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How many times have you read or heard about some random crime, such as property damage, illegal drug activity, theft, assault, rape, murder, whatever, and found yourself asking that basic question, "Why?"
This is the most troubling aspect of all. Anecdotal or documented, the evidence must overwhelmingly point toward some strange defect in the minds of the criminally inclined. Those of us (the majority of the population, I both hope and assume) who don't find criminal activity attractive are constantly faced with the unfortunate necessity to find some sort of rationalization to deal with the reality of unlawful behavior. The classic question has always been: what goes through the mind of someone who decides to commit a crime that is altogether unnecessary? By 'unnecessary,' I'm referring to anything that is not required for a person's survival. Stealing an apple from the market because one may literally have no money for food is not the same as taking it because one wants it and wishes to dismiss the fact that it should be purchased. Anyone with an ounce of mercy would find it highly objectionable to convict someone who wasn't blowing money on drugs, gambling, etc., who truly was starving, and who found himself or herself faced with the decision to steal an apple or perish. Unfortunately for those sleazy advocates who insist on the perpetrator's innocence in the above fashion, this exceptional situation is virtually impossible, especially in this country. There is always a way to get food, even if one has no money. A penniless person can also obtain medical attention, for that matter, but this essay isn't concerned with Obama's dubious healthcare imbroglio. The bottom line is that there are people 'out there in the world' who, against all propriety and common sense, make decisions that cause everything from simple annoyance and discomfort, all the way up to loss of life, to other human beings. We are told by the supposedly benevolent leaders in society that the perpetrators of the world are just misunderstood, disenfranchised, victims of prejudice and that they are all potentially good, no matter what they may be responsible for doing. We are cautioned to not be too judgmental, because we ourselves are not perfect. We are told that unless we can walk a mile in someone else's shoes, we have no right to sentence another human being to shame, imprisonment or death. Often, as the legal blathering goes, the perpetrator just wasn't ultimately responsible for the crime he or she did actually commit. People debate ad nauseum about controversial subjects such as whether or not to utilize a death penalty. This is not the important issue. With or without a death penalty, justice is still not being served by our system, because we as a society have taken a bizarre direction that says habitual offenders are still able to reform and rehabilitate. I say bizarre because the actual repetition of criminal behavior is clear empirical evidence that the person is not capable of reformation. Why is it the people who shout the loudest about criminals' rights also happen to be the ones who haven't had a sister raped, or a child kidnapped and murdered, or a brother die of an overdose? What was it Ronald Reagan once said? Something about how today's conservative is yesterday's liberal who got mugged. Here's what I say: Anyone can make a mistake. Anyone can make two. But when a person has proven time and again that he or she prefers to make decisions that produce a detrimental result for others, this person eventually forfeits any mercy that a reasonable human would gladly grant. I don't care that the violent offender is loved by his mother. I don't care that the drug dealer spends some of her dirty money to buy shoes for her toddler. I don't care that the crooked CEO seems like a nice guy. It makes no difference to me that all human beings have a potential for being "good." Potential is an utterly worthless proposition if it isn't properly realized. To all those in the world who habitually make others miserable in innumerable ways, I have only this to say: If you were to all disappear overnight, and never return, I would not lose one wink of sleep. After your hapless families and friends finished grieving, they'd realize in all honesty that the world is a better place without you anyway. |