Tuesday, January 29, 2013




Jail time for hurting someone’s feelings?

On November 28 a municipal judge in Canton, Ohio, sentenced William Bailey to 30 days in jail after Bailey pleaded no contest to criminal charges of disorderly conduct and aggravated menacing. According to a story on Fox News, “Bailey was caught on cell phone video at a school bus stop in October making fun of how [a] ten-year-old disabled girl walks.”

There were no allegations of physical or even verbal assault — the jail time is just for making fun of how she walks.

The girl, Hope Holcomb, suffers from cerebral palsy and claims she was regularly teased in this way by Bailey and his son. Apparently the families have been feuding for years.

Bailey said he was reacting to his son’s being teased, reported Trace Gallagher for Fox News. Hope’s family didn’t believe this, however, and the girl’s grandmother went down to the bus stop one afternoon to get video. The family then took the video to the police.

Kelly and Gallagher need to get a grip here. No one was injured; no one was even threatened. No property was damaged. Was there really a need to involve the police and a criminal court in this family feud? Mean people are not automatically criminals.

It’s fair to ask what possible ramifications may ensue from this precedent. For example, if criminal charges like “disorderly conduct” and “aggravated menacing” — sufficiently vague already — can now be stretched to include an act of insulting insensitivity, imagine the recourse available to a restaurateur who gets a bad review, a severely heckled comedian, or even a politician offended by protesters. Remember that a man has now been sent to jail just for hurting someone’s feelings.

Source

18 comments:

Paul said...

"Mean people are not automatically criminals."

In the eyes of Our Lord and Savior they are condemned to eternal everlasting fire.

Bird of Paradise said...

More examples of PC nonsense and Big Brotherism and enforced by imperial judges

Anonymous said...

Jail time? I think not, but a very good ass-woopin for sure. It's the cheapest and most effective way of solving the problem.

"Political correctness is a far greater threat to our freedom and liberty than is terrorism..."

Use the Name, Luke said...

There are two points here.

1) When people refuse to exercise self-control, people wind up having to run to the government to force control on them. That causes the growth of tyranny as government is asked to become every more intrusive into everyone's daily lives.

2) I'm not certain the charges they used were the correct ones. (For some reason, the legal system likes to inflate charges way above reality.) But I think most jurisdictions have laws against harassment*, which sounds like exactly what that brat was doing.

* the act or an instance of harassing, or disturbing, pestering, or troubling repeatedly; persecution

Use the Name, Luke said...

Anon 2:22,

Have you ever lied? Taken something that wasn't yours? Had lustful thoughts about someone who wasn't your spouse?

Congratulations, you're actually guilty.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
— Revelation 20:12

If you're not actually guilty, then you have nothing to worry about. Or, if you've received a pardon because someone else has paid the penalty for you.

Anonymous said...

Luke is using diversionary tactics yet again. LOL

Anonymous said...

If this took place in Britain, "Britain" would be in the title of this item and would then elicit the usual pavolvian response from the anglophobes and xenophobes on this site, but because it was in the US, there's no comment about the general decline of the USA from the largely US posters here.

Anonymous said...

Annon 5:04 must be a liberal. He ha taken offense when none was given.

Anonymous said...

It sounds as if this harassment had been going on for some time. An adult harassing a disabled child is not protected speech. I'm sure he had plenty of time to act like an adult but decided instead to act like a jerk.

Use the Name, Luke said...

Anon 4:46 = troll

Anonymous said...

Anyone who disagrees with Luke is a troll. What a silly man/woman/other.

Use the Name, Luke said...

::: snooze :::

boring troll

Anonymous said...

Paul 2:22 AM -> "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," so "let he who is without sin cast the first stone!"

Non-sequiturs aside, harassment is what this guy should have been charged with.

Anonymous said...

At least Dawkins isn't so ignorant that he can't type a sentence correctly - unlike Bird Brain!

Go Away Bird said...

Annon 5:26 uses training wheels on moterbike

Anonymous said...

Hey Vulture, why do you use such self descriptive words?

Unknown said...

I can assist you in getting your loved ones released from custody with a minimum amount of time & paperwork. Call Now !! 1-855-223-2423.ankle monitoring orange county

Go Away Bird said...

Vulture if you cant be civil then keep you toilet lid closed