I have given an awful lot of consideration to criminal behavior and how our society deals with the anti-social element in our midst. I used to call them criminals, crooks, thieves, or whatever they are. But it no longer seems politically correct to call an ace an ace or a spade a spade. So to appease everyone I will simply say, "anti-social."
Over the years it has become clearly evident that we - as a society - spend a lot of money protecting the sensitive feelings of these anti-social individuals. They seem so thin skinned.
Have you noticed that THEY always claim to be the "victims?"
We re-schedule court appearances untold times, issuing subpoena's over and over again, delaying the inevitable at great expense. We provide them with court appointed attorney's, and bend over backwards to ensure their rights are not infringed upon, while destroying the victims without any conscience. Handling the anti-social element with kid gloves every inch of the way.
Have you noticed that it's not working?
When I was a child I would never have thought about stealing, let alone doing anything worse. Sure there were things I wanted, couldn't afford, and I probably would have taken them had I not FEARED the wrath of my parents. My parents were "old school."
Honest, honorable and upright citizens who expected nothing less from their child. If I did something as horrendous as stealing both my mother and father would have thrashed me within an inch of my life.
They cared as much about my moral character, about my personal integrity, as they did about my formal education or physical being. Learning to "not" steal was as important as learning to eat with a knife and fork.
As I grew older the fear was replaced with respect. I respected my parents so much I didn't want to become an embarrassment to them - I wanted to display the same characteristics I watched in them each and every day, under all circumstances.
That lead to kindness, compassion and an inability to do deliberate or malicious wrong to a fellowman.
You can't even bring up "punishment" anymore. It sounds so cruel and leaves visualizations of uncontrollable rage. Yet our Creator assures us that: "He who spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes" (Proverbs 13:24)
Our courts, judges and legislators need to get a grip and start treating criminals as criminals, because if the parents have refused to accept the responsibility of raising their children to become productive members of society - the judicial system must take the responsibility of dealing with the consequences.
There isn't an option if society is to be protected, for presently the judicial system is guilty of further victimizing the victims.
We stand in front of you as proof!
It should be in your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives - John Adams
