Wednesday, February 28, 2007

a nit to pick

One of our state legislators, hoping to make a dent in gang violence in the state, has introduced a bill that would ratchet up the penalties (aka time in the clink) for gang-affiliated people who get convicted of crimes in the state.

Our state's practice is to offer a standard range for sentencing (for example, vehicular homicide has a standard range of 15-20 months in prison) that a judge may use to determine a miscreant's bid. The standard range can get longer - or shorter - for a variety of reasons, so this bill wouldn't be a shocking change from how things are done now.

Whatever. But here's the real crime, in a quote from the bill's sponsor, Washington state Sen. Jim Clements, R-Selah.

“Gang violence is a caustic acid that eats away at our communities,” said he.

A caustic acid??? Yegods, what has the world come to. What a basic mistake.

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