Sane Behavior (We Take it Wherever We Can Find It)

Amidst much idiocy on a state and national level of late, here were a couple of small moments of sanity:

(We need them when we are now regularly treated to such spectacles as Lou Dobbs doubting whether the president of the United Sates is really an American.)

1. ERIC HOLDER TALKS ABOUT SENTENCING REFORM…AND TED STEVENS

At the Black Prosecutors awards luncheon in Memphis yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder, sounded refreshingly smart and sane as he talked about his commitment to sentencing reform, and his dismissal of the prosecution against Ted Stevens.

Here’s a clip:

One of my earliest and most highly publicized acts during my tenure as Attorney General was my decision to dismiss the prosecution of former Senator Ted Stevens. A review of the facts led me to conclude that the defense team had not been provided with all the required Brady material. Dismissal of the case was my only recourse. Our adversarial system for criminal trials can only result in justice if the discovery process is conducted by the government fairly, ethically, and according to the rule of law.

The Department of Justice has always been considered above reproach or suspicion in this regard. Regrettably, however, the Stevens case has threatened that trust. That is why I have now ordered a full review of how the Department complies with its discovery obligations. We will correct any errors and we will see to it, once again, that justice is our primary goal. That is the hallmark of prosecutors such as you- good prosecutors. When we are wrong we will admit our errors. When we see an affront to justice, we will rectify the problem. And rather than worry about politics, when we learn of criminal misconduct, we will follow the facts and the law, wherever they may lead us.

We are taking this same approach in our review of federal sentencing laws. I have launched a working group within the Justice Department to review sentencing and corrections policy. Many of the issues we are looking at, including the structure of federal sentencing, the role of mandatory minimums, the Department’s own charging and sentencing policies, the elimination of the sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine, and other unwarranted disparities in federal sentencing, have been the source of controversy in our nation for many years. But controversy should not breed inaction. As prosecutors, we need to do what is right, no matter what challenges confront us.

There’s more here. (Chapeau tip to Doug Berman at Sentencing Law and Policy.)

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2. STATE POLICE CHIEFS GET IT, REPUBS STILL PLAYING POLITICS

After, Monday, when the California Republicans threatened to pull their support for the entire California budget agreement because they were aghast at the notion of letting prisoners out early, the California Police Chief’s Association came out in favor of the prison budget cutting measures, reports the LA TIMES.

Go State Chiefs! (Pasadena Chief Bernie Melekian is the head of the organization, and he’s quite a sane guy.)

The bad news is that the the Republicans, who are in the minority on this issue, managed to hold the issue hostage by throwing such a hissy fit that the voting on the budget was put off until next month—costing the state several billion dollars more because of the delay.

Not that it isn’t a lousy budget anyway.

As Harold Meyerson put it in an editorial in today’s LA times, “the Republicans in the Legislature have pushed through policies that will make the state both sicker and dumber. ”

I don’t mean to sound anti-republican, but….yeah, that’s about right.

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3. HERO COPS

According to this morning’s City New Service, two smart LAPD officers acted quickly and saved a man yesterday afternoon in Boyle Heights. Officers found the guy unconscious after a heart attack and quickly administered CPR while they waited for paramedics to get to the scene. It was the cops who saved the man’s life, said doctors.

No, of course, this isn’t a big story, (but it’s a big one for the guy whose life was saved my the officers). It sometimes it is important to note all the day-to-day good that our police officers do for our complicated city— when we may or may not be noticing.