Most of the nation has heard about the recent California court case involving a Stanford University swimmer and anonymous victim. The freshman swimmer, Brock Turner, was convicted of sexual assault after brutally raping an unconscious victim after a party. Nobody knows what would have happened if two Swedish students had not stopped to help the woman, and stop Turner from running away. What everyone does know is that the sentence that Brock Turner did receive after putting this woman through both mental and physical harm, is extremely light. While the victim did tell the officer that she did not want her rapist behind bars for his entire life, she did not mean that he should be put in a cell for six months at most.

Those who feel sympathy for Brock Turner have claimed that he should not be given a hard sentence because he has never been in trouble before, he has worked hard to become an All-American swimmer at Stanford University and has the potential to do good in society. Never mind that he took advantage of an unconscious woman; that should all be forgiven.

Two of Brock Turner's biggest supporters have been his parents. Granted, this is expected. Most parents don't view their children as being capable of committing rape, but it's hard to ignore the accusation when there is this much attention on a national scale. In Brock Turner's father's viral letter, he claims that his son's sentence is "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action." While there are a number of things wrong with this sentence, one in particular stands out. No matter how many minutes it is, rape is rape and it should be justly addressed. It does not matter if you are sober or intoxicated; you should know when you're committing a crime.

Even though the victim has decided to remain anonymous, there has been a tremendous outpour of love and support for her. The fact that she has remained anonymous has proved that there is an issue with rape culture in our society. The simple words, "rape culture", have become so ingrained into our minds that they do not frighten or shock us as they used to. That is an issue. There should be no rape culture. Women should not have to worry about being told what their thoughts or feelings were after they have been attacked. This victim should not have to live with this tragedy for the rest of her life, but she does. And there is no going back to fix that.

There has been a large uproar to get the judge of this case removed. Not only is he a Stanford graduate, but he apparently felt a type of sympathy for Brock Turner when his case was presented. Enough sympathy to give the 20-year-old a six month sentence, which can possibly be cut down if Turner exhibits good behavior. The entire country has been able to see the injustice in this case, it's a wonder how the judge was able to miss it.

Just is defined as "based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair." There seems to be a lack of this in the justice system. It is our job to make a big enough demand for it to be returned. The victim in this case was brave enough to share her letter and experience with the rest of the world. We have to thank her for bringing this case to our attention, but now we must respond by helping her and the hundreds of other rape victims. The justice system has to do the same. Judges who know guilty from innocent must be put into office.

No matter with which political party you affiliate, your sexual preference, gender, race or religion, you are taught right from wrong from a young age. You know when you have done something that deserves to be punished, and the legal system in our country needs to recognize it too. We need not to be distracted by the media's portrayal of, in this case, the rapist and address the blatant display of inequality. If there are fair sentences for all people, no matter their background, then the court system can once again be trusted.