Goodwill toward men

The American System is under attack yet again. For many years now, as a beacon of hope and freedom in the Western World, we’ve had a policy of allowing criminals to pay their debt to society. Guilt or innocence is determined by an unbiased court and jury. But that system - as fair and equitable as it is - is not enough, it seems, to serve “justice” in this great land.

A popular “news anchor” on a cable network has said that a man, who served the prescribed time in prison for his crime of animal abuse, should have been executed for his crime. And then, when our Nation’s leader thanked that ex-con’s employer for giving him a second chance, our Nation’s leader was attacked by the “news anchor” as, in short, being amoral or some such thing.

Animal abuse is a terrible thing. What’s worse? Domestic assault. Still worse? Not any of those acts themselves, but the bad education they give to children. Yes, it isn’t that children are exposed to terrible acts, but they are taught by them. Teaching a child that it is fair to hit your wife during an argument is about the most despicable thing that I can imagine. So, would that “news anchor” believe that such a man that struck a woman in front of children should be executed? Doubtful.

We should consider, quickly, what would happen if the beliefs of this “news anchor” were put into effect. Well, it’s hard to tell, exactly, since the “argument” he makes is generally hyperbole only and has no real structure. But I’ll guess that it would be impossible to pay a debt for past crimes. We’d have to assume that people couldn’t change. Once a sinner, always a sinner… After spending some time in jail, people would be released to be shunned by society, unable to get a job, and would subsist through welfare. Or starve.

I think this is a teachable moment. What I’ve learned is that we should require television personalities to write a short essay of five paragraphs to explain their position every time they choose to speak in hyperbole to strike an emotional chord instead of facilitating real discussion. And this essay should be able to get at least a B in a ninth grade English class.