this violence...is the ravishment that must be done to truth, friendship...and honor (john le carré)

For the past few days I have been staring at my screen, wondering what I can possibly write that will give my neighbor the justice that he deserves for a crime that I in my infinite vanity find myself complicit.

I wish I weren't exaggerating about how many days it's been, but the guilt's been corroding my conscience like battery acid. There's this unconscious echo in my head that if I hadn't handed back his guns that his parents gave to us in safekeeping, Sargent wouldn't have committed armed robbery.

I could rail about about the injustice of receiving two different sentences for the same crime, about the need for rehabilitation rather than incarceration for a PTSD-suffering veteran who risked his life to save others and yet never could receive the treatment he needed for his physical and mental illnesses (and not for lack of effort), the sheer bloody wankishness of "blame the victim" and "liberal media pandering to sob stories," but I'm frankly exhausted from an anger I haven't felt in years.

I'll be honest - if you don't sympathize with this man, I don't want to hear about it. If you want to actually help bring justice to Sargent Binkeley , please read this and check out a sample letter that you can send to the Santa Clara County DA.

I haven't written here in ages; sorry. I've been meaning to respond to comments (I know, I've been saying that for longer than I'd care to admit), but CIRCLE (more info at circleusc) has been taking up my life. Hope that all's been well with everyone.