May 21, 2012
-
What Is "Just"?
http://news.yahoo.com/ex-student-webcam-spy-case-sentenced-064626141.html
NJ has to take the blame for an idiot Governor, a bunch of sad reality shows...and most recently, the trial of Dharun Ravi...also known as the Tyler Clementi Case. Tyler was the Rutgers freshman, who after learning that his room mate broadcast a web cam of his first weekend with another man, threw himself from the George Washington Bridge. Ravi was not charged with killing Clementi, or even causing his death.
(The verdict being read)
Today he will hear what he will be sentenced to...and his parents have been doing everything possible to keep Junior out of jail. His mother is demanding "Justice For Dhuran". I've been following the case since it happened, and frankly, I believe justice was indeed done...no matter WHAT the Ravi's think.
1. Dhuran was offered an AMAZING plea bargain, that would have included no time served. His actions were deliberate. He could have walked with a slap on the wrist judicially...but he chose to reject the plea...and roll the dice.
2. He did not expect to be found guilty.
3. When he was, he demanded that he not have to face jail time.
Ummm.
His supporters are arguing "racial bias", which is bullshit. I would argue that had Dhuran been black, or latino, he would already BE in jail...and no one would have offered him a sweetheart deal like the plea he rejected. He could have avoided jail very easily. While the sentence sounds severe, I will be he is not looking at anything even close to the max. But his parents are calling this a "prank", and believe that ANY jail time is unjust. I'm pretty sure Tyler Clemente's parents see it a bit differently. Their son is dead. Ravi is not a US citizen. He never filed for it, and now, thanks to this sentence, never will be eligible for citizenship. (Convicted felons are not eligible to become citizens.)
It doesn't matter if he doesn't serve one day...the conviction means he will never be a citizen. His parents claim that he didn't "mean" to hurt anyone, and that punishing him is wrong. (I think ALL parents feel that way, when their kids are convicted?) Most drunk, or impaired drivers don't "mean" to kill anyone...but that doesn't protect them from legal penalties. Our own citizens lose their right of franchise (the vote) if they are convicted felons. Injustice would be giving this man special rights. I suspect his parents are more upset at the thought that this son will be deported. Had he applied for citizenship, or had they applied FOR him, in his childhood, this would not be an issue. Their mistake does not change the outcome of the case. It merely makes the penalty for their son more severe.
That isn't the law's problem.
I'm sorry their son will probably be deported...but he DID commit the crime. Another young man is dead. They will at least know Ravi is alive, a comfort the Clemente's do not have. It's a pity that Ravi left a trail of electronic evidence that went back weeks before he met his room mate. It established not a single act, but a long held attitude that led to a SERIES of bad acts. It doesn't matter that he didn't know he was breaking the law...we don't accept ignorance as an excuse. And I am sorry that both families will suffer. But I am OFFENDED by this mother's request for "Justice for Dhuran". He has been shown justice, Madame. You just don't happen to like the form it took.
Thoughts?
Comments (8)
As someone who lives on the NJ border, I followed this case very closely. I agree wholeheartedly. The deal he was given shouldn't have ever been on the table. He KILLED A MAN. In what world does that equate to "no time served"? Not a just one, I'm sure. Good thoughts sent to Tyler's family...not that that brings him back.
@CrazySwede - Well, technically he did not kill Clemente...but his actions were a factor in his death.
Legally, they went for the things they KNEW they could get a "guilty" on. And the word is in...he got a month in prison, with three years of probation.
It doesn't seem like much....but his parents are appealing it as "unjust"...so are Tyler's parents...who think he deserves a LOT more...
I think we are in total agreement. I think it's time for YoungKind to wake up about the election and I've started a series of short pro obama anti romney blogs, please support me if you can.
Justice on Xanga is hard to come by. The bigger kind of justice is also hard to come by.
When I heard 30 days and 3 years probation I wondered how that compares to the life he helped to destroy.
Kids are killing themselves due to being bullied, especially gay kids.Where is the justice for those who no longer have a voice due to death?
@Grannys_Place - It makes for some disturbing questions. His "sentence" strikes me as WAY too little...and yet his parents are screaming that ANY sentence was too much. Clemente'
s parents want something more serious...and I'm honestly disturbed by the number of people who are saying "no big deal".
My daughter was bullied in grade school...and still carries the emotional scars as a young adult. Her tormentors were NEVER punished...in part because the parents would not ALLOW it. Huh? One of the bullies had a school file that was four inches thick by the time he was in third grade. Desi's at the time had five papers in it. But his parents were shrinks---and insisted that their son was not a bully...just "high spirited".
Right....
i could have sworn i commented on this. the sentence struck me as extremely light too. from what was said on the news today the guy showed no remorse either. i wonder what the jurors think after finding him guilty then hearing the sentence given.
What a sad case and a waste of two young lives.
Comments are closed.