Assistant Secretary of State comments on Randy Blythe incident

Posted by aubin on Monday, December 10, 2012 at 3:30 PM (EST)

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner has commented on the seemingly Kafka-esque legal situation faced by Randy Blythe of Lamb of God. Blythe was indicted for manslaughter in Prague after the death of a concertgoer earlier this year.

Posner said this:

The Department of State noted in its 2011 Human Rights Report that in the Czech Republic, "The laws provide for the right to a fair trial, and the independent judiciary generally enforced this right." We expect that the Czech government will make all efforts to ensure a fair, transparent, and timely trial for Mr. Blythe, and guarantee full protection of his legal rights under Czech law and his welfare.

Find the full statement here.

Bands in this story

Lamb Of God

News (32 comments)

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Report

Dante3000 (rich) (December 10, 2012)

In exchange, Mr. Blythe has promised to make the next Lamb of God album more like "Ashes of the Wake", which is Posner's favorite Lamb of God album.

Report

paulsilence (December 10, 2012)

What is it about this case that is Kafkaesque?

Definition of KAFKAESQUE
: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

None of these qualify this example. Although it seems unfair, you can't really say that the charges against Blythe are "nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical." Stick with simple, direct reporting.

Report

bastard_squad (December 10, 2012)

The dead kid turned into a cockroach. Of this, I'm certain.

Report

vikingpunk (December 11, 2012)

9.5/10

Report

LosPeptobismol (December 10, 2012)

"The Trial"

Report

Misanthropee (December 10, 2012)

He still used the term in the incorrect vernacular sense.

If you are being held anonymously, secretly without charge in Guantanamo, that's Kafkaesque. If you've been publicly, transparently charged and arrested for a crime you didn't commit, or for something that shouldn't be a crime in the first place, that's not Kafkaesque, it's just a shitty situation.

Report

eatbicycles (December 10, 2012)

yeah, not a lot of existential displacement going on here. unfortunate accident has complicated legal implications.

Report

paulsilence (December 10, 2012)

I feel that, had you actually read the book instead of just title-dropping, you would've posted a comment about this situation being as non-Kafkaesque as it gets.

Report

rabbit (December 11, 2012)

very kapfkaesque comment there, bravo.

Report

LosPeptobismol (December 20, 2012)

No, I've read the book and I understood why the word was used. Is it entirely accurate to describe this situation as Kafkaesque? The correct answer is no care.

I was reminded to look at this again by the Lostprophets story.

Report

ahoitherr (December 10, 2012)

Thank you. I'm glad someone said it.

Report

wd30 (December 11, 2012)

The arrest was almost 3 years after the incident, he had never been notified he was even a suspect, and had to post bail multiple times before they finally released him. As a person who's only familiar with legal proceedings in the US, it felt nightmarishly complex, bizarre, and illogical.

Report

schaumpton (December 10, 2012)

If Kevin McCarthy was not dead, we would have a dead ringer for Mr. Posner in the Lifetime Television Film, "Sins of the World: The Randy Blythe Story"

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

Kevin "Body Snatchers, UHF & Innerspace" McCarthy? I honestly don't see the resemblance!

Report

schaumpton (December 10, 2012)

Really? As soon as I looked at the pic, I immediately thought of the bad guy from UHF. Eh.... I'm not right most of the time, so I'm not gonna argue.

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

I dunno, I see more of Harris Yulin, the judge from Ghostbusters 2 in there: http://cf2.imgobject.com/t/p/w185/wgAwVWUPBbYt5dNg2jQ2BAvNQg1.jpg

With a little Joe Pantoliano mixed in as well.

Report

schaumpton (December 10, 2012)

The Hammer!

Report

bastard_squad (December 10, 2012)

He looks more like a failed 4th generation Clone of Dennis Kucinich.

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

How is it Kafka-esque though? From what I can tell, he's been charged with a crime - something DID happen, whether or not he is guilty of it - and he's going to be given a trial. Granted, I don't really know the full story, but I don't really see what's so "Kafka-esque" about this as it seems to be following a fairly normal course so far.

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

Beaten on this, but at least I'm not the only one.

Report

davebrave4 (December 10, 2012)

Nothing. Aubin just read his first Russian novel.

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

I've gotta point out that Kafka wasn't Russian, but I get where you're comin' from.

Report

Misanthropee (December 10, 2012)

*read a synopsis of one, no doubt.

Also, Kafka was Czech and wrote in German.

Report

ahoitherr (December 10, 2012)

All you need to know about Kafka is in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uaaF83eVig

Report

mill83 (December 13, 2012)

"You need somebody who... who understands your references. Who is Kafkaesque? I've never- I don't know him."

Report

ivemadeahugemistake (December 10, 2012)

Saw "Kafka-esque" in the story. Went to the comments section expecting a bunch of people super proud that they read a book. Was not disappointed.

Report

chrisss (December 10, 2012)

Well I guess you're just extra cool then.

Report

paulsilence (December 10, 2012)

I'm proud that I've read hundreds of books and know better than to draw a failed parallel.

Report

ahoitherr (December 10, 2012)

I expected to see more comments like yours, people super proud they don't read books.

Report

hayman (December 10, 2012)

Who cares if this is Kafkaesque? It's not really the point here is it?

Report

korbendallas89 (December 11, 2012)

Twist: Aubin bets one of the other editors that he can get the dumbass commenters of punknews.org to argue about something as stupid as the definition of Kafke-esque.

Report

TheFan (December 23, 2012)

I'm not into this band, I don't know much about them, but I've been curious about this story for one reason; Why the fuck would you go face murder charges if you don't have a gun pointed at your head???

I have to say that whoever this Randy guy is, he's a standup guy if he really means it when he says that he's standing trial because the dead fan's family deserves answers. I can jive with that.