Chaos in the Criminal Justice System Causing Great Harm

You may remember seeing horrifying video of a thug assaulting 101-year-old Rose Morat in Queens, New York. This animal broke her cheekbone and robbed her of $33.

Now Rose is OK, but obviously this crime's hideous.

The same day, 85-year-old Solange Elizee was also attacked in Queens. She was punched in the face as well.

Police say 44-year-old Jack Rhodes is wanted for questioning in those assaults. And Rhodes has quite a resume: He spent eight years in prison after a robbery conviction. He gets out. He's in trouble again. He's been arraigned on charges of grand theft auto and he's been arrested for possession of stolen property in another case.

Yet despite all that, New York City prosecutors do not indict him, so he walks right out. This follows on the heels of a dangerous thug being allowed to walk in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. You guessed it, he murdered a young woman.

Now late Friday, NYPD cops arrested Jack Rhodes on a drug charge. This time, of course, prosecutors will find a way to keep him in jail because of all the publicity. But does that do Granny Rose any good?

Here's another one: In Philadelphia, 60-year-old teacher Frank Burd savagely beaten by two students in the school — 18-year-old Donte Boykin and 15-year-old James Footman. Mr. Burd had his neck broken.

Now what punishment did these guys get? Well, Judge Kevin Dougherty sentenced the 18-year-old Boykin to a private residential juvenile facility where he'll be able to complete his high school education. The 15-year-old Footman, deemed a violent threat, will be supervised by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for just four years. He gets no jail time either.

Judge Dougherty is hiding under his robes, unavailable for comment this evening.

Now fortunately, most Americans are not victims of violent crime, but for those who are, their lives are changed forever: Just like child molestation, the crime never goes away. But while we are making good progress on Jessica's Law, where the judges must partially punish child predators, soft judges continue to make a mockery of our criminal justice system in other matters.

Hey, Judge Dougherty, how do you sleep at night, sir? The guy's got a broken neck.

And that's the Memo.

Most Ridiculous Item

It's not just Americans who have trouble with the French. The French have trouble with themselves.

A new poll by the International Herald-Tribune says 44 percent of the French people don't like themselves. Reasons for that are not given. In Great Britain, 33 percent of the folks there don't like the French, 29 percent of Spaniards don't like them, and 25 percent of Italians could do without the French, as well. Here in the USA, 38 percent of us don't like the French people.

Now, I've been tough on the French, but it's the government I have a problem with. I've been all over that country and, well, they're not as nice as the Italians or the Irish, but I've been treated worse in San Francisco.