Half the time the world is ending

I'm blowing the dust off my Vox to make a post here because I'm so freakin' outraged by the Donte Stallworth situation.  Let me begin by saying this might look like a sports post, but it's not.  It's a post about justice... or lack thereof.  So bear with me.

To bring you up to speed in case you don't know the story, Donte Stallworth is a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns.  Back in March, he was driving drunk when he hit and killed a pedestrian in Miami.  Yesterday he was sentenced to 30 days of jail, 2 years of house arrest, and 8 years of probation following that.  In addition, he and the victim's family have agreed to a confidential financial settlement.

Are you as outraged by that as I am?  Do you see anything wrong with the fact that a man, whose blood alchohol level was .126 at the time of the accident, can kill another person and spend a measley 30 days in jail?  Do you see anything wrong with the fact that putting a man on house arrest, when he's a millionaire and can fill said house with all the toys and luxuries in the world and still have parties and entertain guests, is not really a punishment?  How about the fact that while on house arrest, Stallworth will  be allowed to continue to play football in the NFL?

Do we value human life so little?

Think about Michael Vick.  What he did was atrocious.  For who knows how long, he was responsible for funding a huge dog-fighting operation that ultimately lead to the abuse and death of countless animals.  As a animal lover, you know I'm still pissed about the things this man did.  And what punishment did Vick get for his crimes?  Two years in jail.  Loss of everything he owned.  Suspension from the NFL that might or might not be lifted.  His entire life has changed.  He'll never be able to regain all he's lost.

For 2 years, the sports message boards have been polluted with comments on both sides of the Michael Vick fence.  Was his punishment fair?  I'll let you decide that.  Personally, I'm not sure.  If I'd previously believed it to be fair, after yesterday's Stallworth verdict, now I'm not so sure.

On those sports message boards, a common battle cry has been "but these are only animals that Vick killed.  He didn't take a human life, and yet he's in jail and he's lost everything." 

Now we have a guy who has indeed taken a human life.  And his punishment is, in every way, a walk in the park compared to Vick's.  The NFL has yet to act on the Stallworth situation, but there is speculation that he'll be suspended "for a few games" next season.  Are you fucking kidding me?  A few games?  He'll miss a few games for killing a human being while driving drunk, while a man conficted of dog fighting may never be allowed to return to the league.

Stallworth's attorney said the lenient punishment is in part due to the fact that his client has never before been in trouble with the law, that he cooperated with police after the accident, and has accepted full responsibility for what happened.  Seriously?  That's what he SHOULD do.  He SHOULD cooperate with police.  He SHOULD accept responsibility.  He SHOULDN'T be rewarded or given a lesser punishment for doing "the right thing".  We should be able to expect that in the same situation, any decent human being would do those things.  But lest we forget that it was his irresponsibility that got him into this mess in the first place.  Had he not have broken the law and driven while extremely intoxicated, this accident wouldn't have happened. 

I just find it extremely hard to believe that in the same situation, my punishment would be the same.  If I hit and killed a man while my blood alcohol level was .126 and then hung around to talk to the police and take responsibility for the accident, I just don't believe for a second that I'd be lucky enough to walk away with a mere 30 days in jail, 2 years house arrest, and 8 years probation.

Do you realize that if they had given Stallworth court-ordered rehab for the alcohol issue, even his stay in rehab would be longer than 30 days!  He'd spend more time drying out (generally 10 weeks) than he's going to spend in jail for killing a man!

(And if you read this article, you'll see that in the end, he's not even going to spend the full 30 days in jail!!!)

I'm sorry, but what the fuck?

And don't even get me started on the financial settlement that Stallworth reached with the victim's family.  I might be wrong, and God knows I hope I am, but they seems a little too eager to "make this go away", if you ask me.  Rather than insist that Donte Stallworth be punished to the fullest extent of the law for killing their loved one, this family didn't even attend yesterday's hearing, and are now quietly taking the money.  Why are they not as outraged as I am by this slap on the hand?

I'm really starting to believe there's no justice in this world. 

For the first time in as long as I can remember (meaning, at least 6 or 7 years), I'm really not blogging anywhere at the moment.  It's been a month since I wrote anything here at Vox, and I'm only sporadically writing the occasional angsty post at LJ.  What's funny about that is there was a time when I posted something somewhere at least once everyday. Now I'm mostly hanging out over at Twitter, and occasionally Facebook.  So if you're looking for me, that's where you'll find me.

I seriously need to know what the hell is wrong with the world.

This is my song of the moment.

If money didn't matter, what job would you most like to have?
Submitted by Rainbird.

I Adore Elephants

2 comments

Assuming I didn't have to earn a paycheck because money didn't matter, I'd volunteer full-time at the zoo.  Two or three days a month just isn't fulfilling enough.  I'd rather be there everyday.

Liam Neeson

By now, everyone has heard about Natasha Richardson's ski accident and subsequent death.  This is very sad because by all accounts, this was a positive, happy, upbeat woman who was loved by everyone.  I knew very little about her personal life - for example, I didn't know until Tuesday that she was married to Liam Neeson - but I've always been a fan of her work.  "The Parent Trap", with pre-pubescent Lindsay Lohan, has always been one of my favorites, and I'll bet I've watched it at least 20 times.  And just last weekend, I watched "Maid in Manhattan", another of my favorites.

But my undoubted favorite of her movies was one of her last ones, Evening, from the summer of 2007.  Maybe it was because of the subject matter, or the place where I was in my life, or the fabulous, star-studded cast, but this movie touched me deeply.  I think Natasha Richardson's on-screen interaction with her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, is priceless.  If you are believer in soulmates, see this one. 

I've included this photograph of Liam Neeson, shown returning to his home last night after his wife's death.  It's just amazing, isn't it, how intrusive photographers can be, even in the worst moments of someone's life?

As I am part Irish (also part German and American Indian-Cherokee - is it any wonder I'm a hot head?!), I am here to say Happy St. Patty's Day to all!  How will you be celebrating today?

If you're like this guy, you might try having a little leprechaun!!

Clover Kitty

What question do you hate being asked?

I absolutely detest "how was your day?"  I mean, let's face it - people really don't want to know how rotten your day was, so why rehash it?  It's funny - even my kid knows not to ask me that question.

We tell white lies every day, but have you ever told a big lie, and if so, why did you do it? Confess!
Submitted by Sophie.

Pants on Fire

If I knew the answer to this, it might help solve some of the many riddles in my life.  But alas, I really don't know why I did it.  All I can say is that it changed my life, in a big way and it cost me more than I ever imagined.

Story of my life...

Shattered

OAR

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