Michael Phelps may have a bit more to worry about than losing some of us promotional contracts, he could lose his freedom. The 14-time gold medalist was shown smoking marijuana from a pipe. In both real estate and criminal law, the key is always location, location, location. This was not a good location to go for the Acapulco gold. South Carolina prosecutors are looking into charges and in Richland County, Phelps could get as much as 30 days — though jail is rare in such cases.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said he is trying to prove that the picture came from his county and involved pot. This makes some of Phelps public comments problematic for his defense counsel. The incident appears to have occurred during a visit at the University of South Carolina. His sponsors — Speedo and Swiss watchmaker Omega — have already said that they are not troubled by the incident, but might change their minds if he is criminally charged. He has also apologized to the International Olympic Committee.
This falls under the category of “one day on the cover of Time, the next day doing Time.” With the picture, the apology, and back story, prosecutors are likely to jump on the case.
Such cases of incriminating video do occur in the age of YouTube, including the case of billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III . Obviously, you have to prove the content of the pipe, but a denial by Phelps after all of his apologies would seem a bit strange. He also does not want to get into a fight with prosecutors, who might give him a misdemeanor fine and be done with it.
For the full story, click here.
Mespo:
I like the one as follows:
Woman says to Churchill if you were my husband I would give you poison and Churchill says if you were my wife I would drink it.
Well I least I get paid to post irratating/irrational comments. If you are going to be a whore for someone you might as well be paid for it.
I had forgotten that Churchill story. What a gem!
“you would not think I am crazy if I could tell you how much “they” are paying me to do this.”
********************
“At a dinner party one night, a drunken Churchill asked an attractive woman whether she would sleep with him for a million pounds. “Maybe,” the woman said coyly. “Would you sleep with me for one pound?” Churchill then asked. “Of course not, what kind of woman do you think I am?” the woman responded indignantly. “Madam, we’ve already established what kind of woman you are,” said Churchill, “now we’re just negotiating the price.”
Bron/Parsnips,
“They” aren’t getting their money’s worth. Can’t you ever come up with anything new?
MikeS:
you would not think I am crazy if I could tell you how much “they” are paying me to do this. You and Buddha might even do it for this kind of money. That was very insiteful so I had to answer. Please dont tell “them” I will lose my job.
Thank you,
To the trolls commenting:
Every comment you make proves that you lack the ability to think properly as shown by commenting on a topic. I’m so sad for you it must be so hard for you to maintain jobs, or even relationships. There is psychiatric/psychological help available for you and I hope for your sakes you avail yourself of it.
In the alternative though, you are gainfully employed doing this nonsense and it is a comment on Prof. Turley’s rising fame and effectiveness, that your employers are paying you to try to disrupt his informative site.
Either way you make me laugh at your ineptness, although scrolling past your nonsense is a little extra work, the comments and discussions by really intelligent people makes the minor effort worthwhile.
To all the other commenter’s with brains, or ethics:
Me too. Leave Phelps alone. end the “War on Drugs” and legalize/control prostitution, just as they do in most grown up countries.
the blah blah blah of fascism never changes
Article from Human Events by Arthur Robinson
A hidden effect of the November 4 elections and the national events that preceded them during this past year is perhaps best called the “John Galt Effect” in honor of Ayn Rand’s famous character in Atlas Shrugged. It is occurring to a very significant extent.
Our technological civilization stands upon the shoulders of many generations of free Americans and the great accomplishments that they bequeathed to us. Among those Americans and their counterparts in other countries have been a small special group of people whose unusual genius, work ethic, and love for their specialties were especially outstanding. These men, by their examples, their creations, and their leadership of free enterprises, have led our civilization upward. One of the greatest privileges of my life has been to know a few such people.
Without this small group of people, the technological attainments of their generations would not have taken place. We know the names of a few of them, but there were many more — constituting perhaps one person in a thousand. Ayn Rand called these people the “men of the mind.” In Atlas Shrugged, under the leadership of John Galt, they withdrew their services. They would only work in freedom. They would not work under tyranny.
In reality, most men of the mind never withdraw. They love their work too much to stop and — most of them — love their fellow men too much to desert them. The forces of tyranny depend upon this. Without these people, even the small technological advances required by Marxist and Socialist societies would not occur. Yet, while the men of the mind do not fully withdraw, they have families and other loved ones for whom they are responsible and to whom they are more devoted than to the state.
