Comments on: NASA To Review Astronaut Screening Process

Space Agency Will Evaluate Its Psychological Screening Following Love Triangle Arrest

[talkingham]

Of course "poor" people should be prosecuted for their crimes and the rich and wealthy and service people should not. The "poor" do nothing for the economy or the nation other than make it poorer. Perhaps they should go to Mexico where they would be considered richer.

This wouldn't be the first time someone of means had a breakdown and did some things that are really dumb. Or maybe maybe an alien spirit got to her in outer space. But to blame this poor lady for the fact that the poor are prosecuted for their crimes is tawdry logic at best.

Sounds like the same authorities are handling this investigation that handled the Aqua Teen Hunger Force terror scare- a complete over reaction to gloam Turner out of a couple of million-- talk about a crime!!! This incident barely goes byond the teen catfights we see every day on U-tube.

[pima6]

hey imsater


TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS FUN AND EXCITING!!!!

[jabberwock11]

"George Bush & D. Cheney should both be on trial for their numerous crimes."

By the way I hate Bush and Cheney but they have nothing to do with this case so I think this is the wrong forum to bring that up.

[dogsoul]

Outrageous response eh???

You said, "When the evidence is in...then we'll have a better idea of the details and if they are a microcosm of a larger social sexist state that endorses male supremacy"

Again, you're saying that her attack on this victim is ultimately the fault of men. And how you can make such a sexist statement while in the same breath decrying the 'sexist state' is nothing short of pure hypocrisy. I stick by my previous statement - it must be nice to live in a world where you can blame your poor decisions and despicable behavior on the opposite ***. If we want to live in a non-sexist world, how about we start by placing responsibility where it belongs - on the individual responsible, and not on any one gender at large.

[jabberwock11]

"I am really not going to respond to those of you attempting to compare this specific situation to anything else."

That's a cop out. I asked a specific question. If this woman was indeed attempting to murder the victim (and for all we know this might be the case) and had succeeded would you still stand by the statement that she needs psychological help and not prison time. After all, the emotional conditions can be considered the same. Attempted murder is really no different from murder other than one succeeds and the other doesn%u2019t. This is simple question for you to answer if you wish to defend your position. Otherwise I%u2019ll have to assume it%u2019s indefensible.

[toddjones06]

I highly doubt this woman will be having relations with anyone anymore. who would want to be with a woman who wore diapers and pissed herself while driving across country? Yuk! I think she should have to publically change her name to diaper woman and that will be punishment enough.
I wonder if Depends will sign her up as a spokeswoman

[prontopronto]

The "loverboy" may be in the middle, but it's Nowak who got caught when she lost control. Getting messed with in a particular way, at a particular time in life, when you're under particular pressure - those are called mitigating circumstances in law, and often lead to the classic - guilty with an explanation, defence. There have been remarks about how she had it all. If you don't have dignity, you don't have much. Too bad Nowak didn't have a kindly grandma or grandpa to come over and hear her tale of how badly she was betrayed and rejected, used or abused...and have a cup of tea instead of going on a bad mission to create havoc and destroy her life.
The loverboy's of this world usually get away with it. But rotten romantic behavior isn't limited to men alone, it's just encouraged more, that's all. Grandma and Grandpa knew that - and would have advised that there's one born every minute - a sucker to take the hit, and a rotter (or two) to dish it. Wouldn't things have worked out better for Nowak if she'd just had that cup of tea, or maybe a drink with a friend, instead of acting on her justice impulse.
The criminal justice system does take mitigating circumstances into account. Therapy before this might have helped her see that love hurts, and there's not a *** thing you can do about it.

[imsater]

FOLKS,
ADULTERY IS STILL A CRIME IN THE MILITARY ACCORDING TO THE UCMJ AND THEN CONDUCT UNBECOMING WERE TALKING NAVEL OFFICERS HERE THIS WOMAN IS A UNITED STATES MILITARY OFFICER

[tuckerndfw]

I am really not going to respond to those of you attempting to compare this specific situation to anything else.

I did not claim professional or successful people should not be prosecuted.

George Bush & D. Cheney should both be on trial for their numerous crimes. But, their situation is not comparable to that of the deranged woman in the headlined story.

This woman in this specific situation is obviously suffering from a nervous breakdown or other psychotic episode and prosecuting her is pointless.

My opinion will not change nor will I be drawn into ridiculous, irrelevant arguments about unrelated matters, especially hypothetical "what if" scenarios.

[dogsoul]

What ABOUT the loverboy??? We can speculate that he's a creep - even agree to as much... but being a creep or otherwise allegedly toying with two women, married or not may be reprehensible, but it's not illegal - and certainly not on the order of attempted kidnapping, physical assault or worse...

[dogsoul]

So whether or not a person deserves prison for their crimes is a ******* of that person's professional success? Lends come credence to the claims that law only applies to the lower class citizenry. Or perhaps you think one must first demonstrate a series of attempted kidnappings, rapes, murders etc... until you are deemed "prison worthy". And where exactly did you get the information for this statement:

"the primary reason the US has one of the largest prison populations world-wide is precisely because the US does not treat the illness or underlying reasons for people who commit crimes"

The US has the greatest means to capture & prosecute criminals as well as to house them. Many MANY other nations either do not, or have gov't so corrupt it doesn't matter - and as a result, criminals are free to roam. Most of the US criminal population are incarcerated on drug charges - and there are many more drug treatment facilities than found in other countries...

