July 17, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

A Tale of Two Tragedies

The scales of justice

CBS NEWS/ May 12, 2012, 10:32 AM
Fla. mom gets 20 years for firing warning shots
Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., received a 20-years prison sentence, Friday, May 11, 2012, for firing warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband. The judge rejected a defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.

Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., received a 20-years prison sentence, Friday, May 11, 2012, for firing warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband. The judge rejected a defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. / WETV

(CBS News) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – ‘A Florida woman who fired warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville had said the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law should apply to her because she was defending herself against her allegedly abusive husband when she fired warning shots inside her home in August 2010. She told police it was to escape a brutal beating by her husband, against whom she had already taken out a protective order.

CBS Affiliate WETV reports that Circuit Court Judge James Daniel handed down the sentence Friday.

Under Florida’s mandatory minimum sentencing requirements Alexander could receive a lesser sentence, even though she has never been in trouble with the law before. Judge Daniel said the law did not allow for extenuating or mitigating circumstances to reduce the sentence below the 20-year minimum.

Alexander was convicted of attempted murder after she rejected a plea deal for a three-year prison sentence. She said she did not believe she did anything wrong.

She was recently denied a new trial after appealing to the judge to reconsider her case based on Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. The law states that the victim of a crime does not have to attempt to run for safety and can immediately retaliate in self-defense.

Alexander’s attorney said she was clearly defending herself and should not have to spend the next two decades behind bars.

Alexander’s case has drawn support from domestic abuse advocates – and comparison to the case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who has claimed a “Stand Your Ground” defense in his fatal shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

This is a woman who has survived many beatings. A woman in a battering situation is always in danger and there is always the possiblity of death. There is a law that deals with the cycle of violence. Alexander was brutalized and beaten over and over. She was terrified and shot warning shots. She was trying to warn him away. What a tragedy. She could have shot and killed him but she didn’t. That was a choice. She chose to warn him off. Our justice system gave her twenty years for not shooting him. She is female and black and she chose not to kill her abuser. Twenty years is a horribly long time for her to serve for warning him not to hurt her. My heart aches for this woman. She had already been victim and now society is heaping on more victimization.

George Zimmeman was on his neighborhood watch. He came across a kid, a seventeen year old child. Travyon was not carrying anything but an evening snack. He wore a hoodie. That is his crime. Being black and wearing a hoodie. Zimmerman felt he was a threat. He and Travyon fought on the ground. Zimmerman was carrying a gun. He did not fire any warning shots. He simply held the gun against Travyon and shot him to death. After the trial, he was found innocent. Was he ever victimized? No he wasn’t. He is free to go back to his life. One person loses 20 years from their life and did not commit murder. The other was male and white. He killed another human being and he is free.

Both are tragedies in our justice system. It does not always work. These two cases, in my eyes are verdicts of injustice. This is a terrible miscarriage of our legal system.

March 20, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Can we Disarm Domestic Violence

Disarm Domestic Violence

The people in Domestic Violence have put forth the logical thinking that abusers need to be not allowed to own guns by law. And guess who disagrees. The NRA. The National Rifle Association feels it is right and proper for an abuser to own guns. Even to own assault guns. I feel this is absurd and will increase the deaths of victims of Domestic Violence.

Enough victims have died due to their abuse. Why would we want to arm the abusers? The NRA has beaten back legislation to stop abusers from owning guns. This legislation would mandate that an abuser turn in all guns and not be able to buy more. Yes, I realize it is easy. Under current laws, you can buy guns at gun shows and other places.

Do we want to make it easier for the abuser to have a gun to further his/her power and control? They believe it is the constitutional right even of abusers. The NRA feels guns should not be confiscated unless someone is found guilty of a felony. They feel it “would be a nuisance”. I believe it could save lives.

At this point in time, Domestic Violence is a misdemeanor and includes a maximum sentence of 18 months. Even if it is a felony in your state, abusers need to lose the guns.

In Washington, current law gives judges issuing civil protection orders the discretion to require the surrender of firearms.They need to find a “serious and imminent threat” to public health. Records show that they seldom confiscate guns from an abuser. I guess if the imminent threat is ‘only’ about the women and children, that doesn’t count as public safety.

According to the New York Times, at least five women have been murdered in New York City by guns used by their abuser.This form of gun violence happens all the time even when the courts step in because the laws requiring the surrender of firearm under orders protection are not strong enough, subject to judicial lacity or are non-existent.

There are many individual stories that can freeze your blood. A woman’s abuser held a gun in her mouth and threatened to shoot her. He did not lose his guns until the cops stopped him from shooting her a second time. A woman filed for divorce and a restraining order. The cops refused to remove his collection of firearms. She went into hiding, with the assistance of the “Underground Railroad” that has been created by Domestic Violence shelters. After a while she felt safe and she returned to her life. Her husband caught her in a parking lot and shot her and then killed himself.

The NRA needs to be stopped from encouraging the right to bear arms even if you are guilty of being an abuser. Male or female abuser, it is the same.If the NRA supports families as they like to brag about, then they should agree to the confiscation of all the guns of a person who assaults their spouse, significant other or children. It is time to revisit the intention of the Second Amendment. The Founding Fathers did not intend for people to hide their crimes behind the Amendment.

If you are interested, there are previous blogs of mine dealing with gun control and Domestic Violence.

The War on Women

Quote from Abraham Lincoln

Don’t turn away from uncomfortable truth. Stand up and stop the violence. Care what happens in families.

February 11, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Guns and Domestic Violence

The Anatomy of Abuse

Today, I just want to talk about the violence that steals the peace in our world. The entire world is writhing with the pain of violence and hatred. Peace is something we need to choose and too many people are choosing hate, intolerence and violence. There is so much horror and death everywhere in the world, we are moving away from what is morally right, and ethical in our lives. We look around and there is terrorism, jihad, Domestic Violence, bullying and a total lack of regard for the suffering of others.

