THIS Is Why I WON'T Sit On A Jury...
In today's News-Sentinel, I found this nice little display of justice being not only BLIND (but deaf...AND dumb to boot)...
(( PLEA AGREEMENT LEADS TO TWO-YEAR SENTENCE IN HOME INVASION
(by Nicole Lee)
Antwain James Hines, (at left) 21, was sentenced Monday in Allen Superior Court to eight years in prison for carrying a handgun without a license. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors suspended all but two years of the sentence.
They also dropped two counts of pointing a firearm and residential entry.
Hines, with a man and a woman, entered a home in the 500 block of East Masterson Avenue on July 6, 2004, and attacked two of the three people inside, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Hines pointed a handgun at one of the men and “yelled for him to get on the floor,” a witness said. Hines was upset with the man for “saying bad things about him,” according to the affidavit.
The woman entering the house with Hines took a box cutter and cut the same man whom Hines forced to the floor.
Hines and the woman fled the house when a neighbor knocked on the door, according to the affidavit. Two of the three people inside the house positively identified Hines as being at the scene.
He is considered a serious violent felon due to a robbery conviction in 2001.
With good behavior, Hines, who was credited with 284 days already served, could be out of prison in less than three months. He also was ordered to pay $1,447 in restitution and undergo substance-abuse treatment and a psychological evaluation. After he’s released, Hines will be on probation for four years.))
Now this kind of crap just pisses me off to NO end...another perp with nothing to do all day, no job, no frigging future just goes around, invades a home, basically terrorizes the people there, and THAT is all he gets? This is damn near a slap on the frigging wrist!
ANYONE that ever invades MY home better make sure THEIR life insurance is paid the hell up...period. Trespassers WILL be shot...and survivors will be shot AGAIN...!
The people in the story above didn't seem like they WANTED to be "invaded"...did they? They sure didn't want their lives turned upside-down by some punk-ass perp with too much time on his crime-ridden hands, hmm?
This kind of activity makes a GOOD argumanet for keeping doors SECURED, as well as windows. Perps like "Antwain" (sounds like a rail line for insects...ANT TWAIN...or maybe Mark Twain's uncle's wife...ANT TWAIN)...damn stupid-ass moolie name. It's not ANTWAIN...or AUNTWAIN, or even ANTWANE...it's ANTOINE...frigging damn FRENCH, you remedial assholes...get the damn spelling CORRECT (oh wait..you have to be IN SCHOOL and PAYING ATTENTION to do that, right?).
But I guess we can't expect anything from someone whose name was bastardized so damn badly...come to think of it, he probably IS a bastard in his own right...(put's a whole new meaning to "Hoosier Daddy", doesn't it?). And to think this jerkoff will be BACK on the streets within TWO years...and we ALL know he's going to break his 4 year probation in SOME manner...people like him always do somehow. It's called RECIDIVISM, folks!
I'm sorry, but no judicial system would want ME (Mr. hang 'em all...let God sort 'em out) on ANY jury. The way the world is today with it's myriad loopholes for criminals to wiggle through, it's little wonder that we even bother with the entire "innocent until proven guilty" gig any longer (seems more like innocent until PROVEN innocent)....should be more like GUILTY until proven INNOCENT (like in the UK). Take all this damn "plea-agreement" garbage and stick it where the sun NEVER shines, people! He was GUILTY!
Beyond reasonable doubt....shadow of a doubt....call it what you will, it's much easier to instill SOME sort of doubt in at least ONE juror to get some perp off the hook...and that makes justice all the more "blind". And in those cases where you catch your child in the cookie jar, lid on the counter, chocolate on their lips, smelling like cookies....it's damn hard to convince yourself that they're INNOCENT in ANY way, shape or form.
We used to say "If it LOOKS like a duck...and QUACKS like a duck...it MUST be a duck". Sadly though, our present day judicial system falls over itself trying to convict (guilty) people when in fact they have allowed the exact legal contrivances that are getting the perps off to take root in the system, basically rendering it more ineffective by the year.
