[At the Bottom of Everything Part 1]
[At the Bottom of Everything Part 2]
And in the face of every criminal
Strapped firmly to a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare
Justice.
It’s stupid to talk about; it’s a pointless cliché, because unfortunately, in most situations, it is nonexistent.
Cold blooded murderers are out of prison in ten years, many times to murder again. Rapists are “victims in need of help” in our society so we release them into the real world after a few years of jail and expect that treatment will make them better.
Justice?
Ha.
For this lack of justice, it is no wonder that the world is such a scary place to live. I can’t walk on the streets alone. I have to lock my door at night and make sure my dog is in attack mode in case any intruders come around. And to get to work: the Tacoma Rail System? Forget it. A free train ride would not be conducive to my well being and… well… staying alive.
Why are we so afraid of justice?
One could argue that being afraid of crime and the criminals who perform the crimes is a negative way to live your life. While I can agree in some ways, I can’t completely blame myself for my fears and cautions.
I have every right to be afraid that repeat offenders are roaming our streets because the justice system can’t seem to keep them locked up.
I’m sad to say that it is not a fear of criminals that keeps me so cautious. It is a fear of our justice system, the system that is supposed to keep us safe.
I have no problem looking in the face of a criminal I fear. And looking in their face while they are receiving a just punishment would be even easier. But staring justice in the face is becoming impossibility.
There’s no reason to fear that which is supposed to keep us safe. There is no reason that we should not be able to stand up to our fears and look them right in the face, cancel them out with confidence and comfort in the fact that justice will prevail.
And not the fakey kind of justice. We need the real kind… true fear-killing justice.
How and when it will happen I’m not sure… I only know it needs to. Staring justice in the face, rather than the criminals that we fear, is how we can ultimately fix our fears.
Disclaimer: These thoughts and/or personal interpretations of the Bright Eyes song are meant in no way to assume, interpret, or state the meaning of the lyrics to said song as created by Bright Eyes.
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Cold blooded murderers are out of prison in ten years, many times to murder again. Rapists are “victims in need of help” in our society so we release them into the real world after a few years of jail and expect that treatment will make them better.
But get caught growing weed or doing coke, things that effect only yourself(assuming you grow the weed for yourself), and there is a mandatory minimum amount of time in jail. Usually years. Why don't we have mandatory minimums for rapists or murders. Why are drugs worse than taking a life?
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
Ugh, completely agreed.
Well, except for drugs harming "only yourself..." but you get the picture ;-)
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If You Swear That There's No Truth And Who Cares, How Come You Say It Like You're Right? [Bright Eyes]
http://progressiveu.org/143541-how-to-survive-the-2008-elections
How does my smoking weed on the weekends(hypothetical mr. big brother) harm you? Now if I go out and kill someone on drugs then that is different...it's called murder. But if I sit in my house get high as fuck, eat my munchies, how does that affect anyone but me?
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
You are only one person. I'm not saying everyone's drug use effects others than themselves.
A good percentage of drug users have responsibilities. And if you get needy enough of those drugs, you will go to any lengths to get them. Including disregarding the well being of your family, friends, work, school, whatever. Families and friends are hurt from drug use. And like you said, in rare cases people commit crimes on drugs that they wouldn't have otherwise committed.
No, I don't think that about weed. I think it's the biggest bull that you can go to prison for weed (I had a friend go to jail for 2 days and get his license revoked for having a dime on him. Now THAT'S ridiculous). But claiming that drug use only effects the individual on the drugs is kind of...
self centered.
Like I said, not all instances harm others. But many do.
And like I said, I agree with you. Most drug punishments should be WAY less strict (or nonexistent in the case of things like marijuana). And punishments for other, more serious crimes (rape, murder, battery, etc.) should be way more harsh.
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If You Swear That There's No Truth And Who Cares, How Come You Say It Like You're Right? [Bright Eyes]
http://progressiveu.org/143541-how-to-survive-the-2008-elections
But we have names for things that desperate drugies do when they need a fix...theft, battery, assault. We don't need to say "oh, you were looking for a crack fix so you beat the shit out of this dealer, therefore we are going to give you more time." You assualted a person you go to jail...for however long. You are using an illegal drug you go to jail, for a certain time. But why in the world would you institute a mandatory minimum for drug users and not murders? Doesn't make sense to me.
And i do agree that drug users CAN effect their family and friends but unless they are breaking a law, there is nothing we should do.( Besides punish them for using illegal drugs, i'm not saying drug users get off free, just fairly.) Horomonal teenage girls can have the same effects, so watch out for them lol.
"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." Bill Hicks
Usually years. Why don't we have mandatory minimums for rapists or murders. Why are drugs worse than taking a life?
There are mandatory sentences for a whole host of crimes, including rape and murder.
Those "minimums" are a joke.
My aunts murderer [and it wasn't a "clean" murder by any means; he beat her to death] only got 21 years in prison, and they promised him 15 for "good behavior."
Minimum sentence my ass. He's a drug addict who will re-offend. But they're going to let him out in what is really no time in the grand scheme of things. People get the long for possession, and that is ridiculous.
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If You Swear That There's No Truth And Who Cares, How Come You Say It Like You're Right? [Bright Eyes]
http://progressiveu.org/143541-how-to-survive-the-2008-elections