Judge Orders Anti-Obama Filmmaker D'Souza Receive Psychological Counseling

[Paladin]

Welcome to the Soviet Union, 2015 edition.

A Manhattan judge ordered Dinesh D’Souza, best known for documentaries critical of President Obama, to continue four more years of community service, as well as psychological counseling on Monday. 

D’Souza was sentenced in September to eight months in a work-release center, five years of probation, a $30,000 fine and community service after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations in May 2014. He had arranged "straw donors" to contribute $10,000 to the failed 2012 U.S. Senate campaign of his college friend Wendy Long.

The psychiatrists D’Souza was first ordered to see found no signs of depression, but U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman overruled their findings and ordered D'Souza see a new psychological counselor weekly.

I’m not singling out Mr. D’Souza to pick on him,” Judge Berman said. “A requirement for psychological counseling often comes up in my hearings in cases where I find it hard to understand why someone did what they did."

He continued: “That Mr. D’Souza committed this crime involves a colossal failure of insight and introspection. The case notes also say Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and that he is prone to anger in reaction to criticism."

http://www.newsweek.com/judge-orders-dsouza-receive-psychological-counseling-353554

By the most amazing coincidences Berman is an appointee of Bill Clinton.

[aligncare]

A utopian socialist judge. How unusual in a nation that voted for Barack Obama twice and that thinks someone like Hillary Clinton would make a good president because she has female genitalia.

Do liberals even listen to themselves?

[andy58-in-nh]

Welcome to the Soviet Union, 2015 edition.

Some light reading for you: The Political Abuse of Psychiatry

[rb224315]

The case notes also say Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and that he is prone to anger in reaction to criticism.

I guess about 99.99% of the human population will be joining Dinesh pretty soon if being "prone to anger in reaction to criticism" is grounds for forced counseling.

[musiclady]

I’m not singling out Mr. D’Souza to pick on him,” Judge Berman said. “A requirement for psychological counseling often comes up in my hearings in cases where I find it hard to understand why someone did what they did."

IOW, if you disagree with my radical leftist politics, and dare do something about it, you must be punished....   

[Bigun]

Welcome to the Soviet Union, 2015 edition.

http://www.newsweek.com/judge-orders-dsouza-receive-psychological-counseling-353554

By the most amazing coincidences Berman is an appointee of Bill Clinton.

Exactly! This is what political repression looks like!

[Bigun]

IOW, if you disagree with my radical leftist politics, and dare do something about it, you must be punished....   

It's the If you don't agree with me something MUST be wrong with you disease! Universal among liberals!

[DCPatriot]

The article implies that he was ordered to counseling because of his penchant to show vein-popping anger in a courtroom.  A lack of respect for the judge and the courts whenever he hears something contrary to his belief system.

All he had to do was STFU....leave and go make another documentary.

Perhaps this isn't a case of a Democrat-appointed judge dispensing rogue penalties, but more a case of teaching a person lacking social filters that outbursts in a courtroom are not acceptable?

I refuse to chase squirrels anymore.  And I refuse to up the dosage on my Cozaar.

[Bigun]

The article implies that he was ordered to counseling because of his penchant to show vein-popping anger in a courtroom.  A lack of respect for the judge and the courts whenever he hears something contrary to his belief system.

All he had to do was STFU....leave and go make another documentary.

Perhaps this isn't a case of a Democrat-appointed judge dispensing rogue penalties, but more a case of teaching a person lacking social filters that outbursts in a courtroom are not acceptable?

I refuse to chase squirrels anymore.  And I refuse to up the dosage on my Cozaar.

Occam's razor.  I do not read the article that way at all! What I see is that the judge assumes a penchant for anger not that he has actually seen any from D'Souza!

[DCPatriot]

Occam's razor.  I do not read the article that way at all! What I see is that the judge assumes a penchant for anger not that he has actually seen any from D'Souza!

Not so sure about that, Bigun.

He continued: “That Mr. D’Souza committed this crime involves a colossal failure of insight and introspection. The case notes also say Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and that he is prone to anger in reaction to criticism."

   

[Bigun]

Not so sure about that, Bigun.

   

Right! The case notes say.  No actual observation of such behavior however.

[mountaineer]

The case notes also say Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and that he is prone to anger in reaction to criticism

I also have a weakness in controlling my impulses - when it comes to oatmeal cookies, I must admit. I also am prone to anger in reaction to criticism - especially when that criticism is unjust, unfounded and actually an expression of disagreement with my political point of view. To the mental institution!

 This judge's order does seem just a smidge too Soviet-like, considering D'Souza's history of criticizing The Won.

[EdinVA]

The psychiatrists D’Souza was first ordered to see found no signs of depression, but U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman overruled their findings and ordered D'Souza see a new psychological counselor weekly.

