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Go internet activism! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

Whelp, I am exhausted. Time to go play some Dragon Age Inquisition. Glad I did my part to make the world a better place today.
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monkeydelarge: Everything you suggested is 1000 times more useless than creating a thread on a forum. Are you that naive? If so, then why am I wasting time with you?
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HGiles: Have you done it? Any of it? I have.

No one in power will see or care about this thread. Representatives at all levels care about letters (bonus points of an actual physical letter, they don't get many of those and it sticks out). I can assure you, volunteering at shelters, especially homeless shelters, is the exact opposite of useless. It helps people who desperately need it and relieves some of the burden on overworked county officials, it's a two-for-one deal. Joining local advocacy groups can have a huge impact, they're lobbyists at the local level and have a lot of sway in what laws are made and how they're enforced.

There are so many avenues for people in America to make government better. The problem is that 99% of Americans have stopped participating in their governments. Of course it's going off the rails! We're getting the government we deserve with our apathy. If a useless post is the most you can do - fair enough. But don't delude yourself that it's a substitute for taking actual action.

ETA: I laughed out loud at the idea that volunteering at a fire station or legal assistance charity is useless. You obviously haven't ever done either and have no idea how much a difference they can make.
So volunteering at homeless shelters will help change our legal system? The answer is no. So like I said, every thing you mentioned is useless. Everything you mentioned will not help change the legal system. If you weren't so dense, you'd realize I wasn't saying volunteering at a homeless shelter is useless when it comes to helping people... We are talking about changing the legal system... Duh.
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qwixter: Go internet activism! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

Whelp, I am exhausted. Time to go play some Dragon Age Inquisition. Glad I did my part to make the world a better place today.
Never mind.
Post edited November 22, 2014 by monkeydelarge
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HGiles: All of those are doing something. This? This is not doing something.
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GioVio123: And this is better?....
The US legal system was built on the assumption that people would participate (it's a democracy). When people would rather whine to random forumites than ask their representatives searching questions, it doesn't work well.

US citizens need to realize that good laws aren't automatic. We can't leave the country to autopilot and industry lobbyists. When we do, we get a mess.

Mind, this case isn't even especially the governments fault - it's hard to work around people lying under oath. I think the accuser should face penalties for what she did, because her false testimony put this poor man in jail. It does sound like she was neglected or abused though, so it's very possible that the prosecution saw evidence of other abuse and misinterpreted it (or they could have been overeager jerks, or everyone involved could just have lied their heads off, or the girl could be lying now - I haven't seen enough to say either way)
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monkeydelarge: Washington man spent 19 yrs in jail on fake child molestation charges
http://rt.com/usa/207823-man-jail-fake-child-molestation/

In this country, our legal system hasn't evolved past the Salem witch trials. Maybe Americans should be pissed off about this instead of being pissed off at having to pay taxes?
Over here, we have the opposite problem with people getting away with murder - literally.
One well known example is the case of Vitaly Kaloyev from Russia who lost his family in a plane crash and then decided to stab to death Danish air traffic controller Peter Nielsen who was on duty during the fatal flight - in front of Nielsen's wife and kids.
Kaloyev only had to sit in prison for a laughable 3 years before he was let out and on his return to Russia they gave him a post as a minister and treated him like a hero - a convicted murderer.

That kind of BS is inexcusable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly_Kaloyev
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HGiles: Have you done it? Any of it? I have.

No one in power will see or care about this thread. Representatives at all levels care about letters (bonus points of an actual physical letter, they don't get many of those and it sticks out). I can assure you, volunteering at shelters, especially homeless shelters, is the exact opposite of useless. It helps people who desperately need it and relieves some of the burden on overworked county officials, it's a two-for-one deal. Joining local advocacy groups can have a huge impact, they're lobbyists at the local level and have a lot of sway in what laws are made and how they're enforced.

There are so many avenues for people in America to make government better. The problem is that 99% of Americans have stopped participating in their governments. Of course it's going off the rails! We're getting the government we deserve with our apathy. If a useless post is the most you can do - fair enough. But don't delude yourself that it's a substitute for taking actual action.

