Opinion Page
WTF???
What the flaming fuck is wrong with our judicial system in this country?
In case you haven't heard, one of the MOST prolific murderers this country has ever seen has been sentenced to life in prison. That's it. No death sentence. Apparently these 12 people, who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty, convicted Terry Nichols of 161 counts of murder (and knew he was convicted of 7 additional counts of murder), but didn't think that THAT was enough to be put to death.
So, to these 12 jurors, I ask you the following questions:
1) At what point do you actually sentence someone to death? How many murders must a person (animal) commit before you can pull that switch?
2) What do you have to say to the families of the 168 dead and more than 500 wounded, not to mention the people displaced or unemployed as a result of the OKC bombing? Do you not feel their loss?
3) Would you still feel the same way if it was your husband / wife / brother / sister / son / daughter / baby / toddler / infant that was killed that morning?
Now, I don't care how much time this mass murderer has spent doing anything since his arrest, and I don't care what he did beforehand. I don't care if he was abused, or troubled, or upset.
The fact is that this "man" took it upon himself to commit robberies to steal money to buy explosives and equipment to purposefully blow up an occupied building full of people he didn't know personally. It was heinous by ANY definition of the word. He killed babies in daycare, for crying out loud! He didn't phone in a warning to warn people - he WANTED them to die in the blast. He KNEW the devastation he was causing.
There is NO justification for his actions, no redemption, and no forgiveness. His continued presence on this planet only lowers the bar for everyone. And to the jurors who could find him guilty of 161 counts of murder, but not sentence him to death, I hope you can live with yourselves. You took an oath that you were capable of putting someone to death should he be found guilty. I still cannot believe that after finding him guilty of so many counts of murder, that you could not open your heart and realize his death is only a downpayment on Justice.
My hope is that the prosecution will appeal the sentence, as no juror could promise to consider the death penalty and then not grant it for such a horrible and senseless crime. I also hope that one of Terry's new "friends" will help with Justice, much the same way that Jeffrey Dahmer was helped.
While I'm ranting on the subject of Justice, I've noticed something alarming.
Governments keep passing laws known as "mandatory sentencing." This is starting to alarm me, and I think it should alarm you. Let me explain why.
A mandatory sentence is one that is legislated by a congressional body that requires a judicial party to act in a certain way. In other words, we are trumping the judges' jobs and allowing elected officials to decide the outcome of sentencing.
Some high-profile cases are coming to mind. A 12-year-old in Georgia was given "time served" for killing a young girl, because sentencing restrictions prevented the judge from giving this young predator a fitting sentence due to his age.
This is a slippery slope here.
We have a system of government that is balanced by three branches for a reason. The fact that one branch can control another branch threatens our Freedom. How so?
What is the purpose of a judge? The judge is there to make sure that the trial outcome is fair. He isn't supposed to take sides. His job is to make sure that the prosecution meets the burden of proof, and protects the defendant from presumed guilt. His job is to make sure that the process abides by the Constitutional protections that make this country so great.
So, when congressmen get together and force a judge to sentence a convicted man to a set sentence based upon a fixed guideline, they are circumventing that process. No longer is the judge, who is familiar with the specifics of the case, and an expert on the law, in charge of the outcome. Instead, a few hundred men, all of which are politians by career, decide the outcome, many time far away in distance and in time from the event.
Looking at it more closely, you can believe that the people who started with "mandatory sentencing" guidelines (a wonderful oxymoron, if you ask me) had noble ideals. They wanted to ensure that everyone would be treated "fairly." But the slippery slope exists in all things. By being "fair", they've taken the Socialist extreme and applied it to our most precious processes. The Judicial branch is the one that can take our Freedom from us and deprive us of our Liberty and Property. This is the last stop for criminals, and the first stop for Justice. This is a precious and tender area. And we're allowing legislators, acting on behalf of special interests (such as seeking re-election) to allow their political agendas to color our Judicial processes. This is so dangerous that it is scaring me. When we allow killers to go free (the 12-year-old will end up serving only 2 years in jail for murder), and put people who've not harmed anyone else (who might be in jail on personal choice issues, such as drug use or tax problems) away for the rest of their life, than we need to step back and re-evaluate our priorities. Do we want to put people like Willie Nelson in jail for life and let killers walk the streets? Our current laws allow heinous killers to enjoy Freedom while taking hard-working people and putting them in prison for choices that never harmed anyone else. Does this not scare you?
The "law of unintended consequences" keeps rearing its ugly head. When will we learn as a society NOT to play with the balances that made this country so great?
On another note: Last night Mrs. Spoogeworld and I watched the Reagan burial. I didn't get to watch the funeral, but I heard that the Clintons fell asleep in the FRONT ROW at the service. Nice going, ass-darts. I hope no one comes to YOUR funerals. Except maybe Juanita Brodderick. Or maybe Jenifer Flowers. Or maybe some of the other women he's molested and/or raped and/or harassed. And maybe let's invite in a few of the families of the victims of 9/11 - the same families that their "junior Senator" didn't think warranted her appearance at THEIR funerals. The fact that our 42nd President and his wife are such callous humans pains me that they infested our most precious residence. I only hope that time will scrub away the stain of their "legacy." In time I hope they replace the table where Hillary kept the Rose Law Firm billing records that she had 2 years to doctor. In time, I hope they replace the cigars that Bill played "hide and seek" with. I hope the future generations know that I didn't partake in that celebration. I hope they remember the people like Reagan. I only wish when I was that young that I was smart enough to see character, and realize that believing in something still means something.
If you have ideas, comments, or criticisms, tell me about it.
