Subject:
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Re: Gun debate (was Re: New Web Page
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 3 Jun 1999 14:22:07 GMT
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Reply-To:
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C576653@CCLABS.antispamMISSOURI.EDU
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Viewed:
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897 times
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Richard Dee wrote:
>
> On Wed, 2 Jun 1999 14:09:10 GMT, Christopher L. Weeks uttered the following
> profundities...
> > > Gardening. Crimping the lawns of public parks, with just their
> > > fingers. Not even a pair of scissors.
> >
> > Honestly, I think it's silly to waste their time...why not seek to use
> > it productively?
> >
> >
> But it should be punishment, as well as rehabilitation, no?
No. Well, sort of.
This will fly in the face of what many people believe, but punishment -
in and of itself - is silly. Punishment only makes sense if it will
achieve some outcome...typically teaching a lesson.
When children are punished, most of the time, it is because the parents
were foolish. I punish my son because I'm not perfect, but I recognize
that most of the things for which he 'gets in trouble' are extensions of
my fault. Mostly I try to teach him lessons.
In the case of criminal justice, if we could rehabilitate (which we
can't) then that would be sufficient. If rehabilitation required
punishment, then punishment would be worth it, otherwise, what's the
point? It's just cruel and sick. If we accept that violent offenders
are never going to rehabilitate and enter society as useful, and for
whatever reason we don't want to put them down, then they need to be
help as inexpensively as possible, but going out of our way to punish
them is a waste and mentally injures the people involved in the punishment.
--
Sincerely,
Christopher L. Weeks
central Missouri, USA
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