Eric PuryearJan 18, 2023
Please don’t confuse what is legal with what is right. There is some overlap, of course, but not as much as one might think. Laws are generally written by the rich and powerful to protect their interests, often at the expense of the poor and weak. Many atrocities are lawful, and many acts of mercy are unlawful. I say this as an attorney.
Show threadAngie AdamsonJan 18, 2023
@eric
What is the difference between "unlawful" and "illegal"? Is it just a more formal term?
Show threadGurtbeef RobeJan 20, 2023
@serehfas ok they are extremely similar but slightly different. I couldn’t find a good example to show difference but by definition.
Unlawful is not approved by the law but not necessarily against the law either. Seems like it means there’s no law that allows you to do it.
Illegal is a violation of the written law.
Illicit carries strong tone of immorality.
Criminal means it’s punishable
It’s all semantics and all can be punished by law.
Show threadAngie AdamsonJan 21, 2023

@twitterreject Interesting, thank you.
What I am pondering is whether "Robodebt" in Australia was unlawful, because it was never conceived of that the Govt would go outside its own governing legislation, or illegal, because they did ignore their legislation.

When ppl get social security here, their entitlement is calculated week by week depending on what, if any, earnings they had. So-called Robodebt used an algorithm to average their income over 12 months then claim they got too much money.

Show threadGurtbeef RobeJan 21, 2023
@serehfas sounds like some shady garbage cops & gop would pull over here. We had problems with cameras at stop lights that automatically send you a ticket in the mail if you run light. They were just $ makers and are banned pretty much everywhere except a few terrible cities (solana beach, CA). They were the big thing for a minute but nearly all got ruled unconstitutional when challenged
Show threadAngie AdamsonJan 21, 2023
@twitterreject
Glad to hear it, but the poor suffer because they can't afford to challenge it.
Our "Liberals" are hardline rightwing conservatives who worship Trump and the GOP.
Show threadGurtbeef RobeJan 21, 2023
@serehfas it’s funny bc here the “liberals” are progressive and very left wing.
Show threadAngie Adamson
@twitterreject Its all doublespeak; perhaps "newspeak" a la "1984".
Jan 21, 2023 at 3:08amWeb