It is painful for me to write that with this garrote of a blueprint, the government I generally support is flirting with moral and political catastrophe. My respect for the Prime Minister prevents me from being any more explicit here about the implications of failure to reconsider the government's course on this issue.
Hint: I'm leaning towards allowing him to keep his snowflake. And this...this is quite truly an interesting thought:
The whole concept of prison should be terminated, except for violent criminals and chronic non-violent recidivists, and replaced by closely supervised pro bono or subsistence-paid work by bonded convicts in the fields of their specialty. Swindlers and embezzlers, hackers and sleazy telemarketers are capable people and they should serve their sentences by contributing honest work to government-insured employers.
I disagree with Conrad Black on many issues, but I have to agree with him in this case. Our entire legal system is largely obsolete. We're spending billions of dollars a year, prisons, law enforcement, judges, attorneys, bureaucrats and all, just so the Conservative can keep indulging their twisted power trips.
ReplyDeleteWell, we don't allow slavery, so that's a problem.
ReplyDeleteHow about supervised living? Curfews, active monitoring, restrictions, but able to actually work and make a living and contribute that way?
Since many of Harper's reformatories believe the world only started 6000 years ago they don't think we've advanced enough as a society to change things.
ReplyDeleteWith the National Post alive and well, and His Lordship's appeal headed to the SC, life is good.
ReplyDeleteYeah, even the Supreme Court needs a good laugh.
ReplyDeleteelroy considers zombies to be alive and well.
Nothin' like a couple of days in the barrel to give his lardship some sympathy previously lacking. I'm betting this will last about 12 seconds once he walks out those prison gates. Let's put him on death row and see how he feels about capital punishment.
ReplyDeleteStrangest thing I ever heard Black write.
ReplyDeleteWe're too easy on white-collar criminals. When someone strips people of their retirement money that they've spent a life time saving, it's as bad or worse than physical assault. I can't think of a single reason why such swindlers should walk free when violent offenders are imprisoned.
Seems a bit self-serving now that he's on the receiving end, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I agree with him. And the Conservative plans for further "reform" can only make it worse still.