Politics...

Lisa Rose...

I sometimes get a chance to post at work...when I don't have to plan how I will bite people's heads off...I can go on LIW

LMAO...ok!! I just wanted to make sure that you arent taking any sick days!! LOL

I am a Democrat (registered and proud), and I am Pro-Military Intervention in Iraq (don't really want to call myself Pro-WAR). I think that Iraq has been given way too many chances from the UN. It seems clear to me that he is giving the UN the proverbial finger and he is not worried becuase every time he does not disarm or otherwise comply with the endless UN resolutions the UN (and, thus, the world) says 'Okay, Saddam, we are going to give you ONE MORE CHANCE.' I am sick of playing little rabbit foo foo with this lunatic. He is not disarming, he has WMD and, in his eyes, we are public enemy number one. I think it is time for action.

A lot of my feelings on this stem from history lessons. How can the world community not have learned from Nazi Germany that there are times when you have to stand up to a dictator that is a threat to the world and do something. I especially can't understand how the French (who would be speaking German today, if not for us) did not learn from that experience. I think there are many similarities between Hitler and Saddam. It scares me to think what he will do if unchecked.

The UN needs to step up. They are very close to rendering themselves irrelevant. Just what the world needs - another League of Nations.

Becky-

Finally a Democrat I can agree with! I totally agree with you- I describe myself as a liberal Republican. I do believe we need to do something about Saddam with or without the UN.

When President Bush was sworn into office he swore to serve and protect us- the people of the United States- not the UN. John McCain wrote that in an Op-Ed in the Times yesterday and he made a lot of sense.

If & when Saddam has the capabilities he will come for US- not France! We are his enemy and we should take him out now!

In response to people being in jail for drug use & sales- unfortunately- that is something we have to do- often drug use/sale and other crimes go hand-in-hand. I'm sure the thugs that shot those poor detectives sold drugs too in addition to the guns- sometimes drug profits fund other things. As a society we have laws for a reason- we elected the people who enacted these laws because we wanted them. I'm of the notion if you break the law you do the time. I hate the idea of parole and time off for good behavior. If we say 20 years, it should be 20 years. Maybe then criminals would be less likely to commit a crime! If they knew 20years = 20 and not 5!!!!

I am however, anti death penalty. I used to be pro death penalty and then a funny thing happened- I saw that footage of the Taliban shooting a female 'criminal' in the back of the head in the middle of a soccer stadium. I was so appalled by the taking of human life that I couldn't see the difference between them doing it in that stadium and us doing it via lethal injection. It makes me want to vomit- again- should someone brutally murder my Mom or DH- who knows- but for now- that's how I feel.

sassy...I am very anti-death penalty...I think it is against the 8th amendment...'protection from cruel and unusual punishment'

thats about as cruel as I think you can get...it just is too similar to the geneocide in Europe, Cambodia, Rwanda, Somalia, etc...


I also hate when I hear of the news from TX...that they found evidence to clear an executed person

death is just so final

I would like to applaud all of my friends on this side. This was one of the most 'potential' drama posts and we were all very mature and never attacked each other. The NWR board was not so lucky and it looks like someone really hurt Claud's feelings. Such a real shame

Back to the point of drug crimes. It's true that we have the laws in place, but I don't necessarily think they are the best approach to fighting drug problems. If someone posseses a little bit of pot or cocaine (not for selling) I don't think they should necessarily be called a criminal. For example, the Rockefeller Law was enacted before I was even born, but people are still fighting to get it overturned. Under this law there are prison terms of 15 years to life for the possession or sale of really small amount of drugs (a few ounces). These terms are often more than real crimes like robbery, assault and even rape.

IMO, prison sentences do nothing to solve our country's drug problems, they only make them worse. Prisons and jails often have no drug treatment programs or job skills programs and this is what our country should be funding. Our goverment makes millions off of drug arrests and spends billions on new prison construction (especially in NYS), most of which is for drug offenders. It's true that if someone breaks the law they should pay for it, but I'm thinking in terms of long term solutions so patterms are not repeated.

nina...I agree with you...I just wish there was someone to listen...

I truly think that the Netherland's 'wink and nod' policy is less dangerous than our breeding of criminals in the jails...

I also think that we should be helping users (not dealers) get off the drugs...spend the money on methodone clinics...

I agree with you both - the penal system is horrible and doesn't do anything to 'reform' criminals, teach them a trade, etc.

The bottom line is that people who commit crimes (especially drug crimes) are more often than that on the low end of the socio-economic scale. It's a symbiotic relationship between education, raising children to stay away from selling drugs, and the jail system. If we really had an educational system in the lower-income areas that taught kids that what they see everyday isn't necessarily right and we had a program in place where we can teach their parents- often times babies themselves- that there is a way to rise up- maybe we wouldn't have an overcrowded jail with not-so-dangerous criminals.