Re: OT: Houston cowboy

OR--

I am in agreement with you about Texas being an "uncivilized State" even
though I was born and raised here. I'll make no excuses for it except to
say that the "wild west" has made an attempt to perpetuate itself. I was a
big fan of LBJ except for his Viet Nam policies, but his crassness as an
individual sunk us back into the 19th century, out of which we HAD been
trying to crawl until Bush was elected governor. We actually had a female
governor, Ann Richards!!
I don't see Texas changing much in the next 10 years, but just as a State
like North Carolina has become increasingly cosmopolitan and urbane, Texas
will follow suit eventually because there are just too many people moving
here from the sane regions of the country.

Tom
On Jul 3 2008 6:21 PM, Octopus Ride wrote:

"Vickster" <a397a6d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:80ovj5xprs.ln2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Jul 3 2008 12:00 PM, Octopus Ride wrote:


In most states, drunk driving for a 3rd time gets you life in prison.
Rape
gets you life. Armed robbery 30 years. Child sex crimes 40 years to
life.
Etc. etc. etc.

OR

Those may apply in Oregon, but I respectfully disagree when it comes to
the rest of the states, and definitely in Texas. Drunk driving for a 3rd
time gets you life? You don't really believe that, do you? Unless there is
manslaughter involved, you can get caught drunk driving MANY times (I'd
say 10 to 20 easily) and get away with MAYBE a few days in jail, a low
bail and a slap on the hand.

Texas is an uncivilized state, which allows people to drive drunk and shoot
people in the back, but if you're retarded you get the death penalty and if
you're caught smoking a single marijuana joint you get a year.

Most states have far more severe penalties for drunk driving. Heck, even
loosy goosy Nevada sends you to the pen for 6 years after your 3rd
conviction.

I don' have hard facts to back it up, but
everytime I see the news and someone was invoived in a DD offense, it's
not their first rodeo. Rape gets you life? Child sex 40 years to life? I
wish those were the case, but check the internet for sex offenders near
where you live (if you can in your state). I can check the internet and
find 30+ sex offenders within 15 miles of my residence. Most abused
children.

Penalties have increased exponentially in the last 10 years for almost every
crime and the US imprisons far more of its population than does any other
civilized country, so any argument that sentences are far too light is just
plain absurd. All of the recent rules about where sex offenders can live
are also absolutely ridiculous. They let them out, but don't allow them to
live anywhere and plaster their pictures everywhere so they can't earn a
living. If the crimes are that serious, keep them in prison for goodness
sake. Once a sentence has been served they've served their time and
deserve an opportunity to pay their own way in life and live normally, not
cluster under bridges with nothing to do but reoffend. I'll never
understand why they're let out if they're considered so dangerous that they
can't live in 90% of the neighborhoods in a community.

"Sex offender" is also a very loaded term. There are thousands of "sex
offenders" like the kid here locally: he's 19 and was convicted of getting a
BJ from his 17 year old girlfriend and high school sweetheart of 3 years
(her mom found out and turned him in). He's in prison for 8 years (the
girlfriend still visits but probably not for long), and when he gets out, he
can't live here, there, or anywhere, and can't be around children, etc. etc.
etc. Its madness.

OR - you're right.....the prisons are way to crowded with serious amd
non-serious offenders. My solution - let go the offenders that were found
guilty of possession of pot, weed, ganja, whatever you wanna call it.
(Hell...just legalize it!!! but that's a different rec.group) That
solution will free up space for the more serious crime (rape, murder, sex
offenders, etc.).

Agreed.

We need more Sheriff's like "Joe" in Arizona who hands
out the Pink jumpsuits, makes the prisoners work for the government and
has them sleep in tents in the heat. Our soldiers in Iraq sleep in tents
in the heat and they didn't even commit a crime. The prisoners need to
"quit bitchin'" and start earning their way. IMHO Vic

Yet Phoenix has more crime than most cities. All that pink jumpsuit
silliness may make some people feel good, but there's no evidence it keeps
anyone any safer than normal communities. Requiring prisoners to work is a
no-brainer IMO; unless you're in for life you WILL get out and it might be
nice if some effort was made to get prisoners used to responsibility or even
learn a skill.

As far as soldiers sleeping in tents in Iraq, they volunteered, so I fail to
see the point.

OR

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