Who Cares?

 

One who cares… Says:
I really don’t have much to say about all of this…

For somebody who hasn’t much to say, you manage to say quite a lot. 

most of what I read everywhere is slander (both ways) and at the very least, unproductive. I want to simply state that my heart goes out to Michelle’s family… having a child leave this earth too early is a great tragedy. Having lost a child of my own a little over a year ago, I know, to some degree, their pain. I hope that time will heal their wounds, although a scar will ALWAYS remain. Scars are not always bad, they remind us of the battles we have fought and the strength we gain from them. I hope they are able to replace the pain and frustration of the circumstances with what every parent should feel… pride in having raised a beautiful daughter, who has left a wonderful mark on this world, and will one day be reunited with them beyond this mortality, this testing ground of faith.

Hey Ethel!  We got us a preacher-man!  We all respond to loss in our own way.  “This testing ground of faith?”  I’m glad you have your “faith” to fall back on in times like this; the loss of a child, or any loved one, is a blow that can destroy the rest of your life.  I’ll tell you what!  I’d rather look with pride in having raised a wonderful daughter while I could actually look on said daughter and her daughter, interacting and passing on the lessons I had taught her.  It is very difficult to remember the hours spent teaching, raising, and preparing a daughter to be a productive citizen and bring a little light into the world, when her husband has snuffed out her light.

I hope that their energies may one day be redirected to their precious grandchild, Cassidy,

That would be nice, wouldn’t it.  Too bad the murdering husband won’t let Michelle’s mother do that.  I wonder why that is?  Maybe the murdering husband is afraid of what the very articulate little girl will tell her grandma?

 and that one day they will understand, that after losing Michelle, the only one Jason, or his family, had left to protect is Cassidy.

Well, if he had protected Michelle, instead of killing her, he wouldn’t be in that position, would he?  It seems the only one his family wants to protect is Jason.

 If anyone gave thought to what they might do in Jason’s circumstances, I think they would agree that focusing on his daughter, and her needs, makes the most sense.

If I were in Jason’s shoes (and innocent), I would cooperate with the investigation, because finding the killer would become something of an obsession.  He doesn’t seem to be all that focused on his daughter’s needs, while he works out of town, comes home for weekends, and leaves her day-to-day care to his sister and mother.

 At the very least, it helps her to adjust to a life with one parent, a position Jason’s family is familiar with. Most of all, I hope that Michelle’s family will one day understand this decision.

Would you?  I would not.  “Sorry, Cassie.  Mommie has gone to be with Jesus, and Granny Fisher and Aunt Meredith can’t see you anymore.  Never mind, Little One, Daddy will get you a new Mommie, and you have Grandma Young, and Aunt Heather and Aunti Kim.”  If the child has any idea of what “dead” means, she probably thinks Linda and Meredith are, as well as her Mommie.

I feel sorry for anyone, either side of the debate, who can take a tragedy so horrific, and without knowing either party, pass judgements so quickly.

Quickly?  We’ve been thinking about this, reading about this and speculating about this for over a year.  Where have you been?  People marry on shorter acquaintance than we have with this case.

 What everyone (both Michelle’s family and Jason’s family) needs in these circumstances, is someone willing to comfort, willing to support, willing to promote healing, not rash judgements or blind criticism.

When Jason promotes healing between himself and Michelle’s family, we will talk.  Oh…and my opinions are neither rash nor blind.

 Please redirect your energies to something more productive.

Hey!  I’m productive.  You’re getting finger exercise, aren’t you?  I have many productive outlets for my energy, thank you very much.  One thing I don’t have a lot of time for is acceding to requests from total strangers on my very own blog.  Why don’t you start your own blog?  You certainly are a prolific essayist.

 The world is full of problems, but the biggest problem we face is that a lot of people feel their biggest contribution is hateful rhetoric with little regard for the damage it does. Absolutely nothing on this website will bring Michelle back, or help either one of the families who have lost her love and presence, move forward.

Oh, I don’t know.  I’ve heard that some of my posts here have provided a momentary smile or two to Michelle’s family.  Not much I can do for Jason’s, until he confesses.

In closing,

Really? 

I want to say that while many of the people who have thoughts on this case do not know either family personally. I met the Fisher family at the funeral and looked into the sadness within their eyes and hearts that day. I know their pain is genuine. I know that the memorial service, the tree planting ceremony, and the search for Michelle’s killer is all out of love for their daughter. There is no other opportunity, or way, to show that eternal love or the desire to have them back. A parent wants no more than to be able to hold their child in their arms again and to smother them with a lifetime of kisses, to have that physical closeness and affection that a mortal body allows. My wife and I know this from personal experience.

I also know Jason. He and I were close friends through middle and high school. I played soccer side by side with him for many of those years. I stayed in his family’s home and he stayed in mine. We had many mutual friends, coaches and teachers. We shared many good times together and I can say, honestly and with certainty, that he is not the type of person that would ever take another’s life.

And what is your experience of “the type of person who would ever take another’s life?”  Unless you are a Death Row preacher, how would you know?

 In fact, he is one of the least confrontational people I know. He, more than most of us, was always willing to laugh something off

Yeah, we heard he’s quite the joker.

 rather than be upset by it. If anything, I think most of those who knew Jason growing up, would say that he has many more friends than enemies and that Michelle loved Jason for all the same reasons that his hometown, friends and family does.

I’m trying to figure out why anyone, outside of his mother, would love Jason.  I have more friends than enemies, but that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.  It just means that nobody hates me.

I am not sure who this person gojo is, but the comments that I see written here do not reflect the man I know him to be.

What you see is what you get.  “This person gojo” is a retired English teacher from Brevard.  He has admitted it, his IP traces to the home of that teacher, and he uses that teacher’s email address.  People change.  Teachers, team mates, friends.  They grow up,  grow old…change.

 Regardless, I do not defend anyone who would make those types of remarks or who responds to them with the same type of ignorance and hatred. If either one of you has any desire to protect the Fisher’s, the Young’s or the vision of our founding fathers who thought freedom of speech something worthy of upholding, you will stop this nonsense.

Gojo has said and done some awful things.  Jason has done some even more awful things.  I have no problem dishing back what Gojo has dished out in his role as Jason’s self-appointed mouthpiece and defender.

If you feel the desire to help either one, or both of these families deal with the grief of this tragedy, try to place yourself in their shoes first, then talk about how we as supporters, can truly make a difference in their lives and honor Michelle.

I want JUSTICE!