When I hear the phrase "Justice for ALL"...I take it literally...as in for EVERYONE, and that most CERTAINLY includes the VICTIMS of any crime. In fact, I would go so far as to say it means the victims of crime SOLELY. When the victims receive justice, the perp will automatically (and by default) receive his or hers. After all, one person's justice is another person's sentence, hmm?
It's when the one committing a crime gets nothing by way of REAL punishment, that the victims get even less than that. And I can't feel good in any manner over that.
Laws are for EVERYONE..or they mean nothing. When the judicial system begins to entertain THAT notion once again...maybe I'll think about sitting on a jury...but for now, I'll pass on jury duty...let someone that "thinks" the system works as intended be on the jury instead...
....Let them dream a while longer.
"TRUTH WILL ULTIMATELY PREVAIL WHERE THERE IS PAINS TO BRING IT TO LIGHT." ~ (George Washington) ~ Submitted for your contemplation is a compendium of commentary, news, opinions, contrasts, and similarities regarding the many facets of the human condition be they found in Indiana, or Pennsylvania, or wherever else the 4 winds blow ~ It's COMMON SENSE for the common man (or woman) ~ Your mileage may vary.
07 November 2006
06 November 2006
How Can I Top That?
After reading the positive comments on the last post, I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I thank those that felt that what I had to say not only needed to be said, but that I mirrored in some manner what THEY think as well. Yet my problem remained...how can I best myself in my writing prowess?
Then it hit me...I don't have to best myself...I'm a CURMUDGEON...LOL!
I don't rightly know WHEN it happened...I imagine somewhere along my trek through this life, something struck me, bit me, hit me, tripped me, or maybe even kicked me in the ass...but there "it" was...
But what exactly was "it", you ask?
The signs of being a curmudgeon...I had them.
Now I would be the first to tell you that being a curmudgeon isn't all that bad, really. You say what you feel, don't care too much about what others might think (unless they think the same), and approach things from there basal aspects. You look at things in black and white...screw all this "gray area crap"...that's for those that can't see the forest for the trees. And although many would see us as chronic complainers, we actually ONLY gripe about things that NEED griping about. We just gripe a lot more often, and many see that as confusing to them. We don't piss & moan for "pissing & moaning sake"...oh no...we do it with a purpose. We do it because if WE don't...who the hell else will?
After doing some research into my new-found "curmidgeonness", I'm sure as hell NOT alone...there is a curmudgeon handbook, curmudgeon music, curmudgeon ale, curmudgeon movies, and even curmudgeonly attire (no, it's NOT high-waisted plaid pants). There is even a "curmudgeon.com" now. Seems I've fallen into a much larger club than I could have ever imagined.
There are curmudgeons for EVERY holiday, and every venue. There are SERIOUS curmudgeons and comedic curmudgeons. They come in all shapes, sizes, races, religions, and political affiliations. We're kind of everywhere...and into pretty much everything and anything.
So what were my telltale signs of "curmudgeonism"?
I started to pay a lot more attention to the nuances in life...all those things that most everyone else glosses over becasue they're in some dumb-ass hurry to do something they don't want to do in the first place, but have to do it because if they don't someone else probably will, and then they'll look like a smacked ass in the process. Yeah, that about sums it up nicely. Think of that "stop and smell the roses" gig...only I now purchase and plant and raise those roses SO I can smell them.
I started seeing a lot of things for what they REALLY were...like the media...and politics...and the judicial system. Severely flawed as they are, they DO bear scrutiny if we are to evolve as a species, rather than DEVOLVE into some hedonistic anarchy, replete with every debauchery there is. THAT is the curmudgeon in me talking...lol!
I began to really care about things others don't seem to all that much...like litter....and speeding....and making sure every bulb that came with my car WORKS...ALL the time, unlike all those I see around me that could care less in their pursuit of the next transitory fad that would pass along by next week. I don't carry a BLACKBERRY...I pick mine off the bush and eat them with with my cereal...! Curmudgeons might be tech-savvy, but we only embrace it when we have no other option. We might not own the newest car, but by God, we know EVERY noise it's supposed to (and not supposed) to make, and can find EVERY screw, bolt and cog ON that car, so we don't need a legion of computer geeks scratching their heads over WHY the "check engine" light won't go out on that *newer* vehicle...!
