I can't believe this!

[TBKahuna123]

Check this shit out!

I'm not for impeachment of judges, I'm not for cruel and unusual punishment and I'm generally against wishing hateful shit on other people. I'm making an exception this time. How many shades of fucked up is this?

I hope they fucking rip this guy apart in prison and I hope people make this fucking judge's life a living hell for the rest of his life. There is no justification, there is no rationalizing this shit.

And how come I'm not hearing the consertive nuts like O'Reilly crying about "activist judges" over this issue?

Now, if you'll all excuse me I'm going to bed. I'm not sure I want to me a part of the human race right now.

 

[Guest]

 

[Eilan]

And how come I'm not hearing the consertive nuts like O'Reilly crying about "activist judges" over this issue?

Actually, Sean Hannity has been calling for this guy's impeachment as well. *edit--O'Reilly's been addressing it as well. (My husband watches Fox News.)

I don't understand how this guy can be considered a low risk for re-offense when he raped this child many times over a four-year period.

At any rate, I'm sure he's quite attractive to Bubba and his ilk while he's serving his 60 days in jail. Assuming he survives.

 

[Lyrical Fool]

"I don't like it," the victim's mother,in tears, told Channel 3. "He should pay for what he did to my baby and stop it here. She's not even home with me and he can be home for all this time, and do what he did in my house," she added.

Although the article was about the judge, I'd have to wonder about the mother. During that four year period she never suspected it? In her own home?

Excuse my ignorance, but wouldn't there have been some sort of behavioral change, if not physical evidence? I'm assuming she bathed the child as a baby....

*boggle*

 

[Cathleen]

Actually O'Reilly has been on his very hard. I caught a few interviews (very heated) regarding the issue and it's insane. The sentence is within the guidelines but how can anyone in good conscious or education - hell as a human being - go with that sentence? Unfuckingbelievable.

 

[m.j.h]

That sucks the big one, Fucking 60 days, What a crock of shit.

Surely they can appeal the sentce as being to light or can't you do that over there?

 

[Quoll]

Makes you wonder about some of the judges in these cases, do they have a history of giving light sentences to pedophiles and rapists.
Members of the "club" perhaps.

 

[Guest]

I wonder if the judge has locked gates and guards surrounding his house. It would be in his best interest.

 

[m.j.h]

Makes you wonder about some of the judges in these cases, do they have a history of giving light sentences to pedophiles and rapists.
Members of the "club" perhaps.

Didn't think of that but certinaly a possibility me thinks.

 

[M's girl]

This is really sick!

There was a discussion a while ago on Lit and I can't remember in which thread it was (I'm sure either Eilan or SweetErica knows, because they always do somehow ).

Anyway, we were talking about how people who do things like this seem to be considered the victim more and more these days, like: "poor man, he raped this girl for 4 years and it's not the right thing to do so he must be really upset about something; let's help the poor guy".

It disgusts me.
There is a limit to empathy you know?

 

[bobsgirl]

Actually O'Reilly has been on his very hard. I caught a few interviews (very heated) regarding the issue and it's insane. The sentence is within the guidelines but how can anyone in good conscious or education - hell as a human being - go with that sentence? Unfuckingbelievable.

I saw the same interviews. O"Reilly is bringing up the possibility of boycotting Vermont. Not sure how I feel about that, but there's no question that this judge's sentence is outrageously insensitive to the victim, and puts the rest of the community at risk. Pedophiles can't be rehabilitated as far I'm concerned. I don't say this lightly, but this is a crime where it's one strike and you're out.

Children are among the most vulnerable in our society because they don't have a voice, and they can't protect themselves. When I think of the damage inflicted on that child, hell, eight years isn't even long enough of a sentence. I want that subhuman piece of trash to rot in prison.

 

[TBKahuna123]

OK I stand corrected ont he O'Reilly thing. I don't watch FoxNews, but usually when O'Reilly starts going off about something you hear about it everywhere else. Maybe it's just that he's right this time, so him getting fired up isn't newsworthy.

Of course it could also be that I've been living in a work-induced bubble forthe last month as well. I JUST found out about this last night!

Although the article was about the judge, I'd have to wonder about the mother. During that four year period she never suspected it? In her own home?

Excuse my ignorance, but wouldn't there have been some sort of behavioral change, if not physical evidence? I'm assuming she bathed the child as a baby....

*boggle*

Not always and not right away. I've seen this process happen, not in my own family thank God, but with a friend of my sister. I was home on vacation when they started suspecting that his daughter (not living with him full time) might be being abused by her mother's roommates. They had the grandmother, who was a nurse, give her a cursory once over at bath time and really couldn't be sure.

It's amazing how long it takes for a child to manifest psychological symptoms, and signs of abuse aren't always physical. That good old childhood resilience works agaisnt hem in this case.

I think that obviously the parents have to take some blame, and believe me regardless of what she says in the media, she's feeling some blame. Any mother would. Still, it sounds like this is someone they knew and trusted(though I can't find any details), and often we don't want to believe that someone we know is capable of such crimes.

Still, regardless of the length of time it took to find out, this guy is still a predator. Child rapists are the lowest life form on the planet and as far as I'm concerned don't deserve anything in the way of compassion or treatment. If there ever was a place where I'd agree with the death penalty, this is it. Hell I'll flip the fucking switch myself!

Sorry, I know I have a totally unChristianlike attitude on this matter, but you know, we castrate dogs so they won't hump peoples' legs. Maybe we should castrate these guys so they won't hump our children. Is that too radical an idea?

Some things are just unforgivable.

 

[Guest]

 

[BXGemini20]

That's a damn shame. I feel offended reading that article. I understand the judge has an right to an opinon, but you can't go light on a coward like. Child abusers and Domestic abusers are scum in my book. The judge dropped the ball here. Big time.

