What Does it Take?

Written by Evelyn at Homespun Honolulu

There’s no doubt that crime is a problem across the globe and it continues to increase as populations increase. What then will it take for people to see that a criminal justice system has to maintain a certain degree of reliability – has to provide a certain amount of security for its citizens? Instead of establishing anything like that, the State of Hawaii released what I would call a psychotic pervert hell bent on terrorizing young girls.

Convicted of the senseless and ruthless murder of a 17-year-old girl in 1979, Peter Bailey was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison. Over time his sentence kept being shortened. He was released seven years too early and is now being held for the alleged rape of a juvenile. To top it all off, he is accused of raping her at an Assembly of God church. So, while he’s obviously hell bent on messing with our youngsters, he’s also hell bound!

Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney, Peter Carlisle, was quoted as saying, "We've got a system right now that is exerting pressure on everyone to release people,” said Carlisle during a press conference with reporters. “If you release the wrong people then somebody's going to get hurt and somebody has gotten hurt.” I have the highest respect for Mr. Carlisle but, while I agree with his statement, it still left me scratching my head.

Released because of pressure on the prison system? What?!? Is that because the prison system is overloaded? While I’m sure that it is, I wonder if that is the pressure that the prosecutor is talking about. If it is, I can understand it, but releasing a known felon back into the community is pretty risky business. It gets riskier when you release one that has been incarcerated for a senseless, violent act. Uh, I would say that Bailey was definitely one of “the wrong people!”

So, what does it take? A repeat offense enabled by releasing the wrong guy? I don’t know where the real stupidity crown goes. Is it with the offender who has gotten himself thrown back in jail, or is it with the judicial system of the State that let him loose? You can visit KHON2 News for the full story and some video coverage. Then you can tell me where the stupidity award goes!

Evelyn writes at Homespun Honolulu, trying to find the hidden charms of her city to share with readers who are tired of all the commercial hype.

What Do I Do With My Life?

Written by Evelyn from Homespun Honolulu

Everyone has those moments when they think about the one thing they could have done or should have done. I know I have a couple of things that some to mind from the past. “What if I had turned the other way?” or the host of I-shouldn’t-have-done-that’s that we all have.

If you look at the big picture and wait long enough some of those what ifs work their way out. Then you can say, “I made the right choice,” or “Right now I would be…” or something equally enlightening. Over time you may find that you’ve avoided a host of other pains that would have taken their toll on the person you are now. Obviously it might also go the other way and that’s when regret sets in so we only hope for the right decision at the right time!

Personally, I started out with a plan! At the age of ten I had made my decision. I was going to be a veterinarian. There was no question, no doubts and no arguments. No doubts that is until the second year of college chemistry. Ugh! I hadn’t even touched the physics requirement yet and I hated that in high school. Now throw in the labs and caloric calculations of animal feed and I have just about had it! I failed the first exam in animal nutrition class. That’s it, now I have had it!

“What am I going to do?” I cried to my mother on the phone.

“What do you want to do?” was her reply.

College was something I had to complete. I couldn’t leave it. I had to do something! Where were my best grades? Must find those report cards and the grades received to date! Would it be history like both of my parents? Hell no! The best grades were in… English. Okay so I will major in English. I managed to pull a “C” out of that Animal Nutrition course but it wasn’t easy!

But, vet school is what I wanted to do! What am I going to do with an English major? Be a teacher too? Just like my parents? A change in major can cost you an extra year of college if you don’t do it soon enough. After five years and my whole life already in school, I wanted to move on to more than another two years of school in the College of Education!

Now I look at those college choices and know I couldn’t have been happy as a veterinarian. I would not be happy dealing with the human element, the grief of lost pets, and money thrown out the window on vet bills with only a carcass to show for it. I know that sounds crude but I have had to deal with that myself. It hurts! My point here is that dealing with my own pain is easier for me when I don’t have to deal with the pain of others – the other people’s pain hurts more. Would I be making more money? Oh yeah! But I don’t think I would be happy and money can’t fix a person on the inside.

To live life and say you have no regrets would either be a lie, self-denial or just plain arrogant. We all have them guys; get over it. Love yourself and love life – there’s no other one like the one you’ve got! Did I make the right choice where my profession was concerned? I can comfortably say yes. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t be mucking around the blogosphere and talking to you guys. Now THAT would not be acceptable! I’ve finally got a use for that damn English major! I told you these things work their way out if you give them time.

Evelyn from Homespun Honolulu shares thoughts about the past while thinking of the next item to share with her readers, something that represents a unique and different look at Honolulu. Not what you might expect from what you’ve seen or heard from the tourist industry.