Zebulon Robbins Sr.

Anthony Scott 
Jan. 16, 1994 
Anthony C. Scott, Of Floral Park, N.y., Died Jan. 16 In New York.

Sunday, January 30, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Fog of excuses masks grim reality of crime &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once again, a jury searched for and found a ``root cause'' of a crime. Once
again, the ``what happened'' in the crime took a back seat to the ``why.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And once again, a verdict chipped away at the foundation of personal
responsibility on which our society restsIt's hard to argue with an individual
jury's decision. Only the jurors in the Lorena Bobbitt case know exactly what
they saw; only the jurors felt the full force of the evidence that led them to
rule unanimously in Lorena Bobbitt's favor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it's not so hard to be disturbed by the trends. From Reginald Denny's
attackers in the Los Angeles riots, to Bobbitt, to the Menendez brothers in
California, juries are giving great weight to theoretical "root causes" while
dismissing the slashing horror of the actual deeds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As analysts have said, this in part reflects the noble American trait of
compassion. All of us sympathize with Lorena Bobbitt, who landed herself in an
allegedly abusive marriage. All of us struggle to understand the forces, the
"root causes," that pushed her to mutilate her husband. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But that doesn't mean her giving in to those forces should be excused. The
trouble with the "root causes" argument is that it quickly breaks down. All
crimes have "root causes." All violent acts are linked to a dark web of
predisposing conditions, from upbringing to genetics to abuse to racism to
"rage." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To use just one example, spouse- and child-abusers tend to come from
abusive homes. The statistics are persuasive; the forces, clearly, are strong.
Does that excuse the abuse? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Well, it never used to. But it will, soon, if the trends continue. It's
just a matter of time before a canny defense lawyer marshalls those statistics
and argues, persuasively, that the ghosts of two bad parents made his abusive
client do the deed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The leap from where we are now to that point isn't long at all. In fact,
it's much shorter than the leap we've already taken. For generations, society
rested comfortably on the rock that the only justification (besides war) for
killing or wounding another human was immediate, life-threatening
self-defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That rock is erdoing more each day, as verdict after verdict wink at
violence most foul. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No one -- not even the radical feminists who are cheering the Bobbitt
decision -- will be happy when society rests on sand. Men are products of
their culture just as women are; if growing up in a Playboy-ogling culture
can't explain sexual harrassment, nothing can. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Don't laugh. Instead, read about the man involved in the sexual harrassment
case at Swarthmore College. Not only does he say his macho Hispanic background
conditioned him to be aggressive, he wants Swarthmore to accept that boorish
behavior in the name of cultural diversity. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rape, too, may be "understood" as an irresistable act of temporary
insanity. But we suspect those who applaud the Bobbitt decision will yell,
"Police!" and not, "Psychiatrist!" when the rage-driven automatons come after
them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We're either human beings in the image of God, or we're not. We either have
the gift of free will, or we don't. We can either be held accountable for our
decisions, or we can't. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And we'll either survive as a society by reaffirming the first of each of
those options -- or we won't.

Fog Of Excuses Masks 
Grim Reality Of Crime 
Once Again, A Jury Searched For And Found A ``root Cause'' Of A Crime. Once 
Again, The ``what Happened'' In The Crime Took A Back Seat To The ``why.'' 
And Once Again, A Verdict Chipped Away At The Foundation Of Personal 
Responsibility On Which Our Society Rests.