussing. Regardless, a fair minded prosecutor can do more to help an innocent defendant or a defendant whose rights are violated than a defense attorney or anyone else (last I checked, only the prosecutors can no action or nolle prosse a case without worrying about an appeal).

Anonymous said...

well said

Anonymous said...

"these are the heads. sometimes he goes to far. gets carried away. but he's the first to admit it!!"

Anonymous said...

We must remember who our enemies are.
Our enemies will use terrorism against us
Our enemies will gladly give up their lives to kill in the name of their religion
Our enemies are Muslim, speak Arabic, and hate us. We must stop playing games and wasting time with other ethnic groups. We should expect and require the non-radicals in that community, to clean their own house, root out the radicals and identify them or they too are the enemy .We should let it be known that Upon the next act of terrorism we will gear up for real war, invade Iran, and Syria, and leave nothing but smoking craters.

Rumpole said...

I do not subscribe to the belief that our enemies are Muslims. Our enemies are terrorists many of whom happen to subscribe to a radical and bastardized Muslim belief. But there are billions of peaceful Muslims who are not the enemies of this country.

Rumpole said...

Someone wrote:
"This is the first time an enemy has ever targeted innocent civilians on our soil."

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and sent balloons loaded with explosives towards ameican soil, although most landed in forrest in Oregon. Germany torpedoed civilian and military ships during WWII, and do not think for one second that the Nazis would not have attempted to exterminate most Americans, as they did to other races. Races and not soliders were their target. This is the first time we are at war with organizations and not countries, but we know those countries that sponsor terrorism, but sometimes we just don't do anything about it.

Anonymous said...

Iranians speak Farsi, not Arabic.

Anonymous said...

rump. actually over 25,000 americans died taking Iwo Jima. my source is the recent book by bradly "flags of our fathers"

Rumpole said...

More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History.

In 36 days of fighting there were 25,851 US casualties (1 in 3 were killed or wounded).

Of these, 6,825 American boys were killed. Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.

I think you are confusing died with cauaualties.
Google Iwo Jima and click on any top link. The numbers are consistent.

And of course one of those that caught it at the end was the Duke, on Mount Suribachi, just before the flag went up, as depicted in the Sands Of Iwo Jima.

Anonymous said...

Alan, are we at war?

Anonymous said...

The post about how our enemies are Muslims, and we should require the non-radical Muslims to "clean house" was not only racist, but was the kind of ass backward pig headed thinking that has made this awful mess even worse than it already was. It was also ignorant as Iran, our biggest enemy is neither full of Arabs or Arabic speaking. I am a Jew. If someone told me that I was responsible for the acts of other Jews I would have one thing to say to them, "Adolf...I thought you were dead." In saying that, I am obviously not implying that the actions of some Jews brought about or justified the Holocaust in any way. I for one find the holocaust to be right up there with the most despicable and unjust events in the history of the world. What I am saying is that who could possibly be so ignorant as to think that any one member of a racial or ethnic group could in any way be responsible for the actions of another based solely on their ethnicity. That is the kind of thinking that has brought about nearly every atrocity in world history, and it is regrettable that there are still people out there with thoughts like that. I am a Jew and an American, and under the logic that you espouse, I should see the Muslim as my enemy. the only problem with that is that they are not...no group is. Some of the finest people I know, some of whom are very close friends are Muslim and/or Arab. They do not blame me for Baruch Goldstein shooting up a mosque, and I do not blame them for Nasrallah wanting to destroy Israel or Bin Laden wanting to blow up the US of America. We are individuals, and our value as human being's is decided by our actions, not by what some lunatics who happen to be of a common ethnicity do.

Anonymous said...

Prosecutors are far, far from heroes.

Anonymous said...

The word hero is the most overused word. We have completely taken the meaning away from it. We have turned it into an award like "Employee of the Month."

Rumpole said...

Prosecutors can be heroes. So can defense lawyers, clerks, (even civil lawyers, but its very very rare) anybody who rises to the occassion to help a fellow human being can be a hero.

Anonymous said...

