I love me some Howard Witt, I really do. He is one of the last truly fearless journalist left in A-murder-ca. Anyway, he sent the following article to the Afrospear, and I wanted to share it with you, my fellow field hands and lurkers.
"Tribune correspondent April 6, 2009 HOUSTON - The crime Aaron Hart confessed to was undeniably repellent. Last September, the 18-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting a 7-year-old neighbor boy behind a tool shed in the small east Texas town of Paris. A relative of the victim said she walked outside and saw Hart with his pants pulled down, standing next to the boy. Police read Hart his Miranda rights and he quickly admitted his guilt. On Feb. 11, Hart's court-appointed attorney entered guilty pleas to each of five related felony counts, a jury recommended multiple sentences and a judge then ruled that the prison terms be served consecutively, for a total of 100 years.
That might have been the end of Cause No. 22924 in the 6th Judicial District Court of Lamar County, Texas-just another dismal criminal case on the docket of an obscure town. Except that now, less than two months after Hart was sentenced, every court official who had a hand in the case seems to agree that he doesn't really belong in prison for what amounts to the rest of his life.That's because Hart is profoundly mentally retarded. He has an IQ of 47, and his parents say he functions at the level of a 9-year-old. The boy he confessed to molesting is mentally retarded as well. What's more, the judge and the jury never heard any expert testimony about Hart's diminished mental functioning, his capacity to understand his Miranda rights or his ability to assist in his own defense, because his defense attorney never subpoenaed any experts. And since he has been in jail, Hart himself has been repeatedly raped, according to his parents. The first assault, allegedly by an inmate who is serving a far shorter sentence of just 8 years for sexual indecency with a child, so disturbed the alleged rapist's mother that she called Hart's parents to apologize.
'I have nightmares thinking about Aaron in prison and how he is going to survive in there,' said Robert Hart, Aaron's 70-year-old father. 'He's the type of kid who his whole life people beat him up, took stuff from him, and he wouldn't defend himself. He can't read or write. He can't hardly talk.' Hart's complex case is threatening to once again bring unwelcome outside scrutiny to the functioning of the criminal justice system in Paris. The town of 26,000 drew national civil rights protests in 2007 following a Tribune report contrasting the judicial treatment of a 14-year-old black girl, who was sentenced to up to 7 years in youth prison for shoving a hall monitor at her high school, with the treatment of a 14-year-old white girl, who was given probation for the more serious crime of arson. More racial tensions erupted last year after the slaying of a 24-year-old black man, allegedly at the hands of two whites. "
Wow, great community that Paris, Texas. Anyway, I hope that all of you will be as equally outraged when I tell you that there was no racial component to this story, and that both the victim and the accused are white. Sorry house Negroes, you can't accuse the field of racism chasing tonight. Nope, tonight I am chasing just plain injustice, and I will be damned if I didn't find it. I don't give a damn if the person being subjected to this injustice is purple yellow or green; this was outrageous, plain and simple. The good folks of Paris, Texas, once again, have some "splaining" to do. But before they start, they might want to read some law books.
On a side note: It looks like our Police Chief apologized to State Rep. Williams for that incident I blogged about yesterday. Now let's see if he fires those two punks.
Will post on this later.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the law may sometimes be implacable, some judicial discretion is called for in some of these cases, although that discretion, too, can, and is, often abused.
ReplyDeleteJustice may be blind, but those who administer justice shouldn't be, and neither should they operate as robots, and not take into account all facts, all information, and the full situation to the extent that it can be determined.
Aaron Hart should not be in jail, but his defense attorney should be, as well as disbarred for malpractice.
And, like you, I feel Hart's skin color, and that of his victim, is immaterial. Justice is justice.
His lawyer was one lazy heartless sob. Paris Texas sure has a lot of injustices happening there. It must be one of Lucifer's favorite hangouts.
ReplyDeleteThe O man has a brother as the Number 1 law enforcement officer in the land. The folks in Paris, unless they are clueless bamas, need to say something to Big Eric. There's plenty of precedent for stomping down there on the crackers.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, it's fodder for bloggers.
