I recently came across this video, and it really is quite astounding. I am not sure if this is the first person to create a 3-D video rendering of Picasso's work, but I think others should try.
11.27.2009
11.21.2009
11.19.2009
11.10.2009
Its a Hard Knock Life Without Parole
Several years ago I signed an affidavit with the state of New Jersey stating that if I am ever the victim of a crime carrying the death penalty as a possible sentence, that I do not wish the state to seek such penalty. I believe that as the victim, I have that right for the state to seek the justice that I deem appropriate. Not my mother or father, or brothers or sister, just me. Hopefully I never get whacked, and this never matters in the future. You aren't going to read about the death penalty here but still I feel what happened yesterday is pretty relevant.
What does matter is the case heard before the Supreme Court yesterday, asking whether or not it is constitutional to send minors to prison for life with out parole for non-homicide crimes. (Luckily for our civilization, in Roper v Simmons, the 2005 the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the death penalty for people committing capital offenses under the aged of 18.) The lawyers for the two defendants, who were 16 and 13 at the time they committed their crimes argued that "The sentence is unequivocal and cruel because it rejects any hope that the adolescent can change"
Now I have not read the full arguments but I do not believe that the attorneys are arguing that their clients deserved to be released at any certain age, and this sits pretty well with me. What doesn't sit well with me is this:
"There are 111 inmates serving sentences of life without parole who
committed their nonhomicide crimes when they were younger than
18, of which 77 are in Florida prisons. There are 73 13- or 14-year-old
inmates serving such sentences"
However it begs the question of how do you rehabilitate a 13 year old kid who's made a couple of mistakes by throwing him in prison to hang out with other criminals? Does it matter if people are sentenced to life in prison at the age of 13, or spend their entire life in and out of the correctional system because, lets face it, with out present system, "corrections" is a complete misnomer.
I really do think that most children who are in a spot and hang out with the wrong crowd and get caught up in criminal activities can be completely rehabilitated and become productive and upstanding members of society. I also think that no one in the corrections system really cares. Life with out parole or any other sentence will probably mean the same thing the way the system works right now. We need to fix the system to have any hope of rehabilitating any criminals.
What does matter is the case heard before the Supreme Court yesterday, asking whether or not it is constitutional to send minors to prison for life with out parole for non-homicide crimes. (Luckily for our civilization, in Roper v Simmons, the 2005 the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the death penalty for people committing capital offenses under the aged of 18.) The lawyers for the two defendants, who were 16 and 13 at the time they committed their crimes argued that "The sentence is unequivocal and cruel because it rejects any hope that the adolescent can change"
Now I have not read the full arguments but I do not believe that the attorneys are arguing that their clients deserved to be released at any certain age, and this sits pretty well with me. What doesn't sit well with me is this:
"There are 111 inmates serving sentences of life without parole who
committed their nonhomicide crimes when they were younger than
18, of which 77 are in Florida prisons. There are 73 13- or 14-year-old
inmates serving such sentences"
However it begs the question of how do you rehabilitate a 13 year old kid who's made a couple of mistakes by throwing him in prison to hang out with other criminals? Does it matter if people are sentenced to life in prison at the age of 13, or spend their entire life in and out of the correctional system because, lets face it, with out present system, "corrections" is a complete misnomer.
I really do think that most children who are in a spot and hang out with the wrong crowd and get caught up in criminal activities can be completely rehabilitated and become productive and upstanding members of society. I also think that no one in the corrections system really cares. Life with out parole or any other sentence will probably mean the same thing the way the system works right now. We need to fix the system to have any hope of rehabilitating any criminals.
11.05.2009
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