Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Crazies are Out

So last night my husband and I were in the kitchen. He had just finished playing a round of golf with one of his buddies, where he picked up some startling information. He said to me, "So it looks like [name of his buddy's friend] is in jail for beating up his girlfriend." I think my mouth dropped open a little bit, and he said, "Does that really surprise you?"

I had to think a minute, because this guy really is a complete jerk. He likes to wave his money around and be something of a playboy. Usually I don't really notice him because I'm too busy thinking about what a complete jerk my husband's buddy is (for those of you who know the story, I'm referring to the groomsman who got kicked out of the wedding party). Still, it did surprise me, shock me in fact. It usually shocks me when people do evil things. People do them all the time, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, but I am.

Since I've been on summer break, I've been reading a lot of news stories on the Internet. This is probably bad for me because it gets me all riled up and then gives me nightmares later. The violence that happens in this country is so sick and disgusting. How can people treat each other like this? What would make a man want to bite off the upper lip and ear of a 3-year-old girl? Why would a group of people torture a boy in a closet, drop his mother's head a few times on some tile and then laugh when she's dead? On July 4th, two kids, ages 1 and 6 were caught in a crossfire and got shot in a park. In another instance, a man lay beat up and tortured in his own basement while his partner was raped upstairs. And what about crimes of indifference? A woman lay bleeding in a store from stab wounds while people walked over her and one person even took a picture with her cell phone. No one tried to help her, and she died. Women get beat up and/or shot by men they trust, and children are abused everyday.

What's wrong with people?! Maybe I'm just naive or overly sensitive, but it really shocks me when I read stories of people intentionally trying to physically hurt other people. These people don't live by the rules of society and shouldn't really be allowed to enjoy the benefits of society, including jail. I say we find some way to put these idiots back into some state of nature and let them fend for themselves where they will be away from society. They won't get the "gangsta coolness" of jailtime if they're out in the desert with no clothes. Of course they'd probably just band together to form their own society and eventually bomb us and stuff... I just wish these people would straighten out and have more appreciation for life!

3 comments:

Megan said...

I think you and Joe Arpaio would get along.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio

Torq said...

If Joe had not become a celebrity I might get along with him. That whole power corrupting problem makes it harder to see his intentions as well.

The Blueberry Princess said...

Heh, Mr. Arpaio and I probably think along the same lines, though I'd want some data to determine what happens to the prisoners after they are released. Do his tactics actually discourage them from committing future acts of crime, or are the prisoners so mad when they are released that they are worse than when they went in?

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually all for treating prisoners humanely, but I have a huge problem with "gangstas" bragging about how they've been in jail. I only get one station on my tv, so I'm not going to cry over those prisoners only getting about six. As long as making prison cheaper for the taxpayers doesn't inadvertently raise crime, I'm all for it.

I think that maybe Mr. Arpaio started out with some good intentions and then turned corrupt with the press and power he got. He's developed some great programs, but I wonder about his motivation for some of his innovations.

I'm glad that someone is being tough on crime.