College? haha that's a good one. But Yeah, I think you are right on. good analysis of their view point.
And there's nothing wrong with that, you are completely entitled to do what you wish as a parent as long as you don't break the law of the jurisdiction that you live within, and as long as you are willing to accept the potential consequences if your behavior is too far out of step with the majority of Americans. Peterson is in a difficult situation for 2 different reasons... 1) He is accused of breaking the laws of his local jurisdiction. 2) His livelihood is reliant upon how the entire nation views him, not just his local jurisdiction. While you may personally not disagree with his methods (switching), as a national figure that earns his living by operating on a national stage, then he accepts through his choice of vocation that he will be judged on a national basis. Just ask Jerry Lee Lewis how arguing that marrying his 13 year old cousin was perfectly acceptable in Louisiana worked out for his career.
Being accused of a crime isn't the same as a conviction. At this point he has only been in front of a grand jury, after an EARLIER grand jury voted against an indictment. Assuming this matter ever goes to trial, a jury in Montgomery County, of his peers is far likely to be sympathetic to Adrian over one in Minnesota. I don't have an issue with Adrian Peterson being scrutinized by the public and the media, it is a two headed sword. It has made him a lot of money, and also has made his private life well known. Adrian knen that when he agreed to play in the NFL.
Yeah, this seems to be it. It just strikes me as odd, especially after seeing everyone's reaction to AP. They should try to get 50 or 100 players or something to say it together - but it seems like individual athletes coming out on their own is going to put them in a world of hurt and probably lead to backtracking and an apology a day or two later like we saw with the Ray Rice thing. Calvin Johnson is the most interesting to me because he's so widely respected and such a big star. Get a few more of those and things become interesting.
True in Minnesota from what I've heard is that while you can spank your child using a switch would be considered child abuse. I give Peterson about a 50% chance of being convicted, if this goes to trial. Remember the case isn't to spank or not spank with a switch or not but whether his actions were excessive and crossed from discipline to abuse. While Montgomery County, Texas isn't Hennepin County, Minnesota Peterson himself says he went too far in his texts. Other than the legal issues though Minnesota matters because the Vikings and their fan base is based in Minnesota. Companies like Radisson are based in Minnesota and the state is currently paying half of the cost to build the Vikings a state of the art stadium in Minnesota. Minnesota opinions do matter to the Vikings.
You give Peterson a 50% chance of being convicted of child abuse (if it goes to trial) related to corporal punishment....in Texas....with Rusty Hardin defending him?
Opinions in Minnesota certainly matter to the Vikings and they should matter to the Vikings. I was simply, in a flip manner saying that customs and social views are greatly different in different areas in the country. For example I am in Chicago, and they are equating what he did with raching back and punching his son in the face. I also know that the Vikings current owner is not very popular in Minnesota and the stadium issue is a real one. Rusty Hardin is a perfect attorney for a Texas jury, he will give Peterson a chance to walk. Really what I think you will see is Hardin try to argue (illiegally) that mistakes happen and that Peterson is a good father and doesn't deserve a criminal record for a mistake.
The DA specifically said that there was only ONE grand jury. IE, that there was not a no-bill. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/details-montgomery-county-da-press-182251782.html How could the reporters have gotten it wrong? Probably because it was being presented to the grand jury over a period of weeks. http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/w...on-turns-himself-in-to-Montgomery-5753110.php As for the issue of sympathy, it's being adjudicated in Montgomery county where the jury was made of Montgomery residents, so while they may be culturally sympathetic there was still sufficient evidence for them to indict. I doubt he'll see prison time, but given that there is no dispute over the actual facts, and the reluctance of most prosecutors to bring cases to trial that they don't believe have a good chance of success (Especially in high profile cases where you're facing media scrutiny and high paid lawyers) I'm guessing they feel they have more than enough to convict. And here's another thing that you may or may not know... Montgomery County and the DA's office are very serious about prosecuting child abuse. It's a personal mission for Assistant DA Chris Grant as well as the office at large. They've instituted programs specifically to address child abuse, and it was one of the key platforms the DA ran on. http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cour...cle_720f67c4-9121-58ba-b4b7-5c2c0cb24e11.html Don't expect Montgomery County to be THAT favorable. The DA's office has a 98% conviction rate. http://www.kltv.com/story/26278387/...n-rate-among-highlights-of-2013-annual-report Ray Rice will get some juror sympathy, but this is a DA with a very personal stake in this type of crime, in a jurisdiction that you could probably call a "hanging" jurisdiction, especially when it comes to child abuse.