As the pendulum of politics now swings toward tyranny in the United States and dangers to those whom they love increase, these men and women partially turn their talents more toward their personal responsibilities. Part of their thoughts, efforts, and ingenuity are lost to society — and this loss cannot be recovered by either negative or positive incentives.
Throughout our country today, the men of the mind ( women, too) are watching the awful scene in Washington and its reflection in state and local capitals throughout the United States. They understand the consequences of the government oppression that has dogged their own footsteps for many years and that will grow much worse in the near future. So, they are taking actions to protect themselves and their families.
We have no way to measure the societal effects of this distraction of the men of the mind. There are immediate effects upon our well being and long term effects from the things that they are no longer working full time to create.
What is the cost of the distraction of our real leaders — of the men of the mind — of the John Galts among us? I estimate that it is greater than the trillions of dollars being lost on government printing presses. Call this Y2009K — and this time it is very real.
Our existing power plants are still operating; our petrochemical plants are still producing; our military defense is still performing; our food supplies are still flowing; and the rest of the technological infrastructure upon which our lives depend is largely still in place. But the key people — not those we see but those we do not see because they are constantly engaged in real work — are seriously distracted and now partially engaged in personal survival.
Of one thing we can be certain. When the essentials of our civilization begin to seriously falter and this causes real harm, those who would be our masters and their fellow travelers in the media, academia, business, and politics will cast blame upon some of these men of the mind — and drag them before us for punishment. Our John Galts know this, too, and it is a further distraction for them.
Some of these people are leading great enterprises. Others are in the basements of our power plants and other heavy industries. Some are closeted away in universities quietly at work on the next generations of possible advances in science and engineering. They are easily recognized — by their genius and by the love of their work that permeates their whole beings.
One way to recognize them is that they constantly talk about their work to anyone who will listen.
Now they are distracted.
What are they talking about today?
HAHA
“You cant pick and choose which laws you think are ok to break.”
Chris,
Come on, get with the program. Chant with me. Yes We Can.
Look, its against the law. I dont think its a big deal either, but if you break the law then you accept the responsibility that comes with that. You cant pick and choose which laws you think are ok to break.
give phelps a break—who hasn’t smoked pot nowadays?! MJ is totally harmless and, actually, very helpful for many people.
i want to punch larry. i am not a violent person but i hate trolls…..
Prosecution for drug use based upon a picture seems pretty damn impossible.
Consider ROBINSON v. CALIFORNIA, 370 U.S. 660 (1962)
Narcotics Officer arrests Robinson based upon observing track marks on defendant’s arms. SCOTUS says “addiction is not a crime”
Analytically speaking, SCOTUS acknowledges that Robinson had been injecting himself with illegal drugs; thus he had to possess them, thus he had to procure them.
How about drug tests? A positive test for drugs necessitates injestion; injestion necessitates posession and posession necessitates procurement.
Are people charged as criminals for testing positive for drugs?
No.
But Michael Phelps may get charged in South Carolina based upon some dumb ass photo?
That’s not law; that’s yet another prosecutor looking to ruin someone’s life just for a little face time.
hey everyone Mark Levin is on the radio!
“Lorna Doons and Beer Nuts washed down with a can of Hawaiian Punch.” vs. arrest
Good Lord. That’s a tough call.
MASkeptic,
“The most dangerous thing about smoking weed is the risk of going to jail.”
I have to disagree with you there. The most dangerous thing about smoking weed is getting the munchies. It’s devastating to live with the consequences of scarfing Lorna Doons and Beer Nuts washed down with a can of Hawaiian Punch.
Maskeptic writes: “He’s just someone famous caught on camera doing something that literally millions of other Americans already do every weekend.”
I guess you mean breaking the law and every weekend millions break laws against illegal drugs, theft, prostitution, running traffic signs, indecent exposure, drunken driving, etc. I suppose we should just make all the above legal since millions of ther American do these things every weekend also.
Maskeptic = True Moron.
Found on the internet:
There are two kinds of people in the Electorate:
1. People who remember how horrible the Jimmy Carter years were.
2. People who are about to find out.
To be fair to Carter, though, he got off to a better start.
MAS,
Could it all really be as simple a matter as bad toilet training? Where is Dr. Spock when you need him? Either one!
It’s sad to see an interesting conversation strangled by a shitstorm of spam posted by someone who has no interest in anything other than smearing feces all over things they don’t like.