And, the fucked up thing to add to his horror is he will STAY in jail until some judge, after years of inquiry and appeal, will finally order his release....
ReplyDeleteAgain, aint no "justice" in our criminal system!
w signed a minimum wage law while gov in tex and took a lot of heat for it. It's also a low tax state so it's not for you tax lovin' libs. When white guilt and black envy can be taxed, I'm with you. szpork
ReplyDelete"his defense attorney should be, as well as disbarred for malpractice."
ReplyDeleteAnd might I add to that the judge, the policemen in the case, and D.A. They all need to be disbarred. These folks are are crazier than a road lizard. Like my daddy used to say all the time, "Put their brain in a bird and it would fly upside down backwards."
What really is disturbing is the fact that his mind is not fully developed. He really doesn't understand what is happening to him. Imagine how a child would feel being raped and sodomized at that. This article pissed me off and why is he still in jail if they know all of this now? Bush had a mentally retarded man executed when he was governor. Is this what they call Texas justice?
Anyone with an ounce of sense ought to be able to recognize someone who is mentally retarded. It's not hard to tell. Some of them you can tell by their facial and physical features or by the way they talk or act even those that act somewhat normal there is some type of telltale sign. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
I had some neighbors from Paris, TX. I see why they left and never went back.
"A relative of the victim said she walked outside and saw Hart with his pants pulled down, standing next to the boy."
ReplyDeleteThis is the statement that stood out to me. He could have been taking a leak. Did they examine the boy? Was the boy crying or did the woman overreact?
Field, Let me be the first to say Texas loves to lock up Blacks. My mother back in the day was almost thrown in prison based on fake charges.
ReplyDeleteWe were visiting family out in Texas and shopping in this upscale mall. When this mall cop came up to my mother and claimed he saw her steal a pair of really expansive sun shades. This fool dragged her to a samll jail in the mall and locked her up in front of her children.
My sister and little brother was taught to respect the police. So, we assumed everything would be okay and surely these White cops would know my mom was not a thief right?!!
It took my Uncle Charles driving all the way from Atlanta to get us out of that horrible situation. Make along story short Field it went to trial and truth be told the White cashier who sold my mom the expensive glass testified that she didn't steal them and had video evidence to back it up.
You see my mother had bought the sun glasses to match her outfit that day. When asked by the cashier if she wanted her receipt back mom passed on it and the cashier tossed it in the trash basket. When my mother walked out wearing the sun glasses the dumb ass racist cop handcuffed her right on the spot. I remember my mom telling the cop to go ask the cashier to verify her story. He simply refused.
And here is the really sick part the surveillance video caught him on tape looking through the store glass window on the part when the cashier tossed the receipt in the trash. So, basically he knew she had paid for the those Sunshades the whole time. The case ended up being dropped against my mother. But that horrible memory of seeing my mother almost imprisoned on fake ass charges still frightens me to this day.
Anon 11:20, your mother deserved money for false imprisonment.
ReplyDeleteMr. Field, I don't know if you've heard about this yet:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/republican-caller-tells-l_n_184244.html
Republican Veteran calls Rush a Nazi live on air.
Field,
ReplyDeleteThe story is too sad for words. What are these people doing working in the system?
It looks like our Police Chief apologized to State Rep. Williams for that incident I blogged about yesterday. Now let's see if he fires those two punks.
I see you got action. Keep up the good work. You're the best!
04 07 09
ReplyDeleteFN:
Are you saying that there is injustice in Paris because of the case you cited today or from their past?
I wonder how you would punish a mentally retarded child rapist. Is the crime what matters or not? Mental capacity may make a difference but then again, the guy knew enough to try to be discrete when he raped that boy, so he knew he was doing something wrong.
If not prison, lifetime mental hospital treatment?
I would be pretty unforgiving if somebody harmed my son in that way, not giving a damn if they were retarded or not.
Justice must be served but for the boy as well as the retarded rapist.
