The impetus for today's argument is the senseless murders of NYC police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu yesterday (12.20.2014), but it is something that has been building over the last couple of decades. The loss of life simply does not mean as much in our society it ought to, regardless of race, creed, religion, or any other marker that we care to create. People kill each other, and for the most part, do not expect to face any type of consequences, at least not anything that puts a crimp in their lifestyle.
We've been told #BlackLives matter, which they do (though not enough for any form of protest when any of the 2,245 blacks were killed by another black person in 2013, according to government statistics.) We've also had other camps weigh in and post that #WhiteLives matter, and so do #CopLives matter. Not nearly enough people, however, have focused on the fact that #AllLives matter.
It's been bandied about that the reason for this is that the 'gangsta' lifestyle is glorified in various media, which may play a part in it. Others have decried violent video games, and like-minded movies and television programs. These are certainly options, too, but not the main cause, in my opinion.
In the movie Tombstone, one of the great movies of the last 25 years, there is a scene that takes place down by the creek. Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) has just led a successful attack against "Curly" Bill Brocious, and his band of Cowboys. Following its conclusion, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) has a conversation with 'Turkey Creek' Jack Johnson (Buck Taylor), 'Texas' Jack Vermillion (Peter Sherayko), and McMasters (Michael Rooker) in which the thought is expressed that Earp is going after the Cowboys to gain revenge for attacks on his brothers and their families.
Holliday replied "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after, it's the reckoning." The use of reckoning in this instance would reflect the thought of judging someone or multiple persons for actions previously taken.
This is what is sadly lacking in our modern society. Criminals commit heinous crimes of all sort, and the immediate response by many groups is to defend the criminal, pointing to their upbringing and 'lack of opportunity' as the reason that they have committed their crimes. While I won't argue that the denigration of the nuclear family may lead some down the path of Evil, it cannot be used as a crutch for crimes committed against fellow citizens.
What it comes down to is there is no personal responsibility, no accountability for actions. It's time to fix that. The big problem with our legal system is activist judges who do not sentence criminals to the proper reckoning, especially violent criminals. I would favor a much more strict punishment scale:
Public execution for anyone who kills in cold blood (not self-defense, which is wholly supported), along with all rapists, and persons who abuse children sexually. The reason for the execution is not revenge, as Holliday noted, because no amount of punishment will bring a person back to life or restore a person's sense of self. Rather, it is to eliminate from the public persons who would commit such crimes, so they are not able to commit them once again. What has been seen time and again is criminals who are released from prison go back out in to society and commit more crimes. That is a losing proposition for the good people in our world.
The reason the executions should be made public is so that there is public notice of the consequences of a person's actions. When executions are done behind closed doors, there is not the same connection for the public, nor can we be as certain that there is not a nefarious purpose on the state's side with terminating another human life. It is an undertaking that should be taken with the most serious reservations, but at the time the decision is made, there should be no turning back.
