Native Writes: Seeking the truth with an eye on justice

Sometimes what one sees on television offers fruit for thought – and action.

Viewing the hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh caused me to realize that the people really aren’t important to the process. Women who protested what they felt were Kavanaugh’s positions on Rowe v Wade and women’s rights in general.

I was concerned about a woman’s right to choose while attending Adams State and am concerned that this is still an issue. Seriously? Women also are citizens.

Justice equals respect and the voices of women were silenced during the Kavanaugh hearings. I’m not concerned about who the women represented; I’m concerned about their being arrested for expressing their views.

I watched the special on Ruth Bader Ginsberg Monday night and went from tears to laughter to being reaffirmed in my belief that justice truly does equal respect. I still continuously wonder what happened to women being part of “We, The People.” Overall, the rule of law seems to have been diminished.

We can’t lock an individual up just because he or she isn’t well liked by the leadership. That may happen in undeveloped countries where despots rule, but this is the United States of America. We have a government based upon a well-crafted Constitution that requires crimes to be investigated and legal affidavits prepared before anyone is charged and charged doesn’t mean guilt. An individuals must be found guilty by a duly appointed judge or a jury of his or her peers.

Today, faced with an alleged murder that involved two people in the small town of Antonito, I am torn. I know the father and mother of a young man who died just before his daughter was born, and I know the man who is accused of killing him. The authorities haven’t been available to talk about it and the buck has been repeatedly passed.

The issue has become fodder for the gossip mill.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg fought for equality at all levels, though the cases that are coming before her now are the tough ones that finally reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cases begin with law enforcement, move to the district attorney and then into the court room. Municipal judges deal with simple cases, others are decided by county judges, who also preside over preliminary hearings and find whether there is probable cause the defendant committed a crime and should be tried in district court.

I have watched people receive sentences that mean they will never again be free and I have watched people receive probation, with stern warnings that any violation will mean jail or prison time. Again, the law must prevail. Our small towns are governed by the same laws people in the cities are. Sadly, money and reputation might be a factor but need to be set aside in seeking the truth.

Justice equals respect.