Mixed feelings

Monday, August 25th, 2003 | Giggles

So first – the bad news:

Suspect Planned Priest’s Killing, DA Says

I’ve got truly mixed feelings about this. I don’t believe vigilante justice is acceptable in any way shape or form… Our system, while not perfect, is pretty damn good and everyone should be presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. There was a lot of allegations against him but the system needs to determine the validity of the allegations. On top of this it was clearly a hate crime issue (and probably had less to do with justice than it had to do with hate)…

However I have a hard time getting outraged about this hate crime in particular cuz in my book there is a special deep dark place in hell for people who commit crimes of any form against children and for someone who is supposed to be a trusted figure in a sacred institution to do such a thing just makes it that much worse… Children are the most precious and important part of this world and the thought of someone harming them in any way makes my blood boil.

My point? Not sure really… Wouldn’t wish this kind of end on anyone and the homophobe should have book thrown at him for not letting our system determine IF this guy was guilty of his crimes and IF he was THEN choose an appropriate punishment for the crimes… But IF he truly was guilty then I don’t have much sympathy…

( actually wasn’t sure I was even going to post about it cuz I’m not sure I could defend my position either way – but decided to just to put it on the table… Feel a little guilty and weird for not being outraged for the way he died and for the system not protecting him… but I guess thats just how I feel… Maybe this is just a test post on a personal subject rather than a subject I’m looking to debate )

1 Comment to Mixed feelings

RJ
August 26, 2003

I don’t know – this is a tough one.

I was very disturbed by media accounts I read about this. None of the articles I read in the newspaper or online characterized the former Priests’s death as a murder. The headlines said he was killed or slain – but because of the heinous crimes he committed previously, his death was not called murder. And it is/was murder.

No one will be able to convince me that law enforcement turned a blind eye to this individual’s personal protection – because of the pedophile charges, as well as his sexuality.

This is just another example of why our criminal justice system is deeply flawed.