Help with HS Sociology project

WHS Sociology Department ^ | 3/27/04 | Self

[CAPPSMADNESS]

Hello to all,

My son has been given an assignment for his Sociology class and thought this forum would be a great place for him to receive some varied input. We have tried not to influence our children regarding politics, preferring them to make their own decisions regarding regarding party affiliation and such. This has not been an easy task.

Matt and I thought it would be great to pose these questions on this forum to gather input from here. The questions are as follows:

1. What Constitutional rights should be required to be given up if one is sentenced to a felony & why?

2. Do you believe that if prisoners are treated more humanely (own TV's, liberal use of telephone priviledges, family/cojugal visits, more activities inside and out, etc.) that they would be less likely to be violent or a danger upon release from prison? Expalin your answer.

3. Do you agree with capitol punishment? Why or why not?

4. How long should someone be allowed to remain on death row before their sentence is carried out?

5. Should lethal injection be the only form of carrying out the death penalty? Expalin.

6. Whould you ever consider a career in law enforcement? Why/Why not?

7. What would be the most difficult part of being a police officer and why?

Thanks to anyone who wishes to add thier thoughts to this. Please keep in mind that although Matt is a very mature 16, civility would be nice

[yankeedame]

"tyme"!!!!!
I salute your attempts to spice up your post but surely you know that:

Ah yes, sage advice indeed.
Regards, Cory Ander

[yankeedame]

(Words fail me......)
=====
LOL! Which just goes to prove you're not Irish! (Unlike your's truly, I know![grin])

Regards,
Barb

[CAPPSMADNESS]

I forgot to add that he also must supply resources - I was hoping to use freerepublic.com as one.

[ken5050]

I'd be careful....depending on the politics of your son's teacher..it might earn him an F

[CAPPSMADNESS]

He did in Post #15

[CAPPSMADNESS]

My maiden name was Flanegin, and I have two middle names: Colleen Suzanne...


And you say I'm not Irish??? Words fail me still - especially during round-robin arguments when one has to repeat and repeat the exact same facts over and over and over.....

Even we Irish have our limits..... ;0)

[CAPPSMADNESS]

That doesn't matter to Matt - He would definitely have something to say about a teacher who flunked him soley on a source. That would become a large problem for the teacher involved.

[Tench_Coxe]

Ah. Thanks. I was answering without reading down the thread.

[bert]

We have tried not to influence our children .....

If that is true, then why is Matt not posting?

[NittanyLion]

Re: folks telling you to mandate a political philosophy for your children, your stance is the correct one. I can think of a few reasons:

1. If you raise your kids with good sense and teach them to become self-reliant, they're likely to become conservatives anyway.

2. Raising kids capable of independent decision-making requires that you back off and hope they make the right ones on their own - and understand that it will not always happen the way YOU would hope.

3. Political disputes should not get in the way of family. Life is about priorities, and political party pretty clearly should not make the top three...

Sounds like you've got all this figured out already, but I thought you should hear from a like-minded individual on the subject.

[CAPPSMADNESS]

Cause Matt is sitting right here - and I am a member here?

Because I am helping him with the resources that i know of as are his father and a few cousins and I consider FR a resource of varied viewpoints - or has that changed?

Because Matt is even a worse typist than I am?

He has read a few of the flame wars here and doesn't want to get involved in one by saying what may be construed as the wrong thing?

And also, he is 16 - I have seen some mean things said about a kid named Kyle (?) on here who is apparently very politically knoledgeable - As a mother, I would not want the same happening to my kid, whether or not he is capable of defending himself or not.

Are any of these resaons acceptable enough for you?

[Quix]

THANKS FOR YOUR QUERY! CONGRATS ON WISE REARING!

1. What Constitutional rights should be required to be given up if one is sentenced to a felony & why?

GIVING UP VOTING RIGHTS seems fitting--at least for a decade or more--such poor judgment as to result in a felony conviction does not indicate great wisdom available to choose wise and honorable leaders.

I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about laws about such but I'm not so sure felons would make good parents either. At least they ought not be encouraged to breed like bunnies. Perhaps that they'd have to earn and save enough to rear the kid and put them through college before having a birth control implant removed or temporarily neutralized.

2. Do you believe that if prisoners are treated more humanely (own TV's, liberal use of telephone priviledges, family/cojugal visits, more activities inside and out, etc.) that they would be less likely to be violent or a danger upon release from prison? Expalin your answer.

NO. I DON'T THINK THERE'S LIKELY TO BE A CORRELATION AT ALL. THE ISSUE IS A HEART ISSUE. Have their values; their priority orientations/heart treasures/ideals/goals; their primary reference groups changed or not.

NOW, IF the activities, communications accesses etc were wedded to structured shaping, educational experiences fostering changes in the heart issues etc. . . . such as PRISON FELLOWSHIP ACHIEVES . . . then probably such would be worth the risks and expense. Otherwise, one is just rewarding rebellion and giving the impression that destruction, rebellion and murder pay well.

3. Do you agree with capitol punishment? Why or why not?

YES. SOME THINGS ARE SO HIDEOUS, IT'S BETTER TO REMOVE ALL POSSIBILITY OF REPEAT PERFORMANCES. And, it's not a bad message to send to the rest of society that some things carry an ultimate cost.

4. How long should someone be allowed to remain on death row before their sentence is carried out?

PROBABLY SOME REASONABLE BALANCE NEEDS TO EXIST BETWEEN ALL REASONABLE FAIR CHANCE FOR VALID APPEAL AND PROMPT EXECUTION. The Chinese used to post a white poster in the morning notifying of the scheduled execution within hours of conviction. By late afternoon, usually, a red check had been put across the poster signifying the execution had been carried out.

