Response to Globe Letter to the Editor

On the Chaos in Motion blog The poster “Granted” decried by “Idiotic” History Lesson:

Yep, John Adams defense of the soldiers who, while being pelted with snow balls & some rocks, and generally under attack, discharged a volley into a bunch of rioters (AKA, the Boston Massacre) is exactly the same thing as Deval Patrick trying to get convicted murderers out of their sentences and convicted rapists out of jail. No difference between poor judgement and raping your 59 year old neighbor. Lordy, if this is state of cognitive abilities in this state it’s really no wonder that Ted Kennedy keeps getting elected.

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And here is my response:

“Lordy, if this is state of cognitive abilities in this state it’s really no wonder that Ted Kennedy keeps getting elected.”

I find it fascinating that while demeaning the “cognitive abilities” of the citizenry of Massachusetts, you yourself commit a grammatical miscue in the accusatory sentence.

Maybe this debate should be kept to the issues rather than mudslinging and attacks.

The purpose of the John Adams comparison was to illustrate the importance in our criminal justice system of defending all people – regardless of how unpopular it would be. Of course you can draw a factual distinction between the Boston Massacre and the Cop Killer; but you would be hard-pressed to find any more of a politically charged event than the Massacre. Adams undertook the responsibility to protect against the arbitrary abuse of governmental power against all people; whether a murderer, rapist, loyalist, Athiest, Socialist, etc.>

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Clearly this “author” (like the Globe writer) declined to address the fundamental issues that this story should have raised.