Currently, I work for one of the largest defense contractors in the country. As an employee, I work with many who, like myself, have retired from or spent time in the U.S. military service. For the most part, my coworkers and I are strongly patriotic and share the same Conservative views and opinions. Recently, we got into a discussion about the events of September 11, 2001, and what came out of this discussion is going to shock many of you. In fact, it should make you extremely angry!

During our friendly discussion, one coworker made the statement, "I simply cannot imagine what I would have felt watching one of these planes crash into the Towers, knowing that my parents or wife were about to die. I felt bad enough and helpless just watching it on television." Without hesitation, one of the other coworkers replied, "I felt nothing!"

At first, it startled the rest of us. We waited several seconds to see what else this individual had to share with us. Finally, one member of the group asked, "How could you feel this way?" His reply: "We've sat back for years and never felt sorry for others that died in other countries from terrorist attacks. Why should I feel sorry for those that died on September 11?"

Normally, I would engage in a confrontation after hearing such a statement--a statement which I regard as total nonsense. However, like others in the group that heard this statement, I was somewhat in shock. In other words, for one of only a few times in my life, I was lost for words! Most of us simply left the room. Once outside, all of us shared our true feelings about this heartless jerk and his comments.

Since my coworkers know that I'm always looking for subject matter for my articles, one of them said, "I bet you're going to blow away the keyboard with this one." My reply: "You're mighty right I am!" Let me share with you some more interesting facts concerning this one sorry American.

In Georgia, the State currently uses independent contractors to handle the overburdened parole system. The individual who made the above statement presently holds several of these contracts. It's his job to ensure that those who are released from prison and on parole adhere to their parole requirements by seeing to it that each of the parolees in his charge meet with him on a weekly basis. Have I raised any little red flags in your mind yet?

Let's pretend for a moment. Let's pretend that you or your spouse was mugged in a parking lot. All your personal belongings were stolen during the mugging. Your wallet, cash, and credit cards were taken. In less than twenty-four hours, the credit cards, in the hands of the mugger, ran to the maximum. You endured the hassle of having to call credit card companies to stop and replace your cards. You stood in line for hours at your friendly DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) to obtain a new license. You had special family pictures of yout loved ones and other cherished items, which can never be replaced. Finally, you live with the fear, on a daily basis, of possibly of being mugged again.

To many, this is something they have heard about. To me it's personal. My wife endured all of this last year. My book on crime was in the production stage at that time. Shortly after her attack, I wrote an article titled "Crime Author's Wife Becomes Victim." This article was published in several newspapers in Georgia. Now, let's discuss those little red flags I mentioned several paragraphs above.

After hearing "I felt nothing" about innocent Americans dying at the hands of terrorists, one has to question how someone like that could hold a position as a parole officer. Who would he feel sorry for, the victims or the criminals? Why would he care about my wife, or anyone else who has been a victim of crime? If he doesn't care about the thousands of families that were destroyed on September 11, 2001, why would he care about the victims of crime?

There's no secret that our legal system is in trouble. How many stories have we read, on a daly basis, about those on parole who commit another crime? How many times have we heard, "The criminal had failed to report to his probation officer"? I think one can clearly see that the problem doesn't just fall on the criminals themselves. It's apparent that the system is part of the problem. I believe the term I'm looking for is "character"--the individual character of persons who hold positions of authority and responsibility in our legal system, persons whose official decisions and actions affect not only the lives and welfare of the criminals they deal with in their case work, but also the lives and welfare of large numbers of innocent and law-abiding persons in the society, or community, at large.

Finally, I believe in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Although I don't agree with this coworker, I must respect his constitutional right, as an American, to freedom of speech. However, many I've shared this story with agree that this is one sorry American!

Scotty Phillips is an independent columnist. He is author of the book, JUSTICE RENDERED 2000.

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