Brother Field... I quess I must include the whole system as being eighth grade educated.:] You all know and I know the bar is higher than my stated level. In total, America is a biggg place with lots of towns/cities like Paris, Texas. In the big time urban cities with a pool of candidates that have higher education- cities may have an educated (HS at the base)force. I still contend that too often the officer may not be versed with common sense as well as social smarts. As I said in my 50 plus years I have seen the transition of policing, period. Paris, TX got to be in a time warp. Why didn't someone stop the process and bring sanity to something that even Stevie could have seen. Working in the medical field for ages, a person with that dysfunction could have been readily identified. To Anon.. your mother got caught up in the times when common sense should have been used. I am sorry to hear she had to go through the legal system as it was then. Those guys with the robes did/do a lot of dirt. Again, I am speaking from first hand experiance, the 60s and 70s when I was most active I know how going thru a system you and everybody else knew was not fair. I only hope that her experiance fostered a spirit in you to do the right things... in those days it didnt matter if you were innocent or guilty..if you came in their courts YOU WERE GUILTY. Glad your moms prevailed. Back to the present..I hope the young boy was not hurt and the young man can be placed in a safe place. Granny.. sounds like your feet are planted for the truth. hug hug
ReplyDeleteThat incident with my mom being thrown in jail on fake charges happened in 1985. In the wonderful era of Regan...snark!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw what happen to that Black NFL player Mr. Moates in Texas with that white cop stopping him from seeing his dying mother-in-law all those memories came back to me. I keep thinking that White cop Officer Robert Powell reminded me how that cop treated my mother.
"Justice must be served but for the boy as well as the retarded rapist." Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden
ReplyDeleteAre you saying this for shock value, or do you really believe that this mentally retarded person with the psychological age of nine should be thrown in prison with hardened criminals to become a victim himself of sexual assault, so that your brand of justice may be served?
If that's what you're saying, then you need to do a "heart check."
And I'm afraid from here on in, any comment that you make on this blog will be suspect.
I'm sorry, but having an advanced intellect, without commonsense compassion, makes you neither advanced, nor commonsensical.
I'm profoundly disappointed.
"A relative of the victim said she walked outside and saw Hart with his pants pulled down, standing next to the boy.
ReplyDelete"This is the statement that stood out to me. He could have been taking a leak. Did they examine the boy? Was the boy crying or did the woman overreact?" Granny
You make a great point, Granny. I would like to know if there's more culpatory evidence than this eye witness, and Hart's confession.
Being afraid, Hart might admit to anything, if he believed that he would be allowed to return home.
I wish I knew more of the details of this case.
"Are you saying that there is injustice in Paris because of the case you cited today or from their past?"
ReplyDelete"Justice must be served but for the boy as well as the retarded rapist."
Rigmaiden, are you and Frank related? You two seem to be of the same heart and mind.
Actually, you make Frank sound merciful. You are unbelievable.
"It must be one of Lucifer's favorite hangouts."
ReplyDeleteAnon.10:42PM, I am sure he likes the temperature there as well.
Anon.11:20PM, that's terrible what happened to your Mom. You are a better person than I am, I don't think I would have been able to hold it together. I would have been in jail,the hospital, or worse, dead.
Mahndisa, he had the IQ of a NINE year old.I have to read the article again, but I think even some of the victim's family members empathized with the accused.
Justice58, thanks for the props.But the Phila Daily News, and the Police watchdog groups should get the credit for exposing that incident. I was just one of a few folks who tried to bring the incident to light. And of course it didn't hurt that Mr. Williams is an elected official. If it was just some poor Joe from the hood, we probably would never have heard of the story.:(
Again Field, perhaps the folks in Paris and others in the state need to talk to USDOJ--asap. Otherwise, its just a litany of horror stories and whining...and bouncing about the blogsphere.
ReplyDeleteI know y'all were smokin Doobies when Y'all weren't playin Hookie...but here's a news flash...
