DISGUSTING AD TACTICS

If you want to run for office some day, you better not believe that everyone is entitled to legal counsel before the government locks them away. Or, at least, that’s the message sent by a new Republican Governors Association ad targeting Vincent Sheheen, a former prosecutor who now represents civil and criminal clients in private practice. Sheheen is a Democratic candidate for governor against incumbent Nikki Haley.

The RGA’s ad attacks Sheheen for “defend[ing] violent criminals” and ends with the tagline “Vincent Sheheen protects criminals not South Carolina.”




The implication of this ad is that Sheheen is somehow unfit for public office because he once provided legal counsel to people accused of crimes. Indeed, the ad lists several serious crimes, including sex offenses and child abuse, that Sheheen’s clients were accused of committing. It is likely that many of these clients are very, very bad people.

But in the American justice system, we do not presume that anyone is guilty of a crime until after they have received a trial where they were represented by counsel — indeed, we afford all criminal defendants a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Moreover, as the Supreme Court explained more than half a century ago, the right to a trial often means little unless criminal defendants enjoy the right to counsel. Without an attorney, Justice Hugo Black wrote in 1963, an innocent man “faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence.”

Sheheen’s clients may very well have committed horrible crimes. But we do not lock people away in prisons in the United States until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This is how we protect innocent men and women from winding up in those same prisons alongside the guilty.

This ad is at least the second time in as many months that Republicans lashed out at an attorney because he stood up for a person accused of a serious crime in court. Last month, every single Senate Republican who voted joined with a handful of Democrats to vote down Debo Adegbile, who was nominated to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The fact that Adegbile once signed a brief arguing that a convicted cop killer was unconstitutionally sentenced to die played a major role in the campaign against him. A panel of predominantly Republican judges eventually held that this death sentence was, indeed, unconstitutional.

NFTOS

Staff Writer

Steve "Damn Nazi Liberal" Chevapravatdumrong

NIKKI HALEY AMPS UP STUPID

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a law Tuesday to allow those with concealed carry permits to bring their guns into bars and other establishments that serve alcohol. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for Haley. As she signed the bill, she said she’d like to see another Senate proposal passed to eliminate the permit requirement entirely and allow open carry in the state.

“Criminals are dangerous, and I think that every resident should be allowed to protect themselves from criminals,” she reasoned.

Permit requirements are typically separate from laws that govern who can buy and possess guns in the state. In South Carolina, as in most states, the permitting requirement actually makes it harder for those with criminal backgrounds to be the ones toting the guns. While some crimes — violent felonies — bar individuals from buying or possessing a gun in the first place, a larger list of crimes bars individuals from carrying those guns outside their homes. What’s more, those who seek a permit are required to undergo firearms training. And permits must be re-issued every few years, allowing the state an opportunity to check for new crimes committed after an individual initially purchased a gun. Ending the permit requirement would eliminate both firearms training and the more probing, follow-up background checks that now exist.

South Carolina current prohibits open carry of guns, and sponsors say the bill would remove that limitation also.

Until 2007, Vermont was the only state that had a law eliminating permit requirements. But in the past few years, model legislation known as the “Constitutional Carry Act” has been introduced in many states, and become law in Wyoming, Arizona, and Alaska. Arkansas also passed a “Constitutional Carry Act” that seems to dispense with the permitting requirement, although it is still distributing permits.

South Carolina is one of the deadliest states for gun violence. The state sees a gun death every 14 hours. Police officers and women victims of domestic violence are particularly likely to be killed by a gun in the state.

The “Constitutional Carry” bill was introduced by State Sen. Lee Bright, who is running for U.S. Senate. Even with Haley’s support, the South Carolina bill faces significant opposition from state legislators and is unlikely to survive the Senate this time around, according to the State.

What's next Nikki, do away with police departments? Congratulations Nikki Haley, you are today's asshat of the day.

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West

POLITICAL SELFISHNESS

How many blacks and Hispanics where in attendance at the TAB [The American Taliban] convention last night? Not many! I saw more pasty white humans with bad teeth at this convention then in my previous 51 years on terra firma! You would think that oral hygiene and oral health would be top priority to these folks! [Just for reference I am a white male]

What was the theme of the convention last night? "ME", its all about me. John Kaisich, Transvaginal Bob McDonnell, Nikki Haley, Rick "Frothy" Santorum, Scott "Koch Whore" Walker, and Chris " I can't push my lard ass away from the dinner table long enough to lose a gram of weight" Christie, spoke about themselves when the platforms intent was for America to learn about Mitt and his magical underwear.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While the lard ass [Christie] took his anger out on Democrats and POTUS, he failed to tell the convening troglodytes, is that both he and Mittens states run the bottom of the lists in unemployment.

That's the thing with these hypocritical American Taliban's . This group is [GOP=TAB=The American Taliban] is the "Team Not Quite In Last Place."

This pretty much defines the plummeting Romney/Ryan ticket, when the guy that everyone in the GOP is excited to hear speak, is not even running for president or VP!

This lard ass [Chris Christie] touts his brand of conservatism and fiscal responsibility in a marquee speech at the TAB convention yet his own state brings up the rear in unemployment!

During tonight's TAB convention, try NFTOS new drinking game. Safe drinking game: Drink when you see a non-white person in the TAB Convention audience.

See why the TAB courts the pasty whites with rotten teeth. Robme/Ryan are so unpopular and out of tune with women, African Americans and Hispanics - Ann Robme's "women" speech was both insulting and condescending, watch for yourself.

"I LOVE YOU WOMEN"



We are surrounded by fallacious ideologues - all this nonsense about Mittens and Ryan leading the country into some sort of golden age of austerity. What utter nonsense and bull shit!

There's no way in hell that Romney / Ryan can win the way they constantly lie about Obama's accomplishments in the wake of constant teapublican opposition in the Congress -- purposely blocking every meaningful piece of legislation (including jobs bills) from Day One.

What's more they claim Obama raided Medicare, which is absurd not only because it's not true (he re-allocated Medicare Advantage funds to the regular Medicare fund where it belongs) but that's actually their plan!


See more disgusting stories from camp American Taliban below:

This is how the American Taliban rolls.

Coal miners say they were forced to attend Romney event and donate

NFTOS

Editor-In-Chief

Roger West