[Originally posted at www.larsonshow.com]
Jealousy is a terrible thing.
I will preemptively tell you that I am taking the liberty of assuming the subject of this story rammed her car into her husband’s car because she was jealous.
News reports say that Leticia Guerrero of Idaho Falls was arrested after she ran her car, multiple times, into her husband’s vehicle. Had her husband been the only occupant, I would have assumed anger. Had her husband and three kids been in the car, I would have considered insanity as a motive. Her husband and three kids were in the car, but there was a fifth person, which makes jealousy the chief suspect of motivators.
It was her ex husband’s new girlfriend sitting in the passenger seat.
I won’t even begin to defend Leticia’s actions. (I’m not sure why I feel like I can properly call her by her first name, other than to say perhaps I feel an odd kinship with her.) Some of us may have to hearken back to high school, or even junior high, to dust off the memory of romantic jealousy. The sad fact is that jealousy was powerful enough then that most of us can quickly dust off those memories.
I have a theory that we all have a little kid inside of us. A snot-nosed, greedy, tantrum-throwing kid who thinks he owns everything under the sun. If we don’t get control of the inside br
at, he takes over. He’s particularly posessive of positive love and attention. Throw in a little drama, insecurity and co-dependence, and you have the recipe that can cook even the sanest of souls into a criminal.
Referring to my third paragraph, I want to revise my thoughts, mid-blog post. I eliminated anger and insanity as motives earlier. Actually jealousy is anger and insanity. And more. Sort of like when you mix two flavors — say orange and chocolate — you get a whole new flavor. Jealousy is a lot like that. It’s not one single emotion. It’s a mix of a few ugly ones.
Not that I’m a guy who thinks we should be easy on criminals, nor do I think a woman who would ram a car containing her three children has any reasonable excuse. But there’s that little nugget of empathy inside me, created out of those dusted off memories, that gives me pause to consider the pain of a tortured soul driven to do something stupid.
What I hope will happen, which won’t happen, will be that the husband will be so impressed by the intensity of this ex-wife’s emotion that he’ll ditch the new babe, ask for his ex to come back, make again the home intact, and give three scared kids a mom and dad they deserve.
But that’s nearly as unrealistic as the little jealous brat inside all of us. But we can always hope.
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Gato got runned over by Marcus many moons ago. Be ye daft, 2486? 
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I must admit, after reading this story in the paper this morning, I took a moment to fantasize about doing exactly what this woman did (minus the kids in the car).
But I came back to reality, albeit with a little smile on my face.
She did a no-no, and I would never do what she did, but my… what a fantasy.
Reminds me of a Greenday song. I’m just a sucka with no self esteem! yea yea yea!
We all go through jealousy at some point in our lives but most of us grow out of it. I remember I was a jr in HS and jealousy got the best of me once. This guy had been hitting on my g/f at the time. Me and a couple buddies went up and knocked on his door one afternoon and when we realized nobody was home, or so we thought, I did about a dozen donuts in their front yard completely tearing it up via these big 45 Mickey Thompson tires. Ahhhh, those were the good ole days. Didn’t hurt anyone buy myself but it sure felt good while I was doing it. Come to find out his Mom was home that day and didn’t bother to come to the door but as I was pulling out of her yard I looked back and saw her standing in the living rm window in complete shock from watching me tear up her lawn. I had to pay to have her lawn replaced but it was oh so much fun!
Offspring Crabman, Offspring.
Thanks Marcus
yep. offspring, great band.
I should add, to my comment #1, that my fantasy had nothing to do with jealousy, as I had read the article in the paper before the jealousy aspect had been brought up.
Nope, no jealousy, it would have just given me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Good thing those urges have passed. Is it good to grow up… I guess so.
Oh, and great story Crabman.
wow, for someone that was shy in highschool I would have never expected that of her.
Gotta wonder what hides in a lot of shy people…;)
Wanna bet she gets a slap on the wrist by the courts because she’s female? When men doing something insane like this they go to prison. When women do it they get coddling and slaps on the wrist – case in point is Leslie Watson here in Idaho Falls. She lost her husband and then lost custody of their child to her now ex-husband and his new wife. So Leslie responds by trying to MURDER her daughter in a MURDER – suicide attempt. Leslie if you forget is the woman who drove her car over the waterfalls just off Broadway. She got a whopping 3 years probation with the chance to have her record expunged. Three years probation for trying to MURDER her daughter. Let me repeat she tried to MURDER her daughter. If this had been the ex-husband he’d still be in prison. No doubt the female in this case will get a slap on the wrist too.
I wondered what happened to that lady. I can’t believe she only got probation. Something is wrong with that picture for sure.
I think she needs to get the maximum sentence for what she did. Its totaly unexeptable. There can’t be any tolerance for violense. If this was a man he would get in a lot of trouble for it.
Wasn’t this the same person who was reported as missing a few weeks ago, and then found?
http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=10216952
Hmmm… could put a new twist on things. I wonder why she was missing.
If a person really thinks about it, Jealousy is a very selfish feeling. There is no need for it. To turn the other check is the best way to handle such. I use to get very jealous, for reasons unfounded. But now, jealousy is a factor I avoid, and does not bother me far as much as it did in my school years and beyond. If you figure jealousy is a selfish concept, the outcome is much better in self recognition, and easier to deal with. Don’t let it get to you, for the perpatrator is at ease and happy with this. It just fuels the perpetrator. Sure, jealousy has it’s good points, but mainly it is unhealthy and pathetic. Think of it as selfish, to understand. This is from my own perspective and learned, as well as my own opinion.
That also brings up another point that never made any sense to me.
Why would a person so badly want to be with another person that clearly has no interest in them? Why would this woman so badly want to be with a man that has so obviously moved on?
IMO, I would much rather be happy with someone that I know wants my company than fight to be with someone that doesn’t want to be with me, that’s just ridiculous.
anyone ever heard of borderline personality disorder? it is a very debilitating illness, but there is treatment. Even just traits of it can be terrible for the sufferer, and those around them.
I have heard of this, but I don’t know what it is. Would it make someone do what this woman did?
google borderline personality and you will be able to decide for yourself. It is considered that a lot of people with bpd have bipolar disorder at the same time……but people with bipolar dont necessarily suffer from bpd. I think it’s about 2percent of the population have bpd, cant exactly remember, but it’s around that percentage
According to my mother who is a social worker most domestic violence is cause by someone with bipolar disorder. Usually they don’t even know they have it, and most of the people around them just know they are “moody” or volatile. Kinda sucks.
Oh I don’t know, if men would only listen to us and realize we’re right all the time…..none of this would happen.
LOL….. I won’t even go there Reader.
Funny!
lol
I’m mildly surprised that no one has mentioned PMS…
That sometimes makes me feel moody and volatile.