Bob Hope gave a USO tour show on an island in Japan to thousands of troops before they invaded one of the islands. 9000 of them were dead within days taking an island half way around the world that no one gave a shit about. We have lost 3000 American soldiers in a war where our President admitted a couple of weeks ago that there was no reason to invade Iraq. WE, AS LAWYERS, HAVE THE UNENVIABLE ROLE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY AS BEING THE ONES THAT 300 MILLION PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO TO FIND A SOLUTION AND END THE MADNESS. This is one thing all who contribute or read this blog have in common, if not much else. Shakespeare said the first thing we do is "kill all the lawyers". That was because they were the most informed, articulate, and feared segment of society who could oppose power hungry people out of control and out of touch with the people.!

Anonymous said...

Glad I have my boots on,,,it's getting DEEP in here

Anonymous said...

rump, i take issue with the statement that it is rare for a civil trial lawyer to be a "hero". i just settled an airline crash case in NYC for 3 mil. i am a hero to my deceased's clients two minor children. it took yrs and about 100k of my own money but it was worth it. some of us can try civil cases and criminal cases equally well. th

Anonymous said...

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the...

Anonymous said...

Sgt. York, highly decorated WWI soldier who they made a movie about said the heroes were the ones who didn't come back which is what most combat veterans will say.

Anonymous said...

Only a real asshole would brag about his accomplishments on a day like today. I knew people murdered on this day 5 years ago and could care less about your $3 million. Jerk!

Anonymous said...

5:15 is dead on. "Hero" is by far the most overused word. So overused as to be meaningless.

And Rump, you certainly have a pollyannish view of American history--glossing over the tragedy that was Vietnam, and completely ignoring our unfortunate habit of propping up brutal dictators around the world from Pinochet to Mubarek to Bouteflicka to Saddam Hussein himself. All too often, America has been willing to sacrifice the "American" values you celebrate in favor of its commerical, military, and/or political interests abroad. And lets not even mention our country's abysmal civil rights record, rampant homophobia, christian fundamentalism, and reactionary fear of science. Oh, and the icing on the cake? Our staggeringly selfish societal penchant for an environmentally unsustainable level of consumption. It will be America--and more particularly, Americans--who succeed in destroying the environment of this planet. Forget 9/11 if you must, but never forget each individual decision you make that contributes to CO2 emissions. With the good old US of A, as with all things, you've got to take the good with the bad.

Anonymous said...

Prosecutors are nothing more than zookepers who cage humans...nothing heroic about them.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who can't see that in an adversarial system of criminal justice such as ours, both prosecutors and defense attorneys are necessary, and can perform their respective jobs with or without integrity, clearly never should have graduated from elementary school, no less passed the Florida bar. How embarrassing for all of us that people like some of the above posters practice amongst us.

Anonymous said...

George Bush is a war criminal. His administration has singlehandidly made America the most hated country in the world. He has taken a terrible tragedy that had the world's sympathy and turned it into an excuse to wage war against a country that had nothing to do with it and create an environment that has led to the rise of a nuclear Iran as a dominant power in the region and a terrorist training ground called Iraq. He has made the world less safe. He is the axis of evil.

Anonymous said...

trailmaster is Pepe, that hack from the MJB.

Anonymous said...

To Trial Master: Since your out 100G of your own money and of all days to toot your own horn, why dont you take another 100G's and give it to the children who lost their parents on 9/11....then maybe you can toor your horn a tad !!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

9/11... The act which rallied Americans around George W. Bush and allowed his administration to rip the constitution to shreds. The act which led millions of scared sheep to graze idly while Donald Rumsfeld, John Yoo, Gonzalez and Ashcroft, and Cheney eviscerated our liberties.

I reject 9/11 and any memorial of it because it is an act of terror which has been usurped by the war criminals who control the White House. 9/11 is no longer about 3,000+ innocents. 9/11 is an Orwellian mantra that Karl Rove and the right-wing media whisper loudly in American ears.

Anonymous said...

John Yoo should be in jail as a convicted war criminal. Instead, he teaches at Berkeley. Ahh, the irony. Berkeley of all places...

Anonymous said...

And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."

Jerry Falwell, on the real cause of 9/11, speaking to Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, Sept 13, 2001.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mr. Defense Attorney (yeah you) Next time your loved one is raped or murdered you will be the first one crying to the prosecutor about how you deserve special attention. When the prosecutor then does their job and fights the big bad defense attorney and puts the criminal in jail for only 10 years you will scream the system is unfair why did they not get 20. You are the types of people who can never be satisfied and clearly have no idea how the challegnes facing a good prosecutor.

Anonymous said...