 

[Eilan]

Not to turn this into a political thread, but it seems to me that there's been a lack of (or at least inadequate) response from liberals.

I might have missed something, though, so feel free to provide links for me if I'm wrong.

 

[silverwhisper]

eilan: that's b/c any liberals with 2 neurons to rub together is too busy distancing themselves from this asshole at relativistic speeds.

ed

 

[Eilan]

eilan: that's b/c any liberals with 2 neurons to rub together is too busy distancing themselves from this asshole at relativistic speeds.

Good point.

Do the kooks on the far left or the far right have two neurons to rub together?

 

[silverwhisper]

[is too busy traveling at relativistic speeds to hear question]

did somebody say something?

ed

 

[SweetErika]

Not to turn this into a political thread, but it seems to me that there's been a lack of (or at least inadequate) response from liberals.

I might have missed something, though, so feel free to provide links for me if I'm wrong.

Do you reallly think this is a conservative or liberal issue though? I'm an independent, but many of my views are more on the liberal side of the fence, and this is just as much of an outrage to me as anyone who's expressed their views in this thread. We're talking about a judge letting a child rapist go free, a great injustice to the victim and society in general...to me, it's a human issue, not a political one. Left, right, or otherwise, I'd question the humanity and intelligence of anyone who isn't sick over this.

I do think this is a political/legislative issue though. This happened because a judge found a way to make a ruling based on his personal views technically legal. What needs to happen now IMO, is for the VT (and other states) legislature to clarify and specify the law so this can't happen again. Sentencing rules certainly have their place, and I think they are generally useful and used correctly, but there needs to be a reasonable minimum punishment for each crime and loopholes like this must be eliminated. Of course I'm not sure how 'punishing' our jails with all of the taxpayer-funded things to ensure they're not cruel or unusual punishment are, but first things first.

 

[Eilan]

Do you reallly think this is a conservative or liberal issue though?

No, I don't, and, like you, my views tend to be on both sides of the fence, depending on the issue. I just find it interesting that in this case the more conservative media personalities have been the most vocal. Just an observation. But perhaps O'Reilly's just looking for an excuse to boycott something other than France.

I do think this is a political/legislative issue though. This happened because a judge found a way to make a ruling based on his personal views technically legal. What needs to happen now IMO, is for the VT (and other states) legislature to clarify and specify the law so this can't happen again. Sentencing rules certainly have their place, and I think they are generally useful and used correctly, but there needs to be a reasonable minimum punishment for each crime and loopholes like this must be eliminated. Of course I'm not sure how 'punishing' our jails with all of the taxpayer-funded things to ensure they're not cruel or unusual punishment are, but first things first.

I agree. I'd say that the judge likely followed the sentencing guidelines. What that says to me is that perhaps Vermont's legislature needs to take a long hard look at its guidelines for these types of crimes. (And that, perhaps, is where it becomes a liberal-conservative issue.)

If this guy's lucky, he'll get what's coming to him in prison. Anyone who did something like this to one of my children would prefer to be in prison.

 

[TBKahuna123]

I'm pretty close to a liberal, a die hard(read wavering) Democrat, and absolutely anti-death penalty...

I think this fucker should fry!!!!! How's that for the liberal's point of view?

 

[Eilan]

Just an update for those of you who might be interested:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JUDGE_SEXUAL_ASSAULT?SITE=OHCOL&SECTION=HOME

There was a recent case in Ohio in which a 50-year-old man was on trial for raping a two-year-old at a family picnic at the child's home. The mother heard her daughter crying and went into the garage, where she caught this guy fondling (?) the child.

He ended up being acquitted on the rape charge and convicted of gross sexual imposition and kidnapping. He had confessed to the crime, saying that "he wanted to know what it felt like." What. The. Fuck.

As a parent of a two-year-old, this hit me pretty hard.

 

[Guest]

 

[Cathleen]

On the VT case there has been a change in the sentence. It is now 3 - 8 years, most in the know people in the corrections dept is he'll do the 3 and be out. Still a very light sentence in my opinion, but I'm glad to see a change.

There is also a 'rally' (not sure what to call it) scheduled for Saturday at noon in the town of St. Albans, just north of Burlington.

 

[Eilan]

I read about this one today:

Father convicted of trying to rape girl, 3, on Internet
Saturday, January 28, 2006

CINCINNATI (AP) — A man has been convicted of raping his 3-year-old daughter and offering to molest the girl live on the Internet.

Paul Kraft, 32, of Cincinnati, could be sentenced to life in prison. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he would try to eliminate the possibility of parole after 20 years by getting Kraft named a sexually violent predator.

A hearing on that designation and Kraft’s sentencing both were set for March 2.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Charles J. Kubicki convicted Kraft on Thursday of five charges of rape and 12 charges of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor.

Kraft waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the judge to decide the case.

Deters alleges that both Kraft and his wife, Robin, 25, sexually abused their four sons and one daughter, ages 1 to 6, during the past year.

Robin Kraft was indicted in August on 17 charges including rape, attempted rape, felonious assault and child endangering. She was found incompetent for trial and has been undergoing treatment.

The children had limited language skills when they were placed in foster care, but they developed enough during the past 10 months to tell authorities what happened to them, Deters said.

Prosecutors say Paul Kraft encountered an undercover Secret Service agent last March in an online chat room called "baby and pre-teen sex." In an online exchange, Kraft offered to rape a 3-year-old live on the Internet if another person would do the same so Kraft could watch, prosecutors say. The agent contacted Hamilton County deputy sheriffs, who arrested Kraft at home.

Deters’ office has opposed efforts by members of the couple’s family to gain custody of the children.