ReplyDeleteThe President has this thing called the "Pardon" power, he can let Charles Manson, that Mohammed-Al-Sky Hook dude in PA, heck, pretty much anyone he wants out of jail just with a stroke of his Presidential Pardon Pen... For my Part, I'm hopin he keeps his Pen in his Pants, like Retardo Boy should have with his Pen... we don't Cotton to Rapists in the South, don't matter how Stew-Pid You Is (been practicing my E-bonics!)...
Frank
What is it.. do you just not have any black friends and this is your very lame attempt to interact with black folks? I know you said you do, but I don't believe you. I cannot imagine any black person spending even 2 minutes with you without punching you out, with anyone who observes this applauding them and then refusing to back up anything you might say to a cop, insisting that any injuries from said punch were self inflicted, which would be the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe above post was directed to Frank!
ReplyDeleteWho was the defense attorney?
ReplyDeleteThen again the Texas justice system doesn't seem to grasp the concept of mentally illness or someone being mentally disabled.
My Fair Jody,
ReplyDeleteI've got Black Peeps, Homies, Bros, Brahs, watever the crazy kids are callin em nowsadays... 2 of em are workin on my yard right now... Say what you will, puts more $$ into your community than you do...
Ay-Ohhh........
Frank
This happens all the time in little redneck towns in East Texas. Drive a few miles east of Dallas and you're basically in Louisiana or Arkansas. I hope this incident gets a lot of press, because that's the only way those people are going to get it.
ReplyDeletewe don't Cotton to Rapists in the South, don't matter how Stew-Pid You Is (been practicing my E-bonics!)...Frank 8:49 AM
ReplyDelete-----------------------------------
I normally don't comment on this blog but I do read it alot and if I had it my way I would just beat your ass just for you being ignorant. Now with that said, you can find me in the Fan in Richmond VA and I won't need my homeboys neither.
Give me some Skin Rottn!!! I hang out in the A-T-L myselves, well, not really IN the City, but in the 6-7-8... Love to meetch sometime, toss back some Fawties, but umm how can I say this tactfully...umm its that whole "Richmond" thing...hasn't been the same since Jeff Davis left town...just a little...I don't know...Dangerous...I mean when Michael Vick says "God Damum N*****, Yo Crazy" might wanta take a rain check...
ReplyDeleteFrank
Okay Field, So where is the injustice? That he got too much time or that it's being considered he don't get so much time? I'm just asking. well my opinon is that if they lock him up forever then so what. Of course he should probably be in some type of mental hospital but this guy needs to be off the street FOREVER. So however they want to handle FOREVER so be it. I hate to sound insensitive towards the mentally challenged kid but man..This is saddening Ugh. And if they can't figure out a way to keep him from sleeping with other little boys then maybe they should consider the death penalty. Sorry Field it just breaks my heart to hear such a thing!
ReplyDeletego.
The extremes and bullsh*t from pranksters/trolls aside, for the 900th time...we have the USDOJ and the FBI on our side for a change. Let's stop over-blogging it and get these folk involved. There isn't a single person or organization in Paris, Tx who can't engage ANYONE in Washington? Holder's not an initiator/visionary. he's one of those folk who has to be tasked. Once he is, he's on it like a wolf on a porkchop. But he has to be engaged to look at these patterns and practices, as well as individual cases. He has a bully pulpit as well.
ReplyDeleteDidn't President Clinton have some dealings with a Retarded Prisoner??? Probably Pardoned the Guy...think I'll look it up on Wiki-Pedia...Any you Legal Beagles remember the case??
ReplyDeleteBlack people are rarely, if ever, allowed to be legally insane in a criminal justice proceeding. When that cat shot up the Long Island train, he was clearly nuts and had a long history of mental problems but all those white folks just saw a heathen n-word who needed to be put down.
ReplyDeleteWhen we talk about crime in Oakland, we sometimes talk about the problem of undiagnosed mental illness in the black community. I know for a fact that one of the thugs in my neighborhood is eating with one chopstick.
