Special Circumstances

Allegedly, on June 24th, the alleged Jose Luis Orozco allegedly murdered the alleged Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz while he was allegedly on duty. Orozco has been in and out of jail/prison his entire life and this alleged turd should be punished to the full extent.

He'll probably be out on the street again within ten years. He is, after all, part of a favored minorityand had to be accorded a little extra leeway.

What this entry is really about is a particularly onerous adjustment to the law with respect to murder, that should be abolished.

Special circumstances.

Is a murder victim any less dead if he's not a cop?
Is a murder victim any less dead if he's killed with something other than a gun?
Is a murder victim any less dead if his killer did not lie in wait?

I'm not very enthused about capital punishment, though it's not out of concern for the murderer. It's because government is inherently incompetent, and they'll be sticking the needle into the wrong guy more often than the right one.

But, that aside, there's no reason on earth why the murderer of a policeman should be punished more harshly than the murderer of a clerk in a liquor store. The police officer chooses a relatively dangerous occupation of his own free will. He's given training and weapons to help protect himself and can call backup if he gets in over his head.

The liquor store clerk probably can't afford a weapon, has little or no possibility of backup, and if he does successfully defend himself, he'll be entering the dark and scary world of the police, lawyers and the courts. He could end up in the very same prison which would've housed the attempted killer, had the killer been successful.

I'd propose that the best of all circumstances would be that the prospective victim be congratulated, should he manage to defend himself, even if (or especially if) he kills the thug. Saves all the expense of police, lawyers and courts, you know.

I'd also propose that the law be changed to read that anyone who commits murder in a premeditated way, or in the commission of another crime, should be subject to the same punishment.

They've killed Freedom! Those bastards!

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California