ETA: I laughed out loud at the idea that volunteering at a fire station or legal assistance charity is useless. You obviously haven't ever done either and have no idea how much a difference they can make.
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monkeydelarge: So volunteering at homeless shelters will help change our legal system? The answer is no. So like I said, every thing you mentioned is useless. Everything you mentioned will not help change the legal system. If you weren't so dense, you'd realize I wasn't saying volunteering at a homeless shelter is useless when it comes to helping people... We are talking about changing the legal system... Duh.
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qwixter: Go internet activism! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

Whelp, I am exhausted. Time to go play some Dragon Age Inquisition. Glad I did my part to make the world a better place today.
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monkeydelarge: So what if my thread is useless and I wasted my time. Making fun of someone for trying? Seriously? WOW, please go slip on your sidewalk and fall this winter into a massive pile of dog shit. Then you'll be face to face with your soul mate.
You just keep getting classier, don't you? He's mocking you because you *aren't* trying. This thread does not count as trying. That's the point.

Volunteering at a homeless shelter will actually help with enforcement, because the more people off the streets the less time police officers and firefighters have to take away from their actual jobs to deal with them (plus, it would get you more familiar with how the legal system actually works, you don't seem to know much). All of the other things I suggested would either directly impact the laws or help address imbalances in getting access to proper legal representation.

More ideas: Help people fill out tax forms in the spring. Volunteer to ride along with a police officer or do community-oriented policing (focused on connecting police with their communities). Volunteer as a polling station attendant during elections. Donate to charities focused on improving laws you care about like the EFF, ACLU, etc. So many ways to get involved in improving governance and representation!
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monkeydelarge: So volunteering at homeless shelters will help change our legal system? The answer is no. So like I said, every thing you mentioned is useless. Everything you mentioned will not help change the legal system. If you weren't so dense, you'd realize I wasn't saying volunteering at a homeless shelter is useless when it comes to helping people... We are talking about changing the legal system... Duh.

So what if my thread is useless and I wasted my time. Making fun of someone for trying? Seriously? WOW, please go slip on your sidewalk and fall this winter into a massive pile of dog shit. Then you'll be face to face with your soul mate.
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HGiles: You just keep getting classier, don't you? He's mocking you because you *aren't* trying. This thread does not count as trying. That's the point.

Volunteering at a homeless shelter will actually help with enforcement, because the more people off the streets the less time police officers and firefighters have to take away from their actual jobs to deal with them (plus, it would get you more familiar with how the legal system actually works, you don't seem to know much). All of the other things I suggested would either directly impact the laws or help address imbalances in getting access to proper legal representation.

More ideas: Help people fill out tax forms in the spring. Volunteer to ride along with a police officer or do community-oriented policing (focused on connecting police with their communities). Volunteer as a polling station attendant during elections. Donate to charities focused on improving laws you care about like the EFF, ACLU, etc. So many ways to get involved in improving governance and representation!
Oh you are one of those, this forum has to be a classy place control freak people? LOL if you want classy, stay away from the internet. ;) And trolling someone because you don't think they are trying is not so classy BTW. :)
Post edited November 22, 2014 by monkeydelarge
In reading the article, as an American, I don't understand why he's just now being released when the "victim" came forward about the false accusation two years ago
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monkeydelarge: Washington man spent 19 yrs in jail on fake child molestation charges
http://rt.com/usa/207823-man-jail-fake-child-molestation/

In this country, our legal system hasn't evolved past the Salem witch trials. Maybe Americans should be pissed off about this instead of being pissed off at having to pay taxes?
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awalterj: Over here, we have the opposite problem with people getting away with murder - literally.
One well known example is the case of Vitaly Kaloyev from Russia who lost his family in a plane crash and then decided to stab to death Danish air traffic controller Peter Nielsen who was on duty during the fatal flight - in front of Nielsen's wife and kids.
Kaloyev only had to sit in prison for a laughable 3 years before he was let out and on his return to Russia they gave him a post as a minister and treated him like a hero - a convicted murderer.

That kind of BS is inexcusable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly_Kaloyev
Well then your legal system is garbage too. But I still think our legal system is worse because at least your legal system doesn't ruin people's lives based on what people say.
Post edited November 22, 2014 by monkeydelarge
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HGiles: Posting a badly-informed and misleading rant on an international forum is not 'doing something'. It's worse than useless, because it drastically misrepresents the situation.

People who think complaining on random forums is 'doing something' are part of the problem. Go volunteer at a shelter or a legal assistance charity to free up county workers so they can do actual policing. Does your local fire station need help? Check with your city and county government for other ways to help. Write an actual email or letter to your leaders about police accountability. Show up for town hall meetings. Did you vote in the midterm elections?

