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| Revenge or Justice |
In a small town close to me a 20 year old boy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for
falling asleep at the wheel, crossing the median, hitting a car and killing a husband and
wife in their 70s. The local newspaper called it, “...an emotional sentencing.”
Is this revenge or justice?
One of the relatives of the couple who died requested that the boy, “receive the
maximum sentence of 30 years–15 years for each of the deaths” because the boy was,
in her words, a habitual offender.”
Is this revenge or justice?
No alcolol was involved, but the boy’s Mother said that he had been on Zanax, a
medication to treat anxiety and panic disorder, for five years to six weeks prior to the
accident. That seems to imply that he quit taking Xanax six weeks before the accident.
However, the next paragraph states,
“One of the side effects of Xanax is drowsiness, and the jury determined that his
decision to drive after taking the pills had affected his driving abilities.”
So what are the facts? Did he or did he not take a Xanax before he drove that night?
Is this revenge or justice?
Concerning his habitual offenses, the newspaper says, records show he had been
cited for traffic violations in two counties from 2004 to 2007. What violations? If I can
know that he killed two people accidentally, why can’t I know the previous violations?
And what could be so bad that this boy has to give up double his age in prison for an
accident? He’s already spent a year in Hell.
Relatives and friends of the couple who were killed were, “brought some measure of
solace” because of the sentence and one said, “I feel it was just.” The ASA said it
“hopefully will allow everybody to move on in this situation.”
Is this revenge or justice?
I feel very sorry for the couple who were killed and their friends and relatives. It was a
devastatingly horrible experience.
Too, I feel very sorry for all of us who read the newspaper yesterday morning and are
left with questions because we didn’t get all the facts in the newspaper and hadn’t
been following the story all this time.
Mainly, I feel really sorry for people who cannot forgive and call revenge, “justice.”
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was old justice. There is a new justice that
has a hard time taking it’s place, although it’s 2000 years old:
“...forgives us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...” Matthew 6:11-12. And, the
Master said it well as he was dying, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they
do.
Is there no forgiveness for a teenager who made a terrible mistake. Will it take 20 years
to rehabilitate him? Or, is it simply revenge?
12/18/2008
J. Sue Gagliardi
falling asleep at the wheel, crossing the median, hitting a car and killing a husband and
wife in their 70s. The local newspaper called it, “...an emotional sentencing.”
Is this revenge or justice?
One of the relatives of the couple who died requested that the boy, “receive the
maximum sentence of 30 years–15 years for each of the deaths” because the boy was,
in her words, a habitual offender.”
Is this revenge or justice?
No alcolol was involved, but the boy’s Mother said that he had been on Zanax, a
medication to treat anxiety and panic disorder, for five years to six weeks prior to the
accident. That seems to imply that he quit taking Xanax six weeks before the accident.
However, the next paragraph states,
“One of the side effects of Xanax is drowsiness, and the jury determined that his
decision to drive after taking the pills had affected his driving abilities.”
So what are the facts? Did he or did he not take a Xanax before he drove that night?
Is this revenge or justice?
Concerning his habitual offenses, the newspaper says, records show he had been
cited for traffic violations in two counties from 2004 to 2007. What violations? If I can
know that he killed two people accidentally, why can’t I know the previous violations?
And what could be so bad that this boy has to give up double his age in prison for an
accident? He’s already spent a year in Hell.
Relatives and friends of the couple who were killed were, “brought some measure of
solace” because of the sentence and one said, “I feel it was just.” The ASA said it
“hopefully will allow everybody to move on in this situation.”
Is this revenge or justice?
I feel very sorry for the couple who were killed and their friends and relatives. It was a
devastatingly horrible experience.
Too, I feel very sorry for all of us who read the newspaper yesterday morning and are
left with questions because we didn’t get all the facts in the newspaper and hadn’t
been following the story all this time.
Mainly, I feel really sorry for people who cannot forgive and call revenge, “justice.”
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was old justice. There is a new justice that
has a hard time taking it’s place, although it’s 2000 years old:
“...forgives us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...” Matthew 6:11-12. And, the
Master said it well as he was dying, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they
do.
Is there no forgiveness for a teenager who made a terrible mistake. Will it take 20 years
to rehabilitate him? Or, is it simply revenge?
12/18/2008
J. Sue Gagliardi