Is it possible Mr. Flagwaving Rumpole to even have a rational discussion as to this so-called greatest country in the world. Can intelligent men and women dare to differ. The rise of nation-state and its attendant nationalism worldwide the last 200 years has been disturbing enough. Intolerance, zenophobia, towel-snapping, and chest thumping are the hallmarks of today's zeitgeist. The clash between christian, jewish and islamic fundamentalists has affected us all. For those of us who have traveled the world over and has studied and dabbled in all of the world's wisdom traditions, a world centric view with compassion as its centerpiece emerges. There is no place for nationalism and us and them, and the duality of right and wrong. Original sin is replaced by original goodness and this moment (which is entirely everything we have) becomes another opportunity to do the good, to create the beautiful and to speak the truth. This is the next wave of consciousness; beyond the modern democratic nation-state, and well beyond the reactionary fundamentalist killers.

Rumpole said...

the trialmaster said...
rump, i take issue with the statement that it is rare for a civil trial lawyer to be a "hero". i just settled an airline crash case in NYC for 3 mil. i am a hero to my deceased's clients two minor children. it took yrs and about 100k of my own money but it was worth it. some of us can try civil cases and criminal cases equally well.

Rumpole responds, please take my comments with a grain of salt. Careful readers of the blog know that civil lawyers like our dear robed readers, remain one of our favourite targets. But all in fun chap. All in fun.

Rumpole said...

A reader posted this partial comment:

And Rump, you certainly have a pollyannish view of American history--glossing over the tragedy that was Vietnam, and completely ignoring our unfortunate habit of propping up brutal dictators around the world from Pinochet to Mubarek to Bouteflicka to Saddam Hussein himself.

Rumpole responds:

Dear Sir: Vietnam was a grevious mistake. But the mistake does not diminish the sacrifice of the men and women who died for their country. President Lincoln wrote: " that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion."

We as a country have done even worse than you have mentioned. But Americans air their dirty laundry, we vote, and usually, the top vote getter wins. I do not deny nor ignore all the mistakes we as a country have made. But today is about the heroism of individual Americans. Fireman who run into burning buildings have nothing to do with the politican. Those Firemen, policemen, NY transit authority workers who died trying to save others, were heroes and true Americans one and all.

Anonymous said...

6:59 and 9:51... You are both intelligent and well spoken, but few on this board have the breadth of experience or knowledge to appreciate your insight. I, for one, welcome both your comments. 9/11 should not be some sort of a rah, rah cheer. It should be a wake up call for who we really are and can we get better and why is "the other" so disturbed by who we are and what we are doing around the world.

Anonymous said...

Yea, the top vote getter wins... unless your name is Al Gore.

Anonymous said...

SPARE ME DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

1. You all live off blood money-not that there is anything wrong with that as Jerry Seinfeld would say but an acknowledgment of that would a nice start.

2. To curb your guilt at living off of said blood money you invent this fantasy that you are the ones standing between the people and fascism in some David and Goliath struggle in which you are the Davids.

3. While that may be true in Cuba, Iran Texas and Missisippi, it is simply not the case in Dade County. ASA's are the True Davids in this town you are the goliaths. First, you have an insanely liberal discovery system which allows you to beat up on civilain witnesses, most of the time without a prosecutor present.
4. The judiciary bends over backwards for you and is terrified that they might offend a defense attorney by denying a bond, or a continunace (as one former judge once said "a campaign contribution wont buy you a ruling, it may get you a continuance down the line).
5. The judges do this becuase they are afraid that if they offend you, you will get together and run a candidate against them. Exhibit A --Mcwhorter vs patty marino. (Sorry but i have fond memories of her as Marino defending those who violated rights of way, or carelessly drove).
6. If half of you knew how hard it is to properly prosecute a serious case with reluctant witnesses and less than stellar police work, you wouldnt repeat your mantra "all asa's do is ask "what happened next?". Yeah yeah i know half of you were once asa's but you were probably lazy asses who never did any work when you were at the SAO.the defense attorneys who were good agressive prosecutors respect prosecutors and treat them with dignity becuase they know this to be true. (eg Dan Lurvey,Chris Lyons,and David Markus (our David not the fed David CF Eiglarsh)
7. When you laugh at young asa's, remember this, the sao doesnt afford them the luxury of trying thier first cases with a "training attorney" holding thier dick.

