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May 27, 2005 "I ain’t goin’ out like no punk!" Shouted a so-called gangbanger. Then he and three of his friends drove past his ex-girlfriend’s house and shot up her car. They also fired several rounds into her house and hit a sleeping child, who died. After that little episode of proving their manhood, the shooter and his nutty buddies went and "chilled"; downing a couple of forties and bragging about their cowardly deed. Yeah, you’re a bad dude. You got a rep on the streets as a "crazy mutha" who won’t hesitate to shoot if disrespected or mean-mugged. You’re a self-proclaimed gangsta and you’re fearless. You fire away in anonymity at your enemies—those real and imagined. Someone steps on your $300 Air Jordans—he’s a dead man. You race through the turf of those who "diss" you firing blindly into a crowd of the unsuspecting. Occasionally you actually hit the person you’re gunning for. But more often than not, you hit an innocent bystander. Usually a baby, or a promising student three months shy of her first semester at Stanford. Sometimes you hit an old woman. How you and your gutless crew lie down at night and get a good nights rest afterward, shows how callous, heartless and mentally sick you are. You ain’t tough. You hide behind a gun—an instrument that turns cowards into so-called tough guys. You can’t box and the idea of having to grapple in a street fight frightens you. And when you get your hat handed to you, hours later you round up five or six friends and hunt down the one person who fought back against your insults. Yeah, when you called him a "bitch", he "put hands ion you/" You got laughed at by the ladies and that was the ultimate diss. Like a lone wolf, you won’t attack without the rest of the pack. Yeah, you’re a combination of Cagney-Bogie-Pacino-Snipes. And like the gangsters they played on screen, your toughness is also make-believe. You don’t hesitate to kill your own kind. And the man who has his foot on your neck knows this. He’s all too happy to watch you wallow in ignorance. Then he’ll send you away for life—and all it costs him is "three hots and a cot." You are supposed to be the bearers of the torch passed down from Capone, Dillinger, Gotti, and a host of others. You ain’t knowing, bro—if those cats were alive today, their fraternity would disown you. Your tactics would be ridiculed. Time for a reality check, cowboy. It’s high time for the courts to put these rowdy-rootin’, six-shootin’ knuckleheads in a position to prove test their mettle. I say if you’re a gangbanger, then the real toughness comes in your being unafraid to die. With that in mind, I propose the following. Anyone arrested and convicted for any type of gang-related shooting that kills, or maims an individual—for whatever reason—be given two options: The first is the death penalty. Face it; if you’re that ruthless/senseless you have no right to live among decent folk. Society is better off with you eliminated once and for all—like you did your victim. There would be no plea-bargaining. If you "pop a cap, you face your rap/" One appeal within thirty days and if the verdict stands, the sentence is carried out. Option number two: Let’s put that urge to shoot to good use. Why not enjoy a four-year tour of duty in Iraq, or Afghanistan? It’s an all expense-paid opportunity to see the world. The REAL world. Now there’s a test for your ass. You survive the four years, you go home—no record, no probation. But if you die, well look at the bright side: You proved your toughness, fought for your country and most important, you didn’t go out like a punk. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 45-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and the upcoming, "The Malice of Cain". He resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. I have a new website: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@sbcglobal.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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