I'm not talking about his sentence in regards to the attempted murder charge (which he has yet to be sentenced for in Maryland), but the idea that he is a sympathetic hero and the unfortunate victim of an out of control government. His attempted murder charge completely contradicts the martyr status people here are trying to thrust upon him. He's not a hero, he's a hypocrite who sold out his non-violent ideology when he solicited the murder of several individuals. My entire point has been he is not the rallying cry some in this thread want him to be, because he sought to use violence against people who were inconvenient to him; not that his prison sentences for 'non-violent' crimes are appropriate because he solicited murder.
This is what annoys me about his supporters. They completely ignore this charge and make him out to be some sort of freedom fighter hero. I might have sided with them had he not gone completely power-crazy and tried to murder people which he would have done successfully had he not been talking to undercover cops. I think the sentence he got is harsh but he's no angel and deserves time.
Imagine this : an illiterate druglord from Harlem/Brooklyn pleads guilty and gets 20-30 years in prison and an educated guy who tries to fight the system (even though he was guilty in my opinion) gets life in prison without the possibility of parole...
who is more useful to society ?
the illiterate/retarded/ drug dealer from Harlem who in 20 years would be just as retarded as before with slim chances of rehabilitation, or an educated guy who in 20 years from now might have something to give back to society : such as advices to young men following in his footsteps...he could lead some really interesting seminaries and help a lot of people along the way to learn from his mistakes but as it turns out he will never have a second chance
The prison system in the US is just wrong...locking people up is not the solution, re-educating them should be a main priority....life in prison for Ross is unfair to say the least...the 20 years prison sentence would've been more appropriate but the US judiciary system has no interest in rehabilitation...
Wow, this is exactly what's usually wrong with the American justice system. Rich white kids usually get off whilst poor black people get thrown in jail for relatively minor crimes. Should white guys be given get out of jail free cards now?