Thank you Cem. I think you summed things up pretty well. The more I read and reread Ken's comments, the more upset I became. I took it as just an uppity, holier than thou, snobbish jab at me, for whatever reason. I am a native Texan and very proud of that. Yes, of course, it was just the luck of the draw or happinstance that caused me to be born here in the first place so how could I be "proud" of that roll of the dice? I heard that nonsense here already. I was born here, no matter what the odds. I consider myself very lucky to have been, and I always will, no matter what any out of stater has to say about anything.
I am not in favor of capital punishment. If it worked as intended and it was a true deterent of capital crimes, I would definitely be in favor of it. Because it has not proven to be anywhere near that, I feel it is a wasted effort. I also feel it lets the criminal, who has destroyed so many innocent lives through his nasty and horrendous deeds, get off and out of this world way too easy. Especially now that we "retired" Old Sparky and now just give them a chemical injection to let them slip off quietly into dreamland. That is a joke if you don't get it. I have heard from sources that the lethal injection, in many ways, is more cruel and inhumane than the electric chair because of how it works and what the inmate truly experiences during his execution. I don't think sweet dreams are in any way involved. I actually would much rather see the murderous scum suffer for the rest of their life in a 6 foot prison cell with no outside human contact whatsoever.
I enjoy studying the history of many things. Texas history especially has always been a favorite subject of mine. It is required coursework here in our school systems. The holocaust was an atrocity upon humanity the likes of which had never been seen and hopefully never will again. Should people not "voluntarily tour such a place" as the holocaust museums that exist? I believe France has a very long and dark history when it comes to crime and punishment. Are there any guillotines on display in France Nicolas? Do people actually go visit such places? I know...it's probably just the rich Texans over there on holiday right? That's another joke.
Just about every state, by the way, has some sort of prison museum. It's not just Texas. I find it hard to believe that I am the only person interested in that part of our past. And besides, as bad as the prison systems seem to the casual observer, all over the country, they are actually much better now and much more humane and even much more capable of treating their populations with a little respect, if deserved, and yes, even do some rehabilitation at times, and many of the advances that have been made in the system are a direct result of things developed and first introduced in the Texas systems. So if you are ever unfortunate enough to find yourself in prison, you can thank Texas for the ethical and humane treatment you may be lucky enough to receive.
But now that Ken has made such a strong case against all of this, I have changed my mind completely and now believe with all of my heart that we should swing open all of the prison gates, in Texas, and let them all disburse to the other 49 states or countries abroad. Thank you for opening my eyes to a whole new way of thinking.
Here was another image I found interesting. It is photography related so hopefully it will not receive the "Wrath of Ken".
James Newman
