The wages of justice is death

Tim Roche died last week at the age of 38.  Before he moved forward in his career, Tim was a staff writer for a local newspaper here in Florida and became the first reporter in the state to go to jail for refusing to reveal a source.

The on-line edition of the newspaper in question allows readers to post comments and given the reactionary, religious and ignorant nature of certain Florida counties it can be depressing to read them.

Mr. Roche was jailed for contempt of court in1990 when he refused to identify the person who let him see a confidential child-custody order he used to write a story about a little girl about to be returned to the family that had killed her sister through neglect.  Prosecutors had been unable to decide which parent was guilty, according to newspaper accounts and so dropped the case and sealed the records.  Roche’s expose had the result of stopping this impending tragedy and allowing the girl to grow up with good and loving foster parents.  Because of Tim Roche’s courage and sense of honor, she is alive, well, grateful and happy today.

But only in the Bible belt will you read comments claiming that Tim died young because he had broken the law and the wages of sin is cerebral hemorrhage.

Roche had appealed the case to no avail.  The Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme court refused to hear his case and as there were no activist Judges willing to inject a sense of justice into the matter, he went to jail for a short time. In this state that can mean, among other things, that he could never vote again.  

To some people who call themselves conservative and Christian he got his reward for breaking the law.  To others like me and in particular to the girl whose life he likely saved he is a hero. Apparently there exists a new and bizarre form of cracker Christianity that feels Jesus got his just desserts for having broken Roman law and for these people, despite my own ethical and moral convictions, I wish the most protracted, painful and ignominious end.