I'm not exactly sure what, in your mind, differentiates a person who would commit such a crime & be deserving of jail versus someone who should just be treated by a doctor - but I can imagine the outrage some would exibit relative to the disparity of justice you're advocating that seems to fall more along the lines of career - possibly race & gender - as opposed to the crime itself...

[cntrygrllst]

just another story for lifetime tv.

[imsater]

I'M FOR THE ABOLITION OF SELF-RIGHTEOUS PIOUSNESS THAT SOME POSTERS SEEM TO OFFER AS FACT RATHER THAN OPINION.

THE LAW IS THE LAW AND IT MUST BE OBEYED FOR THERE TO BE GOOD ORDER. MILITARY LAW IS IN PLACE TO ENSURE GOOD DISCIPLINE, IT WAS BROKEN. THESE OFFICERS HAVE A SPECIAL TRUST PLACED IN THEM.

THEY ARE AT THE PEAK OF PUBLIC AWARENESS ASTRONAUTS AMERICAS BEST!
WE ARE AT WAR! THE TROOPS ARE WATCHING THIS GLOBAL FIASCO, THESE OFFICERS SHOULD BE HUNG FROM THE HIGHEST YARD ARMS IN THE NAVY FOR THIS BLATANT DISRESPECT.

[bjr361]

This is a case of a woman wanting it all. She had a dynamite job, 3 children and a marriage of 19 years but she wanted her boy friend too. There's no man alive worth killing someone over and the spurned woman possibly dying by lethal injection. What about the lover boy who was toying with the affections of these 2 women?

[jabberwock11]

"Whoever said crime doesn't pay was telling a big lie."

Well let's just say most crime doesn't pay. In this case you are probably right though. However it will cost her her reputation at the least.

[toddjones06]

just another woman who was ready and willing to destroy other lives because she could not get what she wanted. How can you feel sympathy for this selfish person? Even if she is mentally ill, why should others who follow the accepted rules of society be subjected to this wacko? Lock her up for a long long time.

[dredre2k]

I smell a made-for-tv Television movie coming.
This chick went batty, and someone's going to write a 2 hour movie story about her crazy trip.

Once the movie is made, she'll write a book and someone out there will buy it.

Whoever said crime doesn't pay was telling a big lie.

[kailumego1]

So, Tuckernedfw, I guess O.J. could have pleaded "insanity", instead of not guilty and gotten off for being "psychotic", according to your analogy. The legal defense for insanity is did the person have the criminal intent or knew what he/she was doing at the commission of a crime. Did he/she have a period of "disassociation%u201D or brief psychosis when the crime was committed? Did he/she try to cover up the crime, or cover his/her tracks? Did the individual know what he/she was doing was wrong at the time of the crime? This woman obviously had time to think about what she was doing and aware it was wrong considering the deceptive methods she used to extract information on this person. And although she traveled miles wearing a diaper does not make her legally insane, only probably suffering from a %u201Cborderline disorder%u201D or she%u2019s Bi-polar/paranoid personality disordered. Either way her actions may have been irrational or insane however, she was acting in the range of her faculties. Individuals are rejected everyday, in which they piece together their lives and move on, only those suffering psychological disorders retort in such drastic measures.

[jabberwock11]

"But, no rational person would argue that a highly successsful person who suddenly began to exhibit such bizarre, uncharacteristic behavior isn't having a psychotic episode or nervous breakdown."

Having a nervous breakdown does not give you carte blanche. Most people end up at their local shrink%u2019s office. If she crashed her car or did a lot of other less drastic things I would tend to agree with you. However if I were victim in this case I would at least like to option of pressing charges. By the way if she had actually committed murder would your assessment be the same? You never answered that.

[prontopronto]

The outrageous response to my post about Nowak's actions being the result of a deeply sexist culture that endorses male supremacy and has women fawning over men despite the insult to their own dignity - further proves my point. The response is angry and as posts accumulate - gets angrier. Sometimes the truth makes people angry. All I know is people treat each other like dirt. It's up to us to take it on the chin and bear up to the pain life offers us - without going over the edge, as Nowak appears to have done. I was simply stating that our culture endorses macho behavior - and that her inability to handle this may have caused her to make the mistake of persuing vigilante justice. It's a free world - too bad people don't use their "freedom" to be civil to one another. To dismiss cultural bias is to have blinders on. Look around. Do the math. There's a lot of stinkers out there. Once in awhile someone loses it. No one is suggesting she be let off the hook, but events like these are an opportunity to dig into the motivation, the incivility that leads to personal tragedy like this. When the evidence is in...then we'll have a better idea of the details and if they are a microcosm of a larger social sexist state that endorses male supremacy.
Now don't go nuts after you read that. It's like denying racism exists...but bark and yell and it's still there. But it sounds like you're into a good tar and feathering.