It still counts as robbery if you hand the victim your bullet...

The praying robber. He's everywhere. Even on Oprah(which is probably why I know his name). Gregory Smith wished his 2 year old daughter a happy birthday on Oprah last Friday via Skype while he is being held in jail for the robbery of a check cashing store. The You tube video has some crazy amount of hits. Angela Montez is the woman begging for her life in the picture to the left. She was also on Oprah on Friday helping Greg to tell his story. He waves a gun in her face and she commends and thanks him for his service in the armed forces. WHAT? I would hope that I could be as forgiving as Angela after an even so traumatizing her life is probably forever changed. Greg Smith said that Mrs. Montez spoke to him in a way no one else had ever done. I'm sure he did the same for her since she said it was the first time she ever had a gun waved in her face. She went on to assure him of all the great things she knew were waiting for him in his lifetime if he used prison to turn himself around. His defense was that he was out of money and needed a way to pay for his daughter's upcoming birthday. He hadn't had a job in almost a year because his license was suspended and to drive a company truck you need a valid drivers license. Oh, and his girlfriend was a nag and that put a lot of pressure on him. The nagging spouse defense...wow, does it ever get old? We just ruin everything. I applaud Angela Montez for her ability to forgive, I have caught myself wondering more than once this weekend if someone jeopardized my life with my family if I would be so quick to attempt to understand that person's plight. What I despise about this situation is the message that it sends to anyone contemplating this way of solving money problems: Attempt to rob someone, cry about it on Oprah, then see if you can find one person to sit on your jury and not feel sorry for you...or just make sure you pick a really forgiving victim and you're all set.

Could you be as forgiving as Angela Montez 4 days after an attempted robbery? Do you think Gregory Smith deserves to go to jail for this??