A Stupid Judge

[Grenadier]

Sometimes I can't help but feel my nation is full of stupid people. Especially amongst those in power. Honestly, at times I'd be happy to build a bunker and live out my days in it cut off from my fellow American idiots.

Especially Judge William Guglietta of Rhode Island. Another one of those judges who just needs to have his head examined:

He has permanently banned 17 year old Lyle Topa for life from driving. As punishment for a car accident in which Topa and his three passengers hit a tree. One of the passengers was in a coma for weeks.

Guglietta says that Rhode Island's roads are "littered with broken dreams and broken futures" and he says it's time to get serious about dangerous driving. His intention is to send a message to the boy about reckless driving.

Instead he sends the message that American judges are idiots.

Ok, so the accident was a terrible thing. And people were hurt. And one kid was in a coma for few weeks. But nobody died! The tree probably even lived for crying out loud! All persons involved will go on to live their lives.

Does this justify banning the kid for the rest of his life from driving?!? What about the impact that will have on his life in the future? Such as how it will greatly hinder his mobility in terms of going to and from work, running errands and the like?

The kid deserves a punishment no doubt about that! But a punishment that fits the crime. Not a cruel and unusual punishment. On the upside the kid will now save a fortune since he'll never have to pay car insurance.

But this is a stupid punishment meted out by a stupid man.

If he's so keen on sending a message that reckless driving isn't going to be tolerated what does he plan to follow up with? Is he going to ban other reckless drivers for life from driving as well? Of all age groups? And what will he sentence drunken drivers to? Or idiots committing road rage? And what about the judges own driving record? He was a teen one himself. Surely at some point this buffoon has driven recklessly. It's well known that most teens aren't the safest of drivers but just as much there are adult drivers just as bad. And I'd wager 99.9 percent of all drivers have driven recklessly at least once. In the loosest definition of driving recklessly one could argue that going just a bit over the speed limit is driving recklessly. Or being distracted by changing the station on your radio.

Apparently the boy can appeal this ruling. But such a ruling never should have been made in the first place. Now, I hate kids so I don't give a damn about the kid himself. See, I'm a jerk, anything that'll make a kid unhappy is a good thing in my world. This judge's stupidity is what offends me. Not only is he stupid but he has abused his authority. This idiot deserves a stupidity award.

[Aldramelech]

Sounds OK to me. I'd string the little ******* up and whip him too. I've always wondered why if someone picks up a gun and shoots someone they get life and yet some idiot driving like a complete tool kills someone they just get a couple of years.

[Morgan Darkstar]

what were the circumstances behind the crash?

[Grenadier]

I don't know the full particulars. The reports I've seen didn't go into detail. Just that they hit a tree. So one can assume it may have been a single car accident. And one can speculate what led to that. But no other details were presented.

The litigiousness of our society here is as stupid as this judge's ruling. For example a man sued a dry cleaner for ruining his pants for millions of dollars. And the man filing the suit was a judge!

[Morgan Darkstar]

so it could have just been an accident?

[Grenadier]

Certainly an accident. What actually led up to the accident is unknown. But because the judge is going on a tear about reckless driving, and the report says it was a single car accident, then I'd say its safe to assume the teen driver was doing something unsafe. Could've been speeding in bad road conditions or texting or other dumb thing. I've been in 5 wrecks over the years and know that it doesn't take much. Just looking off to the side of the road for a second can cause an accident.

[Emerald Rose Widow]

Without more information I am hesitant to say anything, but I am sorry lifetime bans are ridiculous. I am not even a fan of life without parole or the death sentence. There should never be infinite (or close to) punishments for finite crimes, the point of a punishment system is so that the person who committed the crime can reform. Instead we focus on the punishment and not on the reformation, which is where the main problem is in my opinion.

This may or may not apply to the situation here, but still, there should never be infinite punishments, instead there should be a means to reform and better ones self. People can learn and change if you give them the means, opportunity, and support to do so. If you tell someone they are a reprobate, and that they can never better themselves, even if that is through actions or not words, they will believe you and never improve.

[lobster-overlord]

We've got the opposite end here. A 'friend' and I use that term very loosely these days with this person, was in a single car accident involving a drunk driver (as in, he was the drunk driver) and drove into a ditch and tree. He is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Ok, so dumb### is now in a wheel chair. All well and good for his own stupidity... But he is now on disability (which means you and I are paying for him to sit at home) and he has a brand new honda element that's been decked out with all the latest handicapped features (again, you and I just paid $80K for his new truck).

So, how is that fair? I say let the judge do what he wants. If the specifics of the case, which we don't know justify it, I'm OK with it.

John M.

[Grenadier]

According to that then a person who has murdered another can expect to serve a sentence and then live out the rest of their days amongst the population. I completely disagree with that view. I support the death penalty as well as life sentences. In fact, I support harsher sentences. For example, a pedophile who has repeatedly molest one or more children should never see the light of day again. You call them finite crimes. But they're not finite. If you are a psychopath who's murdered one or more people it's likely you'll do so again. And the pain and suffering inflicted on their victim's family is most certainly not finite. Many crimes have effects beyond the victims. Such as the family. And society at large. Same with sex crimes. Those are not finite either.

I had an ex-girlfriend who was repeatedly molested by an uncle. This in turn led to the usual disorders such as PTSD. And over all it led to her becoming an alcoholic. That in turn put a burden on me and her family. She became a danger to herself and others. It's not inconceivable to think she could have driven drunk one night and took out people in another car. The results of crimes committed are never simple as being "finite." Her uncle deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars without parole.

Reformation is nice but it doesn't work for everyone. And sometimes a person does not deserve to be reformed. The suffering they've inflicted sometimes outweighs the value of their reformation. Consider Osama Bin Laden. On his orders 1000's of lives were taken. Each of those lives had a circle of family and friends. All now affected by the loss of those lives. Multiply that by 10's of 1000's people affected by the loss of his victims. Now imagine we captured Bin Laden instead of killing him. According to your view maybe he can be reformed and his crimes were finite. And not sentenced to death or life in prison. If our world was like this it'd not be a world I want to live in. The emphasis should not be placed on the perpetrator of heinous crimes because there is the greater social good to be served. Society comes first. Dangers to society should be deal with accordingly.

Without more information I am hesitant to say anything, but I am sorry lifetime bans are ridiculous. I am not even a fan of life without parole or the death sentence. There should never be infinite (or close to) punishments for finite crimes, the point of a punishment system is so that the person who committed the crime can reform. Instead we focus on the punishment and not on the reformation, which is where the main problem is in my opinion.

This may or may not apply to the situation here, but still, there should never be infinite punishments, instead there should be a means to reform and better ones self. People can learn and change if you give them the means, opportunity, and support to do so. If you tell someone they are a reprobate, and that they can never better themselves, even if that is through actions or not words, they will believe you and never improve.

[wittdooley]

Sounds OK to me. I'd string the little ******* up and whip him too. I've always wondered why if someone picks up a gun and shoots someone they get life and yet some idiot driving like a complete tool kills someone they just get a couple of years.

But....he said no one died here.

We need to force people to re-test for their license when they hit about 60 IMO. At least dumb *** teens still have their physical and mental facilities. I live in an area with an over abundance of blue hairs. It can be scary.