Smokey the Bear's mortal enemy is no longer going to be homeless. He's going to prison.
Steven Emory Butcher was convicted of starting devastating fires in California on two separate occasions. As punishment, the state sentenced him to four years in prison and ordered him to pay the state more than $101 million.
What kind of punishment is that?
The likelihood of California receiving the court-ordered sum is about the same as Freddie Prinze Jr. ever making another hit movie.
Honestly, how does the court expect a homeless person to scrounge up that kind of dough?
There's no gloved palm, pickle jar or guitar case big enough to hold that much money.
Also, we understand prison time is the most typical form of punishment in this country, but how will time behind bars (and under a roof) make a homeless man realize he screwed up people's lives?
We are not being insensitive. This single person caused two fires that destroyed about 232,000 acres of Golden State land; we don't think rewarding him with shelter will get the state's point across.
OK, maybe we're being a bit hasty in our ranting, but it doesn't make sense to slap someone on the wrist when he is the cause of so much damage. Maybe it's time to think of a more fitting way for states to punish their indigent felons.
