Gheorghe Dinca may have murdered her, but many are guilty and need to be held accountable.
For Shame
They didn't want to shame him?!
This 65-year old man abducted, raped, and murdered at least two girls (15 and 18) and they're worried about his being shamed for it? I asked why such things would even be considered, to which I was told that the rulers here in Romania have long been corrupt and prone to asking for and receiving bribes to pervert justice or conversely to do the work they are tasked with doing. Those who have cheated their ways to high positions have changed laws so that they would not be humiliated in the event they are one day called to account for their crimes. But as of right now, bribery and corrupt practices are just the way things get done here, so many corrupt leaders don't yet fear reprisal for their ways.
The conditions of hospitals, businesses, and even the police and government agencies have long been affected by the hopelessness bred by communist regimes and the socialist mindset. Add to this the cronyism of placing friends and family and financial backers into positions of power despite their inability to complete what they are tasked with doing, and you have a system of government that lifts up the foolish to lead and provides protection to criminals who abuse the people of this beautiful country.
Know The Difference
You are hurting your own people, and you don't even care.
You are selfish, self-serving, you have escaped justice for far too long! Ecclesiastes 8:11 (ESV) says, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil." You have willingly done evil, escaped punishment, and you line your pockets with wealth. To what end?
The Result
There were a series of articles, in order of publishing, that each give information lacking in what came before the last one. In this article, we first learn that "Suspect Gheorghe Dinca, 65, told police he had killed Alexandra Macesanu, who went missing on Wednesday, and 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, missing since April." But what was most shocking to me in this latest tragedy is 19 hours passed –– 19 HOURS! –– between her cry for help and the murderer's capture. But –– again, in such a way that the sweetheart isn't shamed for his murder.
C'mon.
This article tells us of the previous murder of Luiza he confessed to, this one speaks to the corruption and poor leadership that allowed young Alexandra's life to be snuffed out, this one deals with a family member's anger over the weak action that took his niece's life, and finally this one shows the transcripts of the 112 calls (Romania's version of 911) she made during her capture. I warn you, if you're compassionate in the least, you WILL BE upset by the treatment she received mere hours before her death. Her pleas for help should have brought swift action, but instead they reveal a sickening level of incompetence at the call center and from officers, and such deplorable behavior by those tasked and charged with caring for the scared and injured.
Yes, I know Gheorghe killed Alexandra, but so many others made it possible.
But this isn't a Romanian problem. Foolishness is no respecter of persons or places, and we will have to answer for the stupid things we say and do. I am thankful that our sins are already paid for in Christ's blood if we trust in Jesus, but that does not mean that the stupidity we unleash on the world by our sin will be ignored, even after we trust in our Savior. People are harmed, and even die (like this man in Dallas, TX. in the USA), when those tasked to serve and protect are unconscionable blow-hards who laugh and shame and twiddle their thumbs as people suffer.
They should be held accountable. They should lose their jobs. They should be shown how their decisions affect real people in the real world, first and foremost by experiencing the fall-out from their own front porch.
So What Now?
So for those who champion the inherent violence found in words while concurrently excusing the necessity of actual, physical violence as long as they are the ones doing it, I should be clear:
- I am purposefully shaming Gheorghe Dinca for his murders, unapologetically, and am calling him to repent as I also call him to pay for those crimes. This DOES NOT mean I am calling for a vigilante-style vengeance to be carried out.
- I am purposefully shaming those in power who have crafted laws to preserve their power and shield their own selves from condemnation. If you are guilty of wrong, you must face the consequences.
- I am calling for citizens to so vote and elect and act in the way that best sets up your kids and grandkids to live in the way you wish you could have in the past. Don't be selfish, and you could actually see great changes made in your own lifetime.
- I am calling for individuals to be equipped with training unique to their roles, and then consequences to be clear for those who fail to act in accord with their roles.
- I am calling for reasonable, wise, and fitting treatment of individuals. Both leaders and employees must be set up to succeed and to serve others as their position warrants.
- I am calling for laws to convict the guilty rightly, and acquit the innocent justly, so that the evil will find it hard to continue in evil and the good will know that the evil are resisted in their own neighborhoods.
Why would I ask for these things? Because murders like this shouldn't keep happening. This is not okay. This isn't a comprehensive list of actions, by any means, but it's a place to start so we can gain back the trust of the communities we serve.
No one should have to see the bones of their child openly displayed for the world to see, but the murderer who took their child's life spared the humiliation of having to be seen. Scroll back up and look at his face. Remember his name. Do not forget the hurt he has caused. Do not acquiesce to the kind of culture that lets people like him go free, and leaders of corruptible and shameless practices continue to abuse your family, friends, and nation.
Such things will continue to happen until we do something about them. We have to approach our problems face to face. We cannot ignore the evil in our midst, especially when our culture insists in our inherent goodness. We are all broken. It's time to admit this, and scream for change. To hold up the guilty for justice and seek to free the innocent.
God, help us.