In St. Tammany be thankful for justice system

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
As usual there is lots to be thankful for, and for many of us it is good to have the annual holiday to remind us to pause, and say thanks for so much which is wonderful.
While there is always plenty we can give thanks for, one look at the national news of late and it should make us more thankful than ever for one thing in particular—law abiding communities on the North Shore.
The state of California passed a most unbelievable law in the past year. They decided that no one should be charged with more than a misdemeanor for shoplifting anything under $950.
Consequently, the police mostly don’t even try to arrest anyone as long as the shoplifters don’t hurt anyone.
There had already been a number of incidents that got the national attention when looters began walking into stores, grabbing hundreds of dollars of items, and walked out.
But then this weekend it became clear that thieves are becoming more aware of this ridiculous law, and are going to take advantage of it.
The low life crowd who make their living by stealing from others stormed a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, CA, with over 80 thieves descending on the store, breaking glass cases and loading up their cars with as many things as they could.
Police swarmed in but arrested only three people. And the arrests weren’t for shoplifting! Two men were taken in and charged with possession of burglary tools and stolen property and conspiracy to commit burglary. A woman was charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
Then there was the horrendous incident in Wisconsin on Sunday night when a man who was a career criminal, and should have been in jail, was bailed out again and given the opportunity to drive his car through a Christmas parade where dozens were hit and injured, and five were killed.
The man already had a list of crimes as long as his arm, then had been arrested for domestic violence earlier this month for punching his ex-wife in the face, but was quickly bailed out on a cash $1,000 bail.
Thankfully here in St. Tammany we still have a law-abiding community. Our police and Sheriff’s Office arrest people for any crimes they commit, and our District Attorney’s Office prosecutes to the fullest extent of the law.
It’s hard to tell where this country is going these days, but at least for those of us in St. Tammany Parish we have a criminal justice system that does its job.
The way things are going in other areas of the country we might be best to thank the Lord for that.