Comments on: Pommy Power Pickle http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: PaddikJ http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556&cpage=1#comment-10954 PaddikJ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:26:54 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556#comment-10954 Are Judges in the UK not allowed to make directed verdicts? Just when we thought things couldn't possibly get any nuttier . . . Are Judges in the UK not allowed to make directed verdicts?

Just when we thought things couldn’t possibly get any nuttier . . .

]]> By: Paul Biggs http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556&cpage=1#comment-10953 Paul Biggs Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:45:47 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556#comment-10953 On the same day in the UK, we hear that a mother was fined £700 for putting out her dustbin bags a day early in order to give her small children more room to play in the back yard - she would have done better to take them to the nearest power station and set fire to them! On the same day in the UK, we hear that a mother was fined £700 for putting out her dustbin bags a day early in order to give her small children more room to play in the back yard – she would have done better to take them to the nearest power station and set fire to them!

]]> By: Sylvain http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556&cpage=1#comment-10952 Sylvain Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:09:49 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556#comment-10952 This is a dangerous precedent, if this is not overruled by a court of appeal. More than likely it will be. If not they just gave to eco-fanatics a loaded gun to do about what-ever they want. Can James Hansen name what are the 400 species that will go extinct? Can he name at least one? This is a dangerous precedent, if this is not overruled by a court of appeal. More than likely it will be. If not they just gave to eco-fanatics a loaded gun to do about what-ever they want.

Can James Hansen name what are the 400 species that will go extinct?

Can he name at least one?

]]> By: Mark Bahner http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556&cpage=1#comment-10949 Mark Bahner Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:29:29 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556#comment-10949 "Now that a UK jury has sanctioned what some will view as appropriate civil disobedience and what others will call domestic terrorism,..." I hope there are some who would view it simply vandalism...that cost a pretty substantial amount of money to fix. ($60,000! I wonder why the plant can't sue Greenpeace in a civil court to recover that cost?) “Now that a UK jury has sanctioned what some will view as appropriate civil disobedience and what others will call domestic terrorism,…”

I hope there are some who would view it simply vandalism…that cost a pretty substantial amount of money to fix. ($60,000! I wonder why the plant can’t sue Greenpeace in a civil court to recover that cost?)

]]> By: stan http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556&cpage=1#comment-10946 stan Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:44:40 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4556#comment-10946 I would expect a political response. If the majority of voters are outraged that vandals are forcing them to endure blackouts, it seems likely that we'd see new legislation changing the parameters of this defense and the jury instructions related thereto. Of course, if the members of the jury had just seen the contents of their freezers and refrigerators spoil because of blackouts, I suspect the verdict might be different. Remember that this is simply one jury that considered the argument. They don't have the power to change law or set precedent. Other vandals would have to convince their own juries to avoid prison. I wouldn't assume that this one case will be a good predictor for all the others. I would expect a political response. If the majority of voters are outraged that vandals are forcing them to endure blackouts, it seems likely that we’d see new legislation changing the parameters of this defense and the jury instructions related thereto.

Of course, if the members of the jury had just seen the contents of their freezers and refrigerators spoil because of blackouts, I suspect the verdict might be different. Remember that this is simply one jury that considered the argument. They don’t have the power to change law or set precedent. Other vandals would have to convince their own juries to avoid prison. I wouldn’t assume that this one case will be a good predictor for all the others.

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