Posted on 01/27/2004 6:28:27 AM PST by madprof98
"Perhaps," says U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), "the promiscuity of teenagers should not be condoned, but youthful indiscretion should not be punished in Georgia by 10 years in jail . . . "
The promiscuity of teenagers?
The victim in the Marcus Dixon case had no such history. She testified, in fact, that she had never spoken more than a few words to him before the day of the assault, which occurred while she was working as a student custodian cleaning a classroom trailer on school grounds.
She testified, furthermore, that until the assault she was a virgin, in a locked room, who didn't scream or cry out for help "because I was afraid he'd hurt me."
Without doubt, Dixon appears to a good kid with an otherwise bright future. Whether 10 years is the appropriate sentence for the crime he committed is fair debate, though frankly to this father it seems about right. Certainly any girl should have the right to choose whether her first sexual experience is to be in a school trailer with a near stranger. The victim has sworn that it was not consensual.
The world Lewis sees is one that race-conspiracy liberals often portray. It's a nation where discrimination -- not the commission of crime or any cultural malady -- accounts for the disproportionate number of minorities in prison.
"How could a nation that says it stands for freedom and justice engage in the mass incarceration of its citizens?" asks Lewis. He then quotes the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which is the equivalent of a conservative quoting the Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies.
One frequent assertion of those who make Lewis' discrimination conspiracy arguments, usually thrown out as evidence that we live in a world where minorities are sought out for incarceration by evil prosecutors, is that there are more black men behind bars than in college classrooms. It's an apples-and-oranges comparison. College students are predominantly 18-24. Prison populations span all teen and adult categories.
The important question to that observation is the one that comes next: Why? This is where the dialogue breaks down. Lewis and other liberals see discrimination as the primary reason. Ignored or given lip service is the cultural change that has swept over America. More than two-thirds of African-American children, almost two-fifths of Hispanics and more than one-fifth of whites suffer birth abuse, denied the opportunity to be born into a two-parent family.
Nobel Laureate James J. Heckman, a University of Chicago economics professor, and Amy L. Wax, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, have a forthcoming book, "Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policy." New research data, they write in The Wall Street Journal, "casts doubt on the usual explanations for enrollment shortfalls, such as poor schools, poverty, low teacher expectations, excessive school discipline and anticipated discrimination.
"Young black children lag significantly in school readiness and expectations before discrimination could have much effect."
The problem starts with family. "Young black children are exposed to much lower levels of cognitive and emotional stimulation than white children, even in families with comparable income, education and IQ. They watch more TV, read fewer books and converse and go on educational outings with their families less often. They are more likely to be raised in homes without fathers, family mealtimes or fixed routines." Big gaps occur by age 3 or 4, they write.
It's easy to rail against discrimination. It's much harder to convince adults, who treat children as tokens of an evening of pleasure, familiarity or conquest, that birth abuse is wrong.
Jim Wooten is the associate editorial page editor. His column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Without a doubt.
"Young black children are exposed to much lower levels of cognitive and emotional stimulation than white children, even in families with comparable income, education and IQ. They watch more TV, read fewer books and converse and go on educational outings with their families less often. They are more likely to be raised in homes without fathers, family mealtimes or fixed routines." Big gaps occur by age 3 or 4, they write.
Dang. How about that. I do believe I detect smoke coming from yon barrel.
In short, the author is making a big deal over testimony that failed to convince the jury.
After we set that straight, we can have the discussion over whether or not the 10 year sentence is OK.
He only knows how to recite the spin of Jesse Jackson and the other race-baiters.
Gadzooks! Call your Congressman today and demand reparations.Only an effort equal to the Marshall Plan will do... air-drops... the whole 9 yards!
...
"Perhaps," says an American voter, "the stupidity of congressmen should not be condoned, but continual display of such should not be rewarded in Georgia by 20 years in Congress . . . "
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