Reply #17: Lawrence covers it extensively. Rachel picks up related issues + runs w them.

[elleng]

'In tonight's opening segment about the flaws in our criminal justice system, Rachel explained why insisting on justice is a matter of more principled politics. It takes the will of human values and accountability to history to counter the accusation that opponents of injustice are siding with criminals and monsters.

This is politics, but it's politics of a different kind. This is values politics -- about who we are as a country.
...
Because it's not about whether or not you like the person who the guy in the uniform is beating up. What this is about is the fact that the guy in the uniform is us. That is in our name. This is a democracy; government of, by, and for the people.
What Sheriff's deputies did to this visitor (a visitor!) to the L.A. County Jail-- that's us. The death penalty? That's us! Killing Cameron Todd Willingham? That's us.

Above, a new ACLU report confirms deputy-on-inmate brutality in L.A. County jails. More videos are presented in this pdf, and the full report is here (note: a little slow to load, almost 30 page pdf). The KTLA investigation into "the 3000 Boys" begins here and you can follow the in-story navigation to the three more parts in the series.'

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/29/8024947-problems-with-the-justice-system-are-our-problems