Criminal Justice

Steve Scott has posted his fourth installment on the most abused chapter in the Bible.

In another post of a similar vein, Steve discusses a murder trial in his locality where the accused is defending herself:

While the judge was reprimanding her for her actions during her cross examination of her own son, she interrupted and said, "You are aligning yourself with the prosecution!" The judge replied with, "I also have the discretion of revoking your pro-per priviledge."

Well, what a turnabout in American justice! A defendant has a right to an attorney but only a priviledge of self-representation! It seems like a stacked deck to me when one realizes that the police, who make arrests and who confiscate (steal) evidence, the district attorney, the coroner, the prosecutor, the judge, all attorneys, the bailiffs, and the jails and prisons are all minions of the state. Lawyers make oaths to serve the courts and operate within state law. Pity the poor defendant who can't afford an attorney, and has a minion of the state appointed to his defense!