A justice system is, when all is said and done, just a system. And most of us recognize that it is a system of laws far more than it is a system of justice. The Canadian justice system is no exception. The case of teen killer Kelly Ellard is a prime example of how justice can be lacking in a system of laws.

It took three trials, two appeals and eleven years to make Ellard’s second-degree murder conviction finally stick. That’s three trials, two appeals and eleven years that her victim’s parents had to suffer through to get any pseudo justice for the excruciating, torturous murder of their daughter.

“The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them.”

Babies cry. That is one thing that is irrefutable. From the moment they are born, crying is the only way that a baby can communicate. Some mothers will tell you that the cries sound different depending upon the current need of the baby. But it goes without saying that no matter how attentive, how loving or how caring a parent is, eventually, at some point, the baby will cry.

In most cases, the loving, attentive parent with try to soothe the baby, change a diaper, get a bottle or in some other way coax the child back into quiet contentment or sleep. Not, however, in the case of little Nyla Nickens.

On Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010, twenty-one-year-old Adam Theall of Rome, New York threw a temper tantrum. He grabbed his three-month-old baby son, Eithen Zethrey Theall, and a shotgun and stormed outside into his mother’s back yard, warning her that if the cops showed up he would kill the baby.

This kind of behavior was nothing new for Adam Theall. A serial abuser of both women and children, his arrest record over the past 5 years has “violent psychopath” written all over it. If you just take a look at this list of arrests convictions for the years 2005 through 2010 and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

* In 2005, he was charged with violating a Family Court order and for disorderly conduct.

Jobs are hard to come by and good jobs are even rarer. No matter what economic times we live in, a steady job is getting to be like an one of those stories your Grandpa used to tell you when you were a kid.

And having a job you love? Fantasy land.

But still, work can be a great stabilizing factor for you if your personal life is taking a hit. It gives you a place to zone out for hours at a time by focusing on the task at hand rather than any possible upset in your world.

When they say, “It’s a dog’s life,” they mean it’s a downright miserable existence. They, apparently, don’t know my dogs. I would sign up for their pampered lifestyle in a nanosecond. Free meals, comfy bed, lots of time to play, plenty of treats, oodles of love, and absolutely no worries. And in return my spoiled pooches give me unconditional love, acceptance and loyalty.

That’s what dogs do. And they don’t judge. I could rob a bank, cheat on my spouse, hijack a bus filled with kindergartners and my dogs would love me. Even Hitler’s dog loved him. And even Allan Dwayne Schoenborn’s dog loved him.

Ah, Mother’s Day. The one day a year when I am allowed to sleep in and I don’t have to cook (yippee!!). Of course sleeping in is a relative term as I am first greeted by a crying baby and whining dogs doing the the pee-pee dance at the foot of the bed. Then my loving husband kisses me and says, “go back to sleep honey. I’ll get the kids up and let the dogs out. I’ll take care of everything”

Oh no.

I lay in bed and listen to the deafening noises emanating from my kitchen as my brood prepares me breakfast in bed. I listen with stomach turning intensity to the crashing, and banging of what must be every single pot, pan, bowl and kitchen utensil that my kitchen can offer and on one memorable occasion, the smoke detector going off. I listen to cries of “you’re a butthead! Yeah! Well you’ve got fart breath.” (those two will never be English scholars)

Omar Thornton murdered eight people on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010. He did it because he had stealing from his employer, Hartford Distributors of Manchester, Connecticut, for some time and he’d gotten caught on video by a private detective the beer distributors had hired to make sure there was no mistake.

At the meeting with 50-year-old Hartford Distributors vice president and COO Steve Hollander, 50-year-old director of operations Louis J. Felder and the president of Teamsters Local 1035, 51-year-old Bryan Cirigliano, Omar Thornton was confronted with the evidence.

Omar Thornton was offered the choice of resigning and walking away without any consequences for his actions or being terminated by the company for theft. Without a word, he wrote out a one sentence letter of resignation. He then asked if he could get a drink of water.

This is 36-year-old Randel Eudean Richardson.

For the last few hours I’ve been mulling Randel’s story over in my head while drinking an excellent vodka mixed with frozen lemonade concentrate. Just the thing after mowing the lawn.

The lemonade. Not Mr. Richardson.

Randel Eudean Richardson is a married man. He’s married to Kari Richardson. Kari had a statement that she gave to the press yesterday. Would you like to see it?

According to Kari Richardson:

He would never hurt anyone if he was in his right mind. My husband is a good person and a good man. His mental illness has taken him away from me.