Luke Hamilton
No justice, no peace - - the fruits of our dilapidated justice system
By Luke Hamilton
The Knock-Out game, flash mobs, resurgent gangs in our inner cities; these are all examples of crimes perpetrated by those who either a) were never raised to behave in a civilized manner or b) have no fear of the criminal justice system. This should come as little surprise, given that we have become afraid of discussing cultural equivalency, pretending instead that all cultures are worthwhile and provide equally valuable contributions to American society. The infuriatingly ironic part of it is that the bleeding-hearts who mouth this bullroar never live anywhere near the areas where these "worthwhile" cultures are allowed to thrive. Try and find a tenured college professor anywhere near Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Bill Ayers calls for police protection from reporters and angry parents, it's hard to imagine what he would do if confronted by a crew from the GDs or the Vice Lords!
American families are crumbling. According to FamilyFacts.org, fewer than 6 out of 10 American children live in a home with both of their married biological parents or married adoptive parents. Nearly 1 in 2 children, who live in single-mother homes, live with mothers who have never been married. The breakdown of American families contributed directly to the breakdown of our civil society. 78% of the nation's jail and prison population grew up in a single-parent household. As Dr. Sowell states, they do not care how their behavior affects other people because they have not been raised to behave otherwise and they certainly are not afraid of the criminal justice system.
And why should they be? Our criminal justice system is degrading at an alarming rate. States like Illinois have placed moratoriums on death sentences while bemoaning the fact that prisons are overflowing. What critics fail to understand is that the most beneficial effect of a fully-operational death penalty is not the killing of criminals who are convicted of capital offenses; the most beneficial effect is as a deterrent to those who are considering committing a violent crime. When a capital penalty is taken off the table, or mitigated by an endless appeals process which is subsidized by the taxpayer, the deterrent is removed and crime is encouraged.
Further incentive is provided to the criminal when judges neglect to dispense justice at all, as was the case in September 2013 when Cook County Circuit Court Judge Laura Marie Sullivan dismissed all charges against Luis Pantoja. He was arrested in August and charged with criminal sexual assault in the rape of a 24-year old Chicago woman. According to court records, Pantoja was accused of dragging the young woman into an alley and raping her. Judge Sullivan dismissed the charge, finding no probable cause, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The victim spoke very little English and her request for an interpreter during her testimony was ignored and Pantoja released. Two years before that, was was arrested for fondling a young relative and exposing her to pornography on his cell phone. Again, no charges were filed and Pantoja walked free.
Just 3 months after his release by Judge Sullivan, Pantoja has now been charged in connection with a December 17th assault on a 15-year old girl who was on her way to school. Authorities allege that he hit her over the head with a blunt object, dragged her into a backyard, assaulted her, and left her in a pool of her own blood to die. The victim is alive but remains in critical condition in a coma, having undergone multiple surgeries in the past 3 weeks.
This attack should never have taken place. If the judicial system was operating properly, this animal would have been deterred by the threat of a syringe of potassium chloride with his name on it, or he would be in jail, serving time or waiting for a trial. God only knows why Sullivan dismissed his charge, given that he has a long rap sheet stretching back to 2005, which includes a felony conviction for his role in a fatal car accident. She should be removed from the bench and disbarred immediately; yet Cook County, along with many other counties and municipalities, lacks a viable means of recalling a judge who is unfit for service. This nation is being run into the ground by political hacks who have carved out their own fiefdoms under the guise of public service. Some wear black robes and some hold court in Washington DC, but our world is being shaped by such as these. They shred the very fabric of our society in order to line their own nests and they wear the power granted to them by the people as if it belonged to them. It will continue thus until their yoke is broken from our necks and Justice retrieves her blindfold.
© Luke Hamilton
January 14, 2014
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"All the lofty talk about 'root causes' of crime fail to notice the obvious: People commit crimes because they are people – because they are innately selfish and do not care how their behavior affects other people, unless they have been raised to behave otherwise or unless they fear the criminal justice system." – Thomas Sowell
The Knock-Out game, flash mobs, resurgent gangs in our inner cities; these are all examples of crimes perpetrated by those who either a) were never raised to behave in a civilized manner or b) have no fear of the criminal justice system. This should come as little surprise, given that we have become afraid of discussing cultural equivalency, pretending instead that all cultures are worthwhile and provide equally valuable contributions to American society. The infuriatingly ironic part of it is that the bleeding-hearts who mouth this bullroar never live anywhere near the areas where these "worthwhile" cultures are allowed to thrive. Try and find a tenured college professor anywhere near Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Bill Ayers calls for police protection from reporters and angry parents, it's hard to imagine what he would do if confronted by a crew from the GDs or the Vice Lords!
American families are crumbling. According to FamilyFacts.org, fewer than 6 out of 10 American children live in a home with both of their married biological parents or married adoptive parents. Nearly 1 in 2 children, who live in single-mother homes, live with mothers who have never been married. The breakdown of American families contributed directly to the breakdown of our civil society. 78% of the nation's jail and prison population grew up in a single-parent household. As Dr. Sowell states, they do not care how their behavior affects other people because they have not been raised to behave otherwise and they certainly are not afraid of the criminal justice system.
And why should they be? Our criminal justice system is degrading at an alarming rate. States like Illinois have placed moratoriums on death sentences while bemoaning the fact that prisons are overflowing. What critics fail to understand is that the most beneficial effect of a fully-operational death penalty is not the killing of criminals who are convicted of capital offenses; the most beneficial effect is as a deterrent to those who are considering committing a violent crime. When a capital penalty is taken off the table, or mitigated by an endless appeals process which is subsidized by the taxpayer, the deterrent is removed and crime is encouraged.
Further incentive is provided to the criminal when judges neglect to dispense justice at all, as was the case in September 2013 when Cook County Circuit Court Judge Laura Marie Sullivan dismissed all charges against Luis Pantoja. He was arrested in August and charged with criminal sexual assault in the rape of a 24-year old Chicago woman. According to court records, Pantoja was accused of dragging the young woman into an alley and raping her. Judge Sullivan dismissed the charge, finding no probable cause, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The victim spoke very little English and her request for an interpreter during her testimony was ignored and Pantoja released. Two years before that, was was arrested for fondling a young relative and exposing her to pornography on his cell phone. Again, no charges were filed and Pantoja walked free.
Just 3 months after his release by Judge Sullivan, Pantoja has now been charged in connection with a December 17th assault on a 15-year old girl who was on her way to school. Authorities allege that he hit her over the head with a blunt object, dragged her into a backyard, assaulted her, and left her in a pool of her own blood to die. The victim is alive but remains in critical condition in a coma, having undergone multiple surgeries in the past 3 weeks.
This attack should never have taken place. If the judicial system was operating properly, this animal would have been deterred by the threat of a syringe of potassium chloride with his name on it, or he would be in jail, serving time or waiting for a trial. God only knows why Sullivan dismissed his charge, given that he has a long rap sheet stretching back to 2005, which includes a felony conviction for his role in a fatal car accident. She should be removed from the bench and disbarred immediately; yet Cook County, along with many other counties and municipalities, lacks a viable means of recalling a judge who is unfit for service. This nation is being run into the ground by political hacks who have carved out their own fiefdoms under the guise of public service. Some wear black robes and some hold court in Washington DC, but our world is being shaped by such as these. They shred the very fabric of our society in order to line their own nests and they wear the power granted to them by the people as if it belonged to them. It will continue thus until their yoke is broken from our necks and Justice retrieves her blindfold.
© Luke Hamilton
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