Sorry Sometimes Doesn't Cut It

A man convicted of raping two women was denied parole this week. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his crime and was denied parole and also further parole hearings. The man not only raped two women but fled to Europe for several years (allegedly skiing and covorting thru Europe's finest resorts) before turning himself in. At the end of his trial, he supposedly yelled out "why are you doing this to me?". Does that sound like a man who was sorry for his crimes?

What I can't believe is that this man only got sixteen years. What is it going to take before people realize that rape is not a sex crime, but a violent crime? It's a crime against one's integrity, against their very being, against their innermost sanctuary? This person stole that from his victims, he stole something that can never be given back. And he has the audacity to say that the parole hearing was a waste of time because he didn't get his way? What about the time he took away from his victims. Please, five minutes to hear--"we're sorry we cannot grant you parole" is nothing to the years he took from his victims. This is not about a waste of his time, it's about a waste to his victim's time. The time they took out of their lives to relive this excruciating moment, to listen in anguish whether or not their worst nightmare would come true (if this perpetrator would be set free, causing them once again to look over their shoulders and question all the bumps in the night).

I live by the rule to forgive a person their trespasses. But a person must also serve their time for the crimes they committed. Sorry really seems the hardest word.