My brother, my hero...my pain... 923366

I lost my big brother almost two years ago. Not in the usual way we humans "lose" someone we love, but it's just as gutwrenching and painful. And...its taboo to talk about. You can't embarass your family by telling people about it.

Well, to hell with taboos. I'm talking.

My big brother is wrongly imprisoned for attempted murder. *There*, I said it.

Yes, he shot someone. He shot a methamphetamine addict and thief he caught in his house stealing from him. He shot the guy and his buddy IN THE KNEE. THAT constitutes attempted murder in the state of Florida, USA. Did you know this?

He was immediately arrested, even though HE called the police. Florida is supposed to be a "Castle" state...as in "A Man's Home is His Castle" and he has the right to defend it with deadly force if it is under attack by intruders (which my brother's home was).

Well....ONLY if you use a weapon that the Judge likes, apparently. My brother used an AR-15 to shoot the ass in the knee. The weapon was properly licensed to my brother, who has a military background and is well trained in the use of this weapon. One shot, one kill...right between the eyes. He wasn't trying to kill the ass, he was STOPPING HIM FROM LEAVING WITH HIS STUFF...and sending a message. YOU WONT STEAL FROM ME ANYMORE....AND IM TIRED OF YOUR CRAP, GET OFF THE METH and GET A JOB!

The judge in his case declared him a menace to society! He was forbidden bond while he mounted his legal defense, and the judge cut corners and threw out exculpatory evidence as if it was yesterday's pantiliner.

July 30, 2009, she sent my brother away until 2019. He will be 58 when he is released just shy of his birthday. An old man. His son will be 20 years old (10 when his Dad lost his life)....

I haven't been allowed to write or visit my brother. The only thing I am allowed to do is send money to him on his account. Same for our parents, who live 9 hours away from him now (instead of 5 minutes as had been the case).

Our parents are exhausting their retirement savings in order to defend my big brother, my hero. He has already lost his home, his wife, his son....and now our parents are losing their retirement fund to appeal this travesty of justice.

The meth-head? They took him to the hospital, cleaned him up, released him...and he's up to his same old tricks. He had to find a new house to rob though....my brother's place stands empty. It foreclosed the first week of August 2010. Our parents have sold or stored my brother's belongings, and they took in his dogs. His wife has divorced my brother and moved on and my nephew...misses his Dad terribly.

Life...interrupted. My big brother. My hero. My defender as a child and teenager, I have so many hilarious and wonderful memories of growing up with him.

We went to Catholic school. He was an altarboy. He and his altarboy buddies got into the wine once. Got it BIG trouble for that one. He kicked the ass of a guy who got out of line with me once. Of course, in high school I didnt date too much. My big brother was right there to convince other guys to find someone else....so protectie he was of his little "Sissy".

I miss him. It's weird to talk about him in the past tense, but in some ways you have to when a loved one is sent away. "Jim would have loved this meal"..."Mike would have loved that picture". "Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday....turkey was his favorite"....see what I mean?

And yet...I find myself in this position fairly often....and it brings tears. Especially when I see his mugshot. It breaks my heart all over again. He looks so tough and so hard....like a bad guy and I know he is NOT. I can't imagine how my mother handles this....if it tears me up like this, I don't know how she gets out of bed. But she does, and so do I. Life does go on.

I wish I could hit the lottery. I would fund my big brother's defense all the way to the US Supreme Court. Whatever it takes to get him HOME with his famil and to return him to my young nephew, so his father won't be a stranger to him when he's 20 years old.

At any rate...to my Big Brother, I love you! I miss you. And we'll be RIGHT HERE WAITING FOR YOU!!!!! Always...

Your Little Sissy...