SWIFT JUSTICE IS USUALLY BEST provided sufficient safeguards are built-in to avoid terminating the innocent.

ENCOURAGING endless appeals and stalling manoeuvers for philosophical reasons is not fitting nor constructive for society. Fractionalizing the community is destructive to the individual, institutions and citizens.

5. Should lethal injection be the only form of carrying out the death penalty? Expalin.

IT'S GREAT THAT WE ARE HUMANE AND ASPIRE TO "DOING UNTO OTHERS" TO THIS DEGREE AND IN THIS WAY. However, I think in the rare case of someone like Bin Laden, a public flogging and brutal execution would be highly in order--followed by a burial in a pig skin.

6. Whould you ever consider a career in law enforcement? Why/Why not?

No. The risks and struggles are not my cup of tea. And, the straight-jackets PC issues have put on the police can be full of too many double-bind implications and situations.

7. What would be the most difficult part of being a police officer and why?

NOT BEING ABLE TO DO the right thing because of silly PC laws and/or liability issues or socialistic-do-good-ism and similar idiocies. Of course, some of the safeguards are essential for liberty and freedom. But at this point, the criminal seems to have 1,000 options and protections and the police maybe 5. That's far tooooooo out of balance in a destructive direction.

I ALSO STRONGLY SUPPORT HONORABLE, SANE CITIZENS NOT GIVEN TO ANGER ADDICTIONS HAVING GUNS AND BEING TRAINED IN HOW TO USE THEM. I believe this would be the greatest deterrant to crime and the greatest protection for our REPUBLIC'S FREEDOMS. I almost think it ought to be a duty like voting for citizens to be armed.


Thanks to anyone who wishes to add thier thoughts to this. Please keep in mind that although Matt is a very mature 16, civility would be nice

[CAPPSMADNESS]

Thank you, I am glad that someone understands where I am coming from.

Although political disputes (if you can refer to them as we have them) are a good way of understanding where my children's hearts and minds are. It helps keep their debate and reasoning skills sharp.

[Dante3]

Capital punishment
1. prevents the worst of criminals from killing again in case the escape or are pardoned or for some other reason set free
2. protects other prisoners from being maimed or killed
3. acts as a deterrent
4. sends the message that life is valuable and to be protected and anyone who takes someone else's life will receive the ultimate punishment, not a slap on the wrist as if the killer had committed some minor act. Anyone who wants lenient treatment to killer is basically saying, "So what? They merely killed another human being."
5. a sense of justice. Some who wear the masks of human being, such as the Carr brothers and Alejandro Avila, are so evil and demented that they have forfeited the right to exist.

[freedumb2003]

3. Do you agree with capitol punishment? Why or why not?

Absolutely. Start with Sacramento and Boston, then move up to Washington DC! Punish them all! God know they punished their citizens enough!

;)

[CindyDawg]

Yeah but how many convicted felons that continue in crime are going to go thru the process of applying for a license? Last year (in texas) it took a class at our own expense, forms, pictures and 6 months for approval (again at our own expense) for my husband and I to get a license to carry. People who want guns to do bad things are going to get them. Criminals aren't going to go thru all of this to have a gun. They will get them other ways. You know that. You probably deal with it all the time. Shouldn't the real issue be why judges and parole officers continue to put repeat offenders back on the street?

[bayourod]

" so far my son is to the far right of Ronald Reagan. "

The Reagan most people think they know today is a myth. I was privileged to hear him speak on several occasions and be a part of his campaign organization three times.

Reagan was a very compassionate and caring person. He wasn't a hard liner. He wasn't uncompromising. He wasn't unsympathetic.

Go to the website of the Reagan Library and read some of his speeches. He was a great humanitarian.

I campaigned for Reagan in 1980 alongside George W. Bush. Bush had a tremendous admiration for Reagan, probably more than for his own father (as is natural). Bush's "compassionate conservative" theme is a reflection of how he perceived Reagan.

Your son could learn much from reading Reagan's speeches.

[dpa5923]

I am enjoying watching my children grow into individuals through a combine effort of our guidance and their own explorations, much as all children do.

All parents enjoying watching their children grow into individuals. Responsible parents explain things in context to their children so they understand what they see and what they hear. My children read and often watch the news with me, but I explain the errors of the TV commentators and explain the various political positions. I raise them to have values that I find important and proper including political positions concerning issues like gay marriage, abortion, gun control, etc, etc. We discuss the reasoning behind the postions and I refuse to let my children make emotional choices about politics like liberals do. I do not force the Republican party down my children’s throats, but after listening carefully and hearing both sides of a reasoned argument, they are forced to move in that direction. They have been taught to think hence they are conservatives.

And no - we don't have MTV, VHI, BET and they have no interest in DU or Nambla. etc.

Please don't tell me you believe you can hide your children from every negative influence. If you do not provide your children with strong moral fiber with a belief in certain values including political and religious ones, others will.

[ChevyZ28]

Your right, these criminals will get guns illegally, but should we make it easier for criminals to get them legally as well? Do you think you could go to someone's family and say I am sorry your family member was killed, only to have it later to surface it was a convicted felon who legally purchased and owned the murder weapon? I don't think so. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means anti 2nd Amendment, there are some very responsible gun owners out there. I absolutely believe in every word of the constitution. I just believe we need these laws forbidding the convicted felon from having a firearm. As a side note, there is a process by which a convicted felon can have his or her rights restored. As for why they are put back on the streets, I am as frustrated about that as you are. However, until we have completely eliminated liberal judges from the judicial system, we can expect criminals who need to spend the rest of their natural born lives in jail out on the street.

[davisfh]

Got it. Thanks.