By now you may have heard about the infamous Chicago Two, who in a fit of idiocy, intentionally set out to run down cyclists with their car, even stopping to change seats so that each could have a turn with the fun. By now you may have heard how the esteemed Justice of the Court saw fit to deliver a knockout sentence of 10 days jail time for one the the outstanding citizen drivers, and a whopping two years probation for the other.
Is this just another example of the perversion of the justice system in this country? How can any right thinking individual, either legally or morally, conclude that the actions of these two deserves anything less than the maximum allowable jail time? How is intentionally attacking a [160 lbs] person with a 2000 lbs machine anything less than attempted murder?
Is this another example of how entrenched car culture has become in this society? Would the outcome have been any different if a gun was used? I think so. Seeing a car as anything less than a weapon in instances like this and delivering punishment commensurate to the crime is nothing short of a breakdown of justice.
And by the way, how was this not classified as a hate crime? By definition "hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group," in this case bicyclists. Hate crime, pure and simple.
I believe (correct me if I am wrong), that in this country, if a person commits a crime with a gun, then that person cannot legally obtain a firearm again. Will this mean that these two will never be able to drive again? Ha. They will be back behind a wheel in no time, if they are not already. I remember some number of years ago there was a campaign in California that basically said "use a gun (to commit a crime), go to jail. We just need to change one word. Car for gun.
I have brought this up before; no one benefits by allowing people like these two to drive. They have been given their chance, and been found wanting. Wanting in compassion, wanting in common sense, wanting in the ability to maintain self-control, wanting in the capacity to function as human beings.
Yeah, that's an absurd result from this trial. Just goes back to the old mindset of looking at any collision as a traffic infraction, rather than a crime. Anyone who uses a motor vehicle as a weapon should face serious jail time, and should be banned from driving for life.
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