Curmudgeons think that the ONLY way to fight any war is to FIGHT TO WIN! We think anyone that defaces our flag should be "defaced" as well. Curmudgeons think tattoos only belong on NAVY / MARINE personnel. We're not auditioning lead roles for a remake of THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, people. Body piercings belong in the sideshows, next to the fire eater, the wolf-boy and the bearded lady. Curmudgeons like to work, and hate seeing their jobs go overseas or south of the border. The ONLY thing that should go overseas are EXPORTS from THIS nation (and troops stationed at bases there). Curmudgeons hate people that do nothing all day, every day while others bust their humps making a living. Funny thing that, seeing as many curmudgeons are retired and DO find things to do all day, every day anyway.
And one major thing every curmudgeon begins to realize...their MORTALITY. When you're a "young turk" of about 22, you have NO concept of the end of life (unless you wrap your car around a utility pole at 80 mph in a drunken stupor, in which time you have all of about .025 seconds to "think" about it). When you can say you have more years BEHIND you than in FRONT of you....you think about things...a LOT. When you attend funerals for more relatives AND friends than you'd ever dream of....you think even more. And when you look in the mirror every morning...does the face staring back seem less familiar?
Many think being a curmudgeon is nothing more than a old, stodgy fogey with complaints issuing from every orifice of his (or her) body. I will admit that it's part of it, but there is the traditionalist, the idealist, the rebel, and even the pragmatist aspect of being a curmudgeon...we just happen to take all those things, mash 'em about a bit...and make it WORK for us, that's all.
Still, after all is said and done, I wouldn't want to trade my curmudgeon status for anything (right now)...it's the correct place to be at THIS point in my life. In many ways, life itself has a meaning that transcends the "here and now" rhetorical babble we are bombarded with daily. Live for the moment they say.....forget the future...it's not here yet, and might never arrive. I say think about it...long and hard. Take measures to make your time here humanly productive in the long run. Think about things that NEED it...dismiss those that don't.
The future might not be here YET...but rest assured...it IS coming.
After reading the positive comments on the last post, I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I thank those that felt that what I had to say not only needed to be said, but that I mirrored in some manner what THEY think as well. Yet my problem remained...how can I best myself in my writing prowess?
Then it hit me...I don't have to best myself...I'm a CURMUDGEON...LOL!
I don't rightly know WHEN it happened...I imagine somewhere along my trek through this life, something struck me, bit me, hit me, tripped me, or maybe even kicked me in the ass...but there "it" was...
But what exactly was "it", you ask?
The signs of being a curmudgeon...I had them.
Now I would be the first to tell you that being a curmudgeon isn't all that bad, really. You say what you feel, don't care too much about what others might think (unless they think the same), and approach things from there basal aspects. You look at things in black and white...screw all this "gray area crap"...that's for those that can't see the forest for the trees. And although many would see us as chronic complainers, we actually ONLY gripe about things that NEED griping about. We just gripe a lot more often, and many see that as confusing to them. We don't piss & moan for "pissing & moaning sake"...oh no...we do it with a purpose. We do it because if WE don't...who the hell else will?
After doing some research into my new-found "curmidgeonness", I'm sure as hell NOT alone...there is a curmudgeon handbook, curmudgeon music, curmudgeon ale, curmudgeon movies, and even curmudgeonly attire (no, it's NOT high-waisted plaid pants). There is even a "curmudgeon.com" now. Seems I've fallen into a much larger club than I could have ever imagined.
There are curmudgeons for EVERY holiday, and every venue. There are SERIOUS curmudgeons and comedic curmudgeons. They come in all shapes, sizes, races, religions, and political affiliations. We're kind of everywhere...and into pretty much everything and anything.
So what were my telltale signs of "curmudgeonism"?
I started to pay a lot more attention to the nuances in life...all those things that most everyone else glosses over becasue they're in some dumb-ass hurry to do something they don't want to do in the first place, but have to do it because if they don't someone else probably will, and then they'll look like a smacked ass in the process. Yeah, that about sums it up nicely. Think of that "stop and smell the roses" gig...only I now purchase and plant and raise those roses SO I can smell them.
I started seeing a lot of things for what they REALLY were...like the media...and politics...and the judicial system. Severely flawed as they are, they DO bear scrutiny if we are to evolve as a species, rather than DEVOLVE into some hedonistic anarchy, replete with every debauchery there is. THAT is the curmudgeon in me talking...lol!
I began to really care about things others don't seem to all that much...like litter....and speeding....and making sure every bulb that came with my car WORKS...ALL the time, unlike all those I see around me that could care less in their pursuit of the next transitory fad that would pass along by next week. I don't carry a BLACKBERRY...I pick mine off the bush and eat them with with my cereal...! Curmudgeons might be tech-savvy, but we only embrace it when we have no other option. We might not own the newest car, but by God, we know EVERY noise it's supposed to (and not supposed) to make, and can find EVERY screw, bolt and cog ON that car, so we don't need a legion of computer geeks scratching their heads over WHY the "check engine" light won't go out on that *newer* vehicle...!
Curmudgeons think that the ONLY way to fight any war is to FIGHT TO WIN! We think anyone that defaces our flag should be "defaced" as well. Curmudgeons think tattoos only belong on NAVY / MARINE personnel. We're not auditioning lead roles for a remake of THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, people. Body piercings belong in the sideshows, next to the fire eater, the wolf-boy and the bearded lady. Curmudgeons like to work, and hate seeing their jobs go overseas or south of the border. The ONLY thing that should go overseas are EXPORTS from THIS nation (and troops stationed at bases there). Curmudgeons hate people that do nothing all day, every day while others bust their humps making a living. Funny thing that, seeing as many curmudgeons are retired and DO find things to do all day, every day anyway.
And one major thing every curmudgeon begins to realize...their MORTALITY. When you're a "young turk" of about 22, you have NO concept of the end of life (unless you wrap your car around a utility pole at 80 mph in a drunken stupor, in which time you have all of about .025 seconds to "think" about it). When you can say you have more years BEHIND you than in FRONT of you....you think about things...a LOT. When you attend funerals for more relatives AND friends than you'd ever dream of....you think even more. And when you look in the mirror every morning...does the face staring back seem less familiar?
Many think being a curmudgeon is nothing more than a old, stodgy fogey with complaints issuing from every orifice of his (or her) body. I will admit that it's part of it, but there is the traditionalist, the idealist, the rebel, and even the pragmatist aspect of being a curmudgeon...we just happen to take all those things, mash 'em about a bit...and make it WORK for us, that's all.
Still, after all is said and done, I wouldn't want to trade my curmudgeon status for anything (right now)...it's the correct place to be at THIS point in my life. In many ways, life itself has a meaning that transcends the "here and now" rhetorical babble we are bombarded with daily. Live for the moment they say.....forget the future...it's not here yet, and might never arrive. I say think about it...long and hard. Take measures to make your time here humanly productive in the long run. Think about things that NEED it...dismiss those that don't.
The future might not be here YET...but rest assured...it IS coming.
02 November 2006
They Call It "WAR" For A Reason...
The latest postings for the casualty rate in Iraq are out (from October)...we lost 100 fine soldiers in that month. And the anit-war mongers are saying how "terrible" this is.
Without question, ANY loss of life IS tragic, but so many of these bleeding hearts (no pun intended) fail to see a much BIGGER picture...
Compare the last FIVE years in Iraq with almost any FIVE years we spent in 'Nam, and the truth will be known. We have lost far FEWER men (and women) in Iraq than in Vietnam.
And let's not forget Normandy, where we lost 1465 men in ONE DAY!
We lost over 13 THOUSAND men in the Mexican War, and over 116 THOUSAND men in the "War to end ALL wars"...WW1. Over 405 THOUSAND service personnel lost their lives in WW2, and over 13 THOUSAND died during the Korean war. Vietnam cost us over 58 THOUSAND lives, and the American Civil War cost America over 400 THOUSAND of her husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers!
