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

:cd: :cd: :cd:

[BLUEHAWK]

Bill -
Good question... I wonder exactly why the state agreed to a plea in her case? I know nothing about her precise role in the killings, and am pretty wary of prosecutors making accessories of anybody remotely involved, and getting more than one bite of the apple as it is.
Maybe she got the plea bargain because her role was minor or tangential? In which case, I'd say she paid her dues, has reformed her life, and deserves to have an agreement lived up to. If not, then the government and survivors made a very bad deal and she'll still be entitled to the terms of it.
Did she pull triggers, drive vehicles, provide safe haven, help draw up plans, spend proceeds or what?

[Tamaroa]

She did not pull the triggers in the killings. Here is her description of her role:

"I pled guilty to robbery and felony murder for the death of a man who was a Brinks' guard. My role was riding in a getaway car parked three miles from the robbery. Although I did not shoot nor hurt anyone physically and was never armed, I live every day with the knowledge that I am fully responsible - responsible because I supported the idea that this misguided robbery would make a positive difference, responsible because I was in a getaway car, and morally responsible for all the tragic consequences that resulted. Three people died; others suffered physically and emotionally; families were ripped apart; a whole town shaken. Now, in spite of my dream of helping to create a more humane society, I am forever connected to the deaths of innocent people. This connection has changed me. I will never be associated again with any act that places human lives at risk. "

She was in a get away car in Nyack and stopped right at the entrance to the thru way. There is a monument at the spot near the thruway and Route 59 where police officers Waverly Brown and Edward O'Grady were killed.

Bill

[BLUEHAWK]

At the very least... it is the innocence of the lives taken which matters most to have been any part of.

There's a lot more I could say on this matter, but choose not to.

[Seascamp]

Joining an organization like the Weathermen Underground was a conscious decision to commit acts of terrorism, including random murder of innocents. Bombings for instance. And I wonder if leopards ever change their spots, I think not. But a deal is a deal I suppose so let the terrorist go, but keep that one muzzled and on a short leash for sure.

One of these days the ALF or ELF is going to kill someone with their acts of arson and destruction and we?ll see what contemporary justice looks like for terrorists. I?m thinking the process won?t be so nice and considerate these days.

Scamp

[SuperScout]

Realizing again how gifted you are as a mindreader, I concur with your assessment that "a deal is a deal," at the same time keeping a cocked eye on organizations like the Weathermen, ELF, ALF and PETA. Being completely unable to peer into her heart, I truly pray that she has had the epiphany she claims. As for me and my family, I will keep copius amounts of ammo handy for any even remotely violent acts by domestic terrorists. Gun control is truly a sweet, tight shot group.
Scouts Out!!

[Seascamp]

I no longer worry about gun control. I just got me one of them pump 12 ga. shotguns and four boxes of high base 00 buck. Heck, I won?t even have to hunt for my glasses anymore and that works for me.

Scamp

[Arrow]

Oh please...cry me a river...

She will most likely get her deal...

And a far better deal is she gettin'than the men that died and the families that went on without them...

Tell me how does one come to believe that they are going to create a more humane society by robbing banks? The whole bunch of them were probably going to run off to the South of France.....

[Tamaroa]

is that she was paroled but officially she can't be released until authorities find a suitable hafway house for her. That hasn't been done yet.

Still, if you are a crook and you see that the law reneges on its deals and figures out a way to keep Boudin in jail, would you be inclined to want to plea bargain? This kind of activity 20 years after the fact can create havoc with the legal system. As a prosecutor, how can you convince someone about to plea bargain its the best thing to do, if plea bargain are overturned so far in the future?

Personally, she should rot in jail; but maybe the feds felt their case was not strong enough to convict her of the higher counts. The others got 95 years to life. She got 20 with parole.

Regards,

Bill

[Packo]

Did she get 20 years with a "chance of parole" in 20? Or was it a 20 year sentence with parole at the end? There is a difference. If it's a chance for parole, i.e. Charlie Manson et. al., then it's up to the parole board. If it's parole at the end, then a deal with the devil is still a deal.

Sis and I bleed the same pickle juice for this twit. If it's a chance for parole, then I vote to parole her when the families of the dead state she's served her time. If one family says no.....let her rot until they change their minds or until the dead come back to get to finish their lives. I feel no sorrow for these types of people, only the victims and their families. If she's truly had some sort of epiphany, let her work in the prison sanctuary, hospital, etc.

Packo