Okay, I will indulge and sorry if it looked like I ‘went off on one' but you did judge me first or ‘cast the first stone’ with your comment about my choice of paper.
Nope, not religious. And I have no clue why this would be relevant. Because of the mention of forgiveness? Do you have to be religious to forgive?!
No, not at all. I threw a judgement back at you like you did to me. “Well he started it sir!”.
If it was your child how forgiving would you be?
I don't know if I could forgive, but if they showed remorse, regret and a desire to change then I would want to be able to. The foundations of our justice system are that the sentence they serve 'pays' for the crime they committed, i.e. once they are out they are to treated as anybody else. People make mistakes.
I agree and disagree with you there. Yes they should be treated like anybody else when their crime is spent but I do not believe what they “pay” is ever proportionate to their crime. You get repeat burglars for instance yet I am more victimized, as a car driver, for a small indiscretion than a burglar who wrecks hundreds of peoples’ lives.
I don’t think you have the faintest idea what these ba$ards do to the victim or the family
I don't need to understand in order to make this point.
True, but you may change your mind about the level of punishment or rehab if you had firsthand experience of this.
You try to sanitize and justify their behaviour and just like so many crimes these days no-one gives a s**t about the victims!
A ridiculous comment. Exactly when have I sanitized or justified their actions? And how exactly will killing (or whichever punishment you think is appropriate) undo the harm that person has done? Make the parents feel superficially better for a few minutes before realising there is a? Not every crime is black and white.
I think you missed my point about sending a very clear message to the rest of the world. I think the killing of a child, or anyone else,
is very black and white; they are dead no matter who tries to sugar-coat it in his defence. (Not saying you are BTW).
I doubt it which I think speaks volumes about your ignorance or lack of compassion for the innocent.
Why does this always have to become personal. I resent being called ignorant, or that I lack compassion. I think you need to read posts more carefully and not immediately jump on the reactionary bandwagon.
Apologies, but again if there was a video tape of life which you could rewind and actually see for yourself what Huntley did I feel you may feel differently. By ignorant I meant you have been fortunate enough not to have witnessed what I have. By lack of compassion I meant your focus is on the perpetrator whereas mine is on the victims and their poor family. No offence taken now I hope?
After a vain rant like that, yes you will check in again (though may not respond).
I call it passionate and I’m glad I did check back in because I think you may have got the wrong impression of me, (maybe still do).
The majority of posts stating revengeful views are hypocritical and self-indulgent.
You got me there
I don’t see the hypocrisy or self indulgence
*. For myself, I have one rule in my life which I stand by; to treat people as I would wish to be treated. If I am wrong or unfair I am always big enough to explain and/or apologise, (as indeed I have to you here for my “rant”).
...yet if everyone really, genuinely, felt this passion every victims charity would be overwhelmed with volunteers and donations. They aren't.
They receive help if they wish to seek it and if you look at the money raised from sport relief and many others I think people are generally quite philanthropic and caring.
What an angry, vengeful, cynical society we live in.
It didn’t used to be, I’m old enough to remember when it wasn’t so what’s changed? Too weak on crime and the causes of crime perhaps? Just trying to be facetious,
I actually think it’s much bigger than that. Maybe a separate thread...
The bottom line for me, and I can’t emphasis this enough, is that there has to be a real disincentive
not to commit crime. You may not deter the mad but you can certainly do something about the bad.
Phew, I'm knackered now after that
Best wishes all.
*Edit to add:
Unless you mean there is an approach of stopping violence by dispensing violence? I don’t buy that and never have. It ‘s the old argument about ‘I was smacked when I was a child and it never did me any harm’. Well, it’s true and I don’t know anyone who feels differently. I loved my father and mother and while it was sometimes unfair it kept law and order, just as it did at school. Therein lies part of the problem of today’s broken Britain. Children having children and a no-smack culture which really means a no discipline culture. I have never known so many vile kids walking the streets in gangs but they’re hardly going to get adult guidance on life and respect from a sixteen year old mother.
If a kid spits in your face what could you realistically do today? Would you grab him? That’s assault. Maybe you could sit on him and call the police? They wouldn’t even bother coming out but you may get a crime number. Well what would have happened in my day if I spat at someone? I’ll tell you...
I would have had seven shades of **** beaten out of me! I knew it and therefore it wouldn’t even enter my mind. This is why we have kids showing no respect towards police. This is why kids throw stones at firemen. This is why GPs are getting assaulted. All this was unthinkable and unheard of in my day and you have to ask yourself why.
Adults are a product of their upbringing, ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’, and that is where we are today sadly. Today’s reprobates grow into tomorrow’s rapists and killers and the only arrow we used to have in our quiver was a fear that the punishment will fit the crime if you are caught. Bug me and you can expect a slap!
I used to cycle down a road to work which was a safer shortcut but it’s often inhabited by kids kicking a football around. They shout obscenities and kick their ball in front of me when I’m riding but I’m powerless to do anything so I have had to change my route. I don't fear them but if I give them a slap I would be in trouble. So the situation is I can't do anything about it and the authorities won't! And so they go on to taunt countless people ad-nausem with impunity...
There was a wonderful program on TV going back many years called Hypotheticals if anyone remembers it? It was chaired by someone, usually a Professor or high profile professional, and surrounding him were people from all walks of life relevant to the discussion. So you would have barristers, council officials etc. who could answer questions and look at the process and what ACTUALLY happens to a repeat offender, a murderer....
It used to show time and time again that the law is a complete and utter A$$!!
The people who don’t understand that these ****heads need a lesson in manners which they will not forget usually live in an ivory tower so they can preach from the tallest soapbox. They would soon get off that box if they had to live in the area though. I can imagine just what poor old Mr Askew went through but not one person could put a single finger on any of those scumbags who taunted him for so very long.
Whether it’s those ****ty kids or Huntely the softly-softly treatment is not working. It
is going to sound like I’m quoting the Daily Mail now but although It’s never been perfect it certainly wasn’t this bad 30 years ago. They would have you believe it’s better but I look around and see for myself. The beauty of getting older is you cannot be duped because you have a frame of reference which, in my case, goes back a long time.
There's a point I want to make which is why I have woffled on for so long here on something which seems unrelated. I fear there are going to be a flood of Huntleys' in future and we need to arrest it now and draw a line in the sand, with blood if necessary. Huntley took away some girls right to life, he should pay the price with his own life like they do in America on death row.
Now that’s what I call a rant.
