Compassion?

This week the government of Scotland released the lone person convicted of bringing down Pan American flight 103 over Lockerbee Scotland over 20 years ago. Hundreds of innocent travelers, many of them Americans, lost their lives in this horrific incident. The bomb was carried aboard the flight in a suitcase and was set to detonate over the ocean. However, because the flight was late, it wound up being brought down over the Scottish town destroying many homes and killing people on the ground as well. The convicted terrorist was diagnosed with colon cancer which has been classified as terminal. Because of this, the government of Scotland approved the release on compassionate grounds. Compassion, really? Has the criminal shown any compassion on his own part? His arrival in Libya to cheers and confetti doesn't show me any remorse, let alone compassion. Has he even voiced his regret......to anyone? What about the families of the victims....any compassion thrown in their direction? The law has been mocked big time! And last but not least comes the victims themselves. When is their release to their families expected? Oh, that's right, their remains have already been released to their families. Not very compassionate, if you ask me.

Do You Sense?

Does anyone in this reading audience sense that something is terribly wrong here? Things just aren't taking a turn for the better of late. The health care issue currently haunting the current administration is taking all kinds of turns, and mostly in the wrong direction. Seems that it really is a difficult sell to the American public, who are not buying it one bit. The thousands of pages only have tons of legal jargon to offer even the most degreed professionals. And if this is not enough to make anyone uneasy, today it was reported that since July 1st, 60,000 members of AARP have cancelled their memberships. When the old and wise take such a stand, we had better pay attention!

A Second Chance

By the time halftime arrived in the preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, the announcement about Michael Vick's signing with the Eagles had been made. While it may have struck many as a surprise, the knowledge that he would soon wind up being a part of a team was never in doubt. But how do people really feel about this, and can they justify it in their minds? Michael Vick, once the star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, was an up and coming athlete with multiple talents that only few young men dream about. His love of professional football would resonate in his ability to do things on the field that few of his caliper could. However, all this would take a back seat to the revelation that would one day shock the sporting world. Vick would eventually be tried and convicted of funding and operating a dog fighting ring at his Virginia home, where in addition to the fights, dogs would be killed as a result of their poor performance. For this horrific crime, he was sentenced to two years in prison. But this was only the beginning of Vick's fall from grace. The Atlanta Falcons would release him, heavy fines were imposed upon him, and his endorsements either stopped coming or were terminated. He would soon become bankrupt, and the National Football League suspended him indefinitely. With all of this, probably the worse punishment would be his inability to continue to play football. Vick served his sentence quietly and without appeal for eighteen out of the twenty-four months he was sentenced. Once released, he served an additional period of house arrest, working a $10.00 an hour construction job during this time. Eventually, his road back began to take shape. While incarcerated he had plenty of time to reflect on his actions and made the commitment to make amends for his short comings. He joined up with the Humane Society and PETA and became a spokesman for them, speaking to inner city kids about the consequences of his mistakes. The NFL then decided to partially reinstate him, clearing the way for him to sign with a team. While many teams expressed no interest in his services for fear of public outcries, a few teams actually entertained the possibility of having Michael Vick on their roster. Today, as I drove to work, I listened to Michael Vick's news conference and was taken by his sincerity and openness about what he had done, and his taking responsibility for it. We as Americans are a forgiving nation that generally believes in giving people second chances. The rest is up to Michael Vick!

A Crime To Remember

Today, August 9, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of what is still viewed as one of the most horrific crimes in history, the Sharon Tate murder. That morning in the peaceful Benedict Canyon suburb of Los Angeles, ex-convict Charles Manson and his followers arrived at 10050 Cielo Drive, and when they departed they would leave behind carnage beyond belief. A housekeeper, arriving for her morning shift would discover the bodies of actress Sharon Tate, pregnant with her unborn son, and four other people brutally murdered throughout the sprawling compound. Manson and three other family members remain incarcerated to this day and every year of parole eligibility has brought them denials, as should be the case. Only the death penalty being ruled unconstitutional has kept them alive all these years.