Daily PUMA Column - Commentary by Alessandro Machi

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Oscar Pistorius has managed to do the unthinkable, he's put physical abusers who don't use guns in a better light.

I didn't think it was possible for those who physically abuse others to be put in a better light, but Oscar Pistorius has apparently succeeded where no one has gone before.

The thing about physical abuse is that the perpetrator actually has to stand close enough to the victim, and actually work at it. What Pistorius did with a pistol (this is not in dispute) could turn out to be far far worse because he might actually get away with his version of events. 

Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp to death from a short distance and he alleges through a door, then concocted what appears to be a somewhat implausible scenario of events to the police.

However, its Pistorius's word against a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and, a victim who may have no signs of physical abuse, such as bruises or broken bones. Instead we have an allegedly "accidental" shooting victim, dead.  

All it will take is one fool juror (or is it more than one in South Africa?) having just enough doubt to let Mr. Pistorius be found innocent.

It's difficult for a physical abuser to say "it was an accident". Physical abuser's have to rely on something much more difficult to assess for their defense. Did they snap under pressure and just lose it, were they being verbally or physically abused first, and simply over reacted? Either way, if they beat someone, the proof is there (unless of course the person had someone else beat them to set up a person, a scenario shown from time to time in movies).

But Mr. Pistorius used a gun to kill someone, called it an "accident", and suddenly, he actually seems creepier than people that lose control and beat someone.

As for Mr. Pistorius's story, I don't think key points add up. For him to think his wife was in bed, there would have had to be blankets on the bed for her to be under. No blankets, than the presumably white mattress sheets would have easily shown whether someone was in bed or not.

If there were bed sheets on the bed, than why was the fan on? The fan is on to cool the room I presume, so why have blankets?  

Whether or not Mr. Pistorius had his prosthetics on, something else doesn't add up as well. If Mr. Pistorius did not have his prosthetics on, his eye line is much closer to that of the bed and that should have made it easier to see if there was a "bump" in the bed where his girlfriend would be as he passed to go to the bathroom.

If Mr. Pistorius did have his prosthetics on, then that means he took the time to do so, and the emergency in the bathroom was not as dire as he has portrayed it.

Plus, this means he was able to see well enough to grab both his pistol and legs in the pitch of dark, yet not see his girlfriend.

And finally, with gun in hand, and a potential invader in the bathroom, Mr. Pistorius now had the upper hand and could easily have kept an eye on the bathroom door while whispering to his girlfriend to call the police.

Is it possible that Mr. Pistorius had to crash through the bathroom door to dispose of any defensive tool Reeva Steenkamp may have had in her possession?  I hope they check the toilet and the outsides ground very carefully for any flushed or tossed defense weapon.

And finally, even if Mr. Pistorius was 100% telling the truth, I think he should still be found guilty of being an absolutely stupid human who was incapable of communicating with what should have mattered the most to him, Reeva Steenkamp, in what he thought was a life or death situation FOR BOTH OF THEM, not just him.


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Friday, February 15, 2013

Judge lectures Penelope Soto. then reduces her sentence while never apologizing for baiting her with his "bye, bye" comment.

I actually agree with the judge's concern about Penelope Soto. It appeared she might have been high the first time she appeared in his court room and it did look like she needed a wake up call from somebody. But, the judge baited her with his "bye, bye" comment, a fact that NOBODY in the media noticed with the exception of Daily PUMA.

The latest encounter between the judge and Penelope Soto has the judge "legally" lecturing Ms. Soto with fatherly advice, and then reducing her sentence after she apologizes. 


However, the Judge's "bye, bye" comment in the original sentencing video did initiate and catalyze what then followed. The judge's unwillingness to acknowledge his own baiting "bye, bye" comment most likely caused Soto's response of "adios". The judge was wrong to place blame only at the feet of Soto and I believe somebody above the Judge's pay grade should review his demeanor. 

I find it sad how many other "reporting agencies" have simply parroted the headline about a girl flipping off a judge, when it was actually more truthful that the judge baited the girl first.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Culturally Insensitive Judge universally applauded for bullying 18 year old Penelope Soto.



(Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 update... Apparently the judge is hispanic, although he sounds Irish to me. I still think he baited her with his "bye, bye" comment, and the word "adios", is this really an insult all of the time when it is used by itself?  End of Feb. 6, 2013 update)

(Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 update), Judge was only "funnin" about the 30 day sentence, called the girl back into chambers and freed her after she apologized, and he even said he did not want to be seen as a monster, or something to that affect, proving my point that he was being an asshole. What is amazing to me is how ALL of the news bureaus make no mention of the Judge's disrespectful "bye bye" that PRECIPITATED her "adios" comment. You see how the media just parrots each other?  

I really wish Penelope Soto would sue the judge, and the media for misrepresenting the story as well. The judge EGGED HER ON with his "bye bye" comment, and nobody will admit to that. How can we trust the media to get anything right if they can't even form their own unique opinion on a piece of video but instead just take one interpretation and repeat it over and over? And yes, this is a prime example of a patriarchal moment gone unpunished. End of Feb. 9, 2013 update)

It appears to me that Penelope Soto is either on something, or just plain giggly and goofy, or immature, or some combination of all of the above.

However, the judge seems to start the incident by disrespectfully saying "bye bye" as he waves her away with an arm motion like she's a piece of garbage. 

Ms. Soto responds by saying "adios". 


The judge, in a moment of what I believe is cultural insensitivity, assumes that her "adios" has a bad connotation and takes her "adios" as an insult and begins adding SIGNIFICANT penalties to her sentence.

The phrase "adios" means "I commend you to God". 

Even if Ms. Soto used the phrase in a disparaging way, the judge seeded that moment by first waving his hand and saying "bye, bye" like she was a worthless piece of trash, and that's not setting the proper example for her.

I think the judge should be sanctioned by his peers, suspended, and I hope some savvy lawyer sues the judge for harassment and culturally insensitivity against Ms. Soto.

And Ms. Soto, I hope you grow up, and fast. Ironically, the wrongness of the judge may actually help her grow up faster, but it sure looks like he may have overstepped his judicial boundary to do it. 


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