It is pathetic the sentences these two "all American football players" got. Both found guilty, which you might think it is better then many rape cases get. But remember the the rapiest not only photograph and video the 6 hour ordeal, they also tweeted, sms'd and even posted photos and video up onto Facebook and YouTube of the incident. It was a open an shut case if there was ever one. Their attempted defense that the girl some how gave consent when she was clearly unconscious in almost all the photos and videos is repugnant.
One of the young men, Ma'lik Richmond, was convicted and sentenced to a whopping 1 year in juvenile detention for being found guilty of rape of a minor. The other, Trent Mays, was sentenced to a whopping 2 years in juvenile detention for being found guilty of rape of a minor and disseminating child pornography. Both sentences being the minimum allowed sentences for the crimes they committed. The Judge, Thomas Lipps, claims the the incident was "profane and ugly." but this, along with Ma'lik's comments the "No pictures should have been sent around, let alone ever taken" and "My life is over" don't indicate regret and remorse for drugging and then raping a girl over a 6 hour period. It shows disappointment that he got caught. Judge Thomas Lipps sentencing send the message of "My hands are tied but I'll make your punishment for the crime you committed as small as possible". So You'll have the next set of football players thinking they have the right to drug kidnap and rape an under-aged girl but they better not photograph the gang rape.
Now to put insult on to injury the activist Deric Lostutter that brought all the posts, tweets and other evidence, that there was an attempt to cover up, to light is facing 10 years sentence if convicted. 2 football players drug, kidnap and sexually violate a young girl and they get 1 and 2 year. The man that exposes the attempted cover-up by the locals faces 10 years.
We have clearly entered into a culture where whistle blowers are now more likely to be punished then those people and organisations they've exposed as breaking the law. Why is it? Because whistle blowers by their nature are exposing corruption of powerful people. If these 2 boys where from a ghetto and someone dug up this info no one would care. But Deric didn't do that. He not only exposed what the 2 boys had done. He exposed how their whole community tried to cover up the incident.
We live in a culture where people are becoming afraid of doing the right thing. Speaking up when they see a wrong. Where reporters are being intimidated by the government for doing their job. Where questioning what any branch of the government is becoming taboo. Where peaceful protesting is looked down upon.
Our founding fathers would be ashamed. It is a tragedy that in many ways those that signed the Declaration of Independence were more progressive then many politicians today. I for one think that we need to reclaim our government needs to be reclaimed from the clutches of a few. Where the government works with and for the common person not just the wealthy and powerful. Where equal rights for all isn't coupled with less rights for most. Where people are people and corporations aren't.
