Pictures only scratch the surface. The sad truth is in the letter.
Where is the outcry? The shame? The sanctimonious are content as our prisons become storage units for the mentally ill and the addicted and the veteran.
We have our own gulag. Lets own up to it. This is how we treat the least of our citizens. We reap what we sow and the granary is full. Prison construction is robust while schools are dilapidated and underfunded.
Yeah, I'm a bleeding heart.
13 comments:
Just read the letter. Shocked and horrified.
Keep that heart of yours bleeding, Yvonne. I'm right with you.
Wendy,
Thank you. It's nice to know I'm not completely alone in my empathy.
Thanks so much for the link to my blog, Yvonne. This all needs to be far more widely known.
I'm a bleeding heart too. It's impossible to believe some of the atrocities people commit in the name of justice or obligation or duty or whatever. We need to be better.
Frances,
You're certainly welcome. I felt compelled. Thank you.
Jemi,
Thank you so much. Yes, we need to do better. We can do better. Thank you for speaking up.
They executed yet man another last night. Poor Irving...another friend gone.
I agree absolutely that the death penalty is wrong in every aspect and should be abolished world wide.
But I think the rights of the dead victims - lying cold and forgotten in their graves - should not be forgotten in a rush of emotion.
Whether we believe in a Higher Power or are a devout athiest, we are all subject to the spiritual law of karma, that is, the law that every action has a consequence. I read the letter on Francis's blog and an appalling childhood of abuse and abandonment is neither excuse nor reason. If it was, my mother (whose childhood included physical, sexual and emotional abuse and abandonment)should be sitting in a cell somewhere just like Irving's. Instead, she made hard choices and worked unendingly to transcend her dark childhood - and spent a lifetime helping those less fortunate than herself rather than preying on the vulnerable without compassion.
Sorry, Yvonne, sorry, Francis. I'm liberal & alternative in my thinking, but there are certain lines in the ground that cannot be crossed if we want to evolve towards a more responsible and conscious state of enlightenment as a species.
I actually think being alone in a cold cell to contemplate his life choices (and how they affected other people, particularly his victims) is better for the spiritual evolution of Irving's soul than either the death penalty or a fancy cell with TV and hot water.
The difference between Irving's current punishment being suitable (if his crimes warranted it - there is no description/facts of what he did) and treating an animal without proper physical care and compassion, is that Irving is a human being with the free will to make choices: it is free will that supposedly raises us up above the animals and, as such, cruelty to animals is unacceptable, because animals cannot choose to make different lives for themselves.
This is, of course, a simplistic answer to what is a highly complex and difficult philosophical debate, and in no way is it a definitive answer - merely my subjective response to the letter.
Compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than ourselves is a vital component of any civilised society ... but those admirable emotional qualities should be balanced with a more reasoned view of all sides of the equation.
Apologies again, Yvonne, I don't mean to "diss" anyone's kind hearts, but I do feel strongly about this issue (as you can gather from my long response!! :) )
Thank you
Always a controversial topic. I am against the deat penalty. So many have been wrongfully convicted. Thanks for sharing this.
Judy,
Thank you for commenting. I believe we agree more than we disagree. Much of what we do as adults, our actions and our choices, take root in the formative years. Some are able to rise above poverty or abuse, through inner strength or some other outside influences we may not be aware of, but many cannot. Most inmates are either war veterens, drug addicts, or mentally ill. Is this the best way to care for these people? Thanks for taking the time to express your opinion on this very important subject.
Al,
Thank you.
Denise,
Hi! I am vehemently opposed to the death penalty. As a country, it's shameful to be in the same category as a China and a Saudi Arabia. We might as well start cutting off hands and feet as well. It's just as barbaric. Thanks so much for visiting me and commenting. I really appreciate it.
I think we are the least Christian country on the face of this planet. The godless European social democracies have long conducted themselves in a more Christ-like manner than the self-professed devout in American policymaking.
thanks for posting this. what a country, we tell ourselves. we beat our chest and say how great we are and obviously, our power structure is so corrupt. the war and prison industrial complex preys on the underclass.
love your unapologetic voice, and great to see you again:)
Ethan,
Boy, don't you hit the nail dead center with an honest thrust. I love your comment, every one of your comments. Hope all is well in agent land. Don't be a stranger.
Ed,
Hi! It's good to see you again too. Both you and Ethan have said it better than I could. Yes, look at how great we are. Drones flying overhead and weapons facilities churning out destruction.
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