All it took was a verdict of "not guilty" (and before that a quick slice of the knife) to suddenly cause millions of men to clutch their genital area in horror and millions of women to deliver hi-fives to each other.

Of course I'm referring to Lorena Bobbitt's acquittal of a malicious wounding charge for cutting off her husband's penis. So I ask myself, "How did American society stray so far as to lead to such a verdict?" Before you shout, "he deserved it," hear me out.

Lorena Bobbitt was acquitted on temporary insanity due to her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt, allegedly raping and abusing her. What ever happened to the legal statute that states that a citizen cannot be tried for the same crime twice? Only a few month's earlier John Wayne Bobbitt was aquitted of rape charges against his wife and now the jury in this trial, in essence finds him guilty of the same charge.

What we have here is an alarming pattern of revenge being justified in this country. In addition to this latest case, consider the Menedez brothers' trial and the Reginald Denny beating case. The brothers' trial resulted in a hung jury despite the fact they shot each of their parents many times. The assailants in the Denny case were found guilty of minor charges campared to the attempted murder charge that was sought and should have been given.

Both of these cases, like the Lorena Bobbitt trial, alleviated the defendants of responsibility for their actions due to underlying conditions. The hung jury was stuck over the brothers' childhood abuse allegations and Denny's assailants escaped attempted murder charges because they were caught up in the riots following the Rodney King trial.

I submit to you that this is a product of the decay of moral values and a sense of right and wrong in this country. When the jury decides upon a verdict it is supposed to judge the defendants guilt on the evidence presented in court and not by its sympathy and compassion for the plaintiff.

Obviously, the weeping displayed by Lorena Bobbitt and the jury's bias (I believe there were 7 women and 5 men) in essentailly accusing John Wayne Bobbitt of rape led to Lorna Bobbitt's acquittal.

Well, darn it, she was guilty. Castrating a man is just as bad as raping a woman. Maybe John Bobbitt did rape his wife and did abuse her throughout their marriage (and from what I've heard he should have been found guilty), but that doesn't justify such savage revenge.

The fact is she should have left him, sought help and solved the problem in court. For militant feminists to put Lorena up on a pedestal for her unjust action is despicable and disgusting.

When revenge is justified our whole legal system is undermined. Whose to say that I can't run you over with my car because you ran over my dog? "Your honor, I was temporarily insane due to my grief over the tragic loss of Fido."

Now why wouldn't some sicko love to run over someone or cut off someone's penis or bash someone's face in with a brick if all they get is 40 days in an asylum with some shrink? People, it is time we decipher between right and wrong and stop rewarding criminal behavior.