reading through some of the posts re the mcveigh debate, it's obvious that there is a huge divide between the usa and europe over many issues, in particular with reference to the way that society should deal with deviants.. i think that there is a lot of other cultural differences between our societies, and i'm just wondering if this is why the wtbts has had a far higher "conversion factor" in the usa than in europe.. some of the phraseology contained in the watchtower magazines is incomprehensible to europeans.
i remember that words that are in common usage now, were, when first used in the wt, totally baffling.. the expression "no way" wasn't in common use until years after the wt featured it, like wise with "points up", also "right on" meant nothing to anyone.
indeed, many return visits to placed magazine householders resulted in them asking a bewildered dub for an explanation of these then strange terms.
Hello All,
I see a lot of the European and Australian members of this board lamenting of Americans lack of knowledge of their culture. Just so you know this is probably caused by two things:
(1) Lack of contact, I think you would find that Americans know much more about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world and Asia.
(2) Honestly most Americans don’t really care about Europe; there has always been a strong isolationist lobby here when it comes to Europe.
Jelly
yeah 200 yrs sounds a tad excessive..................but things are bigger and better in the us.....i guess it works for sentences as well.. sacramento, calif. (ap) -- a man who used tiger woods' identity to steal $17,000 worth of goods was sentenced to 200 years-to-life in prison.
anthony lemar taylor was convicted of falsely obtaining a driver's license using the name eldrick t. woods, woods' social security number and his birth date.
though he looks nothing like golf's best player, the 30-year-old taylor then used the false identification and credit cards to buy a 70-inch tv, stereos and a used luxury car between august 1998 and august 1999. .
Hey All,
The three strikes law was originally intended for VIOLENT CRIMINALS only; it has been perverted to include many felonies now, including drug possession and theft. I am strongly opposed to the ‘three strikes’ law, as it has caused numerous injustices. Another issue with the 3 strikes law is that it fills the prisons up with 3 time non-violent offenders so that the first or second time violent offenders are actually getting out of jail quicker due to overcrowding.
And as an after though the reason America has a higher incarceration rate than most other countries has a great deal to do with the fact that many activities that are treated as an illness in other countries (drugs) are criminalized here. There has been a lot posted on the American prison system on this board recently, most people in America realize that there is a problem with the prison system. I am not going to argue the merits of the American prison system; it needs a great deal of change. What I am going to post is the changes that I think need to happen in the Prison system:
(1) Legalize and tax drugs, use the tax proceeds to create an anti drug ad campaigns and treatment centers and treat drug use as an illness
(2) Prosecute people that sell illegal drugs with very long terms (like 20 years)
a. Since I want drugs legalized only people that sell drugs to minors or in improper locations would fit this profile
(3) Increase the length of prison terms for violent criminals
(4) Make the prisoners work, and work hard
(5) Educate the prisoners (Many do not even have High school diplomas)
(6) Murder = life without the possibility of parole
(7) Murder and another felony committed at the same time (like rape) = death when:
a. Guilt can be 100% determined
b. I realize this means the death penalty would probably never be used
(8) Control the prisons and stop the gang activity and anal rape
Just my thoughts, I though it would be interesting to post ideas about change instead of arguing about beliefs and preconceptions.
Scorpion I live about 40 miles north of Sacramento, howdy neighbor!!
Jelly (Sorry about the format I don't know how to use forum code)
i am a policitcal conservative, at least a fiscal conservative and sociel moderate.
i support the death penalty, but i agree that our judicial system needs to overhaul how wwe treat criminals to achieve better rehabilitation results.
and of course, withhold the death penalty in cases where there could be doubt.. in mcveigh's case, i believe that he deserves the death penalty.
Hello,
Just wanted to pop in and thank Expatbrit for his Answers to my questions.
Jelly
i am a policitcal conservative, at least a fiscal conservative and sociel moderate.
i support the death penalty, but i agree that our judicial system needs to overhaul how wwe treat criminals to achieve better rehabilitation results.
and of course, withhold the death penalty in cases where there could be doubt.. in mcveigh's case, i believe that he deserves the death penalty.
Hello Englishman,
Normally I limit myself to the lighter post simply because I have
no desire to argue with strangers, but I wanted to ask englishman two
questions.
(1) If you believe that relgions are the driving force behind the cultural desire to use the death penalty what about China, a communist country that is atheistic (sp?)?
(2) Do you realize that the Catholic church, one of the worlds largest churches, is against the death penalty?
Jelly
i am a policitcal conservative, at least a fiscal conservative and sociel moderate.
i support the death penalty, but i agree that our judicial system needs to overhaul how wwe treat criminals to achieve better rehabilitation results.
and of course, withhold the death penalty in cases where there could be doubt.. in mcveigh's case, i believe that he deserves the death penalty.
JanH since you know so much about the American Judicial system why dont you tell me how many people were executed in America last year? It must have been thousands to group us with countries like China and Iran. I also noticed you left out Iraq the country that gassed its own people but since they stand opposed to America surely they must be a good country. Really to compare the united states treatment of its citizens with China and Iran is both dishonest and ignorant, if you really believe that I feel sorry for you.
Jelly
while a jw i never gave up enjoying sports, and never felt bad about skipping out early from the meeting for the superbowl.
our congregation would have a party for the pios and aux pios to watch the bowl.
thnk gawd!
I lost 20 dollars on the lakers this year, the bastards.
Jelly ( I live 40 miles from ARCO Arena have to be a kings fan )
the story of moses.
everyone, it seems knows the story of moses, how he sent plagues down on the egyptians and eventually led the hebrew people to the promised land.. i question the authenticity of this story and find it rather interesting how the story has been further embellished in the recent blockbuster disney movie, the prince of egypt.. according to some scholars, moses is a suffix meaning "son of" and it is found in many egyptian names, such as tuthmosis (son of thoth) and ramesses (son of ra.).
in the bible, moses' mother hid her baby son in a basket in the reeds along the river bank.
I believe that the story of Moses is a myth with some fact mixed in.
I also believe however, that just because it's a myth it does not make the story worthless. The story of Moses has served to inspire people thoughout the ages and thats the value of the story.
Jelly
i received this from a mailing list and thought i'd share.. ginny.
a new publication is now available called reasoning with the sisters.
but more likely you are interested in your future.
I knew this had to be a joke, there is no reasoning with sisters you just have to smack them on the butt and tell them to straighten up.
Jelly
i've heard the borg alot.
one of the recent posts had the matrix.
some the firm.. i think that i like the matrix, so far.. what's yours?.
Mommie Dark, Dont be hard on yourself I think you're a doll.
Jelly
i've heard the borg alot.
one of the recent posts had the matrix.
some the firm.. i think that i like the matrix, so far.. what's yours?.
Well when I am serious I will use the organization, because it’s more an organization than a religion. But here is a list of my favorites when I am just kidding around:
(1) Jehovah’s witlesses
(2) Borg
(3) Kingdumb hall
(4) Door knockers
(5) Ugly overweight women in skirts
Jelly (I might offend some people with 5, but I would say this group makes up 40-60 percent of the witnesses I know)
