Plagiarism charges against embattled Rep. Senator Rand Paul gain momentum, Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican senator and one of the most visible lawmakers in U.S. Tea Party movement, is at the center of several charges of plagiarism. The plagiarism charges stem from an op-ed he wrote on the subject of mandatory sentencing and according to a Nov. 5 CBS News report, there are undeniable similarities between the op-ed and a piece Paul wrote for The Washington Times on drug sentencing in September, and a previous article written by Dan Stewart of The Week just days earlier.
Regarding the plagiarism charges, Buzzfeed also reports that there are great similarities between the two pieces. The question remains; Are the plagiarism charges legit?
The following text is the questionable material which is believed to be plagiarized. From Buzzfeed:
Here’s how Stewart wrote his introduction to his article on “Rethinking mandatory sentencing”:
It’s the automatic imposition of a minimum number of years in prison for specific crimes — usually related to drugs. By design, mandatory sentencing laws take discretion away from prosecutors and judges so as to impose harsh sentences, regardless of circumstances.
Mandatory sentencing began in the 1970s as a response to a growing drug-and-crime epidemic, and over the decades has put hundreds of thousands of people behind bars for drug possession and sale, and other non-violent crimes. Since mandatory sentencing began, America’s prison population has quadrupled, to 2.4 million. America now jails a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country, including China and Iran, at the staggering cost of $80 billion a year.
Is that a good thing?
Most public officials — including liberals, conservatives, and libertarians — have decided that it’s not. At least 20 states, both red and blue, have reformed their mandatory sentencing laws in some way, and Congress is considering a bipartisan bill that would do the same for federal crimes.
And here’s how Paul wrote it a week later with the text bolded that appears copied:
Mandatory-minimum sentences automatically impose a minimum number of years in prison for specific crimes — usually related to drugs. By design, mandatory-sentencing laws take discretion away from prosecutors and judges so as to impose harsh sentences, regardless of circumstances.
Since mandatory sentencing began in the 1970s in response to a growing drug-and-crime epidemic, America’s prison population has quadrupled, to 2.4 million. America now jails a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country, including China and Iran, at the staggering cost of $80 billion a year. Drug offenders in the United States spend more time under the criminal justice system’s formal control than drug offenders anywhere else in the world.
As you can see, the texts are almost exactly the same in the noted areas. Sadly, plagiarism charges are not new for the embattled senator.
Recently, journalist Rachel Maddow of MSNBC presented a long note documenting how the senator had used verbatim an entry in Wikipedia about immigration.
Also, HuffPost adds more evidence suggesting that the plagiarism charges are legitimate. In this case, again, he is accused of using text from Wikipedia in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli.
The senator has denied the plagiarism charges, accusing "the haters" of "making a mountain out of a molehill" over partisanship, HuffPost reports.
Plagiarism is not very highly regarded among the U.S. public. What do you think about the plagiarism charges against Rand Paul?
Regarding the plagiarism charges, Buzzfeed also reports that there are great similarities between the two pieces. The question remains; Are the plagiarism charges legit?
The following text is the questionable material which is believed to be plagiarized. From Buzzfeed:
Here’s how Stewart wrote his introduction to his article on “Rethinking mandatory sentencing”:
It’s the automatic imposition of a minimum number of years in prison for specific crimes — usually related to drugs. By design, mandatory sentencing laws take discretion away from prosecutors and judges so as to impose harsh sentences, regardless of circumstances.
Mandatory sentencing began in the 1970s as a response to a growing drug-and-crime epidemic, and over the decades has put hundreds of thousands of people behind bars for drug possession and sale, and other non-violent crimes. Since mandatory sentencing began, America’s prison population has quadrupled, to 2.4 million. America now jails a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country, including China and Iran, at the staggering cost of $80 billion a year.
Is that a good thing?
Most public officials — including liberals, conservatives, and libertarians — have decided that it’s not. At least 20 states, both red and blue, have reformed their mandatory sentencing laws in some way, and Congress is considering a bipartisan bill that would do the same for federal crimes.
And here’s how Paul wrote it a week later with the text bolded that appears copied:
Mandatory-minimum sentences automatically impose a minimum number of years in prison for specific crimes — usually related to drugs. By design, mandatory-sentencing laws take discretion away from prosecutors and judges so as to impose harsh sentences, regardless of circumstances.
Since mandatory sentencing began in the 1970s in response to a growing drug-and-crime epidemic, America’s prison population has quadrupled, to 2.4 million. America now jails a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country, including China and Iran, at the staggering cost of $80 billion a year. Drug offenders in the United States spend more time under the criminal justice system’s formal control than drug offenders anywhere else in the world.
As you can see, the texts are almost exactly the same in the noted areas. Sadly, plagiarism charges are not new for the embattled senator.
Recently, journalist Rachel Maddow of MSNBC presented a long note documenting how the senator had used verbatim an entry in Wikipedia about immigration.
Also, HuffPost adds more evidence suggesting that the plagiarism charges are legitimate. In this case, again, he is accused of using text from Wikipedia in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli.
The senator has denied the plagiarism charges, accusing "the haters" of "making a mountain out of a molehill" over partisanship, HuffPost reports.
Plagiarism is not very highly regarded among the U.S. public. What do you think about the plagiarism charges against Rand Paul?
