On this pre-thanksgiving football weekend we want to do something completely different.
In 2012 reporter John Branch from the NY Times went to Carroll Academy in Tennessee to talk about their basketball team- the Lady Jaguars who were in the middle of an epic losing streak. The team was made up of girls (just becoming young women) who were sent there by a juvenile court judge. One of them had gotten into trouble stealing her mother's pain medicine- and never revealed that she did it at her father's request so he could sell the pills.
What strikes us- what saddens us- are the pictures of these girls in school. The sweet promise and optimism of youth. The dreams they had. The desires for a better life; a stable life with a family. And then the things they wanted to do. The things they deserved a chance to try and do.
They never really had a chance. Oh sure you can come up with one person who beat the odds every now and then. But the reality is these children- these beautiful souls- born into despair - never had a chance.
You need to read this article. And we need to think about how we let our children down. It's more important than who wins and loses today.
We hope the faces and the lives haunt you like they haunt us.
16 comments:
It is very important. But not more important than today's games. Cmon.
Bronwyn needs a reality show.
Dear Judge Miller. Go away. You pissed off everyone. Boy are you an asshole.
As a defense attorney, the first question we always get is “how do you defend a guilty person?” And what I usually explain to people is how society failed my client loooong before my client ever failed society. Until we, as a society, start taking collective responsibility, until we care about things that may not directly affect us personally, sadly nothing will change…. Unfortunately (particularly lately), it feels like we’re going in the completely wrong direction as a society.
Already calling clients guilty before a trial. So disappointing that is a very SAO like mentality. Win at all cost.
Looks like the people that ask you that question have missed to whole point why we have a judicial system.
I wouldn’t make comments like that.
Just a few more weeks until President Trump pardons our patriotic insurrectionist brothers Rumpole.
Did you move back to the UK Rumpole?
Still watching MSNBC during its farewell week?
Joy Reid going to come be your paralegal?
There is a sale at Zegna this week. Prices are already coming down by Trump’s policies.
Apple still a buy?
I say because they have bigger and better crimes to commit. Society failed them? God you are weak. You probably plead everyone in.
Oh stop it. She’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Horrible answer and you sound like a whiny nag. Better to say govt makes mistakes all the time, including govt police and govt prosecutors. We hold their feet to the fire which enhances everyone's safety and freedom.
A nice story, Rumpy.
I’m so done with all of this. I would love to be one ounce the force that Judge Miller is. She is brilliant, personable, loving and more than anything FAIR. When I was a young PD, she taught me the importance of being transparent. I may not agree with her all the time, but her conclusions are always fair.
And there it is "her conclusions are always fair." My friend, the ends do not justify the means. The rule of law is about process, not conclusions.
But I suppose that modern America no longer understands this or our country would never have elected a a man as president who is a convicted felon, who was separately found by a jury to have committed sexual assault, and who was recorded (unchallenged transcripts are widely available transcripts) threatening the Georgia secretary of state with criminal consequences if he didn't manufacture 11,000 false votes. But alas, "the economy".
I hate to keep bringing this up, but it's not really about the election of Trump. His election is simply Exhibit A in the evaporation of moral fiber, courage, and integrity of the people of this country.
Either Judge Miller plays by the rules or she doesn't. Either there are consequences for not playing by the rules, or their aren't. We either hold our public servants to high ethical standards, or we don't. Whether Judge Miller is brilliant, personable, or anything else doesn't matter.
I can’t understand the venomous treatment of Judge Miller. Why treat a fair judge unfairly? Makes no sense.
What's venomous about bad actions having consequences?
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