Part of it depends on AP's goals and how quickly he wants to be on the field. His court date is in a few weeks. Plead guilty, get probation (as most first time offenders do), and he could be back in a month. Go to trial, and this drags well into next year and possibly next season.
Significantly higher than 50%. Between photographic evidence, his child's testimony, and his own texts and the subsequent press conference where he's basically admitting that he went too far, it won't be a question of whether he's guilty of negligent or reckless action leading to injury of a child. When you have this much evidence the most likely outcome is a plea bargain to avoid jail time and a speedy resolution. Fighting the case is most likely the last thing he wants as he would essentially be forced to be put under oath and examined, his entire history would be at risk to be entered as evidence, and it would prolong the amount of time that he would be off the field all while under a media microscope (giving reporters even MORE time to dig up stuff on him). The main question will be the degree of punishment, which I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with court mandated counseling, some form of court supervision, and community service.
A lot of the talk in MN is along the same line. A lot of people were horrified here to even hear about using a switch in the first place, and about making the child choose the switch. Something that I thought was common knowledge. That's why I give him a 50% chance. If this case was being held in Hennepin County I would say the chances of him convicted were much higher. I was just speculating earlier today that he has probably done this to his kids while in Minnesota. If that comes out things might be much tougher for Peterson. Even if he's convicted I doubt he sees a day of jail time.
#1 Your point on the grand jury is taken, although it doesn't really change anything. Also the grand jury is not to determine the innocence of guilt of a party, only whether there is probable cause to pursue a criminal case. #2 Prosecutors in Montgomery County are insulated, by the grand jury. #3 Have you ever lived in Montgomery County? I am not surprised by a 98% conviction rate, but I doubt that many of the cases are similar to the Adrian Peterson case, and I doubt that Rusty Hardin is the attorney either. I have no idea if Peterson will be found guilty in Montgomery County, but I do know that you can throw the 98% conviction rate out the window based on the circumstances. Further the cultural differences between the North and South on the issue of corporal punishment is vast. Even parents that do not use corporal punishment believe that a parent should be allowed to do so. It isn't as simple as some seem to think and the fact that Peterson was honest about the event will not hurt him at trial, but actually help him. FWIW the DA already wants to negotiate a lesser charge. I am assuming when you said "Ray Rice" you were mistaken.
While this part is true, this isn't really about corporal punishment - it's the same mistake people keep making throughout the thread arguing the legitimacy of spanking. Most people in this thread live in the south; many experienced corporal punishment and are OK with it in general. But they still think AP went too far. That said, I doubt this goes to trial. I suspect they negotiate this away for probation and try to end it as quickly as possible, especially given that AP has thus far accepted that he went too far and been pretty standup about taking responsibility for things. I doubt he wants his parenting on trial for another year.
Assuming the texts are admissable (they are), you will see Rusty Hardin use the texts as part of the defense argument. He has done similar things before with success.
I agree the issue is whether he went too far (at least legally). However, that doesn't mean that is what the argument is going to be in the courtroom and that doesn't mean the jurors are not ultimately going to be deciding if it was a mistake, and if so, does Peterson deserve to be punished. When you have an attorney like Rusty Hardin, in a community like Montgomery County, it is very possible Peterson would be found not guilty. FWIW I agree that the issue at play for Peterson is if he went to far. However, the national narrative has become that corporal punishment is wrong. It makes no sense for this to go to trial for either the DA or Adrian Peterson. The only reason I think there is even a chance it does go to trial is that Peterson is adament that he did not abuse his child. Still when it is all said and done, Peterson wants back on the field and his name out of the headlines.
I've got a pretty flexible mind if I am presented with something compelling to the contrary of my belief. The link provided and the doctor that was pro corporal punishment did not have compelling arguments for corporal punishment. Hitting a small child to teach them a lesson just doesn't make intuitive sense to me and it is only a valid option because they are small and weaker. Anyhow....you know how I feel and I get your point as well. The bottom line is I think we agree more than we disagree on this topic, but we are kind of conflicting because we are discussing this online. I think if we were discussing this in person then things would come across different. #hugs :grin:
I want to puke anytime someone calls AP a good dad who just went too far. He's such a good dad, he left one of his kids in the hands of a woman whose boyfriend killed him. He made one of his kids bleed from his scrotum because he hit him there with a tree branch. He's not a good dad, he's a piece of **** who should've had a vasectomy back when he was in Norman.
