Lindsay Melhoff

As anyone from the Swift Current area has heard, two young men were severely beaten last month in their own front yard.  Although the names of the individuals involved in this tragedy have been circulating, I will refrain from pointing fingers.  The story goes as follows:

This group of hooligans (for lack of a better term), which consisted of 2 girls and 4 dudes, were assumingly leaving the Shack late one night.  One of the girls stopped to squat on the victims front lawn to relieve herself.  One of the twins came out, asking for her to stop.  She lured him outside and then the 4 boys jumped him.  The victims twin brother called the cops but once he noticed what was happening to his brother, he immediately went outside to help.  The four boys and two girls repeatedly beat the two twins, some even reporting that they were “curb-stomped” and left within inches of their lives.  One of the twins is still in the hospital in critical condition, while the other, assumingly the second one to leave the safety of the house, is out and doing well.

I had heard originally last week that the police have layed five attempted murder charges.  However, I have now been told that these charges have been reduced to assault causing bodily harm and aggravated assault.  The perpetrators in this saga are all young, allegedly intelligent people with what used to be a future ahead of them.

The aforementioned charges, while not the more serious attempted murder (which I personally believe should have been charged), carry some strict consequences, of which some might even say could be life-ruining.  The latter is the more serious, being an indictable offence carrying a punishment up to 14 years in jail.  The former is a less serious charge, as it is a hybrid offence, meaning that the Crown can elect to either charge the perpetrators with an indictable offence, carrying up to 10 years in jail, or the lesser summary conviction, that still carries up to 18 months in jail.  In any case, the outcome of this tragic event will not be positive for anyone involved.

The sad fact that the one twin is still in critical condition could mean even worse consequences for the perpetrators.  Regardless of the potential this has to ruin the lives of this 6 youth involved, the real victims are the twins and that should not be overlooked in any respect.  My prayers are with them and I hope that others in the community, and neighboring communities, learn something from this tragedy.  Violence is never a good idea and there’s a fine line between beating someone up and killing them, a line which I hope is never again approached with such carelessness.

Stayed tuned for updates on this tragedy and the judicial course of action taken. 

So I thought I had it all figured out.  But boy was I wrong.  Why do things at this point in life need to be so complicated?  Where are the black and white, straight-forward answers? 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”, said by French writer and aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 

I had a plan, something everyone needs if they want to succeed.  But now I doubt that plan and what I really want.  Swift Current is my home and what seemed like just another year only a few months ago, now seems like an eternity, and one I’m no longer willing to embark on.  So what do I do?  Assuming I even have options, do I back out on what I’ve already agreed to, for the sake of my happiness and sanity?  Or do I suck it up and follow through with what I’ve signed up for? 

The problem is, I strongly believe that my work will suffer if I’m unhappy with the circumstances, and anyone who knows me, knows that I like to put my best foot forward.  I guess it’s more a question of morals then anything.  I’m not sure of the accompanying feelings that I would have to deal with if I backed out.  Quitting, other than smoking, is not something I’m very familiar with and don’t think I want to be.  Perhaps not knowing is normal though.  Do people really know from a young age, or even a not young, but not old age like myself, what they want?  I’m not convinced.

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, a Welsh philosopher, logician and mathematician, once said: “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubt”.

This war story by Dalton Trumbo was a gift from my lovely sister.  I’ve heard about the book before but wasn’t sure what to expect from it.  It was a quick read, as the author keeps you interested and wondering what’s going to happen next, or what has happened at all.  At first, I found myself sad when reading Joe’s thoughts while he was secluded from everyone.  But later, the book made a turn for the better, leaving me feeling anxious and optimistic for the war hero. 

However, enjoyable the book was, the ending was extremely disappointing for me.  I was waiting all along through the book for the author to say it was all a dream, but to no avail.  And then the abrupt ending left me wanting more and feeling confused about the overall message.  Obviously, this book takes a negative view of war, one which many might agree with.  It’s both sad and upbeat at the same time; it’s tragic yet still insightful.  Other than the lack of a sufficient ending, I found this to be one of the most interesting and compelling novels I’ve read in a long time. 

MY RATING: 8 out of 10