Ralph “Bucky” Phillips: Caught
Ralph “Bucky” Phillips has finally been apprehended. For those of you who are unaware, this “man” (and I use that term very, very loosely in this instance) escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, on April 2, 2006. While on the run, Phillips allegedly shot three New York State Troopers, one of whom died as a result.Phillips had spent 23 of the last 25 years of his life in prison. At the time of his escape, he was cooling his jets in the clink because of a minor parole violation. He was scheduled to be released in a week.
Yeah, you read that right.
In. A. Week.
Rather than serve that week, he escaped and has been accused of subsequently murdering two state troopers. He will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, with no hope of parole. All to avoid spending an extra week in jail.
Only. One. Extra. Week.
Believe it or not, there’s a lesson for all of us in this. Whenever we attempt to avoid accountability for our actions, and try to dodge paying the price for our choices, we end up imprisoned in some form or another. Whether it’s the physical prison where Phillips will likely spend the rest of his life, or a psychic prison of our own making, the end result is a merely a difference of degree. It is so much cheaper to simply pay the price for our actions than it is to try to escape paying that price. Why anyone would throw away his freedom to avoid learning this simple lesson is inconceivable to me.