Massachusetts -- if you listen to any public officials for very long -- has a serious problem with violent crime. Every day, too many people are killed or injured by criminals, and something needs to be done. This usually involves some new proposed legal ban on weapons -- guns, machetes, even crossbows in one infamous case.
Naturally, the learned solons who run Massachusetts happily pass these laws and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. They don't seem to notice that the crimes continue, despite all these new laws.
The notion that these laws need to be enforced -- and enforced rigorously -- in order to be effective seems to escape them.
Last week, I wrote about a Massachusetts man arrested for shooting another in the back -- and released on $250 bail. Now we have another story out of the Bay State -- a man convicted of killing another man, released after serving five months in jail.
Back in 2005, Nick Bonfilio got into a fight outside a bar. Edward Eliasson Jr. tried to break up the fight. Bonfilio hit him with a "sucker punch," and Eliasson went down.
He never got up again.
Bonfilio should have been charged with manslaughter, but plea-bargained it down to assault and battery. And now he's free.
It's been almost 20 years since Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts, and his predilection for soft treatment of criminals became an albatross around his neck. These stories -- and countless others -- make it clear that it wasn't just a Dukakis thing, but that he was merely a symbol of the sorry situation.
Congratulations, Massachusetts. You got your reputation as a haven for criminals of all kinds (killers, child molesters, illegal aliens) the old-fashioned way:
You earned it.
Permalink | E-mail This | Technorati Links | Sphere: Related Content | Digg this! | FARK It!
Filed under:
Mass. Insanity
Comments (8)
Yes...Jay...this is outrage... (Below threshold)1. Posted by nogo war | July 20, 2007 2:41 PM | Score: -7 (9 votes cast)
Yes...Jay...this is outrageous..however what did Mitt do or at least try to do when Gov? You would be up on that a lot more than me...
1. Posted by nogo war | July 20, 2007 2:41 PM |
Score: -7 (9 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 14:41
2. Posted by Jay Tea | July 20, 2007 2:44 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Short answer, nogo: all he could.
Longer answer: not a hell of a lot, considering that the Democrats held over 85% of the legislature -- meaning that one out of five Democratic lawmakers could stay home, and they could STILL override his vetoes.
Romney didn't really achieve a lot, objectively, but considering the circumstances, that he did anything at all is almost miraculous...
J.
2. Posted by Jay Tea | July 20, 2007 2:44 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 14:44
3. Posted by the wolf | July 20, 2007 2:45 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
A hotheaded Masshole suckerpunched someone? No way!
3. Posted by the wolf | July 20, 2007 2:45 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 14:45
4. Posted by dc64 | July 20, 2007 3:07 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I am newbie, so I am curious about the focus on Mass. According to what I could find on the web, the reported violent crimes rate in Mass ranks as 18th worst. (reported violent crimes per 100,000 population).
4. Posted by dc64 | July 20, 2007 3:07 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 15:07
5. Posted by nogo war | July 20, 2007 3:20 PM | Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Thanks for that feedback...Jay makes sense
5. Posted by nogo war | July 20, 2007 3:20 PM |
Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 15:20
6. Posted by Nosucker | July 20, 2007 4:11 PM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Wasn't even close to a sucker punch. Bonfilio was outnumbered by Eliasson's group. Mess with the bull - get the horns.
6. Posted by Nosucker | July 20, 2007 4:11 PM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 16:11
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 20, 2007 4:12 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
dc, I live in New Hampshire, right over the border from MA. So while it might rank 18th in some rankings, it'll always be #2 (in the scatological sense) to me.
J.
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 20, 2007 4:12 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 20, 2007 16:12
8. Posted by nick bonfilio | March 18, 2008 11:08 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hey, I am nick bonfilio i did not sucker punch him, if u read the court testimony, thats y i only got six months. Eddie was a punk
8. Posted by nick bonfilio | March 18, 2008 11:08 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2008 23:08