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This is the post for the latest episode for 11/22/09.
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How was your week?
John's Idiot Of The Week
Josh Tyler
Dave's Idiot Of The Week
Nate Robinson Shoots at Wrong Basket, Mike D'Antoni Blows a Gasket
Passion Pit is AWESOME!!!
Sports Roundup
NFL, NHL, College FB
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c |
Colbert Reviews Palin's Book
The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue
"Going Rogue": The 18 Biggest Falsehoods In Palin's Book
Can the law keep up with technology?
Reasons to be against the death penalty
Did Texas' Same-Sex Amendment Accidently Outlaw Marriage?
Recent Marathon Disqualifications Spark Debate
World Life Expectancy
Army suicides set another yearly record
University of California students protest 32 percent tuition increase
Students in tuition hike protest expect police intervention soon
Why Notre Dame Must Fire Charlie Weis
Fat Fees and Smoker Surcharges: Tough-Love Health Incentives
Silverdome sells for less than a (nice) house
Rules for My Unborn Son
Downloaded the Lemmings demo and it didn't work. Does anyone know how to do this?
Video Game OTW: A Boy and his Blob
MORE COWBELL!!!
AM 1979 & 1981
Polls
Comments
QOTW: Who should return the tuxes?
Really, Texas a fan of gay marriage? You should bring that up with the movement called Repent Amarillo. NOT a fan of these guys.
ReplyDeleteDisqualified for iPod use? It's not a steriod. I'm with John, I can't stand the way I sound when I'm breathing while running. It's actually more of a discouragement for me. I'd use it if it meant I'd at least I could finish the race. I'm not Mauriella, who can run a marathon without thinking twice about it. Hey, we used to listen to music on post runs in the Army.
We have an incentive at our work to stay in shape or maybe try to. There's a program for us to utilize where we can earn like $300 over a twelve month period when you complete so many points during the year before. This works out great for me because that $25 a month covers my gym fee, which our work also gets us a discount on.
The QOTW! I don't even know which episode to back to for that one. How about the father of the groom!
Father of the groom is correct! We never used iPods in the Army, but that's cool that you guys did. I think that winning a marathon is a huge deal to people at that level, so I can see it... Also awesome that your job rewards healthy behavior!
ReplyDeleteOops! I meant that when we did Post runs, they had the speakers out and blaring whatever music at those runs. Bleck, the Fort Hood one seemed to take forever. Thankfully, we didn't have to rush straight to work after that. I ran this afternoon, and I am so glad I took the iPod with me. Actually, when I'm running on the treadmill, any distraction is great, that way I don't try to look at the time.
ReplyDeletePt I: Upon the expense of execution: While one would be foolish to say that every execution is guaranteed to destroy men and women that are guilty, I do not feel that it is an inappropriate way to deal with serious offenders. All cultures require some manner of deterrent to keep seriously deviant acts (as defined by that culture) from occurring. The manners vary tremendously in degree (I've heard of everything from cutting off the hands of thieves to people that are so peaceful that an effective deterrent is tribal elders who have asked, "but what if you are hurt in return for your actions?").
ReplyDeleteEvery culture is entitled to make its own decision about what is appropriate and with a culture that is often growing toward more violence and increased destructive, deviant action, I should state that harsh consequences are quite proper. Perhaps, one day, if our society grows softer, such a consequence might be struck down, but for now, saying that we should rid ourselves of execution because the innocent may occasionally be killed is the equivalent of saying we should not bomb a country during war because there is the potential for unintended casualties. Convicts do not care about spending time in jail. In some areas, people flock to it because life there is actually better than what they face outside (see Kozol’s “Amazing Grace) or more easily understood. The dynamics of the penal system are not what they once were. We live in a country where some children are planning to go to jail by the time they hit high school. It speaks poorly of our national psyche, but it is true.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the moral quandaries that are attached to such an argument…human life is intrinsically valuable and hence, should be protected. It is the obligation of our judicial system to ensure that those who are put in jail belong there and hence see that something so valuable is protected. If the judicial system has become malfunctional, then it is our responsibility to see it changed. The Declaration of Independence, itself, declares that the people have a right to change their government if it has become destructive (though it fails to mention how). If the judicial system is failing to secure either “safety” or “happiness” for the people, then it is technically flawed and its form or function should be revised. However, most people seem to believe the judicial system to be good, (though I often disagree, believing it to be a system where the highest bidder tends to come out on top: i.e. he who pays the most for a lawyer wins) and if such actions have been chosen, then the positive results must outweigh the negative so long as the system responsible is functioning properly. With a legal system that frees as many guilty men and women as ours and a country that has become as rough as ours, such a soft idea as not having the death penalty is not really practical…consider the overcrowding and, if we change the manner by which we execute to something cheaper, the preposterous increase in cost for maintaining the lives of our most vicious criminals.
ReplyDeleteAs to the expense, who said we had to use electric chairs or lethal injections? $30,000,000 is a preposterous sum and so is $2,000,000…it could be reduced to as little as $5.00. It may sound harsh, but a quick gunshot would be cheaper and, probably, more humane than either of the two aforementioned options. The issue, I suppose, would be resulting damage to the body of the condemned. That could certainly be dealt with, I would think, more cheaply than the death sentencing we do now.
All things said, I do understand your argument and a side of me agrees entirely. However, the justice system requires a sword, as well as a shield. It must have a degree of stern consequence to lend a firm hand to its mercy. Death sentences should not be used loosely, but they certainly have a place. They should be economical, swift, relatively unquestionable (we must be certain who we are killing has earned such a harsh punishment), and, as Dave said, they should absolutely not be arbitrary. A line in the sand should be drawn for when such a punishment is appropriate. It is my belief that one of the topics to be spoken of soon should be jail overcrowding or mandatory minimum sentences, or perhaps the role of the prison system as a reformatory, rather than as a place of punishment.
Here's my reply to Johnathan. In my mind, there's constant battle that goes on about the death penalty. I can't really determine whether I like it or not. I'm not even sure I could, ever. I can empathize with both sides of the argument here, so this is kind of hard.
ReplyDelete