It’s ignoble to admit it. Or rather, it’s ignoble to feel it but I might as well admit it. I’m feeling grouchy and vindictive today and glad somebody “got what was coming to him.”
The somebody is my felonious acquaintance D. He finally got the sort of prison sentence he’s been looking for.
I wrote about D. last summer after learning he’d been arrested — again — and was this time facing a life sentence.
He didn’t get life. But recognizing a three-strikes catastrophe looming, he plea-bargained and is now serving 8 years. His first-degree assault charge was dropped to malicious mischief with more than $5,000 damage and use of a deadly non-firearm weapon.
“Three strikes” is a misnomer. I got a look at D.’s court paperwork from the latest case plus the full record of his encounters with the local courts. His “three strikes” are actually 12 felonies in two states since 1990 and 17 cases before the local courts (felony, misdemeanor, and infraction) since 2002.
I don’t possess all the gory details of what D. did in his most recent life-botch. I gather he smashed up a car with a blunt instrument while trying to get at his brother, who was inside. And of course D. had meth both on and in him at the time.
I know prison is a pathetically poor (and fundamentally anti-libertarian) solution to a problem like D. Better some burglarized homeowner had put him out of his (and everyone else’s) misery several crimes ago.
Still, I admit I felt satisfaction, learning D. had finally gotten something other than his standard “one year in prison and one year free before going back to prison on some new charge” sentence. I’m not particularly proud of that.
D. is one of those strange people who thrives in prison, where every moment of his day is structured by Authoritah. So I doubt that the 8 years (or however long he actually serves) in the penitentiary will result in any real penitence or reform. He’ll read his bible and proselytize his cellmates as he always does. He’ll regale his relatives with stories of how he’s changed. Really, truly, this time.
Then whenever the state finally turns him loose, he’ll just go right back to his lifelong ways — until somebody finally shoots him.
Sure, prison’s a poor solution. But at least he won’t be damaging good people for quite a few years, which is better than the way matters previously stood. There’s simply no good solution for the D’s of the world.
Heinlein’s “Coventry”?
Snake Plissken’s Escape from New York.
My 2nd wife was murdered .. by her son .. in our home while I was at work .
Her daughters came home from school and found their mother and their grandmother (who was living with us) dead. Shot by a .44
Police came, questioned me, I told them the stepson was violent; they found, arrested and convicted him and he was given 65 years without possibility of parole. I check every year; he’s still in there.
Libertarianism aside, Capital Punishment is not always the best option.
For some people, it’s much better to put them behind bars and watch them rot while they have plenty of time to ponder the consequences of their actions.
THAT .. is Libertarianism.
No, libertarianism is not forcing the taxpayers to provide money for his upkeep and keeping him alive to potentially get out to harm again.
And speaking of nuts, here’s another one. With an actual tinfoil hat to boot.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/tin-man-in-gun-arrest-628934
Life will always be risky, and some people will always want to harm others for one reason or another. And we all know there is no way to predict or prevent that very well.
I’m terribly sorry for your loss, Jerry. I happen to think that at least part of the answer is for people to become responsible for themselves and be less vulnerable. Far too many women are too trusting, too “polite” and indoctrinated against defending themselves, especially with the most effective tool for that job.
Whenever I read about another murder, I wonder why so many – especially women – will not even lock their doors. I’ve read that some say they’d rather die than defend themselves. OK, their choice.
Ultimately, the best solution I can think of in the event of a lethal attack is the death of the aggressor at the hands of the intended victim or their guardians. Fewer prisons would be needed.
I don’t think it’s “ignoble” to feel like D finally got a taste of what he deserved. I think it’s a normal and natural response to his long long string of managing to not get what he deserved. At least the general public is safe from him for the time being. His karma is catching up with him.
“My 2nd wife was murdered .. by her son .. in our home while I was at work.”
Oh my God, Jerry. What an unthinkable horror.
And of course not many mothers are prepared to lock their doors against or defend themselves against their own sons, even if experience tells them they probably should. My acquaintance D. hasn’t become violent until the last few years, but I’m quite sure that even though she’s had warning and knows how to shoot, his mother would still be wide-open vulnerable if he decided to attack her.
“His karma is catching up with him.”
It definitely is, Karen. Now, if only he could see what even a distant stranger sees …
Jim B. — Re your tinfoil hat link … what most stands out for me is that Mr. Tinfoil is an IRS “customer service” agent. Jeez, that seems stranger than everything else. Wonder who the IRS’s “customers” are and what type of “service” it provides to them (other than perhaps the type of service a bull provides to a cow).
Yes indeed, Claire. I wasn’t blaming the mother or grandmother at all, only recognizing that they probably had a lifetime of indoctrination preventing them from even considering any self defense, let alone against a son or grandson. It’s the indoctrination, learned helplessness and false guilt, that I work so hard to help people overcome.
“It’s the indoctrination, learned helplessness and false guilt, that I work so hard to help people overcome.”
Amen, Sistah.
“Heinlein’s “Coventry”?”
Talking about the real world as it exists here and now.
ML,
As a parent, one of my proudest moments was when I heard my petite then 18 year old daughter reply to her friend’s question “Why do you carry a knife all the time?” by saying “You’re never going to read a story about me being found raped and murdered without also reading one about the attacker requiring thousands of stitches for all the stab wounds he’d have. That’s why I carry it”
Oh, just waiting… I sure do wish I could spend a day or two with that girl. She’s on the right path, for sure. 🙂 I was raped once… totally helpless and too terribly ashamed to even tell my mother until years later. I was very, VERY fortunate not to be harmed in any other way.
When people ask me why I carry a gun, one of the things I tell them is that I will never again be a helpless victim. Here’s hoping your daughter never has to use that knife or a gun, but if she does… she’s not likely to be raped and murdered with that attitude. 🙂
Claire, at least you don’t have to worry about having contact with D. Cases like his are the reasons cops become drug warriors. What they don’t get is that no one held a gun to D’s head and forced him to take Meth, just as no one forces an alcoholic to drink. It’s not the drug or booze that’s the problem. It’s the person who is hell bent on self-destruction and in the process involves others. D chose to take a drug that in excess causes paranoia, aggression, and violent behavior. If that drug wasn’t available, he would have found something else. Alcoholics can get just as violent. Ask any bartender.
My two granddaughters are both black belts in karate–one advanced. They both are quite willing to defend themselves if necessary and have been trained in combat. I wish they could also carry a gun, but they live in one of those states that consider anyone carrying a gun to be a criminal just waiting for a chance to commit a violent crime. I’m considering what kind of knife to buy each of them since that is something that could assist in self-defense. Right now they know how to use a ball-point pen or a pencil in an emergency. Those aren’t considered as weapons even though they can do a lot of damage if used right. I hate to think of either of them having to use a weapon, but the alternative is even worse.