The right to a fair trial by a jury of one’s peers is one of the most sacred guarantees of the Bill of Rights, but the dirty secret is that it isn’t exercised very often. More than 97 percent of federal convictions and 94 percent of state convictions result from guilty pleas. Recognizing that reality, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 recently that defendants have a constitutional right to be informed by their lawyers about the possibility of a plea bargain and the implications of turning one down.
Friday’s editorial (via Stephen N. Xenakis and The Washington Post):
How good is the U.S. military at determining who is fit for battle?
Ten years into the war in Afghanistan, and after nearly nine years of war in Iraq, we know that the defining injuries of these conflicts for our service members include traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. We also understand that the all-volunteer force is stretched thin and that multiple deployments to combat zones are routine.
Who knew the small screen loved the Grand Strand so much?
At least three shows now feature people with local ties. Bill and Donna Clarke of Myrtle Beach are sharing their struggle to keep Hometown Hardware afloat as part of Yahoo’s “Remake America” show. Meanwhile, Medieval Times knights Josh Avery and Josh Knowles have been working their way through the jousting competition on the History channel’s “Full Metal Jousting.” The next episode airs Sunday.
It might be understandable for our governor to bend the truth at times to fit her priorities. Most people – and most politicians – have been known to massage the truth a bit when they’re trying to make a point. But Nikki Haley’s continued wholesale disregard for the truth is another matter.
The latest example came this past weekend, when Associated Press reporter Seanna Adcox questioned why Haley was pushing to eliminate the state’s corporate income tax – which is already among the lowest in the nation. So we can attract more jobs, Haley said, then pointed to Florida as a state without the tax that has lured away jobs that could have come to South Carolina.
Wednesday’s editorial highlights the good work of the local volunteers who patrol the beaches each year to help sea turtles:
Sea turtle nesting season is approaching and volunteers who walk the beaches at sunrise are preparing for another successful summer in helping these wonderful creatures. The patrols foster loggerhead turtles’ continued existence by locating nests, protecting the nests and promoting a successful hatching.
The nesting season is from May through October, but the mild winter possibly could mean a somewhat earlier beginning of the season. Linda Mataya, coleader with Rob Kayton of the North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol, was one of the volunteers attending a preparedness meeting Monday at Huntington Beach State Park. Volunteers as well as police officers who work with the patrols from Georgetown to Waties Island attended the meeting. They reviewed nesting policies and practices, such as when to move a nest, and reporting strandings of sea turtles.
Bowing to what I would imagine is inevitability and reality, Mande Wilkes has just announced she's leaving the race to be our next representative in Congress. Can't say that I blame her. Full statement below:
Myrtle Beach, SC – Listening each day to Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s syndicated radio program on my commute to law school, I learned that the personal is indeed political – and that family comes first. That’s why my husband and I, blessed to be expecting our first child this summer, have decided that I must withdraw from the 7th District Congressional race.
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