Hi Friends
Lets talk about justice. To be more specific the two-tiered justice system.
Lets examine the well known cases of Leonard Peltier and Roman Polanski.
Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland and is currently being held for extradition back to America to face charges on an out standing warrant from a 1977 arrest. His crime; sex with a minor, to which he pleaded guilty.
Some believe he has suffered enough. He has after all had to live in the lap of luxury, eating the finest cuisine plying his craft to the accolades and adulation of his peers. Did I mention he was forced to live on the French Riviera. He did plead guilty to this crime, but felt that his 42 day mental assessment for pedophilia should have been enough time served, and fled custody.
Leonard Peltier was sentenced in 1977 for the murder of two F.B.I. agents killed in a shoot out on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He pleaded innocent.
The FBI's own ballistics tests have proven that the bullets in question did not come from Peltier's weapon. These killings happened in a war like atmosphere in which the FBI agents were terrorizing the residents of the Pine Ridge Reserve in retaliation for the 1973 stand-off. Debates over the guilt, and or the fairness of Mr. Peltier's trial continue to this day. He is currently incarcerated at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.
Leonard Peltier has suffered beatings and illness while in prison, and even though he has been a model prisoner the FBI come to each of his parole hearings to offer victim impact statements against his release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has stated publicly they intend to see to it that Leonard Peltier is never paroled. Why is that? Aren't they interested in truth and justice? Isn't that what they say their job is?
Leonard's supporters and some organizations consider him to be a political prisoner. A few of his supporters are as follows: Nelson Mandela, Amnesty International, U.N. High Commission on Human Rights, his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, The Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and of course AIM.
The malicious persecution of one man stands in glaring contrast to the benevolent attitudes expressed towards the other man. These may on the surface seem like two very different cases, but the comparison can still be drawn. One rich one poor, one admittedly guilty one railroaded. One allowed freedom till he spoke out on American political policy, one persecuted for standing up against American political policy. Lets see if the power brokers in Hollywood can once again get Lady Justice to peek beneath her blind fold for the monied elite.
Where as Roman Polanski has raped lady justice, Leonard Peltier has been raped by her.
That my friends is what we call two-tiered justice.
regards Debra
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No-one pleads innocent
ReplyDeletePolanski paid his fine, and was offered a plea bargain, which was taken back after he plead guilty.
Two VERY different stories, two VERY different things
Get your facts before you post your outrage
You didn't approve my comment!
ReplyDeleteAfraid to let the public know you're wrong?
My point was there is a two-tiered system. The fact remains that Leonard Peltier is still in jail for a crime he was rail-roaded into with out a fair trial.
ReplyDeleteYet Polanski remains free. As I said both men have political over tones to their situations.
Now to address your mistakes. Polanski pleaded guilty to a felony for which no fine exists. The money your referring to may be the money paid out to the victim's family in the settlement of the civil case.
As far as the judge reneging on the plea bargain, that is speculation this judge is now deceased, but at the very least if the plea deal was to fall through he would have been awarded a new trial...and would have been out on bail till such a time as his case could have been heard..
Leonard Peltier plead "not guilty" you were right on that point....
I have decided to post your ramblings, but caution you that I and every one else knows that only the truest of cowards would hide behind anonymity...
ReplyDelete