I watched the special on Ruth Bader Ginsberg Monday night and went from tears to  laughter to being resolved that justice truly does equal respect.
In this society where people file lawsuits over things like spilled coffee in someone’s lap while that person was holding the cup between her knees while driving, I continuously wonder what happened to the rule of law.
We can’t lock an individual up just because he or she isn’t well loved. That may happen in undeveloped countries where despots rule, but this is the United States of America. We have a government based upon a well-crafted Constitution that requires crimes to be investigated and legal affidavits prepared before anyone is charged and charged doesn’t mean guilt. An individual must be found guilty by a duly appointed judge or a jury of his or her peers.
Today, faced with an alleged murder that involved two people in the small town of Antonito, I am torn. I know the father and mother of a young man who died just before his daughter was born, and I know the man who is accused of killing him. The authorities are not readily available to talk about it and the truth will need to be ferreted out.
That’s not right. It isn’t the job of the press to investigate crimes and even if we do, we need law enforcement officers and prosecutors willing to consider what we found. It has happened before and hit the highest offices in our nation before, what about now? Is Antonito less important than the nation’s capital?
Ruth Bader Ginsberg fought for equality at all levels, though the cases that are coming before her now are the tough ones that reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
The county judges are equally powerful, however, and the district court judges are often the last resort for someone who needs simple justice. I have watched people receive sentences that mean they will never again be free and I have watched people receive probation, with stern warnings that any violation will mean jail or prison time.
Again, the law must prevail. Our small towns are governed by the same laws people in the cities are. Sadly, money might be a factor and that needs to be set aside in seeking the truth.
With almost 51 years of journalism under my belt, I am no one’s hero. I am neither Woodward or Bernstein, but I still want to see justice done.
Justice equas respect.