Seeing It Backwards

I’ve been very troubled by our judicial system over the last several years.

Even before Billy was murdered I knew something was very wrong.

After Billy was murdered I realized 1st hand how wrong and backwards it is.

It seems as though criminals have more rights than the person whom they chose to commit a crime against.

Wether it be theft, domestic violence, assault, rape, murder…Nowadays we have to offer the criminals a “deal.”

We no longer have a justice system but a legal system.

Human life is no longer valued.

How incredibly sad.

I believe that it has to do with the “trickledown effect.” Not economically, but morally.

What I mean by that is that we, as a nation, have chipped away at the value of human life over time.

The year I was born in 1973, abortion became legal.

For 46 years, we have taken away the rights and futures of millions of unborn babies.

We have devalued them as a human beings and as people by exalting the choices of their mothers.

Why then are we so surprised when people stop valuing other people?

I know that murder has existed since the beginning of time. There is nothing new under the sun.

Over the last 100 years, our values, virtues, morals and ethics have changed very rapidly.

Now, my examples aren’t meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but, to stop and make you go hmm.

Let’s take a look at how our culture values animals as opposed to another human beings.

I believe that I now have more of a “right” to use this next example because I have had my child murdered.

Here are 2 recent news stories from my local news media.

1. A 28 year-old woman was charged with third-degree felony counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal and endangering a child, and first-degree misdemeanor corruption of a minor after a video surfaced on social media showing her kicking and stomping her dog.

A Bureau of Police Dog Law Enforcement officer was called after a complaint of a woman kicking her dog on her front porch.

The 28 year-old woman told police that the dog had bitten her son and that she “took the dog outside to hit it on the head one time,” according to police.

She also allegedly told her 9- year-old son to kick the dog.

Third-degree felonies are punishable by no more than seven years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines. First-degree misdemeanors are punishable by up to five years in prison and no more than $10,000 in fines.

The one-year old dog was removed from the woman’s home and treated for it’s injuries. The dog did not die.

2. A 25 year-old man, pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in a deal arranged by the District Attorneys office.

Police originally charged the 25-year-old man with criminal homicide, which was downgraded to involuntary manslaughter in the plea.

The Judge acknowledged the change and said it was appropriate.

The Judge accepted the agreed upon plea and sentence of 8 to 16 years.

The 25-year-old approached the 16-year-old boy at a Public Borough Park because the teen’s music was too loud, according to the District Attorney.

The 25 year-old punched the 16 year-old between one and five times, knocking him unconscious.

He had contusions on his lungs, swelling on his brain and his heart was enlarged.

The 16 year-old boy’s Father said that witnesses said the 25-year-old man — who apparently had a 6-year-old child with him — punched his 16-year-old son only four times, and no weapons were involved.

The boy’s father said he’s not sure how that explains the severity of his sons injuries.

“I don’t see how 20-some people stood by and let a kid get beat so bad that’s he’s almost dead,” he said. “No one intervened.”

His son was taken to a medical facility where he remained unconscious and later died from his injuries.

These two news stories where in my local news media the same day.

These two incidents happened in the same state AND in the same county.

Someone took a video of the 28-year-old woman kicking her dog after it bit her child.

Yet 20 some people were watching a 25-year-old man -who had a 6-year old Boy WITH him, beat a 16-year-old boy to his death and no one took a video?

Didn’t The 25-year-old man endanger and corrupt the minor 6- year-old child who was with him by beating the teenage boy in front of him?

What is going on??

I am NOT condoning dog abuse.

We have 2 dogs that we got as puppies.

A 10-year-Old Maltipoo we got when our daughter Virginia was in Kindergarten,

and a 6-year-Old Boxer we got on Christmas Day 6 years ago.

Last Sunday as I was driving down our county road with my daughter, I saw 2 stray dogs in the middle of the road. They were headed toward a dangerous crossroad.

I pulled over on the side of the road and Virginia and I got out of our vehicle and got the dogs across the road to safety.

We called the phone numbers on their tags and waited for the owner to come get them.

I just want you to know that I’m not against dogs nor am I promoting animal cruelty.

My point in sharing both articles from my local news station is this: I do not believe that the charges fit the crimes in both cases.

I’m not only upset that our judicial system is failing the families who have had loved ones murdered, I am distraught at people’s reactions and responses to the news articles.

It is extremely disheartening.

All you have to do is click on a similar news article, and they are everywhere across our nation, and read the comments.

They crucified the 28 -year-old woman who kicked her dog.

They defend the 25-year-Old murderer’s reduced sentence to people like me who commented on how the judicial system got it wrong.

There are those who offer thoughts and prayers to the family but there was an indifference toward the murderer.

What people don’t seem to want to understand is that all of human kind, all people regardless of race, were, are and will be created in God’s image.

Even though God spelled backwards is dog, dogs are created beings that are not made in God’s image.

No animal is made in the image of God no matter how loving and sweet and wonderful they are.

Every single person, the people you don’t like, people who have hurt you, annoying people you work with, people who cut you off in traffic, people playing their music too loud for your liking, all people are created in the image of God.

God has given each one of us a choice as to wether or not we follow Him or we follow the world.

Even though he formed every single human being in their mothers womb, even though he created them with an amazing purpose and plans to prosper them for good and not evil, He ultimately gives each person the right to choose their own thoughts, actions,                                                               words and behaviors. Choose life, or choose                                                                                                                                  death.

The people who commit heinous acts against other people were created in God’s image. Somewhere along the way, they continually made choices that numbed their conscience and they choose death. Death in their thinking, death in their emotions, death in their health, death in their finances, death in their circumstances.

Some people have hardened their hearts and continually leave God out of their daily lives and wonder why they can’t seem to get their act together.

They leave a trail of hurt and pain wherever go. Those people still need to know their creator and that He loves them.

Could you perhaps be God’s laborer to the undesirable people in your lives?

An encouraging word, a smile, a cup of coffee. You might be the only person to offer them kindness.

Jesus says to love one another with the love He has loved us with. However, we can’t give away what we haven’t received.

You are people, I am people, the people you read about in the news articles are people.

Love your dogs and cats and gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, pigs, horses, birds and any other creature that brings you happiness!

Just be reminded to love other people…

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1st John 3:18

Here is a link to a study regarding dogs and people.

Seems like we have quite a way to go…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/02/humans-love-dogs-people-study/