The irony of this topic is that while we decry a person being put away for a crime the person doesn't have the mental capacity to commit, black folks can be the least understanding when it comes to dealing with mental health issues. It's like HIV/AIDS. We are living in medieval times in our mindset about modern health issues. That's why this whole national healthcare issue is so important for black people.
ALSO:
Seriously, people could you FARKING PLEASE ignore the Frank person? He will go away if no one engages him. I can't believe people are still responding to him like he is a person with any rational thought process. He's an idiot troll. Why do you keep talking to him?
If I read the article correctly, it doesn't mention anything about any other evidence other than a relative saw him STANDING NEXT to the boy with his pants down. It never mentioned the relative heard the boy crying out, or that boy substained and was treated for any injuries. I would think that a young man 18 years old would still have an organ of a grown man. All the article seems to state is that the only evidence is what the relative said, and a confession from a mentally retarded young man that might say yes to anything if he is frightened.
ReplyDeleteLike black diaspora said I would have to hear some more convincing evidence other than he was standing NEXT to him with his pants down. BTW, there is no mention of the little boy having his pants down as well. When mentally retarded people are frighten they act different from people who are at their normal mind level.
Back a few months ago, in my city, there were some gunshots fired. A mentally retarded boy that lives around the corner was coming from the store. When he heard the gunshots he started running. The police happened to be driving towards the gunshots and saw him running. They stopped the boy,manhandled him and handcuffed him. I happen to be standing on the corner of my house talking to a neighbor. The boy was so frighten he was crying and pleading with us to help him. They were roughing him up a little bit too. So, I went over to the police and told them that he was mentally retarded. The police told me that there were gunshots and he was running. We sent one of the other kids that live in this neighborhood to go and get his mother. When his mother came, she was able to calm the boy down enough so that she could find out what happened. Not only is the boy retarded, he has other serious health issues. He is epiletic and has a speech impediment and a few other things. The whole time they kept him in handcuffs laying across the hood of the car.
I am a grown woman with a sound mind and if I heard gunshots, believe me I'm not going to stand around and become an innocent victim. Bullets don't have no name on them. I would have ran too. They caused that little boy to be traumatized. The thing is that anyone with common sense would have realized the boy was retarded and had a speech impediment. Now, his mother is fearful of letting him go anywhere alone. I can't say that I blame him because it could have been one of those trigger happy cops instead of, slightly, physically violent ones.
Rigmaiden:
ReplyDeleteI understand what your saying about a rapist and especially one that rapes kids. Believe Granny would be first in line to come to a child's defense who has been hurt by one. The law could lock them underneath the jail, castrate them, and throw away the key as far as I'm concerned. However, the evidence in this case is a little flimsy if that is all the evidence they had. Just like I would want a rapist locked up, I wouldn't want an innocent person locked up on no flimsy evidence. It's enough innocent people in jail already.
I am a mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt, and great-great aunt, and children are my heart and so I can relate to how you feel.
Jody:
ReplyDeleteHe is probably friends with people like Jesse Lee Peterson or Michael Steele. You know the ones that get big megabucks to put black folks down. Other than that, he would be getting like you said a beat down with the quickness. Bad as his mouth is, it might be more like a stomp down.
I'll bet you dollars to donuts Ramsey doesn't fire them.
ReplyDeleteRobert M:
ReplyDeleteI think I'll hold on tight to my money because I bet you're right. They'll probably be transferred to some of other precinct or promoted. That's the way they do things in the police department. When the policemen known as the "Cowboys" out this way were found guilty, all they did was promote some of them and transfer the other ones to different departments. Although, the families of their victims did get a few millions of dollars, which I'm sure the lawyers got the biggest part of. No amount of money can ever replace life and the few millions the families received more than likely amounted a few thousand by the time all the deduction for the lawyers and taxes were paid. Black's life is viewed as dirt cheap in America.
"The irony of this topic is that while we decry a person being put away for a crime the person doesn't have the mental capacity to commit, black folks can be the least understanding when it comes to dealing with mental health issues."