Love should never hurt

So many families are filled with abuse and It is happening more often each year. This effects millions of women and children. Part of the increase is that is reported more often. Part is the increase of violence in our society. This violence is reflected in the lives of women and children.

In these violent homes wars are being fought and people are being injured and killed. If you study cases of murder-suicide in America, the majority of the abusers own one or more guns. Women who leave an abusive situation are in the greatest danger. This is often the time when they are shot or beaten to death. Statistically, abusers believe in their right to to bear arms. So this issue is that we make guns available to men who beat, strike, and often kill the members of their family.Sometimes, they just kill the woman. All of us who have worked in Domestic Violence have seen an abuser with a gun. We often saw angry men with guns who threatened to kill the woman. We never quite knew if he would include us. I had several death threats made against me during my years in DV.

We need to add these two issues together because abusers, whether male or female, should never be allowed to have guns. No one should have to live in fear. Adding guns to the access of abusers is just putting women and children in more danger. We need to stand up and Congress needs to ratify the Violence Against Women act. It needs to be passed this year.

We need to stop violence against women and we need to make sure guns are not in the hands of abusers.

We need to keep talking about the danger so many live in. We need to insist that Congress do everything it can to protect women, children and men who are living in violence. Call or email your Congress people and Senators and tell them you want them to pass the Violence Against Women act and to push for gun control.

You can help save someone’s life. You can make a difference and choose making peace in our world.

January 31, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

And again, A Fourteen Year Old Shot Outside an Atlanta Middle School

He is my brother

Well there has been another shooting in Atlanta. I watched them put a child on a gurney and the ambulance racing to the hospital with lights whirling and sirens screaming.Screaming is the perfect sound to describe the loss of another child to gun violence. My heart trembles and my hands don’t want to type. Again, a child has been shot in the head at school. AGAIN ! AGAIN ! What is wrong with our society?

Fourteen years old child has been shot in the head.

Crime Scene Tape at Atlanta School

The news anchors say another child brought the gun to school and shoot the other child who is in hospital and still alive. The child remains in hospital. Lest we think it is just our children, a Texas Assistant District Attorney was shot. The police are still looking for the assailant.

January 22, 2013 by IdealisticRebel

Keep on Trying for Higher Ground

Another shooting. Another school campus became a place of terror for our children. My daughter is a teacher and she is in a poor county in a Southern State. Lockdown is a frequent occurrence. My grandson is in college and they had a lockdown because a guy came on campus with a gun. There have been four school shootings since Newton.

We can pray, love, be compassionate, however, we need to do more. We need to teach our children how to live ethically. We need to be good positive role models for a non-violent life. We need to teach our children to forgive, love, and accept people as they are, blessed children of God. We need to put hatred and violence aside.

Will it take armed guards at schools to keep our children safe? I am of mixed feelings about this. My heart screams no but I realize what our teachers and school employees go through every day. It isn’t good. This daily danger may very well influence our best teachers to find other, safer, occupations. I believe we need to discuss the subject and leave the NRA out of our decisions. What is the best way to go?

I invite people to discuss how you feel about this subject. I am not talking about hunters or the person who keeps one gun for safety, but why do people need eighteen guns and 60 rounds of ammo? I don’t understand that. So please, let’s talk about this. It is a vital part of our American agenda.

Britain has strict gun laws and have had only 51 gun related deaths in 2010, compared to 11,078 in the U.S. This is amazing to me and I think it is something to add to the discussion. How did they do it and make it work? So I invite my British readers to give insight from your point of view also. May we be able to end this horrible violence and put our eyes on the Divinity in this life. I am grateful for everyone who responds.

December 12, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

Another Shooting in America

The human being radiates energy. If you are aware you can feel people’s energy. It forms an aura around people and its strength can be felt. Some are positive and some are negative.

Last night, a young man with very negative energy committed murder and suicide at a mall in Oregon. The first question is, of course, why? Because he is now dead and we will never know. We did know that he must have had overwhelming mental health problems and he was able to obtain guns and ammunition.

I think there is a blanket which is floating over our beautiful country. So many people are angry.and that anger spills out to influence others. There are times to be angry. Injustice, oppression, hunger and illness are reasons. But people seem to be angry all the time and about the smallest things.

This amount of anger is dangerous. The shootings we have experienced in our country tells us that the anger is growing and spilling over. This is why, I believe that a smile, listening with your entire self, caring about what others are going through are the types of things that can help a person to release the anger.

The Buddha says that anger is like a hot coal held in your hand. The only person that really is hurt is you. The coal burns you and causes you pain.

The anger starts with a sense of failure, injustice, a feeling of being unlovable, and a sense that you will never achieve your goals. These are serious emotions for many people to control. Therapy is a possible resource to help people handle their emotions in a less violent way. To see that they have not been singled out to suffer.

So today, despite all of the news and politics which are taking up much of the discussion on the cable news shows, I feel that the biggest story is this young man, his life, his experiences, and why he felt he needed to go to that mall and kill perfect strangers. What was wrong in his life? Why did he end up feeling that this was his only option

Ten thousand people were in that mall shopping for the holidays. I pray for each and every one of them. This was a horrific experience to survive. I pray for the families and friends of the people who did not survive including the shooter. I ask for an easy transition for those who died. I am sure the angels were ready to hold them as they passed on to the next phase of their lives.

There is also the question of the gun and the ability of the shooter to have access to guns and ammunition. I will leave this aspect to the politicians. I just have a question. When will we have killed enough people that the government will say” Enough is Enough.”