What you are, is ego trippers who want your feelings validated. It hurts to hear about kids being killed, and by-golly, somebody needs to pay for hurting YOU.
It is not my intent to be disrespecfull, but do you not think it hurts society to hear about kids being killed? It isn't the ego validation of one person alone that questions any punishment meted out to a criminal in these crimes, its simply the ethics and parameters of a society where we believe in protection of the weaker and the innocent. I think when we allow ourselves to be passionate about some things, it can be used most productively in bringing about positive change. In the case of the little Florida girl who was buried alive - her father has taken that passion and worked on bringing a child predator bill to the senate. Compassion cannot be continually overextended to the point it eliminates the rights of the rest of society to live in peace - in this case, compassion can be felt for Mrs Yates, but do we overextend our compassion and rationalize it by shrugging and telling ourselves 'the kids are already dead'. In some hospitals, there is no mandatory medical intervention which means that if she is in one of these hospitals, she has the right to refuse her medication which she may have to take to keep her 'sane'. Should she be released, and the probability is that in the future she could be out for day visits, what if she chooses not to take her medicine? Has our compassion overextended itself to the point where at that time, another murder takes place, that we shrug and say 'she's mentally ill'. Where do we draw the line at the purpose and general outcome of hospitalization, institutionalization and prison? If someone can be cured(?) and become a productive member of society then the outcome is positive but what is the positive outcome for Andrea Yates or others like her? It has been noted by most doctors that pedophilia is an illness which is incurable...hence there is some sort of mental illness going on in the brains of people who committ such acts, yet we do not feel such compassion for those persons even when they kill their victims. I just find it all so interesting in how we view these things but I'm most interested in what people think the outcome should be for anyone we 'put away' for any length of time. If they are never going to 'get better', what is the value to society? Think of how many scream about people on welfare, or unemployed, or homeless people - how they scream about what a waste those people are and a drain on society - yet any number of those are ill but don't kill anyone yet are subject to far more derision than Yates has been. Just my thoughts...sammieswife.
