|
2011-01-31 Every time I see the following scenario unfold, I want to scream at the top of my lungs. Our pursuit of kindness has become so warped that we forget the victims and feel bad for the guilty. And it should have every citizen screaming with me.
On Jan. 24, murderer Jared Lee Loughner walked into a federal courtroom to stand before a judge and answer a very simple question: How would he plead to the charges of the cold-blooded killings in Tucson, Ariz.?
His rampage left 20 people wounded, 19 by gunfire and six fatally. He executed innocent Americans as young as 9 years old. Hundreds of people witnessed this horror with their own eyes, and it is well documented on video tape.
His answer? Not guilty!
Are you kidding me? Not guilty? Give me a break!
Anyone with half of a brain knows this monster is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. And for those of you who believe he was insane, remind yourself he was sane enough to attend high school and attend college. He also premeditated his crime by stopping at a store, filling out complicated paperwork and purchasing a Glock 9mm handgun, along with plenty of ammo and intent to kill.
But our system will allow him to enter such a plea: not guilty by reason of insanity. People would say the act itself is proof of his mental condition. He was mentally ill. No! He was full of evil – an evil for which there is no drug or therapy.
So our tax dollars will be wasted going through months of trial. Tactical moves will be offered by the defense with the strategy of finding a loophole or technicality to get him off completely or provide him a dramatically reduced sentence.
If he is sentenced, it won't end there.
Several appeals will take many more years and countless tax dollars attempting to overturn the verdict or reduce a death sentence to life in prison. The cost of housing, feeding and caring for this beast will run in the hundreds of thousands. And if he were to contract a disease while incarcerated, costly medical care would be added to the bill.
My question is, why? What is to be gained by allowing this ridiculous charade to proceed all in the name of justice?
You want justice? It is simple.
We the people have several eyewitnesses and umpteen doctors' reports stating what happened – not to mention a congresswoman who will spend years in rehab trying to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Her life was shattered in an instant by this creep who is guilty of an open and willful act of violence. Therefore, justice would be for Loughner to be unexpectedly shot in the head. That is justice!
I can hear it now. Oh the horror! How on earth could you suggest that? You, Mr. Smith, are more of an animal than this misunderstood victim of a system that made him do it in the first place. Where is your compassion? Where is your Christian forgiveness? I am glad you asked.
It's with the victims. As it should be.
The worst thing that will happen to this guy will be allowing him to know the time of his death so he can say his goodbyes and eating the last meal of his choice – pleasures his victims were robbed of. Then he may calmly lay down on the gurney and have a doctor administer a cocktail of drugs that will put him into a peaceful sleep and stop his evil, rancid heart.
But that probably won't even happen.
Instead, the families will be tortured with the everyday reporting of the play-by play-shenanigans that will go on in the courtroom. The media will be there for every gory moment, reporting it as if it were the Super Bowl. The killer will become a household name and probably will have some sick woman fall in love with him and want to marry him in jail. He will get more press than he should.
It's all because we have a legal system that claims to assume everyone is innocent until proven guilty and that all Americans should be given the benefit of the doubt. Ultimately, the evidence must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Does anyone think that is in question in this case?
But get a parking ticket or a speeding ticket where there are no eyewitnesses, and it is your word against a meter maid or a police officer. You are guilty until proven innocent, which is virtually impossible to prove. Even though they take an oath swearing honest conduct, I have watched officers bend the truth or even lie before a judge in these matters. Where is the justice in that?
The system is so backward, it is frightening. When a system protects the guilty and punishes the innocent, it is time for the system to change. Do the letters "O" and "J" ring any gut-wrenching bells?
When I see an attorney represent a murderer, like the Tucson shooter, and do so because he should be afforded proper representation, I see an attorney who is a psychopath – one who can shut off their conscience and defend the indefensible.
Real justice would force this kid to take responsibility for what was clearly an act of his own choosing. Nobody made him do it. Society is not to blame, nor is any group, line of thinking or political party.
This act was his and his alone.
Real justice would be a guilty plea from Jared Lee Loughner and remorse for the lives he has destroyed.
Don't hold your breath. Only pray the system takes his.
Back To Commentary Archives | More Commentary @ WND.com Archives
|
|
|
