♪♪♪ Old friends ♪♪♪ JAABLOG's new found obsession with all things Palm Beach has taken us down a familiar path. It turns out old friend Howard Finkelstein and 15th Circuit Chief Judge Peter Blanc, currently in consideration for a spot on the Fourth DCA, are one time running buddies from their days at UM Law School. Who knew?
Anyway, everyone knows Howard has always stood for truth, justice, and having a really good time, so it was only natural to ask him earlier today if Blanc also used to party like a rock star back in the day. In response Howard flashed his trademark TV smile, simply stating "I don't kiss and tell".
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for clean living, but it does reinvigorate an old JAABLOG debate. Should people who may have once used illegal drugs be allowed to sit in judgement or prosecute others for the same things they used to do?
It's a tricky issue. On one hand nobody likes a hypocrite, but on the other judges and prosecutors infused with real life experience (pun intended) and a working knowledge of reality might be better suited to understand and remedy drug offender cases. Of course, there's always the chance the former offender/authority figure may overcompensate to prove a point, but by and large aren't former users better at working out drug cases than the formerly sheltered or unpopular kids who just don't get it?
Post a comment if you have any insights or feelings on the topic. The easy answer is obviously to reform the selectively enforced and racist drug laws (think what would happen if police are let loose inside America's college dorms with the same ferocity they patrol the inner cities), but since that ain't happening anytime soon, it's a topic that sorely needs attention ...