But before the trial began, Williams had claimed that he wasn't carrying a gun and that [Anderson] had planted it on him. His defense attorney, Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender John Ryan III, did not ask Officer Andersen about it, though.

In fact, Ryan's cross-examination of Andersen, the state's star witness, consisted of just four questions. He asked the officer if he could recall the name of the gun's manufacturer (he couldn't), whether the gun could be identified ("I didn't even try," Andersen replied), whether it had a serial number (Andersen said he didn't know) and whether he submitted it for fingerprint or DNA testing.

"I don't know if they did that or not," Andersen replied.

Ryan did not return calls for comment.

* * *

Ryan's final defense argument to the jury was five sentences long. He reminded jurors that the judge and prosecutor had explained burden of proof and that the state had to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The defendant didn't have to testify but he did and he gave you his version of events," Ryan told jurors. "If you have reasonable doubt, you have to return a verdict of not guilty and I wish you good luck in your deliberations and actually do the right thing and follow the law.

"Thank you."

... As long as people accept the "no new taxes" (but we're not smart enough to tell the agencies how less money will help), we'll have this. ...

Maybe someday we'll learn-- You don't get what you don't pay for

You know I'm a little tired of hearing that budget cuts are the cause of every problem. As a guy that does turn arounds in the business world I would suggest it is not a revenue issue(it seldom, is) as much as an allocation of the spending issue. As a public we have come to the thinking that everyone is entitled to everything, the best health care, the best legal representation, education-in 6 lanugauges, new signs to airports because less than 1% of the people going there are idiots and get lost.

I'm not suggesting we should have no public services, just that we decide what we need verses want and maybe it is time to focus our spending on those needs and set aside some of the wants - I know a lot of families, including mine, are doing the same thing these days.

Maybe as a public we should get back to basics, education that teaches math, reading, skilled trades, music, and paying teachers a fair wage and stop spending our money on schools that are made of marble and admistrative staff that could run a small country. Stop building new libaries that only the homeless go to and instead take a lesson from the real world and either get the information online or use a netflix type model and the library becomes a virtual resource.

I'm happy to pay my fair share it just really gets my goat when the people not paying ( and bitching about it) are getting better services than those of us that are stuck picking up all the bills. Rant over.

I'd rather keep the libraries open, but how about we put more time and money into teaching people to read rather than to idolize celebrities and athletes? Take a look at a high school football budget. Then look at the library budget. Our priorities are screwed up.

I'd like to know where in the U.S. Constitution it is mandated that the state must pay for your attorney. You have the right to be represented by one, not the right to a free one.

I'm all for charity, just not coerced charity which is really authoritarian confiscation.

Lots more Democrats coming to the statehouse next election, watch and see.

Gideon v. Wainwright

One of the most famous SCOTUS cases of the 20th Century.

-Mark

ETA - The book Gideon's Trumpet is a very interesting read.

I know - I read the book.

That's the opinion of one court. It's not in the constitution that we have to pay for somebody else's attorney.

They deem that right to counsel (which is in the Constitution) must be applied to all citizens (which I do happen to agree with, honestly),

hence they found that there must be a way for folks who can't afford an attorney to get one.

I understand that and agree with it completely.


There's other ways to get a free attorney than creating a government bureaucracy and confiscating my wealth under threat of imprisonment to pay for it.