Juvenile Crime

Our high school debate team will be debating on April 8th about juvenile crime. The resolution is as follows:

Resolved: Juveniles convicted of violent crimes should be punished as adults.

What do you all think? It seems that a lot depends on how you define juvenile and violent crime. However, I tend to agree with the resolution.

Check out these websites: http://www.emergency.com/juvycrim.htm, http://www.cjcj.org/pubs/runaway/runaway.html, http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20010320juvrecidivismreg2.asp, http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/juvdp.html, http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/roper.pdf, http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/da/legal_terms.html, http://www.justia.us/constitution/amendment-14/66-juvenile-offender.html

Some things to think about: What is punishment? What is the purpose of punishment? Should the purpose of punishment be different for adults than for juveniles? What is special about 18? Should people be allowed to vote before they can be punished as adults? Are kids who are too young to be drafted also too young to be punished like adults?

If You Think You Are Not Brainwashed, Think Again

1984. I have never read the book, but I have heard about it. It is on my mental "to read" list. But from what I gather, the gist of the book is this. Written in 1948 about the future year of 1984. The author envisioned a time when the government "big brother" was basically watching your every move and constantly feeding you propaganda so as to control your mind. Every where you go, through the news, the radio, and all other modes of communication, everyone is constantly being subjected to whichever doctrines the powers that be see fit to use to indoctrinate the masses. The people are essentially made to be intellectual slaves of the government. Bucking the system is to invite quick and decisive punishment. From the cradle to the grave, the government institutionalizes everything about your life - sucking you dry of your very personhood and exploiting you for whatever profits they can get. Essentially, every citizen is a slave of the state. And there is no guarantee whatsoever that the state will look out for your best interests.

The current year is not 1984, but the current situation is remarkably similar to the book. Wait, I already here the objections of those who have been institutionalized. "I'm not a slave of the state. I'm free. I'm an American."

Hmmm...

Have you ever noticed that CNN is being aired everywhere all the time? Go into a bank - there is CNN. Go into a hotel lobby, there is a good chance that CNN is on. Constant Negative News. Or the Communist News Network. CNN is aggressively and systematically holding millions of people bondage in psychological slavery.

"But wait," you say. You don't have to watch CNN, you can watch Fox News or MSNBC. Well, for those who buy cable, you might be able to watch Fox News. It is very interesting that CNN is available to whoever, but Fox News is available (in my neck of the woods) only to those who are willing to pay for cable.

But this isn't even the point. The goal is not to give equal time to all viewpoints. Hitler's viewpoint that Jews are somehow subhuman should not be given any time. Networks that might portray Osama bin Laden in a positive light should not get any time.

What matters is justice. There are facts in ancient history and modern history that can and should be reported. There are facts in the recent news that can and should be reported. But we are utterly dependent on God to understand which of the facts should be reported. Also, we are dependent on God to keep from being deceived and brainwashed. Everything that is not of faith is sin.

Now facts are not neutral. Facts lead to the acquittal of the innocent and the condemnation of the guilty. For this reason, those who are caught up in postmodernism hate facts and truth - unless they are facts that lead to a conclusion that they would prefer. But we were never expecting them to be consistent, were we?

Furthermore, there are so many billions upon billions of facts. How do you teach history justly? How do you report the news justly? Neglecting to emphasize certain facts would not be just. Overemphasizing other facts also would not be just. So, how do we establish justice?

We need wisdom and faith. And in all of this, we should return to orthodoxy. The facts (and lies) taught in the public school system are all being used to advance the American Civil Religion of Postmodern Secular Humanism - whose grip on society is very tight. Big brother is forcefully advancing his doctrines and dogmas. If you speak out against it, expect persecution, because big brother is watching! Blasphemy laws (hate crime legislation) are in place and they will become more and more aggressive about this. The Civil Religion must not be blasphemed!

We must courageously and persistently fight the powers that be. But not in reactionary mode. We must recognize God for who He is. When the glory of God is revealed to us, we will have a story that is greater than any other story ever told. The gospel will then go forth, and justice will be established. Gospel, after all, means good news! It is imperative that the good news is advanced.

"The just shall live by faith." - Romans 1:17