Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Why?

Seventeen kids, several with special needs ranging from Autism to Down Syndrome, are orphans. For some it is the second time. Why?

What kind of men are those who plotted to brutally murder the parents of these children? They are monsters. Deranged monsters. I'm not an advocate of the death penalty but there are circumstances that are prodding me.

An eye for an eye sometimes seems just. Especially when those who have committed monstrous crimes complain that lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment because there is no guarantee that they'll be unconscious when the lethal drug is released into their veins. I cannot put into coherent words how I feel about that argument!

It goes to show that no matter how much pontificating takes place or laws proposed, we cannot legislate monsters out of existence. They come in all sizes and colors. Some are on the right side of the law for a portion of their lives before something snaps. Most are not.

Fortunately for the community, suspects were quickly apprehended. What will happen now? Perhaps one of the adult children will be able to look after the siblings. One would hope so.

How long will it be before this story fades from the news? How many of you have even seen anything about it? If we are to honor people taken too soon, Byrd and Melanie Billings get my vote. Yet it won't be them who have hundreds of thousands of mourners weeping for the loss of their children. There will be no moment of silence in Congress. They will fade into the memories of those they loved and who loved them and life will go on.

In the grand scheme of things, despite the horror of what has happened, these people are the fortunate ones. The Billings will be honored by their daughter who has pledged to carry on her parent's legacy. I can think of nothing more appropriate no matter how low key.

None-the-less, why is it I feel compelled to even write this? Why?

2 comments:

Linda said...

Our society goes absolutely nuts over flashy folk like Michael Jackson but gives barely a glance to the silent servants of our society, the real heroes in our world. Sad.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is completely crazy isn't it. There are some monsters out there and the world would be a much better place without them. I'm afraid I'm for bringing back hanging and the death penalty, which was abolished in the UK many years ago. Unfortunately, we have little deterrent these days for these bastards and many people live their life in fear.

CJ xx