Dear F and J,
Next time you're tempted to worry about murderous predators, focus first on pneumonitis.
"For the first time since 1965, homicide is no longer one of the top 15 causes of death in the US. The murder rate dropped enough in 2010 that was overtaken at # 15 by pneumonitis, a respiratory disease that mainly afflicts people older than 75."
This morning NPR broadcast an eyepopping report about miscarriage of justice - http://www.npr.org/2012/04/28/150996459/free-after-25-years-a-tale-of-murder-and-injustice
As a courtroom interpreter -- and a victim of violent crime once pushed by Chief Detective Fantagrossi to identify someone who looked vaguely like one of my assailants - I am appallingly aware that district attorneys and police departments are "out to get somebody."
Often their prosecutorial target does not matter, so long as they "get somebody." I understand the urge for "punishment" and "closure" but I also understand how quickly urges become habitual regardless their larger ramifications.
Were it not for friend Steve Gibson's family wealth (and consequent ability to re-enact a crime in court, complete with a mock screen door and duplicated "light conditions"), Steve would have languished in an Illinois prison for armed robbery.
Later in life Steve's illustrious career as a registered nurse would not have happened.
Again, I draw your attention to "The Caging of America: Why Do We Lock Up So Many People?" - http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/04/caging-of-america-why-do-we-lock-up-so.html
Free After 25 Years: A Tale Of Murder And Injustice
Michael Morton was convicted of killing his wife and put in prison for life. DNA evidence finally freed him, but it took a quarter-century to force Texas officials to reveal the evidence that exonerated him.
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