Word watch
The headline for a wire service article in today's "Journal" about candidate Perry hits a double, using tow instances of lazy NewsSpeak, "ramp up" and "race."
I have carped about using the word "race" in referring to elections, as no race lasts as long as contemporary Presidential elections, not even the seeming interminable yawner know as the Tour de France. As for "ramp up," it's usage should ramped down to zero.
Phony compassion
Speaking of race in a different sense, once the Perennially Indignant locals in its usual high dudgeon, this time over charges that Judge Denise Hartsfield "fixed" traffic tickets without benefit of court proceedings for various deserving individuals, including members of her church, and WFU law students (she is an adjunct prof at WFU Law School). She is also accused of lying to the SBI when they questioned her about this. Her Honor is otherwise cited as being tough but fair. She faces a hearing in Raleigh this week to establish her status as a judge.
Naturally, the Winston-Salem Ministers' Conference has bestirred itself to defend her. Reverend Carlton Eversley, who sees racism behind every bush, explains that she was merely being compassonate, cutting slack to those who couldn't afford to pay fines and court costs . . . but can afford to drive and to break traffic laws. To her credit, Judge Hartsfield is not charged with leniency to those committing alcohol related traffic offenses.
IMO, the so-called compassion is at least in part phony, is actually favortism toward friends and acquaintances. Moreover, cutting traffic offenders some slack is not compassionate to those of us who must share the road with incompetent, rude, and thoughtless gits behind the wheel. The driving in this area is so poor, and traffic enforcement so inadequate, that if she is found to have acted improperly, I say, "Gotta go!" And if Eversley and the rest of the Perennially Indignant don't like it, so much the better. She'll be in private practice. They can pay her, not us.
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/sep/04/wsmain01-judge-heads-to-raleigh-courtroom-this-wee-ar-1356811/
This is yet again another example of political correctness gone awry. If Hartsfield were white, she would have been long gone by now. It's obvious that many of the dismissals were based on the race of the individual charged. She committed acts of racism by her acts. She needs to go.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that both comments so far are based on newspaper accounts of the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that there will be a hearing on Wednesday is that we try to use a measured legal process to judge people based on facts rather than rumor.
I think that I will wait for the outcome of the hearing. As often as not, things are not what they seem to be.