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As of right now, I have zero respect for the U. S. Judicial System. I don't respect its laws, its court officers, or the instru- ments they claim are de- signed to enforce, mitigate or mete out justice.
I say this because I've come to the realization that none of it is real. Though what we see gives the ap- pearance of being fair and balanced, in truth, it is noth- ing more than a quasi-legal construct, created for the sole purpose of controlling the segment of this country's population who are neither wealthy nor who can be clas- sified as "white."
Of course, we are taught that justice is blind to the ap- pearance of the people who come before her. But, in real- ity, those who don't fall within the privileged cate- gory tend to be the only ones who feel the brunt of her wrath. With that being the case, it's impossible for me to recognize the authority of an entity that presents an illu- sion of objectiveness, but is, in fact, blatantly biased.
I arrived to this conclu- sion after coming across two stories that have dominated the news recently: One in- volving a 16-year-old rapist in New Jersey and another surrounding a billionaire pe- dophile in Florida. Both of whom received special treat- ment from their respective courts because of their com- plexions and affluent eco- nomic backgrounds.
In the case of the teenage rapist, a judge refused to allow charges to be brought upon the juvenile defendant because of his belief of what constitutes actual rape (in his book a woman would have to be assaulted by two or more men with weapons) and his consideration for the young man's future. Even though the teen posted a video of the incident on so- cial media and captioned it "When your first sexual ex- perience is rape" the judge
claimed that he didn't want to ruin the life of a kid who came from a good family..... Never mind the fact that the same "kid" had already ru- ined someone else's.
The judge's justification for leniency followed the same reasoning that other judges across the country have been using for years, in- cluding the judge in Texas who gave a white teenager, who killed three people while drunk driving, probation and a judge in California who sentenced a white Stanford University student to 6 months in the county jail after he was found guilty of raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.
According to them, a per- son's elevated station in soci- ety actually does make them unfit for incarceration.
Regardless of the offense, white judges always seem in- clined to look out for those who mirror their own reflec- tion. The funny thing is that you rarely, if ever, hear about controversies where young Black men are treated in similar fashion, even when the judges presiding over their cases are Black them- selves.
As outrageous as what transpired with the teenager in New Jersey sounds, the prosecution of billionaire Jeffery Epstein was, ar- guably, even more egregious. Eleven years ago Epstein was charged with solicitation of prostitution from a minor, a charge that typically carries a stiff penalty. But, instead of Epstein going to state or federal prison, U. S. Attorney Alexander Acosta inter- vened in the process that re- sulted in Epstein being given a plea deal that allowed him to serve only 13 months in the county and afforded him the luxury of leaving his incarceration each day for up to 12-hours in order for him to continue running his fi- nancial empire.
The deal also allowed for Epstein to keep his co-con-
spirators anonymous. A move that was viewed as to- tally out of line for how the feds normally operate and whose purpose was believed to be for the protection of other rich and powerful white men.
Now Epstein is, once again, back in federal court facing the same types of charges with different vic- tims, some as young as 14- years-old. And I can't help but wonder if these new vic- tims might have been spared their ordeals had Epstein not benefited from his white privilege a decade earlier?
Needless to say, if the boy in New Jersey or Epstein were Black there's no doubt that the outcomes they faced would have skewed more to- wards a public lynching than a slap on the wrist. And, when you view each of these incidents through the lens of what has transpired recently with very similar crimes that were committed by Black men, it's not hard to see the obvious disparity that exists.
As I'm writing this, Bill Cosby is serving an 8-year prison sentence and R. Kelly faces the possibility of never seeing the streets again for doing less with women who were considered con- senting adults than what Ep- stein was convicted of doing with children.
Yet, Epstein was little more than mildly inconve- nienced for his actions and could possibly squirm his way out his current predica- ment as well.
When people wondered why Colin Kapernick de- cided to take a knee during the national anthem, this is exactly the reason.
Acknowledging a symbol or ceremony that falsely rep- resents itself as a beacon of freedom and equality shouldn't make sense or be encouraged by anyone who considers him or herself con- scious.
And, until something changes, the same disregard, disdain and disrespect aimed in our direction, in whatever manner in which we wish to display it, should continue to go both ways.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
Different Strokes For White Folks
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
America And A Time Just Before War:
What And How?
n truth America, in its sovereignty, has always been
at war, either with itself or with other nations. So, wars and rumors of war come as no surprise. What is indeed, a surprise is what and how this next possible war may come about, and why it is being scripted to happen.
The United States of America is being backed into a dictatorship . . . something that has never happened in the more than 200 years of this nation’s existence.
At the source of this coupe d’état is a carnival huck- ster who is about to use an idea that world war is rea- son why he should not be demonized from presidential office. His name is Donald Trump.
Even a school child would surmise no sitting presi- dent could be removed from office during a time of war. So, what would be more expeditious than to clear the table of all of Trump’s transgressions until peace – if possible – is restored?
The plot is established.
The clock is ticking, and it would seem that the days of America as a free democracy are numbered.
Iran is dug in with suicide heels. The fraternity of former American presidents is uneasily silent while the United States Congress and Democratic Party are being portrayed as enemies of our nation.
So, what stands between our country and war? We would answer: God and the ballot, may both of them come and none too soon.
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