Friday 13 February 2009

Big Numbers and a Small Boy

Completely pointless picture...

...and two completely unrelated topics.
First, an interesting insight into the world of money. When we hear figures containing billions and trillions chucked around casually - never mind the poor old miserable millions - consider the following.

One million seconds adds up to 12 days.

One billion seconds adds up to 31 years and change.

One trillion seconds adds up to about 32,000 years, give or take the odd thousand.

There - doesn´t that make you feel better about the amount we are in debt, and the sums the Bush administration, Madoff, and the rest of the bastards in Wall Street have pissed away?
No?
I thought not.

Second, a story about a small boy. I have cut it back (maybe too much) to the bits that I believe are relevant. The italics are mine.

Arizona boy, 9, offered plea deal in dad's killing

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A 9-year-old charged with killing his father and another man has been offered a plea deal that would spare him any jail time, his attorney said.

"We believe this agreement addresses any potential needs out there as well as secures he does not get messed up going to juvenile corrections, or adult prison for that manner," Brewer (his attorney) said.

If Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael Roca granted the prosecution's request, it would have allowed prosecutors to refile the charge when the boy is older and try him as an adult.

Do I really need to comment on this?
I get the feeling that the prosecutors in this case, if they can´t get the boy sent to The Big House or the Chair or preferably hanged immediately, are prepared to be patient and wait until the lad is big enough.
Well, patience is a virtue, is it not?

2 comments:

bridget said...

Bloody hell!
I don't really understand American court procedures - do I interpret 'potential needs out there' as calls for the child's blood by the life for a life brigade? Is the child's attourney actually exposing him to the risk of being retried when he is older? Is nine above the age of criminal responsibility in Arizona?

Do they bother to report why the child killed the father and other man? Is there any suggestion of therapeutic care for him?

Here we are all upset because the Sun has found a 13 year old boy with a 15year old girlfriend who have a baby. Politicians are shocked at the evidence that society has reached such depths. The only bit of relief from the general gloom and horror is that, although the UK leads Europe for teen pregnancies, we are 'well behind' the US!!! Perhaps ours come in millions and the States' in trillions....

Patrick O'Gara said...

Bridget, I probably should have run the whole story. As I recall, the father was "spanking " the kid a lot, or so the kid said. But all that seemed beside the point to me.
The boy is clearly very disturbed, anyone would accept that - but U.S.prosecutors always appear eager to punish everyone within arms length. I have commented on such things often. P