ReplyDeleteWest Coast, that's an insightful observation. Imo, you've hit upon something that violates an unspoken rule in the community..."Don't talk about it". Mental health, or lack of it, is like a secret in the community. And you know what they say about secrets? "You are as sick as your secrets."
Blacks ARE ignorant when it comes to the 'entire spectrum' of mental health issues because 'not talking about it' tends to keep one ignorant. For instance, going to a therapist or a psychotherapist for a mental and/or emotional problem is a very healthy thing for a person to do. However, most Blacks see it as just the opposite.... They tend to see it as a sign of weakness, and shameful and will keep it to themselves....Again, 'not talk about it'.
Any group that has encountered racism, multiple forms of discrimination, killings and hangings, police brutality, and injustices--generation after generation for centuries--needs to be at the forefront of understanding mental and emotional health. Yet, it is almost taboo. I bet most Blacks can find at minimum, one or two relatives with explosive anger issues, and low self-esteem who could benefit from therapeutic help.
Unfortunately, shame keeps Blacks for doing so. It's a catch 22 and 'one' of the unspoken issues that prevent many Blacks from reaching their full potential.
Yes, anon. It's sad that we won't get the help we need, even if we have the resources.
ReplyDelete" Robert M said...
I'll bet you dollars to donuts Ramsey doesn't fire them."
See, I don't believe in taking no for an answer. This Ramsey guy needs to feel some serious heat on his backside and only residents can make that happen. I don't know Philly and I don't know the politics but I can't believe somebody is not trying to set this guy's pants on fire over this. Someone needs to add up this guy's bill and tell him it's time to pay up and get out.
West Coast Ivory, below was my comment to your questions in Field's post yesterday. It explains why no one in Philly will put heat on Ramsey. I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth:
ReplyDelete"So what are the citizens of Philly going to do about it?"
West Coast Ivory, my answer to your question is-- "As always, Philly will uphold its tradition and do NOTHING."
"Philadelphia has a distinguished history of abusive treatment of black people going back to Frank Rizzo's reign of terror."
Ah, Frank Rizzo...I lived in the Philadelphia area during that time and I remember him well. The terror he and the police dept. heaped on Blacks in Philly was 'criminal'. As Police Commissioner, his police force terrorized and brutalized Blacks. It was well known that he did not like Blacks. Later, he was elected Mayor! Go figure.
Nothing about the police force in Philly has changed; and nothing about the attitude of its citizens has changed. Blacks (or Whites) did nothing back then about the brutal culture of the police, and they are doing nothing about it today.
Philadelphia is pathetic, especially when it comes to Blacks standing up for themselves. Cops do whatever they want-wrongfully- to Blacks and more often than not, there will be no consequences.
The "City of Brotherly Love" is a misnomer.
WCS, Anon. is right I am afraid. Although I do think things have gotten better over the past couple of years. For the record; I wasn't here during the Rizzo years. He died the year I got here. (He must have known I was coming) But there is a sort of apathy among black folks here that is frustrating.
ReplyDeletePart of it is the Third Worlf type ward politics in place, and part of it is just a lack of economic clout. Philly's blacks and people in general, have a long tradition of just going along with the status quo, which is kind of sad.
Hopefully, as more folks who think outside of the box get higher in the food chain things will start to change.
And I co-sign with anon.7:46PM. We would rather go to church than to our therapist. Our preacher is our therapist.
West Coast Story, I am very sorry for getting your name wrong. It won't happen again.
ReplyDeleteWest Coast
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is that Ramsey is an African American and he's lost six pollice in the last two years. At least 4 could not have possibly been following procedure. In fact it is so bad the Inquirer editorial page is calling for the return of the Office of Integrity and Responsiblity which was closed by another AA mayor and police chief. Same article says he has fired 4 and disciplined four others. I know the police union isn't buying the firings so we'll have to see.
Anon: No offense taken! I thought it was kind of cute.
