Your "working in the justice system"...means nothing, except that you have an opinion. And I can read just fine, too. -- Rabbit
It means a lot more than "just having an opinion," Rabbit. It means I sit in a postion that has a better view of the legal system than those who are not in the legal field. While that doesn't make my opinion more accurate than other opinions, it certainly provides a basis that is superior to a layman's. As for your contentions that you can read, I'm glad to hear it, but I never stated any opinion to the contrary.
As for your questions, let me clarify:
1. How do I know that? It doesn't take rocket science to figure out what Arnold is about. From his beginnings as a bodybuilder, to his current role as California's governor, this man has always had a lust for power. He has made this clear in his political life, saying he's "kicking butt on special interests" such as nurses, firefighters, and policemen, while at the same time licking butt to corporate special interests that pay as much as $10,000/plate to attend his fundraising dinners. He could not get our legislature to sign off on his foolhardy political ideas, so he thought he could sway the voters using his considerable charisma to pass initiatives to punish those "special interest" firefighters, policemen, nurses, and teachers. He failed. Polls now show he has worse approval ratings than Governor Davis, who was ousted by recall and replaced by Schwarzenegger. He has alienated the democratic support in this state, and granting clemency to Williams would likely have eroded his Republican support as well. The papers here noted that Tom McClintock would likely oppose him in the Republican primaries in the event he granted clemency. Mr. McClintock appeals to the Republicans in this state, and is no friend of Arnold's. He has yet to declare himself a candidate for governor. No, I don't "know" that politics was 100% the reason for the denial of clemency, but I'd be willing to bet a substantial amount of money that it was.
2. As for your question about juries and judges trying to advance their political interests, I never stated nor implied such an assertion, nor do I believe it. I think for the most part, our system works. However, I do believe there are problems when you have a poor defendant being prosecuted for a high profile crime such as murder. I know for a fact that district attorneys are judged by how many convictions they obtain, not whether or not justice is served. I know of district attorneys who were fired for making decisions in line with their conscience. I also know of unethical practices engaged in by district attorneys who seek a conviction regardless of its merits. The DA certainly is motivated to obtain a conviction regardless of the guilt of the defendant, and a poor defendant faces very high odds of being convicted. These are among the unfortunate realities of our system.
Pretty pathetic, but not surprising, given the views you've expressed.
That is not very respectful of you. I may have a different opinion, but, I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone here who thinks; I'm "pathetic."
I can't see how your conduct was worthy of respect. The conduct complained of was a misrepresentation of my comments, followed by an attack on your own misrepresentations. That is pathetic, and my view on that is unchanged. Oh, and by the way, I didn't say you were pathetic, only that the tactic you used was. I have no grudge and would welcome an opportunity to discuss these matters over a couple of beer with you.