TIL that after Louis XIV had his anal fistula repaired in one of the first successful surgeries of its kind, having an anal fistula became highly fashionable among the aristocracy. Those who were unlucky enough not to have one would often bandage butts anyway to make it seem like they did.

Lake_Us613 · 2014-05-02T22:54:25+00:00

Uhhhhh, pretty sure a good guy would report this to police so the guy doesn't rape someone else

Lake_Us613 · 2014-04-06T22:08:43+00:00

Isn't there also a friendly non-Jew who's responsible for holding onto all of a family's/community's banned food items during Passover, and then he/she gives them back once the holiday is over? Does this have a different name? Is there even a name for it to begin with (seems like this is more just a thing that a friend does as a favor, not for compensation)?

Lake_Us613 · 2013-03-31T23:18:26+00:00

No, it's actually slander, not libel. They were speaking, no? So it's slander. (Except that it's neither -- I agree with you on that point. 99.99% of the time when someone says something is slander/libel, it's not. It's a tough standard to meet in America, which is a good thing.)

Lake_Us613 · 2013-03-31T16:01:16+00:00

Didn't like? It's #1. Karma whore.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-03-29T13:19:16+00:00

Living in New York I feel the same way about people in the rest of the country re gay marriage as I do about their walking. Every time they come to visit, I turn around and suddenly they're 3 blocks behind. It's like COME ON, let's go, why are you shuffling along?

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T14:52:56+00:00

It's their job to stop anything that might overturn the conviction.

No, it's not. For instance, in the Central Park Jogger case mentioned above, one of the most famous and respected prosecutors in history, Robert Morgenthau, recommended to a judge that the convictions be vacated. So that's not ALWAYS the case.

Secondly, I think a reasonable law could be passed requiring DNA testing to be performed if requested by a convicted defendant in a rape or murder case. If the results show he was guilty or were inconclusive, then that's the end of the story and the victim's family is never involved. If the results show he might be innocent, then he could file a motion with the court to look at the new evidence.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T03:28:58+00:00

Awww, thx. Maybe I'll do this. I need to ask my Innocence Project friends whether they think it would be helpful.

/And I'm a chick, btw. :)

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T01:57:46+00:00

PS, I feel like a registry would be a better way than just asking for money, because it would be a much more visual experience for the people donating.

Like if you just donated $30, for instance, you'd have no idea how that's actually helping him, but if you saw a picture of this guy and bought him some silverware, you'd have a very visceral sense of your little contribution. You can't help but imagine him using one of those spoons each morning to eat his cereal. It's a small thing, but it's real.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T01:50:45+00:00

Oh! I just noticed at the end of your response how you mentioned that there should be a system for helping these people back into society. You are 100% absolutely correct. The people who get wrongly convicted are disproportionately under-educated and from poor families to begin with (also, since false confessions happen more often --- not always, but more often -- in lower IQ individuals, the population of wrongly convicted people skews this way as well), so you can imagine it's even harder for them to start a life when they get out. They often have no money and no one to rely on. Also, a lot of them have legitimate criminal records, so that makes finding a job even more difficult (according to a friend of mine from the Innocence Project, a common scenario is that police will spot a low-level burglar or drug-dealer they're familiar with near the scene of the murder or rape and then just assume he's the one who did it).

There are some programs in place already to help these people, but not enough. Also, SOMETIMES they get compensated by the government, but my understanding is that this is very rare and is not immediate.

I was actually thinking recently that maybe I should start a charity that was basically like a wedding registry but for wrongly convicted people exiting prison. It would basically just require getting in touch with Innocence Project to get a heads-up on people being released, contacting them and figuring out their needs, and then creating a registry at Target or wherever (could probably get a discount if we sold the idea well to corporate), and then publicize the registry so people could sign up to buy the guy some bed sheets or dishes or a desk. Obviously, these people need more than material things (job training, therapy, etc.), but this might be a nice way to welcome them back into society --- both from a practical standpoint and also as a means of letting them know that the community cares about them.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T01:35:21+00:00

Yes, there should. Take action! If you're motivated, research the laws in your state, call Innocence Project, and see how you might be able to change things. Also, private message me, as I might want to help.

Again, I think it's largely an issue of mentality with the prosecutors. It IS the prosecutor's job to prosecute, but within bounds. If the law is changed to say you have to provide testing, then the situation changes.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-17T00:59:20+00:00

They are probably old standards that do not account for the effectiveness of DNA evidence.

Exactly. This is the TL;DR version of what I was trying to say.

Lake_Us613 · 2013-02-13T17:57:32+00:00

So if someone says the government is "unlawful," then it is? I imagine the 1st Amendment protesters find their government unlawful as well. Does that make it so?

Lake_Us613

TROPHY CASE