Nothing to it, a crime of silence.

The words “nothing to it” may bother me more than the act itself, not that anything could have been done about it but expedite the arrest process.

This was to be an editorial, but since I have so many opinions on the matter, I'm making this more personal than an anti-septic editorial.

I have fielded questions, asked questions and formed opinions. What happened on Mills and Tenth streets didn't have to happen. What happened on Mills and Tenth streets is not a sign of any real measurable trend, only what happens when alcohol is mixed with three of the major combustion points: Women, money and drugs.

My bet, and what I know from talking to people who aren't in law enforcement, it was more likely an argument over a woman than the other two.

But, according to law enforcement, when they went to investigate the second fight call and spoke with different parties there was nothing to it, just another Saturday night of drinking and brawling over someone who probably wasn't worth it in the beginning. No mention of knives or stabbings, just silence.

The crime of silence. I'll never understand it. Someone is your friend, your loved one, your boyfriend, girlfriend and you have to let the matter fester and deputies have to piece it all together because they get a call from the hospital there's been a stabbing and cutting and someone's dead.

I may be naïve, but this isn't how it should work and, forgive me for stepping on toes, the night shouldn't have ended like it did.

I don't know much about what happened at the VFW. I was sent a notice, an invitation, but didn't go, it seemed to me too claustrophobic, too close.

If what law enforcement tells me is correct, the second fight should have never happened but when alcohol is mixed with raw emotion discretion is not the better part of valor. The better part of valor would have been to keep driving when the beer bottle was thrown, let children be children even if the children are adults and move on.

To address one comment I keep seeing over and over, it wouldn't matter if we had a group of Solomons running the city and county. What are they going to do? Politicians can't prevent folks from taking that drink, being jealous, taking a punch or stabbing someone to death. Those are personal choices that politicians have no control over. Control comes from within, not without.

Trends? I think after talking to a couple of trusted sources, there is a trend of being desensitized, being used to violence, being used to not talking.

How many times do you see the family scene at a restaurant, son has the iPod headphones plugged in his ears and daughter is texting? The crime of silence through technology. One source said call him silly, but he believes the kill 'em all, slaughter all games play a part in this. I used to be the one to dismiss this as absurd, but maybe taking it all and mixing all the ingredients in, there is a point to it. You may correct me if I'm wrong.

Is it eroding values? A clear separation of church and school? The Ten Commandments taken out and gangs commandments taking over? I don't know. I used to be the one to dismiss this as absurd, maybe taking it all and mixing all the ingredients in, there is a point to it. You may correct me if I'm wrong.

I came up on the tail end of prayer in school, only a brief stint. I remember the Pledge of Allegiance and Christmas songs and the Jehovah's Witness kids would simply not participate, a society's right to choose. Were there as many murders then as there are now, probably not.

What about the economy? Could that be a factor? Maybe. One source says people aren't happy when they don't have money, yet there's money to buy beer and booze and get in fights over women. I don't know.

We saw two murders allegedly committed by the same person in September and two people slain around the old airport. Police are mum on why. Could it have been drugs? I would bet yes. Tough times take tolls on drug dealers, too, they're not immune to bills and have to pay them like the rest of us. It's a business model, a simple lesson in economics, try your best to undercut or eliminate your competition.

These are the trends I see, but the biggest trend I see is the crime of silence and people not thinking with cool heads, instead thinking with hot hearts over something if they thought about it for a moment would see it's not worth going to jail over, definitely not worth losing your life over.

I will not make friends from this column because I see no right from either side in what happened on West Tenth and Mills streets, I only see families left to mourn, more bitterness breeding and the unthinkable crime of silence being committed — Lance Martin