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josh musket
marquette, MI
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josh commented on the article |Jen, that's pretty horrible, the Hawk Mountain slaughter. Churns my guts just thinking about it... but what you said about humans, I'd say it is definitely just a case of it being more hidden. From what I hear, human slavery is at an all time high. And as for torture and maiming... well, I think it only takes a little imagination to see how widespread that is. Our human society subsists on so much cruelty.
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josh commented on the article |
I don't know if you've read much Isaac Bashevis Singer, but he was definitely one to compare the the slaughter of animals to the salughter of the Holocaust... http://www.ivu.org/history/northam20b/singer.html
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josh commented on the article |
A few thoughts: I've heard that NASA recently put out something that's less optimistic than the UK Met's. Also, do such reports take into account Methane and the inceases in its release as the Earth heats up? I'm sure you recall hearing about the methan plumes in the North Atlantic. And how about the increasing industrialization in countries like China and India?
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josh commented on the article |Really, all the terms are harsh in their own way. They all say, in one way or another, "this person is a bad person, it has been judges so by legitimate authority."
I do not believe that the justice system is about justice or even the safety of society at large. Having been through it an and read about such things as recidivism, I've come to the conclusion that, like most things in this country, it's an industry.
I realize some of the people working in this industry (police, probation officers, judges, lawyers, etc) may become involved in it because they are motivated by their morals. The system doesn't care about that, though. It cares about two things: rules and money.
Laws are rules, and if you violate them, you end up in the system. Then you start losing money, just like when you enter the health system. A night in jail is gonna drain your wallet. Maybe not as badly visit to the emergency room, but it's no drop in the bucket.
Equality is enforced by a removal of rights. However, these rights are replaced by priviledges, both granted (for good behavior, they say) or taken (because one knows how to work the system - I saw this many times). If you want to get treated like something more than human garbage you have to take advantage of the system. I failed to do so because I felt an obligation to honesty. My mistake, I nearly starved while I was in jail. Yes, literally.
I digress, though. Money. Evry step through the system costs you money. When you leave, it's not over, because you really haven't left. Now you're imprisoned by chains known as debt. Not a debt to society, but debt imposed by the injustice, I mean 'justice', system. One that you have to pay, else they reel you back in on those chains of debt.
Why? Well, like trees, criminals are people. By being living beings, they become a natural resource, since they're the means by which which money enters the system. Everyone still get paid if you get convicted. If you don't, though, that means less money coming into the system and less of a chance that they're gonna get ahold of you again. If you get convicted once though, then you're a steady stream of bullion. Even ignoring the fact that you're in debt, you've still been living in an alternate reality. If you've made any effort to adapt to living there, it's automatically a step towards future criminality - to swim with sharks, you have to become a bit sharklike, else you'lll get eaten. You still might get eaten.
I could rant about this for days.
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josh commented on the article |This is of huge interest to me, I'm actually moving to LA pretty soon, glad someone thinks encouragung creativity contributes to positive change.
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josh commented on the article |
I think Jennifer and I are both behind the idea of restoration, but we'd like to see it continue on into transformation.
I would argue that it's not a basic community service, but an extension of the ideal of 'making things right'. You state that it's hard to get them to make the transition. Why not make a part of their restoration something that's actually going to help them do that? Creating art changes the way people perceive things.
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josh commented on the article |
Well, our pjustice system is not exactly the most just system, y'know? So, if it seems odd that convict might be the preffered term, you're just not putting yourself in the convict's keds.
There's only one way to get put in jail or prison, after all, and that's to be convicted. It doesn't matter if you're guilty or innocent in actuality, you've been convicted. This term simply makes the observation that you're on the inside.
And it's no wonder that it might be preferable to 'prisoner', which I agree is more relevant than 'inmate', 'felon', 'offender', or what have you. When you're locked up, do you really need to be called a prisoner? It's readily apparent to you every waking moment and even some of the moments that you aren't.
As for ex-offender, that's a pretty crappy term. First, it assumes that recidivism is not going to happen, which would be nice, but isn't realistic, simply due to the nature of the system. Secondly, it implies that the person was an offender in the first place, which may or may not be true, but probably encourages that same recidivism anyway.
That's my .02
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josh commented on the article |
while this seems right and good, why not put the taggers' artistic skills to work. yeah, they can obviously sling paint to cover up what they did, but why restore it to something bland?
it seem like more might be accomplished by showing these so-called 'vandals' a more community-minded application of their paints. i've seen murals in various places, why not join with the community to spread artwork for everyone's enjoyment onto the concrete?
just sayin', it seems better to not only restore beauty, but to restore bonds of community. maybe this is unrealistic, but i hope not
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