I'm a criminal and so are you

[DocZaius]

Food for thought:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/18/alexander.who.am.i/index.html?hpt=C2

[annarborgator]

Yep. I came to this realization about a year ago. It is pretty much impossible to live in modern America without being a criminal. Most of us just go uncharged and unconvicted.

[TheTodd]

I don't know about y'all, but I'm a smooth criminal.

[radbag]

it's only criminal if you get caught.

[IHateUGAlyDawgs]

What a tremendous amount of race baiting bullshit.

[annarborgator]

LMMFAO.

Hater can't handle the truth.

[IHateUGAlyDawgs]

Let's try this "truth" on for size, shall we, AA?

Let's start w/ this bit of hogwash:

They have an unspoken, but deeply rooted identity as "law-abiding citizens." I ask them, "Haven't you ever committed a crime?" Oddly, people often seem perplexed by this question. What do you mean? they say. I mean, haven't you ever smoked pot, didn't you ever drink underage, don't you sometimes speed on the freeway, haven't you gotten behind the wheel after having a couple of drinks? Haven't you broken the law?

Well, yeah, they say, but I'm not a criminal. Oh, really? What are you, then? As I see it, you're just somebody who hasn't been caught. You're still a criminal, no better than many of those who've been branded felons for life.

Now, let's break it down:

They have an unspoken, but deeply rooted identity as "law-abiding citizens." I ask them, "Haven't you ever committed a crime?" Oddly, people often seem perplexed by this question. What do you mean? they say. I mean, haven't you ever smoked pot,

Misdemeanor.

didn't you ever drink underage,

a misdemeanor in Florida. May be non-criminal in some states. Certainly not in a Felony in every state.

don't you sometimes speed on the freeway,

Not a crime.

haven't you gotten behind the wheel after having a couple of drinks?

Misdemeanor.

Haven't you broken the law?

As she pointed out in her freeway example, you can break the law and not be a criminal. Let alone be branded a felon.

Well, yeah, they say, but I'm not a criminal. Oh, really? What are you, then?

see above.

As I see it, you're just somebody who hasn't been caught. You're still a criminal, no better than many of those who've been branded felons for life.

Ah. She's using "criminal" and "felon" interchangeably. That in and of itself is a logical fallacy. I would contend that those who have just smoked pot, or just smoked underage, or even those who have driven drunk, and certainly those who have sped on the freeway ARE better than those committing FELONIES.

I especially love her position here:

In this country, we force millions of people -- who are largely black and brown -- into a permanent second-class status, simply because they once committed a crime. Once labeled a felon, you are ushered into a parallel social universe. You can be denied the right to vote, automatically excluded from juries and legally discriminated against in employment, housing, access to education and public benefits -- forms of discrimination that we supposedly left behind

1) the race issue: perhaps if minorities stopped committing as many crimes, they'd stop getting caught.
2) Many many felons aren't felons because they ONCE committed a crime. Especially, in Florida where (especially for minor felonies - see: drugs, 3rd degree felonies, etc.) you are almost always given a withhold of adjudication on your first felony offense. Thus keeping you from being "branded a felon".
3) Once a felon you should be relegated to a different class. You are not branded a felon because you committed a petty crime.
4) She's arguing this is discrimination w/o valid reason ("we left behind") similar to race or sex discrimination.
5) Felons can apply to get their civil rights reinstated, and, is actually very easy to accomplish, especially for those who "once" committed a crime.

That article was typical of the lying garbage I would expect out of the ACLU.

[annarborgator]

Agree that she was terribly sloppy with word choice and seemingly incorrect in some places, especially the speeding thing.

I've always wondered if minorities actually commit more crimes or if they simply get caught more because the cops are always in their neighborhoods.