Giving Out Justice

It was a simple pleasure, but, Leno liked doing it. He would get the Sunday paper early on Saturday, and, then he and his wife would lounge around in their pajamas and read it leisurely. It wasn't the most exciting thing to do, but, since they were in their mid-40's it was what life was about for them. That is how it is as you grow older and slow down the wild times. Calm and peaceful living is the preferred speed. The rest of the world seemed crazy anyway. Here, in the rich suburb of Los Angeles called Sherman Oaks, its crazy denizons and weirdos seemed a world away. Let them stay there... Leno and his wife, Rosemary, just returned late Saturday night/early Sunday morning from the lake. They loved boating with the family on that beautiful boat of theirs. The family actually was her family. Rosemary had a previous marriage that did not work out, but, had sired children that Leno doted on. Rosemary had been a bellhop when she met Leno. He was a successful owner of a supermarket chain when he courted her. They fell in love, and, with her children became a family unit. And, they were a happy family. Not perfect-- no family is-- but, they stuck together as the madness of the times spread around them. That early Sunday morning, after dropping her daughter off at her home, Leno settled in to read the family paper and Rosemary prepared for bed. All was calm and normal. Then The Devil came to the house.... The Devil broke in somehow with his Helper. Exactly how has never been established. They got in, though. The Devil tied Leno and Rosemary up and told them he was there to rob them. They would not be hurt. Just cooperate and all would be fine. Then The Devil went outside to talk to his ''girls''. There were four of them. Only two were needed in the house to assist the Helper. Whatever calm Leno and Rosemary LaBianca may have felt when they were told they would only be robbed was short-lived. The Manson girls--- Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houton went into the house where the Helper, Charles ''Tex'' Watson was waiting for them. The Devil was driving away with his two other girls in the car, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian. Before he drove away, Charles Manson told the three to go ''get their hands dirty''. They followed his commands to a T.... The bodies were found the next day by Rosemary's daughter and son. The human carnage was shocking. Both Leno and Rosemary had been butchered in an inhuman way. Leno was in the living room, his newspaper lying on the table in front of him. He had been stabbed countless times. There was a carving knife sticking out of his stomach among his many wounds. The word ''War'' had been carved into his abdomen. Upstairs, Rosemary was found on the floor, a pillow case over her head and, twisted around her neck, was a lamp cord. She had been stabbed 41 times-- most of her wounds post-mortem. The killers, it was later learned, did not leave the premises right away. They each took turns showering. Then they played with the LaBianca's dogs. Then they made themselves something to eat. Before they finally left, they had one more task to do for their guru. It was to leave a message for the world to see. In the victim's blood they scrawled on the walls, ''Death To Pigs'', ''Arise'',  ''Political Piggies'', and, misspelled on the fridge, ''Healtor Skelter''... On top of the previous night's killing spree at the home of actress Sharon Tate Polanski-- where five were murdered in a similar way as the LaBianca's, including the eight and a half months pregnant Tate--- Los Angeles was thrown into a state of fear. No one was now safe. The murders at the Tate residence, as savage as they were, were somewhat rationalized as rich movie stars and some bizarre lifestyle they were living. The ''Beautiful People'' were the targets, not ordinary people. Now, everybody was a potential target for slaughter. And, there was good reason to be having that fear... Before Manson had picked the LaBianca house, he and his monsters had toured the city trying to pick off innocent victims for their bloodlust. They stopped at a church, intending to murder everyone in the church who happened to be there. However, the church was locked, so, they went elsewhere. At a stoplight, Manson got out of his car and advanced towards another car next to him waiting for the light to change. He planned on killing the driver right there, but, the light changed and the driver sped away. To this day, some unknown person in that car narrowly missed being a victim. Cruising neighborhood houses, Manson and his minions were about to enter a home when they spotted pictures on a piano of the owners kids. Manson said he didn't want to murder kids-- at least at that moment. Finally, he went back to the neighborhood he knew where a man named Harold True lived. Manson had attended a party at True's place the previous year, so, he knew the area well. The next door neighbors to Harold True was a family named LaBianca.... There was one other little trick the Manson Family liked to do to innocent people. It was called ''Creepy Crawling''. It consisted of the family all dressing in black at night. They would enter the home of complete strangers while the owners were there sleeping. Unaware that murderous mad men and women were walking among them watching them sleep, the ''Creepy Crawlers'' would move furniture around  and would watch the sleeping occupants closely, so, that if they woke up at anytime, then they could murder them for fun. At least, to anyone's knowledge, no murders took place during these night visits, but, it was a close shave for those enjoying their sleep.... For a fully detailed read on the horrors of those nights in August of 1969--- the Tate and LaBianca murders--- I highly recommend the superb book ''Helter Skelter'' by the man who prosecuted them, Vincent Bugliosi. This book will scare the hell out of you, mainly because the story is true... Why I tell these stories is tied into a conversation I had at a party the other night. The person I was talking to I did not know-- a friend of friend -- but, he was talking about the death penalty and why he was against it. The topic of the death penalty is not a volatile subject matter for most people like abortion and gun rights. However, it does pop up in public forums sometimes, and, the other night it was in front of me being discussed. He gave solid arguments about why he thought it was murder itself to kill anyone in prsion. I agreed with some of his theories, but, most I did not. Finally, after asking many people and getting no one to agree with his position, he asked me. I explained my position, saying I was not in favor of using it often , but, there were times when I thought it was a useful solution. Mainly, for murders and rapists and child molesters. I pointed out, though, that all evidence must be conclusive-- we do not want to execute people unless we have proven they did the crime. After the evidence has been proven, then punishment by death is a serious option I agree with. Mind you, I know I could never pull the switch or press the button to kill someone. That would have to come from someone else. I am not looking for murder for murder sake, just a form of final justice for all. The ultimate verdict will come from God. Send the animal to God and let God judge the scum... The guy still was not convinced, which is his right to be. He asked me how we can play God, a valid point. I said we cannot, but, in the Bible there is the old adage of an eye for an eye. There is also talk of redemption. Round and round it goes. It is my position and he has his. He asked me then how I came to believe what I believe. I told him the stories from above of the slaughter of the Tate/LaBianca victims. This is why I believe in the death penalty. The killing of these monsters. The killers, and Manson himself, all received the death sentence when they were convicted, but, it was overturned the following year when California abolished the death penalty. That is why we see the sickening parole hearings every few years with these people.... I told the guy at the party the other night I can debate the subject with him. But, Steven Parent, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, Sharon Tate, Leno LaBianca, and, Rosemary LaBianca cannot....