From
David Still
<ds@davidstill.org>
To
Merritt
<merrittb@adelphia.net>
Re:
Peeping John
MESSAGE
Merritt wrote: You have no complaints from me, I understand completely that my opinion opened the door for such a response, and I appreciate your feedback. In most cases, I feel no need to justify or explain my words, but in this case I feel that an exception is in order. I am a Christian, and I whole-heartedly believe and trust in Jesus. I also understand, try to practice and try to teach my children His messages of tolerance, love and forgiveness. Which is why I didn't say to lock him up and throw away the key, I said someone should get him the help he needs. However, my first and most important job is that of a mother. And as a mother, it is my job to protect my children. As an American, I have to trust that police officers, judges and our judicial system will help me protect my children. And when a judge tells us that we should show compassion, that we should feel sorry for a man that not only put himself in this precarious position but also traumatized this girl, I can't sit idly by. I wouldn't be doing my job as a mother if I said nothing. When I see an obvious error in judgment in a person entrusted to uphold our societal laws and protect us from the people that choose live outside these laws it's my duty to speak up. I will not now, nor will I ever trust a man who is found looking at a girl in a public toilet. I also see no strength in his actions. What I see is a man who needs help and from what I can tell, and I only know what has been reported, he did not seek this treatment. It was also reported that he violated his parole, and that makes him a criminal. Asking a person to trust and find strength in a criminal is ludicrous. I wouldn't be doing my job as a mother if I trusted an obvious threat to my children. You say that I can't judge, yet you're judging me. You assume that I live in fear and hatred, and there is nothing farther from the truth. Perhaps sir, you should re-examine yourself before scolding me. Perhaps you should recognize that God made my first and most important job to be mother to my wonderful children. I would not only be letting them down, but also be shirking my responsibility to God if I stood back and watched the judicial system fail not only my children, but children everywhere. It is a fine line that we walk between serving God as a Christian and being a responsible American. As you said, we can't judge, only God can. However, to protect ourselves and our children it IS necessary to judge those that may pose a threat to our safety, if only to protect ourselves from that threat. I am not judging his character or him as a person, I'm judging his actions and the clear fact that he may indeed pose a threat to the society we live in. From: David Still [mailto:still@davidstill.org] You should try to have compassion and forgiveness for people, instead of only seeing the bad in them and ASSUMING the worst possible intentions. Don't pretend to KNOW what other people think or will do in the future. You might find the strength to trust people and see the good in them instead of dwelling in fear, hatred, and negativity if you would open your heart to the lord Jesus Christ. Only he can judge, not you. And don't complain to me about preachy email, because if you don't wanna hear it, don't preach to the whole world in the newspaper. But I forgive you for it, because that's what decent people do.