Re: Dead Vermont cyclist

On Thu, 13 Mar 2025 18:42:21 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

On Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:53:04 -0400, Catrike Ryder
<Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>

On Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:42:13 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:
>

On Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:18:58 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>

On 3/13/2025 2:11 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 13 Mar 2025 04:50:30 -0400, Catrike Ryder
<Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
 

On Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:55:56 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
>

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14490079/Vermont-police-crash-cyclist-Kapitanski-Sean-Hayes.html

>
Cop cars laptops can show him Youtube? Can he also tune in "Dancing
with the Stars?" and "Howard Stern?" That's likely the kind of garbage
that moron would watch.

 
If he had a smartphone with internet connectivity he could run a web
browser on the smartphone and watch any kind of streaming content
including YouTube.  If he had a tablet with a built in LTE cellular
modem, he could also use the tablet for watching YouTube.
 
"Public safety smartphones and tablets"
<https://www.samsung.com/us/business/solutions/industries/public-safety/smartphones-tablets/>
 
Whether the phone or tablet was issued by the police department or was
owned by the officer for personal use is unknown.

>
Semi truck drivers are convicted regularly after watching
videos on a telephone or more frequently tapping out texts.
When things go badly, that is construed as criminal
negligence. As well it should be.

>
It would be nice if the court would suspend his drivers license and
give him a desk job.  Have him drive to work on a bicycle and see how
long he survives.  If that's too harsh, maybe put him on a freeway
debris cleanup crew.  The punishment should fit the crime.

>
He killed a guy. Put him in prison.

>
Yep.  That would be involuntary manslaughter.  In California, that's
good for 4 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.  I couldn't find
the numbers for Vermont.
>
The problem is that incarceration is not cheap.  It costs about
$134,000/year to incarcerate someone in Vermont:
<https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cost-per-prisoner-in-us-states/>
The 4 year maximum penalty will cost the state of Vermont:
 4 x $134,000 = $536,000
I suspect Vermont taxpayers can find something better on which to
spend their money.
>
Instead, lets go back to bad olde days of "blood money".
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20money>
The perpetrator pays the family of the deceased.  It's considered
standard practice in the middle east and I think in parts of SE Asia.
Here's a typical rate schedule for Saudi Arabia.
<https://jeddahpcg.dfa.gov.ph/qisas-and-diyya-or-blood-money>
One Saudi Riyal is currently $0.27 US.
>
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_in_Islam>
"While Saudi judges have the last say in any settlement, as of 2011,
diya price for a Muslim man, in Saudi Arabia, was SR300,000 ($80,000)
for an accidental death and SR400,000 ($106,666) in premeditated
murder.  The price was raised that year due to a rise in the price of
camels."
>
For the current situation, I suspect having the officer contribute 1/3
of his income to the family for some number of years would be fair to
all involved, except perhaps those who believe that begging for money
on GoFundMe.com is a fair solution.  That's certainly better than
burning half a million dollars to feed and house the perpetrator while
allowing the victims family to descend into poverty.
>
Simple solutions don't work.

Not a bad solution, but I know of situations where child support and
alimony never get paid.

--
C'est bon
Soloman