Graziano Family Threats to Hogans

The step-brother of John Graziano - the ex-marine left comatose after Nick Hogan's reckless driving accident months ago - has left phone messages on the Hogans' answering machine threatening to make Nick Hogan bleed, uttering death threats, and the promise to piss on the family's grave.

I understand the pain caused to the Graziano family - and I'm not even going to get on the bandwagon of John being the only legal adult in the car, not wearing a seatbelt, knowing Nick's driving history etc. etc. etc. - even people who die from their own drunk driving have those who mourn them, and deserve that. However, responding to pain with pain is damaging and harmful, and criminal behaviour is not made less so because it occurs in response to other criminal behaviour.

I never thought I'd say this, but Hulk Hogan's introspective, sincere-seeming discussion on Larry King last week - which was hardly the puff piece (nor the acting job - Terry Bollea is NOT that good an actor) many have made it out to be - came off as more classy than the Grazianos here, who simply have played into the character questioning the Hogans have engaged in prior to now. Hulk's Christian approach to forgiveness and tolerance in the face of this treatment, even to this family who is showing themselves to not be the pure, innocent, injured folk they have passed themselves off to be, is actually a lesson to the Grazianos.

I'm not expressing sympathy here for the Hogans - their parenting skills have been proven to be sub-par, and Nick Bollea has proven to at the very least be a spoiled and immature individual. They deserve every ounce of bad press they have received. Nor, again, am I suggesting the Grazianos' loss was not inexpressably great. I don't even question their lawsuit - I understand magnanimity is easier from those who have done wrong than those who have been wronged. I am just saying that, even more than revenge - financial or otherwise - or discrediting the Hogans, or any of that ever could, it would be more healing for the Grazianos themselves in the long run to let the pain end somewhere and begin the focus on whatever healing John can do. Making his life as long and as comfortable as it can be - rather than making the Hogans miserable - should be the prime point here.

Some advice for the Grazianos, to help them do what I really feel their point is here - to let their son's accident not be in vain: rather than getting in the gutter and destroying the massive sympathy you have out of bitterness, turn into expressions of love (a charity, a seatbelt or road racing awareness campaign, a military support charity) your unfortunate - though understandable - expressions of hate (criminal threats which make them no better - and indeed, through intent, worse - than the Hogans).