I am a hard ass, certifiable to the nth degree.
I have no patience with human stupidity or a failure to admit what you already know. You choose to rob a bank, fine. Off to jail with you. Lie about it on the stand and I'd add twenty years to your original five for being too much of a wimp to acknowledge publicly what you already know inside. That goes for high crimes, misdemeanors and every other aspect of life.
The only person I'm harder than the rest of the world is me. Though very few people know that because I beat myself up in the privacy of my own brain.
Lately, things are different.
So, you used the Fresno State Student Association Credit Card and "accidentally" bought alcoholic drinks for people in your party. I can see how that could happen. Try to run someone down with a car, knowing what else is going on in the person's life, I can understand that. Poke a badger with a spoon? Ah, you must have been traumatized by a duck billed platypus as a child.
Mmm. I am not used to this stuff. Feeling this way is both an emotional relief and a bit annoying. A relief because being more understanding takes some pressure off the back of my brain that I didn't know was there. Annoying because, well, she tried to kill someone with her car and I say, "Oh, that is what happened. Poor girl." What the heck? Has all common sense left me?
I will find someone to blame for this outrage making me merciful!
(Officer Hard Ass picture from: http://www.cscoa.org/Images/officer%5B1%5D.hard.ass2.jpg)
3 comments:
It's a process to find the balance between understanding and punishment, between severity and mercy.
The fact that you understand what was going on in the poor girls life doesn't mean she shouldn't get attempted manslaughter in court. The fact that the credit card was 'accidentally' used for alcoholic drinks, and you can see how that could happen, still means the card gets taken away, and the person reimburses the card. Consequences without anger is a possibility.
Oh I am right with you. I am about the most 'law and order' liberal you've ever met. Lock them up! I just felt sorry for them at the same time.
Ahhh. that's why we get along so well, I say max'em out! book'em Danno!!! Nothing personal, have a nice day.
I feel these issues a lot in my work at the prison. I really like the inmates I work with, even the difficult ones. But when they whine about "it's not fair!" I am instantly compelled to remind them that they ARE IN PRISON, For a reason.
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