Freedom & Humane vs. Corporal Punishment

This justice system of ours needs a reevaluation. There should be punishment or consequences to acts of crime, not these slaps on the wrist that we have now - something that makes you not want to commit such acts.

1.) Serve 'em bread n' water in prison w/ vitamins for heinous criminals, so that criminals have time to learn from their mistakes. "Why do they force us to eat this shit? Oh, it's because I'm being punished, had I not commited I wouldn't be here. Man, I'm glad I only stole someone's car and totalled it, not knowing the effects on their life and whether or not they can afford a new one, considering maybe they don't have insurance, and not something worse." If you are there for life in prison, you get a new meal every Friday that is special. Prison shouldn't be all fucking rainbows and sunshine. This would cut down on costs as well.

2.) A three strikes rule for some of the more serious crimes, at which point you lose something dear like a finger or hand (eye for an eye) for things like murder - removal of a leg with no chance for a prosthetic one, and castration for repeat offenders for child sexual molestation. Hell, you could just cut off their pinky toe, so they have balance issues, this way it would be trying to attempt another attack. This way, you are also marked for your crimes. Unfortunately, people tend to not forgive for those things, but then that's just more punishment for those actions.

3.) Basically shown and known consequences for your actions. If you steal, not petty stealing, like millions of dollars, you lose a hand or two.

4.) Dissolve laws that fill prisons for minor things like possession of marijuana.

5.) No more cable in prison, or workout rooms so criminals can get physically stronger and programs for rehabilitation so there are fewer people who recommit crimes.

People only continue to commit crimes because they know they can get away with it. I know I don't know what prison is really like, but I think that this would help the out of prison world much. As far as revamping the inside of prison world, I don't know. Then there's always the mantra that what is lawful and what isn't is wrong. I regress.

Blessed & Cursed, Yet Covered With Sprinkles!

I've discovered a problem with the internet and it's a deep pimple that you just can't *POP*. While the information out there is easy and accessible, when the majority of the writers don't have a solid understanding of what they are talking about (personal understanding/perspective) you begin to have legitimate sounding material that isn't quite correct. Having a scientific background myself, I have to tell you that even people with a solid science/math background don't always fully understand what the hell is going on, present writer included. This is why critical thinking is a must for education, and I fear it is going away. Nowadays I feel there are people who side step math and science because it is "difficult". This is a side effect of our technologically advanced society, that we are brought what we want on a silver platter. I think once you have the necessary critical thinking skills, math and science comes much easier to learn and understand. I have found that many subjects are much easier to grasp with good critical thinking skills, and I find that I become more and more skeptical of scientific studies that are published, or at least reiterated by the press. When I was in college, I recall hearing pleas for more scientific writers that can digest the information of the study they are reporting, understand it and repackage into a pill that can be taken with a bit of water instead of an anus splitting suppository with devastating side affects.

I've found a few articles out there written with a bias. People asserting their opinion in their writing, when they should just be reporting the facts. Then there's the associated press. Don't even waste your time reading any of their articles. I have numerous friends who have read their articles and they have been wrong with the facts. The point it, don't believe everything that you read - put a grain or two of salt on that internet article, book or newspaper. Then, when you read it, you'll have a bit of a reminder that it could've been trumped up. If you easily swallow everything you read, it's going to give you indigestion. Fact check, think about it to see if it makes sense, do the math, don't just see numbers and assume it works. Remember everyone uses "facts" to support their argument and these are often warped to their advantage. I always thought a good debater can bring up the opposition and at least try to diffuse it, and if not, recognize that their "one way" isn't perfect.

There is also a coming boon of free education on the web. Schools like Harvard and MIT put their professors lectures online for free. These, my friends, are the sprinkles.

It Begins

I don't really know how to begin writing this one, as it's what I would call a spiral post - it will be the beginning of a series of blog posts, maybe two or more. I guess it depends on how much content I cram into each post. On that note, I find that I blog even less than I used to on account that I can think I reach more people via facebook link sharing. Although, who knows how many of my friends actually click on my content, if many do, they don't comment on them. Really, I prefer blogging, because it allows for a forum-like venue; again, it's not something I experience because I don't get very many comments, probably on account of the fact that I'm not a consistent blogger.

Anyway...

If you have a moment, actually, about 20 of them, all one minute in length, watch The Story of Stuff. It's a little documentary on the cycle of the shit we waste our money - our stuff - and how we are and why we were brainwashed into wanting it. Basically it explains our consumer driven society.

While I enjoy this film on a few different levels, there are a few things I don't like about it. The narrator blames the government, "the people who are supposed to take care of us", as it is said in the video, as one of the sources of the problem, as well as the large corporations who are dedicated to their never-ending thirst for the dollar (my embellishment). While this is true, I think she needs to emphasis that it we, the people/consumers, who have the biggest blame in all of this. While we can claim we were brainwashed and that we had little power, I think everyone knows deep down that this has been happening and we've done nothing to stop it. You can't blame the government if you put those people in that position. If you don't like the way things are run in our country, pull those fuckers out and put in the right people! The corporations, I suppose, wouldn't get away with what they do if the right people were in the government regulating things. I know what I just said. Yes! "Regulating". I personally don't like the government to have to regulate the shit out of our country, but the filth heading these corporations will find any string, hole or what have you to weasel their way through and profit from it all. After all, that's one of the things America is all about. The ability to build a company up from the ground and profit. Many folks nowadays consider this, "the pursuit of happiness". We are taught in business school to profit, the myriad of ways it works and how to change it if you aren't. Someone told me at work that if you aren't profiting year after year, your company isn't successful. How does that even make sense? There is only so much money in the world and if every company is profiting, where is the money coming from?

You know, I should just stop there because, this could go on forever: Money is imaginary to money is backed by hard wealth, or whatever it's called, i.e. valuable metals or materials to the earth only contains X amount of those materials, so governments make up more of it. This is a topic I'm not well versed in and, taken how fired up I get about it, it shows. Someone, please enlighten my foolishness.

One last thing about corporations. I know not every one of them is greedy, I don't want to group or generalize all of them together, because there are companies making a difference out there. If you are one of them, thank you!

This post "series" brings up one other thing. I have sort of a ghost post I've been saving since I first started this blog about advertising. I think this post is what will finally make me write about it. It will be the second in the series.