US prison population hits 2 million.

[Baoh]

BOOM! Saw this coming a mile away.

This should be fun.

 

[Baby Gorilla]

My guess....

Watching this happen over the years, here's my guess of why it's exploding.

It's American culture.

The average American seems to want something for nothing. We glamourize violence. We say it's illegal to talk about God in the classroom but it's okay to talk about "alternative lifestyles" and sexuality. If religion is something reserved for the home and church, when did the birds and the bees suddenly become the perview of public education?

The only morality imposed in American society is the lowest common denominator. While I don't begrudge Tupac from his success, that a criminal can become such a public icon (God only knows how far that influence worked on young minds) doesn't bode well for our society. Remember when our childhood heros were people of virtue? Role models to live up to? Now we get Tupac, Bill Clinton, and the like.

Going back to prison population.

The common thread is that without morality, there is no respect for the law. I don't like what the laws say on many occasions, but I obey them because that's the moral thing to do. If a law is that bad, I fight to have it changed or recinded.

The average American thinks nothing of lying to get something they are not entitled to. The average American sees nothing wrong with breaking the law so long as nobody really gets hurt and they get away with it.

Sadly, a lot of people get caught, and if we don't punish them, it's going to become Hell on earth. So....lawlessness abounds, and prison populations explode. The solution isn't more prisons. The solution is a return to morality.

Beating up a guy over a dispute is not the way to solve the dispute.

Killing a person for anything but self-defense is not right.

Raping someone for sexual gratification isn't justified.

Selling drugs to make a living isn't right especially when you're pushing the really bad stuff. For the lesser things, push to change the laws, don't whine about getting caught.

Don't have the things you want? Get a job and earn them. Don't jack someone else's stuff to get it for free. Otherwise, learn to be happy with what little you have.

 

[KAYNE]

It would be an interesting discussion to have...the "What makes on person better than another" ....but it would most likely be reduced to flame wars in our chat board.

I put education and experience as a VERY big factor when i deal with people. Those are 2 things I will always respect.

After that....well too many things to list.

But generally, if a person is older than you, more educated than you, and more experienced than you...they are more likely BETTER than you......don't you think?

I do.

Regardless, I simply put the number of convicts up because frankly it surprised me. I thought the number was far lower than that.

Fonz

SO ARE YOU READY TO ADMIT THAT BABYDOC IS A BETTER PERSON THAN YOU??? GOING BY YOUR CRITERIA OF COURSE.

GENERALLY, IF A PERSON IS OLDER THAN YOU, MORE EDUCATED THAN YOU, AND MORE EXPERIENCED THAN YOU.......THEY ARE OLDER, MORE EDUCATED, AND MORE EXPERIENCED. NOT A BETTER PERSON.

NONE OF THAT CRITERIA HAS SHIT TO DO WITH BEING A GOOD PERSON.





KAYNE

 

[plornive]

If you plan and think about what you are doing, you won't get caught for doing many illegal things. If you don't get caught, you won't go to jail. Don't get fucked.

 

[WODIN]

Is this more than China?

We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1!

 

[plornive]

Is this more than China?

We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1! We're no. 1!

You bet we are! But they are beating us in executions by far.

 

[musclebrains]

Re: My guess....

Watching this happen over the years, here's my guess of why it's exploding.

It's American culture.

The average American seems to want something for nothing. We glamourize violence. We say it's illegal to talk about God in the classroom but it's okay to talk about "alternative lifestyles" and sexuality. If religion is something reserved for the home and church, when did the birds and the bees suddenly become the perview of public education?

The only morality imposed in American society is the lowest common denominator. While I don't begrudge Tupac from his success, that a criminal can become such a public icon (God only knows how far that influence worked on young minds) doesn't bode well for our society. Remember when our childhood heros were people of virtue? Role models to live up to? Now we get Tupac, Bill Clinton, and the like.

Going back to prison population.

