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SFtreat,
You've got a great attitude and it sounds like your head's on straight. God bless.
posted by
songbirdshafer
on May 3, 2006 at 10:29 PM
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I'm OK...
I have had a lot of healing! In fact, some shrinks I have had to deal with, tell me that I have endured enough to be a career criminal. But I am not. I am not saying I have always been a productive citizen of society, but I don't rob, hurt or kick the dog. I grew up rough. Some do, some don't. I grew up to become a combat medic in the ARMY, I was a psych tech there also, and later ambulanced in this county. If I had not lived through what I had, then maybe my empathy level would not have been where it was. I was made strong but it all. I am the sum total of my experiences and I am pretty comfortable in my skin. Yesterday was what it was, and today is what is is, but tomorrow is what I make of it... Progress, not perfection :-)
Hugs, SFTreat
posted by
sftreat
on May 2, 2006 at 10:14 PM
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sftreat,
I hope you can find healing someday.
I can't comprehend willfully hurting any living thing. It just doesn't make sense. I recently learned our neighbor's son is now in jail for sodomy.
The longer I live, the less I understand this world.
posted by
songbirdshafer
on May 2, 2006 at 9:36 PM
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8-ball,
Unfortunately, you're right. That pain just never gets a chance to heal.
posted by
songbirdshafer
on May 2, 2006 at 9:32 PM
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I know two women here locally in Ventura County who lost their 15 year and 18 year old daughters to crimes of violence, within 30 days of each other. Jenniffer Rose Vernals remains were found in Santa Barbara County, when a dog walked out of an orchard with one of her leg bones in it's mouth. And Gloria De La Cruz Jr. was murdered and dumped into a dumpster and set on fire, like rubbish. Also, the guy who murdered Jenniffer Vernals (though never nailed for it) also murdered Cynthia Burger of Port Hueneme and then set her on fire, to try and get rid of DNA evidence. Part of the story can be found at: http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/ABOLISH/rick-halperin/apr03/0221.html
and you can view court documents of the rape and murder of Gloria De La Cruz, known as Babash - at http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/b130050.pdf
I can not begin to understand how one human being can devalue another like that. As a survior of molest and rape, I consider myself lucky. I am alive, I am whole (more or less - but never could have kids) and I am relatively sane. But I know that when I was 18, and yet another man came after me, I offered to get a knife from the kitchen so he could end my life then and there, rather than take another piece of me and my soul. We live in a harsh world. We live with deamons who walk this earth. And now I know how to shoot, and how to erupt, and how to act as crazy as those who would come after me. I have a dark side too. The deamons planted it there. SFTreat
posted by
sftreat
on May 2, 2006 at 9:20 PM
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The victims and their families always seem to get re-victimized all over again.
posted by
8-ball
on May 2, 2006 at 9:00 PM
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MandaLee,
The only thing left to hope for is for Shanda's family to have peace someday.
posted by
songbirdshafer
on May 2, 2006 at 7:13 PM
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DarrkeThoughts,
Yeah, I agree. The honorable thing for Rippey to do, to prove she'd changed, would have been to serve out her sentence.
I suspect most people think the same thing, especially in this part of the country, those of us who followed the story so closely.
posted by
songbirdshafer
on May 2, 2006 at 7:11 PM
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posted by
Amanda__
on May 2, 2006 at 5:28 PM
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Becaue they were underage...
otherwise, I'm sure they would all have gotten life (or death).
I hope that she did change, that they all realize what a horrible thing they did. I also think that we have to pay for the mistakes we make - and that is quite a mistake. If she was really sorry, then I'd think she would serve her full sentence.
posted by
DarrkeThoughts
on May 2, 2006 at 4:56 PM
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