Comments on: AP Braves Authorities, Court In Defense of Truth

By: serendipity

serendipity — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:42:20 +0000

The Repubs insist on privatising everything.
I like this article by Nader. He gets to the black heart of the GOP (Greedy Old Party):
“If there was a mental health hospital for institutions the Republican Party and its top leaders would be admissible as clinically insane.”
See it here:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/06-8

By: dog

dog — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:29:58 +0000

Zippo, when they privatize/profitize justice, you are going to hate it. Be careful what you ask for.

By: Rod in SE Boise

Rod in SE Boise — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:40:54 +0000

boisecinyc, my point is that deregulation of any industry results in consumers being screwed. I consider the breakup of ATT a deregulation. I was always way more of a local phone user rather than a user of long distance phone serivces (so I always felt screwed since local rates went up and long distance rates went down), but that is now water under the bridge since they are all inclusive.

Zippo, prisons are too important to contract out their management. Look what happened when the Bush administration contacted out the support of the troops (food service, etc) in Iraq to Halliburton – massive theft of billions of dollars in taxpayer money, and they did a crappy job of supporting the troops.

By: Cyclops

Cyclops — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:03:33 +0000

Zippy, I cannot speak to other states, but you better get some facts before you imply this type of conduct goes on in IDOC! Short of being able to prove something, I would strongly suggest you “stifle”!

By: dog

dog — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:45:58 +0000

Thank you Guardian for posting this.

By: Zippo

Zippo — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:30:15 +0000

I think the mass media is somewhat at fault here. I bet they ignore a lot of what they hear about these places… just as they do about other types of government fraud and incompetence… especially prosecutorial misconduct.

Rod, More pay and a government check to the same class of employee will do what to fix this nation-wide problem? The FBI is going to say “if it was public-run it would not happen” but we all know it does.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:16:29 +0000

I was totally repulsed by the beating and the lack of interference in the beating by the guards.

If you lock someone up you become responsible for their safety and health issues. Deliberatly putting someone in harms way inside a prison is just plain wrong and now Idaho Taxpayers will suffer the brunt of this case. Should have never happened and ignorance of the possiblity of physical violence on this guy is no excuse.

The guards in this deal need to be hauled up on criminal neglect charges.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:33:24 +0000

Rod, how can you compare the break up of ATT to privatization of prisons?

Indeed, ATT is an example of why not to privatize prisons. ATT prior to 1984 used its monopoly powers to keep away competition and the prying eyes of the public.

Yes, landline fees went up, but long distance charges went way down. In fact, long distance is now basically free. If ATT were still the monopoly that it was, our iPhones would have rotary dial pads. Deregulation of the airlines also resulted in lower fares not higher ones.

There’s no surprise here. Many warned about privatizing prisons. I’m too lazy to research it, but it would make for an interesting story. It’s just like many warned about complex derivatives way back in the early 80s.

By: Zippo

Zippo — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:39:10 +0000

I think if the TSA did checks at the prison gate we would find a heck of a lot more stuff than at the airport… Why don’t you get on it Butch.

By: Rod in SE Boise

Rod in SE Boise — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:19:40 +0000

The Statesman (online) article about the FBI getting into the act has the headline: “FBI investigating Idaho’s only private prison”.

Well, it is not a private prison, it is a privately managed prison. How about some basic (and I mean really basic) accuracy in media?

If the inmates have a nickname for the place – Gladiator School – then we can believe that something BAD is going on there. If our society chooses to lock people up for long periods of time (or even short term in the county jail) they have to be kept there safe from attack by other inmates, no ifs, ands or buts, and no matter what it costs.

Imagine being an accountant or something, convicted of some kind of white-collar crime, and being sent out there and thrown in with hundreds of violent guys.