Pop quiz:
Where would you feel safer:
A. Touring England
B. Incarcerated in the General Population of the average English prison
From the sound of things over there, I'll take the prison any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.
With Great Britain now the world's most violent developed country, the British government has hit upon a way to reduce the number of cases before the courts: Police have been instructed to let off with a caution burglars and those who admit responsibility for some 60 other crimes ranging from assault and arson to sex with an underage girl. That is, no jail time, no fine, no community service, no court appearance. It's cheap, quick, saves time and money, and best of all the offenders won't tax an already overcrowded jail system.Not everyone will be treated so leniently. A new surveillance system promises to hunt down anyone exceeding the speed limit. Using excessive force against a burglar or mugger will earn you a conviction for assault or, if you seriously harm him, a long sentence. Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer jailed for killing one burglar and wounding another during the seventh break-in at his rural home, was denied parole because he posed a threat to burglars. The career burglar whom Mr. Martin wounded got out early.
Using a cap pistol, as an elderly woman did to scare off a gang of youths, will bring you to court for putting someone in fear. Recently, police tried to stop David Collinson from entering his burning home to rescue his asthmatic wife. He refused to obey and, brandishing a toy pistol, dashed into the blaze. Minutes later he returned with his wife and dog and apologized to the police. Not good enough. In April Mr. Collinson was sentenced to a year in prison for being aggressive towards the officers and brandishing the toy pistol. Still, at least he won't be sharing his cell with an arsonist or thief.
I'm not kidding either. This week alone, my local TV news and paper have given tons of air time and layout space to stories about the "Perilous summer journey" of illegal aliens through the desert to cross our borders. They've shown photos of tiny babies at risk of death from dehydration and heat stroke, and they've heard from illegals who say no matter what we do to secure the border--fence, wall, national guard, you name it-- they'll keep trying to get in, even if it kills them. These stories are delivered in hushed voices literally dripping with pity for the illegals and loathing for our own country's attempt to maintain its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the real story goes unreported, namely why do these people feel they have "no choice" but to leave Mexico? What is going on in Mexico that these people feel "forced" to break the law and risk life and limb doing so? What's in it for the powers that be on both sides? These are the stories no reporter wants to tackle.
And if you think the analogy is flawed, that illegal immigration and our attitude towards it has nothing to do with what's going on in England, you're missing what's wrong in Englandn entirely. It's not the way criminals are being protected, or the way law-abiding citizens are being villainized. It's the attitude that makes it all possible.
The minute we as a nation start making excuses for, or going out of our way to protect those who "break into" our country, we open the doors of our own homes to be broken into next. It is simply not possible for a society to allow such blatant disregard for the property rights and sovereighty of others en masse, and then turn around and protect the same for individuals.
Posted by insomnomaniac at June 19, 2006 2:36 PM | TrackBack