Friday, August 20, 2010

Ottawa Hills Police Shooting: Sentencing

I haven't written much lately, mainly because I've been busy and haven't felt like it. This morning I decided to revisit a blog I stumbled across a month or so ago, Big Dick's Place. This is not for readers who are faint of heart, thin skinned or have delicate moonbat sensibilities. Of course, if you're spoiling for a flame war that begins with vitriolic cursing and creative name calling of the caliber that would bring an average SB user to a full stop, or if you're interested in reading mainstream conservative opinions backed by steroid rage and augmented with a little crystal methamphetamine, by all means go over to Big Dick's Place and read his take on Saudi justice: The Saudis Do Some Things Right

The gist of the Saudi legal system is for the judge to decide, one way or another, just who deserves to be punished and how. To that end the old adage of eye for an eye is seeing a decided comeback as evidenced by this article from AP via the Star Tribune, Saudi judge asks hospital if it can damage convict's spine as punishment for paralyzing man. I was immediately reminded of the case of Michael McCloskey who was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down by Ottawa Hills police officer Thomas White, who was found guilty of felonious assault with a firearm specification (story here) and who is now out on bail pending appeal (click here). The obvious disparity in the treatment of a police officer in comparison to a mere civilian turns my stomach; any other person would be sitting in jail awaiting the appeal, but officer White gets to run around free as a bird. While I believe the sentence is too light, I am reminded that sentencing maximums were set by people who were not angry over a case like this one, which is the way it should be. However, I think I'll speculate a little.

What I wonder is this. I wonder if Mike McCloskey would be willing to let Officer White go free with his record completely expunged and serve White's ten year prison sentence without parole if Mr. McCloskey could regain the full use of his legs at the end of that time. I kind of think Mike would take the deal. I know I would, if I were Mike.

I suppose if there were anything close to real justice here, White would be given a choice of ten years in prison or being voluntarily paralyzed for life from the waist down. I'll bet White would report for prison the same day he declined to be paralyzed. Real justice, in my opinion, would be to paralyze White and send him to prison for twenty-five to life. I wonder if we could find a doctor to perform the operation. I wonder why there's never a problem finding volunteers for a firing squad.

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