All of those are doing something. This? This is not doing something.
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monkeydelarge: Everything you suggested is 1000 times more useless than creating a thread on a forum. Are you that naive? If so, then why am I wasting time with you?
Let's just quote this again. Creating a forum post is better than actually doing something like volunteering. A "1000 times" better no less. You think you have heard the dumbest thing you will ever hear/see/read on the internet, then there's always one guy/gal out there one upping.
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Rusty_Gunn: In reading the article, as an American, I don't understand why he's just now being released when the "victim" came forward about the false accusation two years ago
Probably lots of paper work combined with lazy people.
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monkeydelarge: Everything you suggested is 1000 times more useless than creating a thread on a forum. Are you that naive? If so, then why am I wasting time with you?
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qwixter: Let's just quote this again. Creating a forum post is better than actually doing something like volunteering. A "1000 times" better no less. You think you have heard the dumbest thing you will ever hear/see/read on the internet, then there's always one guy/gal out there one upping.
I never said creating a forum post is better than doing volunteer work... But a lot more useful than volunteer work when it comes to CHANGING THE LEGAL SYSTEM.
Post edited November 22, 2014 by monkeydelarge
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Rusty_Gunn: In reading the article, as an American, I don't understand why he's just now being released when the "victim" came forward about the false accusation two years ago
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monkeydelarge: Probably lots of paper work combined with lazy people.
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qwixter: Let's just quote this again. Creating a forum post is better than actually doing something like volunteering. A "1000 times" better no less. You think you have heard the dumbest thing you will ever hear/see/read on the internet, then there's always one guy/gal out there one upping.
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monkeydelarge: I never said creating a forum post is better than doing volunteer work... But a lot more useful than volunteer work when it comes to CHANGING THE LEGAL SYSTEM.
Ok, thanks for the clarification.
Post edited November 22, 2014 by qwixter
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awalterj: Over here, we have the opposite problem with people getting away with murder - literally.
One well known example is the case of Vitaly Kaloyev from Russia who lost his family in a plane crash and then decided to stab to death Danish air traffic controller Peter Nielsen who was on duty during the fatal flight - in front of Nielsen's wife and kids.
Kaloyev only had to sit in prison for a laughable 3 years before he was let out and on his return to Russia they gave him a post as a minister and treated him like a hero - a convicted murderer.

That kind of BS is inexcusable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly_Kaloyev
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monkeydelarge: Well then your legal system is garbage too. But I still think our legal system is worse because at least your legal system doesn't ruin people's lives based on what people say.
You do realize that the US system has many more checks and balances than lots of other legal systems? Innocent until proven guilty is not actually always a part of the legal framework, even in other Western countries. And someone lying under oath is a problem in all legal systems. That's why perjury a serious crime. The issue that caused the false imprisonment isn't unique to the US.
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HGiles: People who think complaining on random forums is 'doing something' are part of the problem. Go volunteer at a shelter or a legal assistance charity to free up county workers so they can do actual policing. Does your local fire station need help? Check with your city and county government for other ways to help. Write an actual email or letter to your leaders about police accountability. Show up for town hall meetings. Did you vote in the midterm elections?

All of those are doing something. This? This is not doing something.
'Murica isn't crap (Ninja'd).... but we sure do have a ton of stupid voters!
Post edited November 22, 2014 by chadjenofsky
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monkeydelarge: Probably lots of paper work combined with lazy people.

I never said creating a forum post is better than doing volunteer work... But a lot more useful than volunteer work when it comes to CHANGING THE LEGAL SYSTEM.
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qwixter: Ok, thanks for the clarification.
He still has yet to explain how volunteering to help with elections, police agencies and court systems or legal advocacy organizations (i.e. lobbying groups and non-profits like the EFF) doesn't improve the legal system. I wouldn't give his 'clarification' that much credit.
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chadjenofsky: 'Murica isn't crap.... but we sure do have a ton of stupid voters!
Yeah. And people who think they can vote once every 4 years and that's it. :/

Good government is hard. Just like everything else worthwhile.
Post edited November 22, 2014 by HGiles
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monkeydelarge: Well then your legal system is garbage too. But I still think our legal system is worse because at least your legal system doesn't ruin people's lives based on what people say.
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HGiles: You do realize that the US system has many more checks and balances than lots of other legal systems? Innocent until proven guilty is not actually always a part of the legal framework, even in other Western countries. And someone lying under oath is a problem in all legal systems. That's why perjury a serious crime. The issue that caused the false imprisonment isn't unique to the US.
Just because I said something negative about MURICA doesn't mean this thread is saying MURICA is the worst country in the world. If I had to choose between dealing with the legal system here or dealing with the legal system in North Korea, I'd choose the legal system here, obviously... But our system is still garbage and needs to be fixed, at least to a point where innocent people don't have to spend time in prison.