Scott Dekraai: Can we learn anything from the tragedy?

The news came in about 41-year-old Scott Dekraai killing his ex-wife and seven others in the town of Seal Beach, California on October 12th, 2011. Dekraai entered the Salon Meritage and opened fire. When he was done, a total of six women and two men were dead and one critically wounded. It's the kind of story which proves to me, I made the right choice in my own divorce.

Divorce is a nasty, ugly business, especially when there are kids involved. Custody battles get vicious and it seems the only individuals profiting through all of the pain are the divorce attorneys. In this report the points are shared of Dekraai suffering from bi-polar disorder as well as PTSD from an accident at work which took the life of a co-worker. But there are lots of people dealing with mental illness, going through divorce and just altogether screwed up. These points alone do not usually drive someone to kill.

While the world mourns this terrible event, might we also ask ourselves if this was avoidable? Sure, hind-sight is 20/20. We always seem to come up with the relevant facts afterward, huh? I'm not talking about gun control. California already has the strictest gun laws in America and that did not stop Scott Dekraai. And no bumpkins need to scream for the death penalty. California has that too. None of these facts stopped a needless killing.

I'm not defending Dekraai killing anyone. To take up arms and kill another human being for any reason other than defense against an imminent threat is one of the most heinous acts anyone can perform. I'm not even going to suggest Ms. Fournier deserved this kind of death. Even if she did, her co-workers – those others in Salon Meritage, they did not. I'm just taking the non-emotional, unpopular, politically incorrect position of saying there's more to this than meets the eye. There always is. Reporters can only take one position on a story. So, there's no way anyone can cover all angles.

Near the end of the article there's one paragraph which speaks to a little of Dekraai's side of the story. It reads: “Dekraai said in court documents that his ex-wife had poor parenting skills and a drinking problem. She called him several times a day, Dekraai said, often screaming at him over the phone and in front of their son. He said she addressed him by an expletive instead of his name and made racist references to his current wife.” I'm just not convinced the late Michelle Fournier was so sweet and innocent, myself.

Those of us going through a divorce know exactly what I'm talking about: the little “revenges” we commit against one another; our skills at making the ex sound “evil;” our cruelty to someone we used to love. Why do we do that crap to each other? Once a marriage is over, there is no further need for the fights. These little attacks we use on each other, in an attempt to make the other behave the way we desire – they're pointless. They're vicious, cruel and evil. It's not that Dekraai's response was any less evil, mind you. But what kind of a nightmare was it which could make a man willing to throw it all away and kill people?

Maybe after this latest story of one man losing it, we divorcees can learn to not be so damned vicious to each other. Maybe we can stop using our children as human shields and bargaining chips. Maybe, just maybe, we can all learn that when a marriage fails we can end the hostilities. There's no score to settle after a divorce. If we could just be human to each other, there might be no more of a need for this kind of nightmare.

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Sgt. Joseph Boziecevich convicted for double murder of fellow soldiers

It's a sad day for all Americans, when one of our military personnel are involved with any sort of criminal activity. Sadly, Sgt. Joseph Boziecevich is just such a case. While only one soldier is responsible for these crimes, such events reflect on all of our military, and the United States as a whole.

According to WSAV.com, out of Georgia, a military court has ruled Sgt Boziecevich guilty of Uniform Code of Military Justice, section 118, in gunning down two of his fellow soldiers on September 14th, 2008, for criticizing his battle performance during a tour in Iraq. The shooting occurred at a patrol station in Iraq.

One of the murdered soldiers, Sgt. Wesley Durbin of Dallas, Texas, was to take Boziecivich's place in battle. The other soldier who was gunned down was Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson of Pensacola, Florida, who was shot for his criticism of Boziecevich's performance, after a heated argument. Although sentencing has not been determined yet, the convicted soldier could face the death penalty for his crimes.

In a report from Savannahnow.com, no other soldiers from his unit could confirm such details, defense attorneys in the case portrayed his actions as self-defense, and that he only fired on the two other soldiers after they had both placed rifles against his head. It was Sgt. 1st Class John Dresel who testified that he tackled Boziecivich to the ground after seeing him shoot Dawson.

In this case, both the prosecutors and the defense took a two-week time frame to lay out their case, while the all-military jurors deliberated over a two-day period.

While there may be many who applaud the soldier's conviction, eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable. Opponents of the death penalty will probably act to get Boziecevich's sentence commuted to a life term, rather than face execution, for a conviction based on eyewitness accounts alone. Regardless of the sentencing decision, the families of everyone involved are the ones suffering the most.

Originally published (for the most part) on Gather News.

Patriot Depot

Brian and Shannon Gore face child abuse and murder charges in Virginia

In a story which could break the coldest of hearts, police have rescued a 5 or 6-year-old girl found caged in a home so hungry, she was attempting to eat her own skin. Her “parents,” Brian and Shannon Gore are facing charges of child abuse. In addition to charges of felony child abuse, the mother is being charged with attempted capital murder, and both are being charged with murder, after the discovery of a second child's body by police, buried in their yard.

According to a report on NYDailyNews.com police were following up on a lead in a burglary investigation which led to the home of Shannon Gore, where they made the grisly discovery.

In addition to the little girl, police also found a one-month-old baby boy, who is reportedly in good condition. Fortunately for both children, they're now in the care of Gloucester County's Department of social Services. A neighbor is also reported to have said that during the six years of being a neighbor of the Gores, he had never seen a little girl, and was only aware of the boy.

Far too many parents confuse strong emotions for their children, with love for their children. Parenting is more than mere “feelings.” In cases such as these, society can be grateful for the thankless job done by social workers. Our little ones have no choice but to rely on the care of parents, until they're big enough to fend for themselves. Here's to both of these two rotting in a filthy, miserable prison cell, for their willingness to harm their own.

Patriot Depot