Kathy Boudin, has she paid her debt to society?

[Tamaroa]

Twenty-two years ago, I was shopping in Nanuet Mall here in Rockland County. As I stepped outside the mall, I passed by a Brinks truck, opened with police all around it. I am not normally an inquistive person, I keep to myself a lot; so I just kept walking.

Well, curiosity got the better of me and I turned on the radio. Within a few minutes there were bulletins all over the radio about an armored car heist in Rockland county and three law enforcement officials were dead. Rockland was never the same again. The perpetrators were caught, amongst them Kathy Boudin a member of the Weatherman Underground. Trial was held in New City amidst an armed camp of state troopers and police all carrying automatic weapons. Our taxes skyrocketed to help pay for the trial. Kathy Boudin entered a plea bargain agreement with the judge to admit guilt and serve 20 years then be eligible for parole.

A few weeks ago, parole was granted to Ms,. Boudin and the county is in an uproar. Two Nyack police officers were killed and a Brinks guard was also gunned down. every day, I see articles in the paper decrying the fact that she was paroled. NOW, here is the part that troubles me. I believe strongly in the rule of law. A plea bargain was reached with Ms Boudin, the victims's families did not seem to mind at the time when the sentence was passed.
Now everyone is calling for her head. Mind you I am no fan of Kathy Boudin. It turns out I came very close to seeing the whole thing come down. emotionally, I think she should rot in jail for the rest of her life. That she supposedly turned her life around in prison; well to put it bluntly, the lives of those those three men will never be restored. HOWEVER, all participants agreed to the plea bargain and the sentencing. She will be out in October. Has the rule of law worked here or not? Do the participants who either agreed to her punishment or who were silent have a right now 20 years later to demand she stay in jail for life? My sympathy goes to the families of those killed, but would we be sacrificing more if we gave into our feelings of revenge and kept Ms. Boudin imprisoned for life which is what everyone seems to be calling for? We would then be ignoring the rule of law as passed twenty years ago.

Bill

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