ReplyDeleteWow, he's a brother. I am speechless (but not letting him off the hook). I am surprised to hear this about black folks in Philly because I had a different impression. Folks of all stripes are hell raisers in the Bay Area (well, SF, Oakland and Berkeley) so I guess I was projecting.
ReplyDeleteOakland had a bunch of lawless cops (The Riders) in West Oakland that were actually put on trial for various police abuses. One disappeared to Mexico and the rest were acquitted. The city had to pay money to the victims in civil actions, and now the City has to live with this onerous consent decree negotiagted by our knuckleheaded City Attorney. And the victims weren't elected officials either, many were druggies.
If that's what you're saying, then you need to do a "heart check."
ReplyDeleteBlack Diaspora,
To be fair, she did mention imprisonment in a treatment facility. While this case is unjust, I don't think anyone is recommending that people with diminish mental capacity get away scot free with crimes.
Jody said...
ReplyDeleteThe above post was directed to Frank!
Jody,
For a time, he was posting as a Jewish guy (with a smartass mouth), I suppose to see what kind of rise he could get out of people.
He abandoned that persona after posted questions and comments were ones he could neither respond to or answer.
Sharon, Sharon, Sharon
ReplyDeleteAgain with the Kvetchin...
I yam what I yam...
Why donctha mind your own Bees-Wachs???
They haven't made the question I can't respond to...might not answer it, but I'll sure as heck
respond...
Is there some kind of holiday this weekend??
Frank
Is there some kind of holiday this weekend??
ReplyDeleteFrank,
Why don't you Google it, since you apparently are in need of doing so.
Correct me if I am wrong, but mental retardation is not a defense.
ReplyDelete"Mental capacity may make a difference but then again, the guy knew enough to try to be discrete when he raped that boy...."
ReplyDeleteMahndisa S. Rigmaiden
Sharon, Rigmaiden said retardation "may make a difference," not that it does make a difference.
Both the tone of her remarks, and her overall position are bereft of compassion:
"I would be pretty unforgiving if somebody harmed my son in that way, not giving a damn if they were retarded or not."
It was not her son that was attacked. I would expect someone who's not the victim to show a little dispassionate reasoning, rather than an emotional indictment.
The article states that "[Hart] can't read or write. He can't hardly talk."
Yet, he gives the police a confession: "Police read Hart his Miranda rights and he quickly admitted his guilt."
Justice should not be an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but more like, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
I'm aware that in practice it's rarely elevated to this level of sanity and humanity: we have a long way to go to become highly evolved beings.
I could say more, but what's the point. I stand by my original response:
"...having an advanced intellect, without commonsense compassion, makes you neither advanced, nor commonsensical."
Speaking of the Police in Texas...
ReplyDeleteThis Police Chief just got busted for tasering his wife:
http://www.witn.com/crime/headlines/42674507.html
Judiciary System in America = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
ReplyDeleteThe judges, lawyers, solicitors, and prosecutors are only concerned about the $$$dolla bill. There's no fairness in the courts. There's no rights in the courts. The only people that spend real time in jail are poor people. America has designed a system to keep you broke and pay for being broke.
Paris, TX keeping me proud. Not. As a former resident, this doesn't surprise me.
ReplyDeletew signed a minimum wage law while gov in tex and took a lot of heat for it. It's also a low tax state so it's not for you tax lovin' libs. When white guilt and black envy can be taxed, I'm with you. szpork
ReplyDeleteHahahahahaha. You obviously don't live in Texas. Try paying property taxes here and the sales tax and then get back with me. Just because we don't have a state tax does not mean we are a low tax state. Not to mention we might need more taxes to explain our failed education system.
You people disgust me. An 18 year old man forces a 6 year old to perform oral sex on him and you freaks feel sorry for the adult. Low IQ or not - the man KNEW he was doing wrong evidenced by the fact that he took the 6 year old boy and HID behind the tool shed before making the 6 year old give 'em head. Yes, there is more info out there for those who are willing to research court docs instead of listening to other bleeding heart idiots.
ReplyDeleteSorry folks, he knew right from wrong and he sexually molested someone's SIX year old son.