| quote | | Originally posted by Rborecky: All I have to say is if you broke a little kids arm and I seen you there wouldn't even be fish food left. Those of you who blasted him after doing what our justice system wont are dead wrong.
I'm sorry but a few of you need to think about if it happened to your family. If you think hes not a hero for taking this matter into his own hands then God Forgive you.
Rick B |
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The questions I pose here are rhetorical. I don't want to know the answers. Insufficient information to decide either way-hero or criminal. This thread is apparently about 2 different and separate events..
1. The child abuse of the biological father and it's resulting physical reaction by Smooth. How long ago did the lake incident take place? He doesn't say, but Mach10 gives us some info-in that it occurred a couple of year's ago. I'll touch on that aspect in a later part of this post. 2. The Fiero related ruhbarb that has the PFF buyers po'd. OK, let's look at it.
1. The initial post explains it as cause & effect-ie the reaction against the father, justified or not, caused the jail time-2 yrs later, and the inability to take care of his obligations regarding Fiero parts.
Why now? Have the charges been pending all this time and they just now found smooth? Did the DA just now decide to file the charges?
If so, why? Grand Jury convened and it took 2 yrs to return true bill? Smooth states that the guy was packed and on his way out of state when he found him. Good, let him go. File for custody of the child, let the state track the criminal father down and extradite him back to Texas and put him under the jail. Or, let the crappy father run, and file for custody of the abandoned child as the locally remaining family member. Either way, the father is now out of the picture, and can no longer harm the child. By taking action himself, Smooth put himself at risk of being unable to provide for or protect the child. As shown in the recent turn of events, ya can't provide support or take care of financial obligations sitting in a cell. Let's assume for a moment, that the DA promptly filed charges at the time of the initial investigation-a couple of yrs ago. The defendant would be arrested at that time for charges to be officially filed, a hearing held to decide the bail aspects, the clerk of court would set a court date and the defendant probably given the opportunity to bond out, until the date of trial. If the defendant can't afford a lawyer, one will be appointed, and the public defender type lawyer will explain the importance of making the court date. Even a public defender will meet at least once with the defendant to get his side of the story, so he will know which avenue to take in order to defend him in court, and which motions, if any, to file. If the defendant shows up for the court date, all is good as it seems most of the charges were dropped. If he does not make the court date, he is now in violation of his bond and new warrant(s) issued. Is this what occurred? We don't know. Insufficient information.
As I understand it, Smooth has been the sole source of support for an extended family for some time. I know when I was raising my 4 children (alone), everything I did was balanced against their welfare.
I remember when the oilfield service sector hit bottom in mid 1985, things were bleak, and I had to liquidate everything I had in order to provide for my children. No hobbies, no entertainment for myself, no dating, no drinking, no nothing. Just work, rent, food, and bills. I qualified for food stamps, public housing assistance, food bank, federal surplus commodities, and others, but chose to work 2 jobs instead. I suspect Smooth also qualifies for some or all of the aforementioned services. It was tough, but we made it. Went on for a couple of years till I got on my feet. Even then, one thing was always foremost in my mind: I couldn't provide for them if I was not there. This meant I couldn't do ANYTHING that might jeopardize my health, job(s) or freedom. Parenting is a huge responsibility. It means sacrifice above all else. I also had to make sure I set a good example for my children to folow, on moral grounds. A man's word, must mean something-if I gave it, I folowed thru, even if it meant more personal sacrifice. My children are now long grown & gone and successfully pursuing their own lives and family interests. My only responsibility now is the love of a 100 lifetimes-Jane. She's sick, has been for several years and likely will be for the rest of her life. I make good $$ and can provide for her, but if things were to turn bad again, I'd again sacrifice all material possessions and un-neccessary expenses. No Fiero, no computer, no ISP payment, no entertainment for myself, no cigarettes, no liquor, no nothing. Work 2 or more jobs again-even at my age? You betcha!! Accept public assistance? Yes, if it came to that. Whatever it took to take care of and provide for her, I would do unhesitatingly. Would I do anything that would jeopardize my freedom? No. Would I rob a liquor store to get $$ to provide for her? No. Would I do anything that might result in mail fraud charges being filed on me? No. I can't help her if I'm in jail.
Would I take advantage of the same friends who might be able & willing to help me if I needed it? No. My word must still mean something. 2. The Fiero stuff. Cars come & go. The moral values one shows as a parent, in taking care of responsibilities and obligations, are as important as financial support. The child's welfare comes 1st. Financially and morally. It comes before dreams/projects. If you can't afford both, you know what you need to do to change it. I don't know your personal business and don't want to know. You know the answers. Good luck. It's good you are out of jail Steve. Now get this mess straightened out.
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