Isolated anomaly my ass

8 thoughts on “Isolated anomaly my ass”

1. It is as though our various governments at the behest of the hand wringing bleeding hearts have done everything they can to facilitate the endeavours of our career criminals. This goes beyond the usual governmental and bureaucratic incompetence.

2. Well I agree with you entirely Loki. My Daughter is doing her undergraduate degree in the States, plans to take law degree and then practice in the States — she thinks the US justice system is tougher. I don’t know if this is true or not?

3. Debbie, the us legal system is a lot tougher on career criminals than the canadian system. As I have doubtless ranted before, I have seen a career criminal with over 100 convictions get a conditional sentence for a break and enter. And of course, he was back before the court 3 or 4 days later for being in breach of the conditional sentence. The argument the hand wringers always trot out is that prison doesn’t rehabilitate anyone, and they are correct. What they don’t say is that giving a career criminal a kiss on the cheek sentence doesn’t rehabilitate him either, it just allows him to laugh at the rest of us, especially our idiot judges, and then go on to commit more crimes. Keeping people in prison is expensive, and governments have to pay. Letting them loose on us means that the expense is borne by individuals who are the victims of their crimes, which is ok with our governments. The hand wringers seem incapable of understanding that some people simply cannot be rehabilitated and have to be kept away from the rest of us.

4. This seems to be the same methodology the government employs in dealing with the mentally ill. Why spend money keeping them in hospitals when they can wander the streets unable to correctly process the world in which they live — harming themselves and possibly others. There is so much wrong with the world in which we live, it is mind boggling. I wonder how long my Jenn with last prosecuting murderers, rapists and pedophiles — between the horrific things she will see and the frustration she will feel with the justice system. Meanwhile you can no longer walk your dog (on a leash) in most of the parks in Ottawa. It’s good to know (at least) that the States is tougher on career criminals than Canada.

5. I like what Bill Cosby said, as filtered through Glenn. “It costs 8K a year to educate a child, and 40K a year to incarcerate him. DO THE MATH!”

6. Thank you Allegra. You have hit the nail on the head! I’m going to write this on my wall SO I don’t forget it when I hear all the discouraging things that go on in this world. In my opinion, education is the best investment a parent and/or government can make.

   Having said that I wish the cost of Jenn’s education STILL cost $8K per year (I assume the cost of incareration has probably gone up proportionately SO Bill Crosby’s statement is likely valid today).

7. Given everything that we together as a culture know, it’s amazing any of the good things that we learn to do ever get implemented. But I will, since I am in quoting other people mode, quote Margaret Mead on the subject.

   (From the Unitarian Hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, reading 561)

   “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

   I do miss corporal punishment though. Knowing that the adults around you weren’t in mortal fear of jail time for hitting you if they caught you stealing or breaking things was a powerful inducement to good behaviour.

8. Debbie, i absolutely agree with your comment about people who are mentally ill. Many of them end up enmeshed in the legal system for trivial offences, severely injured or killed resisting arrest, with their only relief being self medication with illegal drugs. I have defended my share of these people in court. It is a sad, unhappy process.