Even our normally soft-on-criminals media and political elite are having a hard time with this one.

The prisoner who got free and shot the courtroom judge in Atlanta was not merely attacking a judge; he was attacking our entire legal system. He was attacking the premise of civilized government, which is to use objective means to determine guilt or innocence. He wasn't merely dissatisfied with or disgruntled about what justice delivered him. It was justice itself he went after. This was not your garden variety criminal. I hope he doesn't get a garden variety sentence, either.

Even our normally soft-on-criminals media and political elite are having a hard time with this one. I'm surprised that they're so surprised, given what their excuse-making ideas inevitably impose on us all, including themselves. It's interesting that this tragedy took place so soon after the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for minors, no matter what their crime. The Atlanta killer was over 18, it is true. But decisions such as ones the Supreme Court recently made have a way of making the world more comfortable for criminals, even those not directly affected by the decision.