Friday, July 2, 2010
Action
"In a world where the normal condition is one of alienation, most personal action must be destructive of one's own experience and of that of the other." -R.D. Laing
Know Your Rights
It is settled that, if evidence available to a trial judge raises a bona fide doubt regarding a defendant's ability to understand and participate in the proceedings against him, the judge has an obligation to order an examination to assess his competency, even if the defendant does not request such an exam. Drope v. Missouri, [466 U.S. 984 , 986] 420 U.S. 162 (1975); Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375 (1966).
PORTER v. MCKASKLE , 466 U.S. 984 (1984)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
On Immortality
by Alain Badiou
An immortal: this is what the worst situations that can be inflicted upon Man show him to be, in so far as he distinguishes himself within the varied and racious flux of life. In order to think any aspect of Man, we must begin from this principle. So if 'rights of man' exist, they are surely not rights of life against death, or rights of survival against misery. They are the rights of the Immortal, affirmed in their own right, or the rights of the Infinite, excercised over the contingency of suffering and death.
The fact that in the end we all die, that only dust remains, in no way alters Man's identity as immortal at the instant in which he affirms himself as someone who runs counter to the temptation of wanting-to-be-an-animal to which circumstances may expose him. And we know that every human being is capable of being this immortal -- unpredictably, be it in circumstances great or small, for truths important or secondary.
Source: Badiou, Alain. Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil. London * New York: Verso, 2001
An immortal: this is what the worst situations that can be inflicted upon Man show him to be, in so far as he distinguishes himself within the varied and racious flux of life. In order to think any aspect of Man, we must begin from this principle. So if 'rights of man' exist, they are surely not rights of life against death, or rights of survival against misery. They are the rights of the Immortal, affirmed in their own right, or the rights of the Infinite, excercised over the contingency of suffering and death.
The fact that in the end we all die, that only dust remains, in no way alters Man's identity as immortal at the instant in which he affirms himself as someone who runs counter to the temptation of wanting-to-be-an-animal to which circumstances may expose him. And we know that every human being is capable of being this immortal -- unpredictably, be it in circumstances great or small, for truths important or secondary.
Source: Badiou, Alain. Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil. London * New York: Verso, 2001
The King Goes Blind Once in a While
On Chrismas Eve 2007, I woke up blind in one eye. I stayed blind for about a month. I still have spots in the back of my eye, the doctor says he doesn't know what caused it. I think it was my cat scratching me at night because her thyroid condition made her insanely hungry, but by the time I heard of cat scratch disease, it was a year and a half later and the tests came back negative.
I still get periodic episodes of blindness. I had one in January and another just last month.
I posted a blog on Myspace a long time ago wherein I had copied the emails I sent out to friends and family. Some people have found it interesting to read. It was a very dramatic time. That's for sure.
Click below the fold to read them. I hope this helps somebody.
I still get periodic episodes of blindness. I had one in January and another just last month.
I posted a blog on Myspace a long time ago wherein I had copied the emails I sent out to friends and family. Some people have found it interesting to read. It was a very dramatic time. That's for sure.
Click below the fold to read them. I hope this helps somebody.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Know Your Rights
A mentally ill defendant has needs beyond those of other citizens. Just as a deaf defendant would be provided with a sign-language interpreter, N.J.S.A. 34:1-69.10, or a non-English speaking defendant with a foreign language interpreter, State v. Kounelis, 258 N.J. Super. 420, 609 A.2d 1310 (App.Div. 1992), certif. denied 133 N.J. 429, 627 A.2d 1136 (1993)[4], the mentally ill defendant should be provided with counsel to allow full access to the courts.
State v. Ehrenberg, 664 A. 2d 1301 - NJ: Superior Court, Law Div., Bergen 1994
State v. Ehrenberg, 664 A. 2d 1301 - NJ: Superior Court, Law Div., Bergen 1994
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)