"To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that limitation committed to writing,
if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

A Danger to Burglars

by Lee

This article in the Telegraph left me absolutely speechless.  As crime rates in the UK skyrocket, the government has taken the brave stand of punishing anyone who decides to defend themself.  A farmer named Tony Martin made headlines when he shot a burglar who had broken into his remote farmhouse.  He received a five-year sentence for manslaughter, and was recently denied parole.  The reasons?

• He was deemed “a danger to burglars.”
• He refused to express remorse for defending himself.
• The board felt that he was not “up to speed with the 21st century and of thinking things were better 40 years ago”.

One of his supporters stated, “A lot of prisoners lie and say they are sorry about something when they are not. He was not prepared to lie. It is not a question of ‘does he feel sorry’. He feels he should never have been intruded on and he acted in self defence.” Another added, “These people on the Parole Board are completely out of touch with public opinion. “All right-thinking people agree that Mr Martin should be released immediately.”

This right-thinking person most certainly agrees with that statement. 

(Link via The Corner.)

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