Now I'm certainly NOT trivializing the 2800+ men and women lost during this war....as I say, ANY loss of life is tragic, as the loved ones left behind will testify. The "perfect" war would be waged with NO loss of life at all....but sadly, we're not there YET. Not too many world leaders would wish to settle global disputes with a football, soccer, or boxing match.
What I am saying is that compared to past wars, we are doing damn well in Iraq. In NO other conflict have we suffered AS FEW losses as in Iraq. The radical SP media sees it differently. Apparently, THEIR math is different from the math all the normal people use.
And I will not waste time over John Kerry's flawed statement over education and the military...that's for other bloggers to debate. Today's combat soldier has MORE information AND technology as his or her disposal than OUR GENERALS did during the first world war! And they can apply where it will do the most good (or harm, depending on your POV).
We have won EVERY SINGLE major engagement in Iraq and the same was true in Vietnam. And people got killed...and will continue to get killed...that's what the hell WAR is all about, people! Like Patton said: "War is not about dying for your country...it's about making the OTHER poor dumb bastard die for HIS country".
Instead of trying to read things into the war in Iraq that are just not there, as the media loves to do, why can't we all just SUPPORT these men and women who think enough about OUR country, OUR freedom, and OUR flag to go and fight an enemy that thinks no more of us than a common cur in the street, and would kill every one of us as we slept, JUST BECAUSE we're AMERICANS!
Each and every one of these patriots that serve in our military in any capacity deserve, no DEMAND our alliegence and support. We need to be there for them.
To do anything less would denegrate their honor and integrity by their service and sacrifice. And what would that say about US...as a society...as Americans?
The world is watching...and some are taking notes.
The latest postings for the casualty rate in Iraq are out (from October)...we lost 100 fine soldiers in that month. And the anit-war mongers are saying how "terrible" this is.
Without question, ANY loss of life IS tragic, but so many of these bleeding hearts (no pun intended) fail to see a much BIGGER picture...
Compare the last FIVE years in Iraq with almost any FIVE years we spent in 'Nam, and the truth will be known. We have lost far FEWER men (and women) in Iraq than in Vietnam.
And let's not forget Normandy, where we lost 1465 men in ONE DAY!
We lost over 13 THOUSAND men in the Mexican War, and over 116 THOUSAND men in the "War to end ALL wars"...WW1. Over 405 THOUSAND service personnel lost their lives in WW2, and over 13 THOUSAND died during the Korean war. Vietnam cost us over 58 THOUSAND lives, and the American Civil War cost America over 400 THOUSAND of her husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers!
Now I'm certainly NOT trivializing the 2800+ men and women lost during this war....as I say, ANY loss of life is tragic, as the loved ones left behind will testify. The "perfect" war would be waged with NO loss of life at all....but sadly, we're not there YET. Not too many world leaders would wish to settle global disputes with a football, soccer, or boxing match.
What I am saying is that compared to past wars, we are doing damn well in Iraq. In NO other conflict have we suffered AS FEW losses as in Iraq. The radical SP media sees it differently. Apparently, THEIR math is different from the math all the normal people use.
And I will not waste time over John Kerry's flawed statement over education and the military...that's for other bloggers to debate. Today's combat soldier has MORE information AND technology as his or her disposal than OUR GENERALS did during the first world war! And they can apply where it will do the most good (or harm, depending on your POV).
We have won EVERY SINGLE major engagement in Iraq and the same was true in Vietnam. And people got killed...and will continue to get killed...that's what the hell WAR is all about, people! Like Patton said: "War is not about dying for your country...it's about making the OTHER poor dumb bastard die for HIS country".
Instead of trying to read things into the war in Iraq that are just not there, as the media loves to do, why can't we all just SUPPORT these men and women who think enough about OUR country, OUR freedom, and OUR flag to go and fight an enemy that thinks no more of us than a common cur in the street, and would kill every one of us as we slept, JUST BECAUSE we're AMERICANS!
Each and every one of these patriots that serve in our military in any capacity deserve, no DEMAND our alliegence and support. We need to be there for them.
To do anything less would denegrate their honor and integrity by their service and sacrifice. And what would that say about US...as a society...as Americans?
The world is watching...and some are taking notes.
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