8. That said, I acknowledge that you have an important and difficult job. Just leave the soap box and hypocisy when you walk into court. One of this blogs most revealing moments was when all you pretend true believers Had such a great time yucking it up when ASA Ramon Sarmiento got arrested for possessing ecstasy

9. Any ASA or pd who equates what they do with heroism demeans the word heroism. Whining in Juvenile court or getting a burglar sentenced to 30 years--not heroic. Running into a burning building on 9/11 very heroic.

Anonymous said...

This post is dedicated to the anti american scum who post on this blog on a day of rememberance for those who lost their lives on 911. Move to a more tolerant country like say, Iran and speak out about your dictator like you do here on our justice blog. Then bend over and take it like a man.
It is people like you who give the Democratic party a bad name.

Anonymous said...

Sweet! Progressives rule on this blog. Break out the vino. Or should I say, le vin?

Anonymous said...

David Markus was not an ASA.

Anonymous said...

vino, coke, whatever. i would legalize all of it.

Anonymous said...

10:30, get over yourself. If the adjective "American" is to stand for something positive (as I'm sure you believe it does), then "anti-American" certainly cannot be defined as intelligently criticizing one's country. Without the ability to meaningfully think about, reflect, analyze, and yes, criticize itself, a society is doomed to commit monstrous acts.

Anonymous said...

I love France.

Anonymous said...

"I reject 9/11 and any memorial of it because it is an act of terror which has been usurped by the war criminals who control the White House. 9/11 is no longer about 3,000+ innocents. 9/11 is an Orwellian mantra that Karl Rove and the right-wing media whisper loudly in American ears."
hey 10:43, do you agree with the shitbird who said this?

Anonymous said...

HEY 10:33:10
is that what you call "intelligently criticizing your government?" if so, then move the fuck out and let someone else who his trying to become a citizen of the US take your place. move to France with 10:43:33.

Anonymous said...

what gets under my skin is that if you dislike those inpower you sit on your ass and do nothing.

Get out campaign and vote.

Anonymous said...

Well, 10:47, I happen to think that a memorial to the destruction of the Twin Towers and those who died inside them is an excellent and well-deserved idea. So on that point I disagree with the poster you so crudely refer to as a "shitbird." (Note to 10:47: when trying to intelligently express a position, it helps not to sound like a juvenile deliquent. I've always found that juvenile deliquents have trouble being taken seriously.) However, I don't begrudge "shitbird" his right to express his opinion, and his doing so doesn't drive me apoplectic with right-wing rage, as it apparently does to you.

That being said, I do agree with "shitbird's" second point. 9/11 has become an Orwellian mantra. The current administration has twisted it to the point where it has no meaning left. 9/11 has been reduced to the most reliable bogeyman they have to trot out of Dick Cheney's closet to scare the ever-gullible American people into voting Republican. Not only that, but 9/11 has been commodified and mediatised to the point where I, for one, find the whole exercise in orgiastic (though ephemeral) grief to be unseemly.

Anonymous said...

Why does everyone always pick on France? We could learn a lot from them.

Anonymous said...

10:21, defense attorneys all live off blood money?

You must be one of those old unhappy homocide prosecutors.

Stop coming to court twice a week at 10 am and check out some arraignment calendars. Not every case involves blood.

Anonymous said...

No, America is not perfect. But, I'm proud to be a citizen.

We live in a country where we aspire to the highest ideals. We make mistakes, but we openly discuss them (which we're doing here) and always strive to improve.

Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world. We do more, give more and help more than anyone ever has. We can be proud of that.

You have a right to complain (one of the great rights we have here and almost no where else). But, sometimes it's just nice to remember how lucky we are. Sometimes it's nice to appreciate what we have and the sacrifices others have made to get us here.

Anonymous said...

It always makes me laugh when people say we have to understand all of our enemies and try to work with them. It's always the same folks who think we have to understand our defendants no matter what horrible acts they may have committed. As if their actions can possibly be rationalized and justified.

I'm sorry (not really), I just don't sympathize with rapists, child molesters, or suicide bombers who target innocent people. There's no excuse, no justification. If this makes me intolerant, so be it.

Our enemies are committed to the destruction of our country and Western thought. Hell, they are intolerant of their own brothers and sisters who do not rigidly follow all of their rules (did you know that these some of these folks stone and kill rape victims for "allowing" themselves to be violated?). You really think they're open to real negotiations? Sorry, but we're simply not responsible for the maniacs running Syria and Iran or the multitude of terrorist cells.

Anonymous said...

