Italy: Judges Against the Mafia. No Excuses, No Shirked Responsibility.

Judges who prosecute petty criminals sometimes find themselves facing the powerful. Does it hurt more then? It probably should be the same, but that is the exact moment to say… "this matter isn't mine." I'd rather prosecute petty thieves who won't retaliate than powerful people who can. It was July 19, 1992, and Paolo Borsellino was on his way from his home to his mother's house. He had eaten lunch with his wife and two children. But he never made it to his mother's house. When he got into the car, a bomb exploded, and he died along with five of his bodyguards. Giovanni Falcone had been killed a few days earlier: May 23, 1992. Every May 23rd (the anniversary of Falcone's assassination) and July 19th (the anniversary of Borsellino's), the highest authorities of the Italian State lead acts of remembrance for these two judges. These are the days when the word "cowardice" is reflected in those who lack even the slightest moral standing to defend democracy. In the rest of Europe, I don't think they are even celebrated. And in Spain, they aren't even known. Are they not an example to anyone? Both were judges who fought directly against the mafia. They didn't hide behind a couple of easy excuses. They could have stepped away from their cases with any cheap excuse, but they decided that what inspired them to become judges was worth more than the cowardice of stepping aside.