So not only is the judge a lawyer, he/she is also a doctor.
My, aren't we special.

[DCPatriot]

Right! The case notes say.  No actual observation of such behavior however.

So...IOW, when the judge overruled an objection by his attorney, and D'Souza pounds his fist on the table, or audibly groans while impulsively raising his arms in the air....would something like that be in the case notes?

I doubt it.

Look, not trying to be a contrarian here.  I just find it very odd that a judge...any judge...would order him to visit a psychiatrist weekly.  Unless of course it was in lieu of being charged with contempt.

I too, would display outrage and anger in a courtroom if I felt my rights as a citizen were being abused by an adversarial judge.

My point is that just because there are no notes in the case, doesn't mean that something didn't happen in that courtroom in the way of an outburst, etc..

[Bigun]

So...IOW, when the judge overruled an objection by his attorney, and D'Souza pounds his fist on the table, or audibly groans while impulsively raising his arms in the air....would something like that be in the case notes?

I doubt it.

Look, not trying to be a contrarian here.  I just find it very odd that a judge...any judge...would order him to visit a psychiatrist weekly.  Unless of course it was in lieu of being charged with contempt.

I too, would display outrage and anger in a courtroom if I felt my rights as a citizen were being abused by an adversarial judge.

My point is that just because there are no notes in the case, doesn't mean that something didn't happen in that courtroom in the way of an outburst, etc..

Sad to say it but  I think you are a bit to naive.
 

[DCPatriot]

Sad to say it but  I think you are a bit to naive.

Cynical?  Yes.   Naive?  Hell no! 

[Fishrrman]

Mr. D'Souza, welcome to the Gulag...

[Paladin]

The article implies that he was ordered to counseling because of his penchant to show vein-popping anger in a courtroom.

So...IOW, when the judge overruled an objection by his attorney, and D'Souza pounds his fist on the table, or audibly groans while impulsively raising his arms in the air....would something like that be in the case notes?

Well, DCPatriot whatever the article "implies" and despite whatever fanciful courtroom scenario you are able to conjure up, the truth seems to be other.

A federal judge has ordered Dinesh D’Souza to undergo ongoing psychological counseling, despite two psychologists already clearing him.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman told D'Souza that he considers his violation of federal campaign finance laws to be evidence of a psychological problem and ordered further counseling.

D'Souza said the judge already ordered him to complete eight months of counseling and once he finished, the judge said it wasn't adequate.

D'Souza added that a prominent New York psychiatrist also "certified that he was perfectly normal" and provided a written statement to the court concluding there was no need to continue the consultation.

But Berman, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, overruled the judgment of the two licensed psychologists.

http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/07/14/dem-federal-judge-orders-dinesh-dsouza-psych-counseling (emphasis added)

Unless you can show otherwise it seems pretty clear the counseling order was purely vindictive.

[DCPatriot]

Appreciate you taking the time to provide follow-up link, Paladin.

I guess if FOXNEWS and Megan Kelly reported it...it must be true.

...no sarcasm intended.   

[Dexter]

It's the If you don't agree with me something MUST be wrong with you disease! Universal among liberals!

I'm pretty sure that disease is universal among everybody.

[Bigun]

I'm pretty sure that disease is universal among everybody.

Not nearly to the acute state which exists among liberals!

[musiclady]

I'm pretty sure that disease is universal among everybody.

I'm pretty sure it's not.

I don't recall any conservative judges who ordered counseling (or worse yet, imprisonment) for people who criticized George W. Bush.

THIS one doesn't cut both ways, Dex.  The left is arrogant, vindictive, derisive and ugly.

[musiclady]

Not nearly to the acute state which exists among liberals!

There are a myriad of examples that back us up on that, Bigun.

Think about what the left thinks about Scott Walker.  There is no such violent animus against any liberal governor.

(And I've never heard of any conservative group throwing human feces on any liberal either, as leftist protestors do frequently.....)

[aligncare]

The sooner conservatives embrace the truth that the average liberal American – bless their hearts – are at minimum confused by reality, and at most, used as a tool by nefarious hard core communists, the better off America will be.

[Dexter]

I'm pretty sure it's not.

I don't recall any conservative judges who ordered counseling (or worse yet, imprisonment) for people who criticized George W. Bush.

THIS one doesn't cut both ways, Dex.  The left is arrogant, vindictive, derisive and ugly.

Assuming something must be wrong with those that disagree with you is incredibly common among all people. Everybody thinks they're right about everything, and that everybody else is suffering from some kind of mental block that prevents them from seeing the truth. Also, I could be misinterpreting something but the judge seems to have ordered the physiological counseling because of the campaign finance violations, not because he made an anti-obama film.