Sad Story...

Normally I'd be all over a story with a headline like this:

Mountain justice? NC dad accused of avenging son

BREVARD, N.C. — Three months after Charles O'Shields' son was killed in an argument over a woman, the grieving father found the man charged with his death at a Dollar General store in the North Carolina mountains. Authorities say O'Shields gunned Toby Mathis down among the aisles of cheap merchandise last week and then fled in a getaway car driven by his sister.

O'Shields turned himself in Tuesday to face first-degree murder charge after six days on the run. The local sheriff hopes the surrender ends a feud that has created a body count equal to what the sparsely populated county considers a violent year.

The story turns, though, with the events leading up to the son's death. Son got himself killed doing something stupid after his girlfriend broke up with him. Most of us can identify, I'd guess; nobody likes to lose. But jumping in the back of a pickup truck driven by your ex's new beau, especially after you've been taunting him and challenging him to a fight? That's just a bad move. Now, granted, he didn't deserve to die over it, but it was completely avoidable.

Then the story turns again. The new beau is charged with involuntary manslaughter. From the sounds of things, he didn't serve any time. He - and the ex - then start taunting the father of the dead man - just a stupid, classless move. The death of a child, even a senseless, preventable one, can change a person in dramatic, drastic ways; I shudder to think of the hell that poor man went through watching his son's killer walking free - and taunting him as well.

Now we have two dead young men. A third man's life is in ruins, as is his family's. All over a senseless death brought about by an even more senseless confrontation, fueled by testosterone and a shocking lack of common sense or decency. There's no good in this story, only bad; the only lesson to be learned - and it's an eternal one - is don't be stupid and do stupid things.

All I know is I'm going to hug my son a little tighter tonight and pray I'm giving him the skills to handle life's disappointments in a smart way...

That is all.