Injustice And Identity

All injustice has a sort of coherence. It doesn't really matter if the injustice is identity based or not. Don't get me wrong -  there is clearly injustice based on race, ethnicity and religion but there is also injustice against individuals not based on such criteria. At its core, injustice is due to people seeking power and money. It may, however, be convenient for those bad people to group victims together in some way because it is both easier to identify the victims as well as get supporters for your abusive actions (this is where, for example, racism comes from) but it is not necessary. You see, those who want to commit evil will find a way. 

You could categorize me as having a group identity in several ways; however, none of these are currently (historically it would be certainly true) widely thought of as being a disadvantaged group. I suppose if you were to categorize the disadvantaged group I am in, it would be people going through a divorce who are "responsibly, hard-working and honest" as that group has the worst outcome in family court. You could probably add "male" just because if the only thing changed in my case were the genders, I almost certainly would not be in the situation I am. 

It is a rare bad person who is only bad in one area or agaisnt one group. Racists are not likely to be loving, empathetic parents. Lawyers who commit fraud in court no doubt commit crimes in other areas just as easily. Which is a good reason to not tolerate by inaction the crimes of others. Not identifying with a victim should give no cause for comfort. Next time it could just as easily be you who is the victim. Power and money remember?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Message

Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a video message regarding the attack on the capitol last week which is incredibly good. It literally sent shivers down my spine. I had no idea he was so articulate and intelligent. If you have not seen it yet, do so and share it with your friends and family. I had my kids watch it. 

Just the Facts, Ma'am

It musing about my last post, it seems to me there is something fundamental about people's understanding of facts. 

There is a spectrum. At one end is a person whose grasp of reality is so tenuous they simply have no conception of a fact outside of what they believe. Think of a severely mentally ill person. Recently a mother left her daughter on the side of the road in freezing cold weather with no shoes because she believed God had told her to. Her "facts" are what she thinks in her head.

At the other end are people who understand that facts are external to what they think. Quite importantly, they will freely change their views based on facts. These people have a good grasp not only of reality but logic. 

Let's look at some cases. If a person came to you and said, without providing any evidence, that  Bill and Hillary Clinton, other high ranking Democrats as well as Hollywood stars were all involved with a Satanic, child molestation ring run from a pizza parlor you would rightly state they needed mental help. So what are we to think of Qanon whose adherents believe just that? Are they all mentally ill? I am sure some are but when it comes to followers, I think many people simply just do not care about facts. Their truth is what they want to believe not what is real. 

Or how about the 70% of Republicans who believe Trump actually won the election. Not only is there no evidence for this but all the facts refute it. But they do not care about facts. I should probably point out that these people fall into two categories. One are those who know that Biden fairly won in a clean election but just lie about it for political reasons. I would guess most Republican members of Congress who objected to certification fall into this category. A larger number, I think, are those who just simply believe what people who they want to believe tell them. They think with their emotions not their brains. 

I see the same thing in the legal system. Some litigants, lawyers and officials who lie and commit crimes know exactly what they are doing but most I suspect just ignore or mentally block inconvenient facts because it threatens their power and income. They are not going to let facts get in their way. Or truth. Or justice. 

That Familiar Feeling

I have tried to stay non-political on this site mainly because crime knows no political boundaries, but after the events of yesterday at the Nation's Capitol I feel a need to speak out. I might just as well state what I think of Trump. He is narcissistic anti-democracy megalomaniac who cares only for himself. But that is not really what upsets me about him. What upsets me about him is that people support him. They turn a blind eye to his crimes and bullying tactics.  

Traitor At The Capitol

That feeling is familiar. It is how our legal system works especially in family court. It isn't bad people such as Spring and Nelly Wince who upset me so much as there will always be bad people, it is the people and institutions such as the county attorney (a staunch Democrat), the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and judges who ignore and often reward crime and unethical actions which give me that sinking hopeless feeling. 

Sadly, people are not all that good. People who are happiest in this world live in societies where legal systems are clear, transparent, and fair. Without that we have a breakdown in society. 

