The District Weekly - Latest Comments in MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

Re: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

jacob rip — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:44:45 -0000

my boyfriend did not need to die

Re: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

jacob rip — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:43:58 -0000

my boyfriend didn't deserve to die

Re: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

JuanPardell — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:23:33 -0000

Jonathan --- So, in regards to this incident, is your basic philosophy simply stating to ,"Kill them all?"

Re: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

Jonathan — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:21:35 -0000

Its pretty obvious to me that all parties involved are dirty, to some extent. And so it annoys me when I hear family members from both sides trying to humanize them, as if they are good people, which they clearly are NOT.

The defendant has a criminal record, and grows weed in his backyard. He keeps some dogs and a gun on hand to prevent break-ins and theft. He and his efforts in horticulture are a blight in that neighborhood - only a lawyer would ever argue differently.

The 'victim' was a youngster who was trespassing with the intent to steal some "trees" (as his recently incarcerated cohort explained in the Press Telegram article I read today). It would not surprise me to find out that he too had some sort of a juvenile record.

So my complaint is this: Don't tell me that the victim liked to rollerblade, feed stray dogs, and watch TV. Don't tell me that the defendant was a quiet, peaceful man. That besets the fact that they were both up to absolutely NO GOOD. They did not contribute to society. They did not think about others before themselves. They are not good people. They are (or were) petty criminals.

So mourn the tragedy. Mourn the senselessness. And maybe try to learn something from it. But issuing a benign character witness on their behalf, in light of the events they caused and participated in, is nothing short of naive.

Re: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME | The District Weekly

JuanPardell — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:01:16 -0000

If Mr. Cress, didn't have any credibility issues, most law abiding citizens would back his actions. Throw out all the disclaimers. If someone tresspasses on your property, you have the right to defend yourself.