The common thread is that without morality, there is no respect for the law. I don't like what the laws say on many occasions, but I obey them because that's the moral thing to do. If a law is that bad, I fight to have it changed or recinded.

The average American thinks nothing of lying to get something they are not entitled to. The average American sees nothing wrong with breaking the law so long as nobody really gets hurt and they get away with it.

Sadly, a lot of people get caught, and if we don't punish them, it's going to become Hell on earth. So....lawlessness abounds, and prison populations explode. The solution isn't more prisons. The solution is a return to morality.

Beating up a guy over a dispute is not the way to solve the dispute.

Killing a person for anything but self-defense is not right.

Raping someone for sexual gratification isn't justified.

Selling drugs to make a living isn't right especially when you're pushing the really bad stuff. For the lesser things, push to change the laws, don't whine about getting caught.

Don't have the things you want? Get a job and earn them. Don't jack someone else's stuff to get it for free. Otherwise, learn to be happy with what little you have.

Actually, you could as well argue that it's the imposition of morality, through the criminal justice system, that fills up the prisons. The demonization of pleasure through laws that regulate drugs and consensual sex is definitely moralistic -- as is turning sex into something that can only be talked about at home.

An example of the way sex is especially demonized: We attempted to impeach Clinton for lying about a blow job. Now we have Dubya and his cronies lying repeatedly about Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Which is the more serious lie? A curious logic has developed among the right: As the lies legitmating the invasion of Iraq are exposed, the right simply creates new rationales. We went from being under nuclear threat to being the liberating salvation of the Iraqi people. Dubya, according to his friends, sees himself as called by God. Iraq is in part a war on infidels.

The right makes quite a fuss about its support of individual rights but, now that it has ascended to power in this country, it is rapidly going about the business of attempting to impose its morality everywhere, diminishing the freedom of individuals -- whether its women's right to have abortions, the right to end one's own life under medical supervision, even the right of due process. There's a reason John Ashcroft equates, literally, terrorism and drug use. It's the same logic that partially underlies the invasion Iraq: Get the immoral infidels.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

Still pretty sad that almost 1% of a nation is in prison. Seems crime is getting worse, not better. now we treat them like royalty. sigh

Spoken like a boy who has never seen the inside of a jail.

 

[MattTheSkywalker]

Re: Re: My guess....

Actually, you could as well argue that it's the imposition of morality, through the criminal justice system, that fills up the prisons.

There's a reason John Ashcroft equates, literally, terrorism and drug use. It's the same logic that partially underlies the invasion Iraq: Get the immoral infidels.

I agree. It is the desire of those in authority to impose their view of morality that increases the rate of incarceration. Until man stops thinking this way (the destruction of the major religions?) we will never know true freedom.

The country has moved so far right that people are not seeing this. But we will, and not from a perspective we like.

 

[posthuman]

Re: Re: My guess....

Actually, you could as well argue that it's the imposition of morality, through the criminal justice system, that fills up the prisons. The demonization of pleasure through laws that regulate drugs and consensual sex is definitely moralistic -- as is turning sex into something that can only be talked about at home.

An example of the way sex is especially demonized: We attempted to impeach Clinton for lying about a blow job. Now we have Dubya and his cronies lying repeatedly about Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Which is the more serious lie? A curious logic has developed among the right: As the lies legitmating the invasion of Iraq are exposed, the right simply creates new rationales. We went from being under nuclear threat to being the liberating salvation of the Iraqi people. Dubya, according to his friends, sees himself as called by God. Iraq is in part a war on infidels.

The right makes quite a fuss about its support of individual rights but, now that it has ascended to power in this country, it is rapidly going about the business of attempting to impose its morality everywhere, diminishing the freedom of individuals -- whether its women's right to have abortions, the right to end one's own life under medical supervision, even the right of due process. There's a reason John Ashcroft equates, literally, terrorism and drug use. It's the same logic that partially underlies the invasion Iraq: Get the immoral infidels.

Good post.