See this is the problem with the mob mentality.  When it surges without direction or ration, insane concepts slowly morph into rational solutions.  Somehow everyone and their brother seem to think that the big problem and pending solution to the Ray Rice/Domestic Violence controversy is to implement a policy that treats all domestic violence issues with the same standards for punishment...in many people's minds, a "Zero tolerance" policy.

This mentality satisfies a lot of the mob's thirst for red meat as they devour one person after the next.  The problem is that while popular, it is a stupid concept.  The inability to comprehend the possible layers and levels that comprise the domestic violence enigma leads us into dangerous territory.  It is convenient and fulfilling for everyone to watch the Ray Rice video and sit back fulfilled as they scream for people to be fired and banned from earning a living for the rest of their lives.  It is easy to proclaim that no person should ever put their hands on another person, as if they hadn't really been a part of the human race for several generations.

Now we have Hope Solo, probably the greatest women's soccer goalie in history.  She has entered the tempest by playing on the U.S. National Team, even though she is facing charges for domestic violence involving her younger sister and her 17 year old cousin (a boy).  By the way, her husband was arrested in a domestic disturbance in the days leading up to her wedding, but wasn't charged.  Now the media is attacking the soccer administrators for allowing her to play.  Clearly they feel that her life should be destroyed as well whether she is guilty or not.  Perhaps her husband's life should have been destroyed and if there is any evidence that her sister and her cousin engaged in any violence as well, perhaps we can add them to the list.

I bartended on the side for years, and when I was younger worked tons of weddings.  I can't even tell you how often the combination of elevated emotions and alcohol led to circumstances of which people certainly wouldn't be proud.  I would imagine if we took the entire Gotham family (probably one of the least violent subsets one could find) and were magically able to get films of the worst night they've ever had in their lives, we would all be shocked at how high of a percentage there would be that wouldn't stand up to the standard we are trying to establish across the board without any discretion.  If all of you thought to yourself about everyone you know that you can ever remember getting into any type of domestic or family altercation, would you like to see their lives destroyed as a result of their trangressions?  My brother and brother-in-law are both cops and the busiest nights of the year for them are when families spend a lot of time with each other.

The spectrum of domestic violence is way too gigantic to ever be properly corraled into any kind of a structured policy.  We need to be intelligent people.  We need to use discretion.  Will it always work out perfectly, of course not.  Should Ray Rice have gotten two games, of course not.  But the one thing that I know for sure is that Hope Solo is not the same as Adrian Peterson, who is not the same as Ray Rice, who certainly is not the same as those other two NFL scoundrels who make Ray Rice's infraction look tepid. We have to be careful that we as a society do not continually seek to destroy people blindly and without compassion.