Murder she wrote

We talk a lot about murder in law school. We talk about premeditation and deliberation, we talk about atrocious means(kidnapping, poison, lying in wait).
We talk about the Twinkie Defense (and how no one outside law school really understands what that truly means).

Into our second year, we have internships at the public defender's office, at the district attorney's office, and at probate firms. Death is everywhere, yet in none of these places is it personal. Nowhere do we see the lives torn apart, the shattered emotions, devastated families with swollen eyes and the grim haggard experessions of those still in shock, those who are too angry to be sad.

My former boyfriend's brother was murdered last Sunday.
I don't think I ever met the man, but by all reports the victim was the nicest guy you could hope to meet. He'd drive off the road to avoid a wild animal. He was that kind of a nice guy, cut down by a career criminal who was as cruel as he was stupid.

I don't think there are any conclusions to be drawn here. I'm just lamenting the state of our nation, our recent trends towards punishing criminals ever more severely while simultaneously cutting budgets for education, eliminating opportunities for the up and coming generations to make anything of themselves in an honest fashion.

How is anything supposed to get better?