MY SOAP BOX

"I am mad as hell, and I am not going
to take it anymore"... that is a line out
of a movie... but that is how I feel this
weekend.

I wanted to write this Saturday at 8am.
That is the time I was reading the Bonner
County Daily Bee. The headlines, made
me mad and sick to my stomach. But
I figured I should take a breather.. maybe
I am reading it wrong. I have read it 3 times
over the weekend. And I am not any better
now than I was on Saturday morning.

The headlines were Plea deal ends
high-profile battery case midstream
writing by Robert James. A reporter for the
Hagadone Newspaper network.

As I read it, I couldn't believe it. The more I
read the worse it was. They called this a
high-profile battery case. From what I read,
it seems it should have been more into
a hate crime. But then reading an article
is different than being in the court room.


The case is about a 17 year old young lady,
still a child by law... being throw in the fire,
by a adult, (the male was 21years old). After
talking about her ethnic and her parents, and
then remarks of Jew and "Jews burn". Even the
witness testified that they heard the remarks,
and they thought he acted like he didn't care,
and he wasn't sorry.

The Judge told the two sides that if they
didn't come to a plead bargain, she would
call a dismissal of the case as SHE thought
it was accidental!!. She decided this even though
there were several witness and the victim, who
testified.

Accidental? Dragging a young lady 10 feet while
saying... "You are a Jew... Jews burn"? He grabbed
her by her waist and carried her (dragged according
to another witness) and dropped her in to the fire?
Accidental? Why, because the victim thought he
was joking around? She thought it was a joke until
he threw her in to the fire? Accidental?

Where does one get to call another Jew and Jew's burn,
ok with society? And then act on it. Even if you stretch
this to the point of he was joking..(although it seems the
other witness didn't think he was), that makes it ok?

And for the judge not to let the trial finish,
'but to add insult to injury... to say something to
the fact, (the reporter reported, the father heard
the judge say) "BOYS WILL BE BOYS"?. He
heard the judge say, she had two boys of her own
and felt that kids will be kids"? I surely hope the
judge does not allow HER son's to get away with
such remarks about Jewish people. If she really
felt this way, she should have excused herself
from the case.

The Prosecutor confirmed that the plea was
largely the judge's idea? That he didn't feel comfortable
elaborating? Is the "good old boy system" still alive?

Boundary County people have worked hard to get
rid of the "Deliverance" attitude that once was up
there, and still exist in a small way. They don't deserve
to have this ugliness reawaken in their community.

North Idaho has worked hard to get rid of the Aryan
Nation attitude, with hard work from the Human Rights
committee's. Sandpoint, the area where the judge is
from, where she walks by every day to work, the works
called Tolerance. Is this her notion of Tolerance?

I feel the victim was victimized twice. Once by Mr. Davis
and once by the judge/system. Hopefully, there will be
another judge to decide the sentence, as they say
that is still pending.

Will this be swept under the rug, with wrongs of
yesterdays? Will this young lady be harassed,
as the judge has said it is ok, if you are joking?

Will I be just one small voice in the vacuum, yelling
THIS IS WRONG!!! THIS IS WRONG!!! Some one
do something about this!! For the young ladies sake
http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/articles/2006/11/04/news/news01.txt


When ever I can... I try to be fair. So because of the
post above... I am going to print out what I read
else where...by someone who didn't feel comfortable
signing their name. Normally, I don't give a name
less person, the time of day. But in this case, I will.
So I will let you read it. And you decide........
Some one close to the story had this to say....
(in their own words)

And now the rest of the story... Amazing how
2 hours of testimony has been reduced to a couple
of paragraphs. I would expect more out of
Mr. James since he is an attorney himself.
I am sure he has taken part in many plea negotiations.
It is unfortunate that he did not report more
of the facts presented at the hearing. In no way
am I saying what Mr. Davis did is right. It was
extremely stupid. Not a surprise though for an
intoxicated young man. I don't see where it
mentions that the vicitim in this case was also
drinking. This was a party of young kids doing
what they do..being stupid. I don't see any where
that the victim was asked by her friends if she
wanted to leave that party after the incident.
She declined and stay there. She has no recolection
of what she did though. She only indicated that
she left a friends home at 5am the next morning.
As for the religious overtones, the discussion was
about her fathers religion (catholic) and her
mothers (muslim) and Mr. Davis then concluded
in his warped brain that "oh that must make
you a Jew" The victim in this case is not jewish
by the way. His actions were totally inappropriate
and absolutley STUPID. Were they felonias....
should he be prison bound? I would guess there
is much more to this story than we have heard.
Plea bargains happen every day, all day in every
Court house in the US. It ia always the responsibility
of the Prosecuting attorney. for him to pass the buck
on to the Judge is spineless. good day."