Judicial Empathy?

Headline in today's Chicago Sun-Times

BEAT COP WALKS

It's the story of the sentencing of an off-duty cop convicted of beating up a lady bartender. This jerk weighs about 250, and the bartender, 115. Apparently, he got all liquored up and surly as well. Anthony Abbate played tough-guy with two others in the bar before turning on Karolina Obryka, who was trying to get him to leave the pub. His actions were caught on tape via the pub's security camera and the sight of this ogre beating down this girl is disturbing to say the least.

But as bad as this jerk's actions are, it doesn't compare to the judge at his sentencing. Judge John J. Fleming sentenced this goon to two years probation, 130 hours community service at a homeless shelter and a stint in anger management classes. He said, "If I believed sentencing Anthony Abbate to prison would stop people from getting drunk and hitting people, I'd give him the maximum sentence."

Never mind that Abbate didn't just "hit" Obryka, he beat her and did so after smacking other people. I don't believe that deterring other drunken jerks has anything to do with administering punishment for law-breaking. More to the point, NOT properly punishing Abbate could lead some drunks to believe that they, too, might get away with beating people up while under the influence. But that ain't all...

Fleming also pointed to the fact that Abbate has no prior criminal history and didn't cause serious harm to Obryka, who only suffered bruises. How nice. Prior history is irrelevant considering the difference in size between the two, at least as far as I'm concerned. If the video is on YouTube at this point, one can judge that for one's self. But it seems that Fleming cut Abbate some slack for failing to beat Obryka more severely than he did. Maybe he was too drunk to succeed, but he looked like he was trying awfully hard in the video.

Now this doesn't compare to the Bill O'Reilly piece of the two year sentence given to a man who raped a little girl, but it is the same type of judical stupidity, only on a lesser level. Obryka is damaged emotionally still, but will likely get over it. The child maybe not. How can judges be so wrong in cases that most anyone can better judge at first glance? How does a behemoth NOT get some jail time for beating up a woman less than half his size? It doesn't make sense, but stories like this should make people record the stories and the names of these judges and then look for their names at the next election.

As a sidebar, it seems the pathetic, annoying and totally useless Perez Hilton has gotten into another little dustup. He reportedly was punched a bit by the manager of the Black Eyed Peas for arguing with a band member over a review Hilton gave of a recent tune or album. What's more, before getting popped, Hilton, a homosexual who's public presence does the agenda no good, called Will I. Am a fag. Imagine. Anyway, he's now suing the manager for, I believe, $25K. I wonder how the judge will rule in that one.

(Oh yeah. Hilton went right to the internet and posted another annoying vid of himself sobbing over this incident. Man. I wanna punch the guy just for seeing him. I feel sorry for him being somebody who's face just begs to be punched.)