I wish there was a serious effort to reform the broken criminal justice system, but there is little, if any interest or motivation within the ‘house’ of men and women who sit in positions that represent such tremendous power and judgment over others, from law enforcement, attorneys, prosecutors, prison authorities, parole/probation and the bench.

What is their incentive to minimize the flow of human life sentenced to the nation’s penitentiaries/concrete and steel cages? There is none.

No one argues that there shouldn’t be a consequence for crimes committed, but there is a huge difference between intentional behavior to harm another, to purposefully commit egregious acts against society - and “stepping in it”, making poor choices, goofing up or acting stupidly.

There is a difference between an “action/reaction” that falls into the category of a law being broken and one’s conscience choice to repeatedly engage in criminal behavior. Reform should focus on Reconciliation, Reclamation, Restitution and Restoration. Reformation should seek to correct (I know, I Know, penitentiaries are called “correctional facilities” - laughable) by counseling and teaching life, trade and tech skills.

Men and women who get caught in the criminal justice cobweb and end up spending time in a human cage are tattooed /branded as ex-cons upon their release back into society. I prefer to call former prisoners “returning citizens”.

Anyway, forgive my ramblings. Obviously this is topic/issue that comes with personal perspective.

As a believer I recognize the brokenness of humanity. Every one of us, without exclusion. I also believe in the power of the Cross and our Savior Who’s love is so great that He willingly went to the cross bearing its pain, agony, shame and death thru the sacrificial shedding of His blood for one purpose and that was/is to offer mankind, one at a time the gift of eternal life gift wrapped in mercy, grace and forgiveness. God’s ultimate desire is that man experiences Reconciliation, Redemption and Restoration, allowing for an intimately personal relationship with Him.

Sincerely,

Paul Kester

Kingsley, PA

Over the past eight years, people on the Right made numerous, highly absurd allegations against President Obama about his alleged nefarious plans.  They said he was going to round up whoever disagreed with him and put them in detention.  Or just kill them with a private, brownshirt army.  They said he'd take away our guns.  They said he'd ban the Bible.  They said he'd impose Sharia law.  They said he'd deliberately infect America with Ebola.  They said he had created Death Panels already.  They said he was going to invade and annex Texas (which is already a part of the US last time I checked).  And they said he'd declare emergency and cancel the election so he could remain in power for life.

These bizarre claims, mind you, were not merely the effluvia of garden-variety crackpots out in the hinterlands.  They were being spread by real, prominent Republicans like Ben Carson, Betsy McCaughey, Reps. Michael Burgess and Steve Stockman, Gen. Jerry Boykin, and Tony Perkins, plus stars of the right-wing media.  (The supposedly more responsible mainstream media never called them on it.)  The conspiracy spinners thought it would confer political advantage.  They were right.  But I think they actually believed such rot, and contributed to rotting the minds of the rank and file, now lost in a world of "alternative fact".

Now that we've had the election anyway, and the transition has indeed taken place (with the gracious assistance of the much-maligned Obama), it's safe to say these dire warnings are not coming to pass.  In fact, a sane person will conclude that they were never at all the remotest possibility, and were the product of deranged minds-- the only kind that would believe such nonsense to begin with.

So in other words, the Republican Party has a very significant component that is clinically insane.  They pass muster with a substantial portion of the GOP electorate, perhaps the majority.  And these people now run all three branches of government.

Isn't it wonderful that the nuclear codes and more are now in the tiny hands of a would-be tyrant who not only pandered to these nuts, but who derives a lot of his shallow thinking from their ilk!

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA