Thursday, December 04, 2003
Do the crime, pay the time
We are continuously hearing about people going to trial for a crime they may or may not have committed. Some of these people made the mistake of letting their crimes be captured on film. I am wondering how these people can stand before a judge in a court of law (where you take an oath if called to the stand and the truth is expected under threat of perjury and jail time) and plead innocent to a crime that has video or photographical proof that they committed. Or, they have committed a crime to which they could not possibly be innocent, yet they plead that way regardless. A case in point:
South Dakota Senator Janklow was recently charged with killing a motorcyclist with his car. These facts are known-the Senator’s car hit and killed a motorcyclist. The Senator was driving. He and his car were moving at approximately 70mph when it/they broadsided the motorcycle. The intersection where this occurred has stop signs on only one of the intersection roads-the one the Senator was driving on. This Senator has a long history of speeding tickets, near misses and accidents; since 1990 he’s had a dozen tickets and was involved in four accidents. Nearly a year ago, the Senator almost caused a similar accident-at the same intersection! For this he did not get a ticket even though the police were called and investigated. Makes you wonder what his traffic record would look like had he been given all the tickets he deserved. He is not a good driver, and has gotten away with his vehicular transgressions because of his position. These are facts. My question is this-how the hell can he plead innocent? He killed a man because he is a terrible driver. He knows this. We all know this. The dead man’s family knows this. And they have to hear him plead innocent to this crime? That has to be heart-wrenching for them! How could this man not be guilty? How can he not have the cojones to plead innocent, like a grown man, and take the punishment coming to him? His pleading innocent is an insult to the man who has been killed and to his family. To me, this act negates ANY apology he may have issued or any remorse he claimed to have felt. It makes me sick to see someone show such blatant disregard for another person and for the law, especially when said person has been chosen to represent American people and uphold the law! I despise this man for how he is reacting to his actions. Apparently he found his previous transgressions laughable and not nearly serious enough. Perhaps my being a motorcyclist lends me to being more riled over this event as I have dealt with idiots and their disregard for me on the roadway.
Again I digress. My point is question is how people who are known to be wrong can plead innocent. I suppose it’s not wanting to pay for their crimes (even if they support the laws that make these actions illegal) and hoping that some error will be made that will enable them to be acquitted of their crimes sans penalty. Disgusting, even worse when done by a public official.
South Dakota Senator Janklow was recently charged with killing a motorcyclist with his car. These facts are known-the Senator’s car hit and killed a motorcyclist. The Senator was driving. He and his car were moving at approximately 70mph when it/they broadsided the motorcycle. The intersection where this occurred has stop signs on only one of the intersection roads-the one the Senator was driving on. This Senator has a long history of speeding tickets, near misses and accidents; since 1990 he’s had a dozen tickets and was involved in four accidents. Nearly a year ago, the Senator almost caused a similar accident-at the same intersection! For this he did not get a ticket even though the police were called and investigated. Makes you wonder what his traffic record would look like had he been given all the tickets he deserved. He is not a good driver, and has gotten away with his vehicular transgressions because of his position. These are facts. My question is this-how the hell can he plead innocent? He killed a man because he is a terrible driver. He knows this. We all know this. The dead man’s family knows this. And they have to hear him plead innocent to this crime? That has to be heart-wrenching for them! How could this man not be guilty? How can he not have the cojones to plead innocent, like a grown man, and take the punishment coming to him? His pleading innocent is an insult to the man who has been killed and to his family. To me, this act negates ANY apology he may have issued or any remorse he claimed to have felt. It makes me sick to see someone show such blatant disregard for another person and for the law, especially when said person has been chosen to represent American people and uphold the law! I despise this man for how he is reacting to his actions. Apparently he found his previous transgressions laughable and not nearly serious enough. Perhaps my being a motorcyclist lends me to being more riled over this event as I have dealt with idiots and their disregard for me on the roadway.
Again I digress. My point is question is how people who are known to be wrong can plead innocent. I suppose it’s not wanting to pay for their crimes (even if they support the laws that make these actions illegal) and hoping that some error will be made that will enable them to be acquitted of their crimes sans penalty. Disgusting, even worse when done by a public official.
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