The Price of Justice: Hurt Feelings!

Working in my yard, hear the tell-tale sound of a car coming around the corner a block away not even slowing down for the stop sign. As I stand up to look at the accelerating car bearing down on me approaching a very blind intersection and I know they, usually a young woman, but not always, have no intention of slowing down, let alone stop. Once in awhile when they notice me looking at them as they pass by, they give me the finger! I had a guy in a fancy Cadillac do it out the sunroof the other day. Hey, all I'm doing is looking at them. Then around the corner they go. I often wonder what they think I might do if they ever got into a wreck or hit someones kid coming or going to school. I have thought about buying a rope . . .

The consequences of people's calloused disregard for the law in something as simple as stopping at a stop sign, "no damned stop sign's going to tell me what to do" is ever-worsening anarchy. Innocent people die and all anyone worries about are how bad the murdering criminal feels.

So far we haven't heard how bad this guy, Alan Bear, feels, a man that went out of his way to cause the death of Greg Jennings. Why has it taken the DA nearly four months to enforce some justice? Is it because this guys name is "Bear" and he's from Hoopa? You can read the latest installment, "Ghost Bike" in the North Coast Journal's December 4, 2008, issue. The Green Wheels Blog posted, "His name was Greg Jennings" and their latest update: "Motorist Charged with Felony Manslaughter in Death of Cyclist"

The NC Journal and Green Wheels also posted a Special Meeting: December 8, 2008, where the The Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association sponsored a special forum titled: A Community Forum to Promote Safety for Cyclists: Seeking Solutions for Helping Motorists & Cyclists Share Roads & Highways. Joe sympathizes with their good intentions. However, all to words blogs, news paper articles, forum and meetings can produce, despite some probably very good practical suggestions, will never correct the problem until the state of anarchy is dealt with. Motor vehicles are a deadly weapon, essentially no different than a loaded gun. Neither is inherently dangerous when used properly. Yet, when the user shows a calloused disregard for what is "proper," both can kill and do so on a regular basis.

Proper us of these deadly weapons, to a large degree, are defined by law. A partial definition of anarchy is: "a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)." A classic example of a "failure of government" is in the Cheri Lyn Moore murder. Here the branches of "failed government," the County and City Supervisors and Council, the Courts and their Judges, District Attorney and police all have a vested interest in protecting themselves. More importantly, all those people that want to and do run stop signs with impunity, all they can think and talk about are the poor, hurt feelings of the criminals. The following is a classic example posted December 6, 2008, on the Humbold Hearld. "Cheri Moore case dismissed":

Anony.Miss Says:
December 6, 2008 at 10:52 am

She has a callous nature because she acknowledges that cops have feelings? The cops I know definitely have feelings, fear for their lives, and worries about the results of their behavior. (Emphasis by Joe) I think they walk a tightrope every day trying to balance being tough enough to the ones that need it and having empathy for those who need a more gentle treatment. Not yet knowing which type they are dealing with when asked to make a split second judgment is every day work for them.

Heraldo Says:
December 6, 2008 at 11:03 am

They cannot credibly claim they didn’t know who Cheri Moore was, what her mental state was, or that she was terrified of cops.

Sure cops have feelings, maybe even Terry Liles has a heart in there somewhere. But Delaney’s comments appear dismissive of the families of those killed — in this case unnecessarily — by police.

The most dangerous condition any community can imagine is a police force working 24/7 on the edge of paranoia because of "fear for their lives." Why then would or could any of us expect these people we pay to protect our rights put their lives at unnecessary risk just for a stupid stop sign?

When all the people can think about and enforce are their touchy-feely emotional points of view to the complete disregard for law and justice, the community has hung these people out without a parachute. Bottom line? They're on their own and we're on our own, judged and convicted well AFTER the FACT by whatever people FEEL inclined to do. Good intentions trumps the law everytime.
[Image Source] Times-Standard about Terry Liles: DA's decision leaves questions in its wake.

--Joe