From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Mon Dec 31 2001 - 09:33:09 MST
>From: Samantha Atkins <samantha@objectent.com>
>>From Brian D Williams
>> The way to lower the crime rate is to actually hold criminals
>> accountable for their own behavior. Something rarely practiced
>> here in the U.S..
>It would be a very good thing to clarify that remark quite a
>bit. We have more people in jail per capita than any other
>country. We have mandated fixed sentences for many offenses and
>removed the judges ability to consider extenuating
>circumstances. We have mandated "3 strikes and you're out" in
>some states. Some 46% of all prisoners are in on (mostly minor)
>drug offenses. Roughly 2 million people are now in prison in
>the US. Perhaps this is not what you consider "accountability"
>but it certainly is a clear sign that something is dangerously
>wrong in this country - dangerous to all of us. Also please pay
>a lot of attention to cleaning up what is a "criminal" by the
>current often asinine laws and what is rationally a "criminal".
>Quite different things.
I think we would tend to agree that drug related offences are
something completely different, and most should not be criminal at
all.
Here in Chicago, handguns are completely illegal and have been for
20 years now.
By the logic of the antigun folks, Chicago should by now be
completely free of handguns and violent crimes like murder should
be non-existant. The fact is that there are millions of handguns in
the Chicago, 650+ murders this year, and gun related crime is an
everyday occurrence in certain neighborhoods.
Yet the fact is (as any prosecuter here can tell you) is that the
first thing that happens when an offender gets brought to court is
that the weapons charges are usually dropped and the case is plea
bargained.
>Our disasterous "war on drugs" has also brought quite a bit of
>violence and higher levels of organized crime to our culture
>just like the first Prohibition did. Only the faces and form
>has changed.
We are in complete agreement on this.
>I agree. When I bought a gun I became much more responsible and
>thoughtful about my reactions and attitudes, not less so. I
>hear this is a pretty common reaction.
Delighted to hear it, and yes, contrary to urban myths, gun owners
are far more likely to be the most responsible of citizens.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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