Bob Dylan in an early song, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol, tells how a rich, privileged southerner throws his cane at a black servant and kills her, and only gets six months in jail.
Because of the light sentence for murder Dylan sings, “bury the (crying) rag deep in your face for now’s the time for your tears.”
The southerner was well-to-do and had southern buddies — it’s called favoritism.
The same favoritism happens right here in our community.
View the two cases and judge for yourself.
Nick Martin, an everyday citizen, did a bad thing. He got drunk and with his car hit a man walking along the road in Kona.
The poor man now walks with a limp, has a bad eye, and his senses are damaged. We feel for him losing his ability to walk normally, much less run in marathons, which was his life’s passion.
The man’s life was radically changed, and though he is crippled, he is still alive.
He gets to be with his family for the rest of his life, enjoy Christmases and birthdays, hug his wife and children, watch the sun rise and set, and walk along the beach and feel the warm sand between his toes. He will live out all his days.
His impairment was caused by Nick Martin, and although he was driving under the influence, he suffers from medical conditions and nerve-related issues that could have further impaired his driving. These problems are supposed to be considered as special circumstances allowing for a lighter sentence, but they weren’t.
No considerations were given to Nick Martin, he got the maximum, five years in prison, a felony conviction and a several thousand dollar fine. He will sleep on a thin mat on a prison floor for the next five years.
In the next case, Jody Buddemeyer, a policeman, did a far worse thing. He was a little tired one morning and in his police car hit a man cycling along the road and killed him.
The man is gone forever. His wife and kids will never see him again. Not another Christmas or birthday, no more sunrises or sunsets. They will never hug him again.
In morning light on a clear, open road, the ex-policeman ran the man down, crumpling him and his bicycle. He thought the man on the bike was a pig. They look so similar.
During trial his lawyer said that he suffered from acute stress and tried to hide the bicycle parts and give a false report. I guess it’s the “I feel bad about it” defense.
Buddemeyer did not have medical issues, he was just a little groggy after work. He was not an everyday citizen, he was a policeman at the time. Tiredness and possibly social status were considered in reducing his sentence, making it a shamefully light one.
He is facing one year in jail, a misdemeanor and a $2,000 fine. Murder a misdemeanor? That’s a good one. He will be out by the 2020 Super Bowl game, eating chips with his friends. Nick Martin will be on a cold floor in a cell for four more years after that.
Bury the rag deep in your face, for now’s the time for your tears.
Dennis Gregory writes a biweekly column for West Hawaii Today and welcomes your comments at makewavess@yahoo.com
