Injustice: The American Way?

Four recent cases show how there is no justice for victims. Who is speaking for the victims, since they can no longer speak for themselves? In three of the instances, the "surviving victims" appear to be forgotten as they suffer from losing a loved one forever and ever. People need to question what is going on in our society. Kate Steinle in 2015 was shot and killed while visiting a San Francisco tourist attraction. Illegal alien Juan Francisco López Sánchez admitted to shooting Kate, claiming that it was an accident. Jurors did not find him guilty of murder – not even involuntary manslaughter. The only count he was guilty of was being in possession of a firearm. Although Kate's family lost her forever, Sanchez will serve a sentence only from sixteen months to three years.

San Francisco deputy district attorney Diana Garcia said during the trial that she didn't know why López fired the weapon, but he created a risk of death by bringing the firearm to the pier and twirling it around on a chair for at least twenty minutes before he fired. Kate's brother, Brad Steinle, is quoted as saying, "I'm stunned that they couldn't even get him on using the weapon[.] ... I own a handgun. I know that guns don't just go off." It seems that the jury played right into the liberal narrative of gun control. It is never the person's fault, but the weapon. Just ignore the fact that Sánchez had to pick up the gun and pull the trigger. Ahmed Abu Khatallah was convicted of being the mastermind terrorist behind the Benghazi attack in September 2012 but was found innocent of murdering the four Americans killed there. He was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, one count of maliciously destroying U.S. property, and one count of using a semiautomatic weapon during a crime of violence. Kris "Tanto" Paronto, one of the surviving heroes of Benghazi, said on America's Newsroom, "To allow a terrorist to have due process and to be covered under our Constitution is completely ridiculous." Patricia (Pat) Smith is the mother of Sean Smith, the information officer who was killed during the attack on the U.S. consulate. She told American Thinker, "I want him and Hillary in jail. They can serve together. How can they find him to be a mastermind and not a murderer? I am not happy and do not think it is right. It is like someone driving the getaway car – they would be an accessory to murder if a person was killed in the course of the crime." It is interesting that both López and Khatallah are not citizens of this country but are allowed to get the same protections as if they were citizens. Beyond that, the jury who tried the Benghazi case must have never heard of the concept of aiding and abetting. How can someone be a mastermind, obviously planning the terrorist act, and not be subject to the punishment of murder when four Americans died in the course of that act? A side note: With this logic, people should hope Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, never goes to trial. Paronto also commented that he thought Khatallah should have received a military trial. But justice isn't served there, either. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge but will avoid prison time. Bergdahl in 2009 walked off a U.S. military outpost in Afghanistan. He later pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior. Although he faced a maximum life sentence, he will not serve any time. Too bad the same cannot be said for those who suffered grim injuries in the search for Bergdahl. James Hatch, a Navy SEAL, was shot in the leg, and a military dog was killed. Soldier Mark Allen suffered a horrific injury, shot in the head and totally paralyzed. His wife, Shannon, noted on her Facebook page, "Meet my husband, injuries directly brought to you be the actions of this traitor. He can't give an account of what went down, because he can no longer speak. Now, which guy is a 'hero' again? Sick.'' JAG prosecutor Major Justin Oshana said it best: "Sergeant Bergdahl can tell someone where his pain is. Master Sergeant Allen cannot[.] ... [I]t wasn't a mistake – it was a crime." Allen faces his own prison, unable to walk and talk. Bergdahl's defense attorney lashed out at President Trump. "Every American should be offended by his assault on the fair administration of justice and disdain for basic constitutional rights." Actually, every American should be outraged by this obvious injustice. Sarah Sims was facing felony charges. She tried to protect her nine-year-old child from bullying by having the girl take a tape recorder to her school in Norfolk, Virginia and record the bullies. This was after reaching out to the school's administrators a number of times. School officials found and confiscated the device, which had been in her daughter's desk recording the school day. Sims's attorney, Kristin Paulding, said, "I was shocked to see that the school would decide to go to the police department and ultimately charge this mother as opposed to sitting her down and having just a simple conversation about what were her concerns and how could the school alleviate those concerns." Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and the charges were dropped because Virginia is a one-party consent state: it is legal for someone to record others when the person recording is involved in the conversation or when one of the parties in the conversation has given prior consent. It is laughable that Norfolk school officials are now saying, in an official statement, that they take any accusation of bullying, whether by a student or staffer, seriously and conduct a thorough investigation. What all these cases show is the complete disregard for victims and their families. It appears that the judge and jury were looking for any excuse to allow the perpetrator to be given a lesser sentence and not to take responsibility. For all these cases, Kate's father, Jim Steinle, summed it up: "We're just shocked – saddened and shocked[.] ... [T]hat's about it[.] ... There's no other way you can coin it. Justice was rendered, but it was not served." The author writes for American Thinker. She has done book reviews and author interviews and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles.