Which part of "Thou shalt not kill." don't you understand?
Do you support the death penalty?
Given that war is institutionalized killing of people designed "the enemy", under what circumstances do you think war is justifiable and morally acceptable?
Is it OK to industrialize the slaughter of animals so we can eat their meat?
Are humans animals?
Do you oppose abortion but support the death penalty and war under some circumstances?
Do you think abortion is the lesser of several evils and, therefore, should remain available?
Is a fertilized egg a chicken? Is a sprouting acorn an oak tree?
Do you think a two or four cell embryo is a bona fide human being? If so, do you think a fertilized ovum (one cell) is a human being? How many cells must an embryo have to be a real human being?
Do you see the world in black and white, either-or, non-nuanced terms? (E.g., George Bush: "I don't do nuance.")
Which part of "Thou shalt not kill." do you not understand?
Showing posts with label law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label law. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
"Life" in prison
Did You Know?
As of December 31, 2009, there were approximately 3,000 people servinglife sentences under California's 3-strikes law for having been
convicted of non-violent, non-serious crimes.
--From Insight Prison Project
Did you know that, among all the countries in the world, the U.S.A. jails the highest percentage of its population? Is this the price of freedom? Do you feel safer -- and freer -- for it?
Monday, July 18, 2011
The War on Drugs, Prohibition Redux, and A War on Sanity
Remember the bumper sticker, "End this War", modified to read "This Endless War"?
That's the so-called War on Drugs (WOD), which has mutated into corporate socialism for the prison industry and jobs-for-life for prison guards. It's also an excuse for cops to finance their organizations via "direct taxation," i.e., seizure of property from drug offenders.
Remember prohibition in the U.S? It resulted from an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, sponsored by well-meaning folks infused with the Puritan Ethic. Seems like only folks nostalgic for Eliot Ness and Al Capone remember it now. It was a bad idea then and a colossal fiasco. It's a bad idea now, too, and we've had a newer version of it since the late 1960's. A better idea is harm reduction, where the cure is not worse than the disease and does not destroy the patient's life.
Drug abuse (read: abuse, not use) is bad for everyone, but the WOD is even worse. The violence in Mexico and Colombia are direct results of U.S. policy. Even more ironic, drug importers and dealers want the U.S. to retain its current policies, since it keeps the price of product up: it's the market in action, but trade is not free, due to the U.S. embargo, which helps sustain the high profit margin, violence, and loss of freedom and life. A sarcastic cynic might call this American Capitalism at its finest.
The United States imprisons a much higher percentage of its population than any other country. Is that the price of security? No, but the WOD is part of the reason. See this for the shocking reality, which deserves more commentary: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html
Let's end this nonsense now and spend the money on treatment and education. Money spent on education is money well spent, an investment in the future.
That's the so-called War on Drugs (WOD), which has mutated into corporate socialism for the prison industry and jobs-for-life for prison guards. It's also an excuse for cops to finance their organizations via "direct taxation," i.e., seizure of property from drug offenders.
Remember prohibition in the U.S? It resulted from an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, sponsored by well-meaning folks infused with the Puritan Ethic. Seems like only folks nostalgic for Eliot Ness and Al Capone remember it now. It was a bad idea then and a colossal fiasco. It's a bad idea now, too, and we've had a newer version of it since the late 1960's. A better idea is harm reduction, where the cure is not worse than the disease and does not destroy the patient's life.
Drug abuse (read: abuse, not use) is bad for everyone, but the WOD is even worse. The violence in Mexico and Colombia are direct results of U.S. policy. Even more ironic, drug importers and dealers want the U.S. to retain its current policies, since it keeps the price of product up: it's the market in action, but trade is not free, due to the U.S. embargo, which helps sustain the high profit margin, violence, and loss of freedom and life. A sarcastic cynic might call this American Capitalism at its finest.
The United States imprisons a much higher percentage of its population than any other country. Is that the price of security? No, but the WOD is part of the reason. See this for the shocking reality, which deserves more commentary: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html
Let's end this nonsense now and spend the money on treatment and education. Money spent on education is money well spent, an investment in the future.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Is George W. Bush a war criminal or a sincere defender of American security?
Seen in Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_w._bush but notably absent from U.S. news controlled by mainstream media outlets:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/05/bush-switzerland-torture_n_819175.html
http://harpers.org/archive/2011/02/hbc-90007967
After Bush announced a planned visit to Switzerland in 2011, Amnesty International, in a memorandum to the Swiss authorities in February 2011, asked Switzerland to uphold its "obligations under international law" to arrest and detain the former president for "his alleged involvement in and responsibility for crimes under international law, including torture...." Event organizers, United Israel Appeal, canceled the visit. Reports differ over whether the cancellation was because organizers feared Bush's arrest for war crimes,[377] or, as was stated by the event organizer's lawyer, the event was canceled to avoid the prospect of violent protests.[378] Human rights groups have vowed to continue to seek Bush's arrest.[379]More reportage:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/05/bush-switzerland-torture_n_819175.html
http://harpers.org/archive/2011/02/hbc-90007967
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