John F. Berger wanted to “have sex” with 100 women. Unable to find any women who would “have sex” with him, he began drugging and raping women. He was apparently close to his goal of raping 100 women when he drugged and raped Tressa Gross.

Unlike the previous dozens of women, the dose of GHB he gave Gross was fatal. It’s not clear if she was clinically dead before or after he raped her, and he wouldn’t really have noticed, but the drugs he gave her killed her.

On Friday, Berger was sentenced to five years in prison, with the option of parole after four.

For drugging, raping, and mudering a woman. Nearly the hundredth he raped.

…

On August 18th, 2006, a group of black lesbians were approached by a man named Dwayne Buckle, who threatened to one of them he would “fuck [her] straight,” spat on the women, and threw a lit cigarette at them. The women also allegedly spat at him, and verbally threatened him. A fight ensued, which was joined by two other male bystanders, and Buckle was allegedly stabbed by Patreese Johnson, one of the women, who testified she was trying to get him off one of her friends whom he was choking. Buckle was hospitalized for stomach and liver wounds. He was in a position to make jokes about the situation as of the 19th.

To my knowledge, Buckle was not charged. But four of the women involved were convicted of and sentenced to prison terms of three and a half years, five years, eight years, and for Patreese Johnson eleven years in prison.

For stabbing someone non-fatally in arguably self defense.

…

Rape and muder, part of a pattern of serial rape = 5 years

Stabbing someone in a two-way skirmish, arguably in self defense = 11 years

…

Not only is there sexism, racism, and homophobia evident in the distribution of justice, the media coverage is full of misogynist bias. Articles in the popular proess continually use the phrase “having sex” for what is clearly “rape”. Journalists commonly use the phrase “making advances” or “saying hi” to describe what should be called “verbal and physical assault, spitting, throwing a cigarette and threatening rape”.

The more I read, the more I am disheartened at the extent to which our justice system, a reflection of our society, is deeply, deeply corrupted.

This is scary to me for two reasons. First, the constitution grants us the right to a speedy trial, and the right to be informed of the charges against us and the proceedings of our trial. Padilla was declared an enemy combatant and denied his right. What this means is that the US military can detain any American citizen, based on whatever definition of “military combatant” they want, for years, with no recourse from congress or the judiciary.

The second reason it is scary is that there is no evidence Padilla actually participated in any sort of attack. He applied to attend (but did not, as far as I can tell) a terrorism training camp, and he was in contact with terrorists.

But the constitution also grants us freedom of association, and freedom of speech. American citizens must be able to communicate freely with others, and they must be able to spread ideas freely. Even if the ideas they are spreading are how to make bombs and the people they are associating with are criminals. These are the rights the constitution lays out, which provide an important check to the government’s power.

Now, when there is clear conspiracy to commit a crime, that’s a different story. When the ideas being spread are plans to kill someone, or a person’s activity goes beyond associating with someone to funding their activities, then that’s a crime. Trial should be brought and carried out under due process of law.

But that was not the case here. Former Reagan staffer Paul Craig Roberts said it well:

“The incompetent ‘Padilla Jury’ has done Americans and their liberty far more damage than will ever be done by terrorists, other than those in our criminal justice (sic) system who now wield the powers that Bentham wanted to give them.”

Please spread the word: our right to a speedy trial, our right to be informed of charges against us, our right to free speech, and our right to association are getting weaker every day.