Uhh, 7:41, the Syrian regime is secular. As was Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Anonymous said...

Shitbird does not ignore the death and tragedy of 9/11. However, shitbird mourns the political circus it has become. The ongoing political manipulation, primarily by the chicken hawk right, slights the horror I witnessed. As a libertarian Republican it disgusts me.

Shitbird is proud to be an American but also fearful of our future. To quote another poster... the Constitution is not our enemy.

Rumpole said...

Markus Mayhem. David Oscar Markus of the federal blog was a federal PD and never a prosecutor. David Markus of 14th Street, the one who successfully argued a motion to suppress recently before Judge Thomas against Abe Laeser was a State Court Prosecutor in 1980's. They are both two of the very best attorneys we have down here.

Anonymous said...

To quote Pogo: "We have met the Enemy and it is Us."

Anonymous said...

welcome home riddler. you have been missed and as always, right on it. can we add a scene where gail levine snaps on her house mates for talking behind her back when really they were just trying to keep a safe distance away from her?

Anonymous said...

losers

Anonymous said...

I'm not a racist,,,,I hate everyone equally!

Anonymous said...

Question for debate-

Is it better to be a "black and white" person,,,right and wrong, nothing in between. Or is it better to be a person who is able to see both sides, or the "grey" in every situation?

Anonymous said...

alan and chris, if migna is for miami and miami is for migna then is subset A a part of set B or not?

Anonymous said...

yes, phil. but in this case only shelly is part of set A and B.

Anonymous said...

The "Trialmaster" is probably some hack who pleads his clients after the judge denies his 7th motion for continuance and the cops appear in court.

Anonymous said...

answer
migna will finish her career at the pdo

Anonymous said...

Rump
Those behind 9/11 are no different from the criminals at OK City or the Atlanta Olympics except they were Christians and did not kill so many. There are only two ways of dealing w/ the: 1. Arrest, Try, Convict & Execute or 2. Black Ops. Traditional warfare is not sucessful.
Rump it is are wrong to say that the enemy is the first in warfare to go after civilians, even here in America. Look at the history books: French & British in 1756; Britisg & Americans in the Revolution & 1812, The Indian Wars, Santa Ana etc.Civilian suffering is older than ,well, history. Read Ceasar's Gallic Wars or the Bible.
D. Sisselman

Anonymous said...

Hey Sissel
Why is your boss Carlos such a siss?

Anonymous said...

In 1941 Charles Portal of the British Air Staff advocated that entire cities and towns should be bombed. Portal claimed that this would quickly bring about the collapse of civilian morale in Germany. Air Marshall Arthur Harris agreed and when he became head of RAF Bomber Command in February 1942, he introduced a policy of area bombing (known in Germany as terror bombing) where entire cities and towns were targeted.

One tactic used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force was the creation of firestorms. This was achieved by dropping incendiary bombs, filled with highly combustible chemicals such as magnesium, phosphorus or petroleum jelly (napalm), in clusters over a specific target. After the area caught fire, the air above the bombed area, become extremely hot and rose rapidly. Cold air then rushed in at ground level from the outside and people were sucked into the fire.

In 1945, Arthur Harris decided to create a firestorm in the medieval city of Dresden. He considered it a good target as it had not been attacked during the war and was virtually undefended by anti-aircraft guns. The population of the city was now far greater than the normal 650,000 due to the large numbers of refugees fleeing from the advancing Red Army.

On the 13th February 1945, 773 Avro Lancasters bombed Dresden. During the next two days the USAAF sent over 527 heavy bombers to follow up the RAF attack. Dresden was nearly totally destroyed. As a result of the firestorm it was afterwards impossible to count the number of victims. Recent research suggest that 35,000 were killed but some German sources have argued that it was over 100,000.

Anonymous said...

World war two Germany was full of evil fuckers complicit in the deaths of 62 million people. 35 million of those who died were Innocent civilians. Did we over react when Dresden was immolated? Should Tehran be next?

Anonymous said...

Hey Grey, you seem to attrack immolaters; didn't someone fire bomb your office. Live by the sword...

Anonymous said...

where were you that day???

Anonymous said...

the trialmaster is a kickass trial lawyer who has sucessfully handled a number of high profile cases both civil and criminal. he is modest and unassuming. 6;29 could not be more wrong. 6:29 is another bottom feeder at the justice bldg. in the mold of gaer, mishkin,lipinski,ect.