restorative justice

[hayman@moscow.com]

Hello People,

I grew up a five minute walk from where three Montgomery Co. Md. shootings 
occured, a five minute drive from others, and spent a few years ten minutes away 
from Ashland, VA. My father and his wife still live in that house I grew up in, 
and my brother, his wife and two kids live in the immediate approximate area of 
Monkey County. I am as happy as anyone to hear that two suspects are being held 
in custody along with a quite literal smoking gun.

I read these postings this afternoon in the name of "restorative justice." I must 
pause. Before justice can be restored, can't we let it exist in the first place? 
The postings seem to imply foregone guilt, a concept anathematic to our current 
system of domestic justice. Isn't this indicative of the same zealotry we decry 
on a global scale? Aren't we presumed innocent at first, at least in most cases?

To my knowledge, no capital charges have been forthcoming. Both are currently 
held on relatively minor charges. Yet the dialog here appears to assume otherwise 
at best. If they are not guilty, exonerate them. In the meantime, allow a 
sufficiently strong case to be presented in case they are not, so that justice 
may be served prior to the necessity of restoration. I doubt they will be going 
anywhere soon. Can we let the developments run their course before we stack the 
wood and plant the stake? Otherwise, we may stand morally bereft.

Warren Hayman


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