Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Where did my America go?
Torture: 1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
"torture." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 14 Nov. 2007..
Let’s set aside for a moment the question of whether torture works and ask, do we have the right to torture innocent people? If not, why do we believe that the CIA, the military or other “approved” agencies can effectively identify the guilty? How will they make SURE that only terrorists and guilty people are tortured?
Who gets to decide who gets tortured, and how do we make sure that they don’t start torturing people like you and me?
Maybe before we start “fixing” other peoples’ countries we should do something about our own.
Over 200 people who had been falsely convicted have been exonerated as a result of DNA testing in this country. How many are in prison today because there was no DNA evidence in the case, or worse yet, the evidence was destroyed?
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Images/751/ip_200.pdf
There are over 2 million people in jail in America today. That’s more than ANY other country and more per capita than any other country. What is wrong with our society and what are we doing to FIX this problem? Does anybody care, or are we OK with being the leader in prisoners behind bars?
America can do better!
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Hannah More (February 2, 1745 - September 7, 1833) (an English religious writer and philanthropist)
"torture." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 14 Nov. 2007.
Let’s set aside for a moment the question of whether torture works and ask, do we have the right to torture innocent people? If not, why do we believe that the CIA, the military or other “approved” agencies can effectively identify the guilty? How will they make SURE that only terrorists and guilty people are tortured?
Who gets to decide who gets tortured, and how do we make sure that they don’t start torturing people like you and me?
Maybe before we start “fixing” other peoples’ countries we should do something about our own.
Over 200 people who had been falsely convicted have been exonerated as a result of DNA testing in this country. How many are in prison today because there was no DNA evidence in the case, or worse yet, the evidence was destroyed?
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Images/751/ip_200.pdf
There are over 2 million people in jail in America today. That’s more than ANY other country and more per capita than any other country. What is wrong with our society and what are we doing to FIX this problem? Does anybody care, or are we OK with being the leader in prisoners behind bars?
America can do better!
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Hannah More (February 2, 1745 - September 7, 1833) (an English religious writer and philanthropist)
Friday, November 2, 2007
Welcome
Thanks for coming to my site and I look forward to a fascinating dialogue. There are so many issues these days and none of them are simple, from economic insecurity to the role of government in our lives, everything is in flux and we've got to find a path that works for all of us.
What I know with certainty is that we can do better and that we must bring more Americans into the discussion.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Steve
What I know with certainty is that we can do better and that we must bring more Americans into the discussion.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Steve
Labels: Welcome
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