“You didn’t think the son of a billionaire would be a hunter,” he said again and again, according to O’Neill.

Yes! In many states, the governor can appoint/hire a representative, though, so it doesn’t have to be the AG or even anyone in the AG’s office. They hire outside counsel to defend laws all the time. (Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, so don’t take what I say as Gospel.)

I get where you’re coming from, and I’m sorry I was snippy. I hope you have a good night!

To be clear: I don’t think we deserve a pat on the back for not sentencing children to death. We only stopped because the court told us we couldn’t.

The difference didn’t matter so much in previous administrations. It does in Trump’s, and the current news colors our appreciation for who is responsible for action. The fact that the President cannot investigate or prosecute crimes seems like a given, but it isn’t anymore. An independent DOJ is incredibly important.

This is fair! My point was more that the President does not have any authority to investigate or prosecute crimes, but you’re very right that it’s not really a separation of powers issue.

The President is not the chief law enforcement official in the US. The AG is. The President doesn’t file charges. The West Wing doesn’t investigate crimes.

A SCOTUS decision in 2005 prohibited states from imposing the death penalty on convicted minors: Roper v. Simmons.

I posted this elsewhere, but CALL. You can call after hours and leave a message if you don’t like talking to people. Meet with staffers if you can.

Obama couldn’t prosecute people.

I know HaHaYouFool suggested repeated emails, but CALL. You can call after hours and leave a message if you don’t like talking to people. The House bill hasn’t dropped yet, so I don’t have a bill number. (Correct me in the comments!)

Our desire to spank our children and deny them reproductive rights outweighed our decency.

We never ratified the Convention on the Rights of a Child. We signed on, but I don’t think that’s acceptance of implementation. Conservatives view it as a challenge to parental authority. I strongly suspect we’re violating it, but I don’t understand how there would be formal accountability. Any insights?

I never knew how to embed tweets, but as two long-time Kinja users, I really appreciate this. 😂

She came from a wealthy family as well (they grew up together in the same neighborhood) and I could never understand why she stayed. She didn’t have to put up with any of it (he wasn’t her meal ticket or anything). Yet she did.

I didn’t think of it, either, until you pointed out the gender segregation. It makes me sick.

You’re confusing two cases involving the same person. The police are not claiming he pulled a gun. You’re talking about a 2012 case.

The reporters’ accounts are largely from a single facility in TX. None of them interview the children. This is for good reason, but let’s not pretend these kids are having a grand old time.

You didn’t imply anything about victims! It’s definitely notable that the boys’ facility is the one toured. It also raises a big question:

I’m sure abuse is happening to both boys and girls. The quick-fix result is usually “no touching” policies between staff and kids so any contact is both discouraged and reportable.