OK, mods, what’s the ruling.
I sometimes joke that Texas still has the “he needed killin’” defense.
The mother should be charged, arraigned, indicted, and tried for second-degree murder. Considering the circumstances of her actions, I think she should also be acquitted, thanked, and sent on her way, as she performed a valuable service for society.
Heinlein once said something along the lines that while one might break the laws of society with impunity, the laws of nature had instant consequences, meted out without pity or compassion. Raping a 13 year old girl and taunting her mother about it seems to me to be just such an instance.
That’s a really skewed measurement since he didn’t commit the crime until he was 60 or so.
Rape is incredibly harmful but I don’t like these kinds of proclamations.
[bolding mine]
I don’t really disagree with you, but the bolded part is the problem.
In a civilized society, the penalty options are determined by our elected representatives, and applied by the courts. YOU, and other random (or not so random) people do not get to be judge, jury and executioner, applying the “right” punishment for someone’s crimes.
Funny, the first seven years didn’t teach him that.
I agree that what she did was illegal, but i don’t blame her one bit.
60-69. Not much difference in my book.
And if you think getting rapped at knifepoint when you’re 13 doesn’t screw with your head for a few decades you should really talk to one of these victims.
So he had 60 years of freedom and 9 of incarcertion vs 69 and 9.
BFD.
I think your skewometer is rather skewed itself.
If you think that distinction makes a difference one way or another, your skewometer is rather lame.
Or were you just nitpicking?
Not particularly, actually.
Uhh, thats kind of like claiming someones opinion/taste is wrong.
You might not LIKE it, fair enough, but thats your opinion/taste.
But wait, this is the SDMB where some opinions/tastes are created more equal than others…
I think you misunderstand.
My problem is not about the opinion being right or wrong.
It’s about whether we should justify taking the law into your own hands based on personal opinion or feeling.
I can’t believe people are actually cheering this on.
This is 2009, right? I didn’t step into a time warp an end up in medieval Spain or something, right?
The actions of this lady are morally inexcusable and illegal. I agree that they are understandable, but only in so much that we can understand how a person feeling wronged can lash out and do bad things. It’s not something to be tolerated and CERTAINLY not something to be celebrated, for pity’s sake.
That should be the end of that, but I’ll bring up this hypothetical too:
What if he didn’t do it? Just because a court says he did it, doesn’t mean he did. How many people wrongfully convicted of rape and vilified have later been shown to not have been guilty? Not that it matters whether this particular person was guilty or not, but the possibility for chaos, lynchings, etc exists when we allow people to take matters into their hands.
The guy should have been put away for way longer than 7 or 9 years, and not be allowed to have furloughs, but that is a decision for Spanish lawmakers. They should change the law to be much tougher on rapists.
The woman should be charged with first degree murder and be imprisoned for 15 years or however long murderers get sentenced in Spain. She may get furloughs as well.
I wouldn’t want to live in a society that was weak on child rapists, but I wouldn’t want to live in a society that condoned revenge killings, either.
Well, he was convicted, and his conviction was affirmed on appeal.
If “maybe he didn’t do it” is a reason not to set him on fire, it’s also a perfectly good reason not to put him in prison.
Good for her. Cocksucker asks her how her daughter is? The world is better off, and maybe she has some satisfaction.
Good for her.
Joe
Gut feeling only. If he was innocent, he wouldn’t have made that remark to the mother. Sounds to me like he was gloating.
Then he was glowing.
In the US we are losing the predisposition to consider the rape victim ‘deserved’ it or caused it in some way. In most old world countries with a highly religious background many times the victim is ruined for life and may not make a decent marriage, and may be limited in professions offered by those local making them have to move and even change their names.
Ruined? Very likely. At least the kid didnt live in one of the areas where she could have been put into prison or killed for being raped.
I’m with you. While I can understand her emotions, we’re supposed to keep that in check and live within the system.
I will give this a resounding “oh, darn.”