If we want to have a better world we need a better legal system. One where crime is an accepted practice only generates more crime and suffering. It really isn't all that complicated. 

Waiting

Just before Christmas a hearing was held on my motion to eliminate spousal support and set aside the decree ordering permanent spousal support. As the evidence is so clear that fraud upon the court was committed, setting aside the ruling should be a slam dunk. Except... in Minnesota as far as I can tell this has never happened. Which is such a strange thing given that fraud upon the court is considered so serious it has no statue of limitations. Like first degree murder. Additionally, everyone knows it happens regularly in family court. This why I state that family court in Minnesota is institutionally corrupt or, to state it another way, committing crime in court is normal and accepted. 

The judge, a new one, stated that their is little precedent for giving back money due to crime so my hopes are dimmed. Although he had not read any of the docket so there is still some hope. 

Spring, with her new lawyer, asked the judge for even more money, including attorney fees. Of course she did. Because taking far more than half of marital assets at the time of the divorce, alimony for over a decade and never having spent anything on the children from her own income is not enough. And remember, the custody evaluator ruled she was not the primary parent and the vocational evaluator ruled she could make as much money as me. Also, despite joint custody post divorce, the kids started almost immediately spending more time with me which soon turned to 100%. They still live with me even though both are now graduated from college. 

Spring also asked that I be held in contempt of court and if I do not pay up be sent to jail to "coerce" me into paying. A strange thing about U.S. law is that a judge can send a person to jail indefinitely with no charges for contempt if court. As I told the judge, if he rules agaisnt me and cites me for contempt of court it will be appropriate because ti would adequately reflect the ocean full of contempt I would have. 

It is simply madness. I do not know how else to describe a system that purports to uphold the law and ensure justice but breaks it at every opportunity and mandates injustice. All for fistful of silver coins. 

So now I wait. My life hangs by a thread. 

Joy and Sorry

My life is a mix of joy and sorry.  I am the type of person who is fascinated with, well, everything. I can't even image ever being bored. I also find extreme joy in many simple moments. In a homily a priest was giving last week he mentioned the dictionary definition of joy, one of which is obtaining what you want.  I thought of my own situation. What if the court gives me everything I have asked for including all the spousal support returned me to me since the end of temporary support, as well as penalties. Would that bring me joy? No, it would not. It would bring satisfaction not only because it would be the return of at least some of the monies that were fraudulently taken form me but even more so because it would send a signal to the divorce industry that crime not always goes unpunished. Such an outcome would help numerous others. But this is not joy. 

Here is joy, a baby laughing with his Newfoundland dog 

The other part of my life is sorry. Sorry that not only individuals but institutions can act is such selfish and criminally corrupt ways. This is the opposite feeling I have from when I watch the above video. 

Humans are both the best and worst animals on the planet. Whether we survive as a species much longer totally depends on whether the best of us or the worst of us wins out.  I hope good wins out over evil but the outcome is far from certain.  

You Would Think Bad People Would be More Scared

I am a non-violent person. But many people who are victims of crime are not, often understandably not. One thing that has always astonished me is how people can so easily commit crimes without any thought to their own personal safety. I suppose I understand how the violent offenders do as violence is their nature but all the corrupt lawyers, judges and other government officials? 

There are many stories, real and fictional that should serve as a warning. Movies include everything from The Count of Monte Cristo to Death Wish to V For Vendetta to Django Unchained to Peppermint. There are hundreds of other similar movies and thousands of books.

And vengeance is not just fictional. In Bangladesh a person known as Hercules has been killing those accused of rape and other crimes. A terrible thing in many ways but in a country where legal corruption is high, Hercules has become a hero to many. 

Then there is the remarkable story of Miriam Rodriguez in Mexico. A vigilante mother who after her daughter was kidnapped and killed by a Mexican drug cartel carried out a years-long crusade in which she hunted down 10 of her daughter's killers alone An amazing woman. 

Again I am personally non-violent but if doing the right thing is not enough of an incentive for a lawyer, judge or government official act corruptly, surly fear should be.