Comments on: Top 10 cold-blooded killers

By: Hayden Tompkins

Hayden Tompkins — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:12:07 +0000

The world of the book is solipsistic – so basically there are no multitudes; simply one being. A being who, in this example, is both referee AND player and is taking itself out of the game. (It makes sense in context of the book.) I found it an interesting theoretical theological experiment.

By: ianpeatey

ianpeatey — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:56:40 +0000

I’m not an expert on prison systems, though do know a few people who specialise in reform in that area. My non-expert opinion is that you are spot on when you say they don’t rehabilitate. That’s the problem with a justice system based on punishment for crime rather than a justice system that actually tries to tackle the causes (at the individual and societal levels). And the camps seem to be polarised with the right saying ‘hang ‘em all’ and the left saying ‘be nice to them’ (I exaggerate for dramatic effect!). I think I covered this already in a previous comment, so I’ll it at that for the moment.

And thanks for the tip on the plug-in. I’ve installed it now and hope it’s working!

By: Kim Woodbridge

Kim Woodbridge — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:38:11 +0000

Well the US is in some interesting company there. I have always been against the death penalty. It is too eye for eye for my taste. How do you teach that killing is wrong, if you kill? It’s like trying to teach a child not to hit by spanking him …

And there is the problem here of it being most used with the poor and African Americans. And what if the person is innocent?

But there is the problem of what to do with the worst of the worst … it bothers me that so much is spent on incarceration when good people who need assistance are going without. And our prison system doesn’t rehabilitate – it just teaches how to be a better criminal. We’re having a lot of trouble with the city budget here in Philadelphia and a lot of needed programs are being cut. We fought to keep out all our libraries open and summer programs for kids going but what I noticed in the budget that nothing was being cut from the juvenile detention and prison budgets. What they don’t get is that if they get rid of libraries, rec centers, and city swimming pools, the budget for prison and detention will ultimately have to be increased.

On an unrelated note – have you considered installing the Subscribe to Comments plugin?

By: ianpeatey

ianpeatey — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:10:15 +0000

Fear is always part of violence, either as part of the cause or as part of the result. And yes I agree, the media has a huge hold on our ideas about what to do and what to think. But who gave them that power? They didn’t take it by force!

By: ianpeatey

ianpeatey — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:06:43 +0000

The problem with that approach is a referee needs to decide who is being unnecessarily rough and take them out of the game.

Who takes the referee out for their unnecessary roughness? And where are the impartial, fair and universally respected referees?

By: tom

tom — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:03:51 +0000

Maybe to a certain extent the violence may be like a sign for people to get a reality check. But for others it may be terrifying and living life in fear.

Then again living fear is normal and conquering is the path we all need to take.

But in a bigger picture, look around, violence on movies, television, etc. yet violence is bad and stuff.

I think this is really retarded because the media pretty much dictates what we should be doing and thinking.

By: ianpeatey

ianpeatey — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:03:42 +0000

I like your approach, Suze. Step by step.

By: ianpeatey

ianpeatey — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:02:58 +0000

You and I see eye to eye on this, Michael. As on many things!