The idiot's guide to fucking the country
The nation's first 'faith-based prison' just opened up, and I guess it should come as no surprise that it is in Florida (it had to be there or Texas) and it was the 'idea' (perhaps too grand a term?) of Governor Jeb Bush.
Despite the claim that the prisoners will be able to follow their own faith, their is a hell of a lot of 'Jesus' talk going on.
The 'hallelujah' factor didn't keep these people from commiting their crimes in the first place, so why should we assume that 'more religion' = 'more morality'? It hasn't been shown to be the case. In fact, many of the most abhorrent things happening on this planet right now are being commited in the name of one religion or another. Atrocities ranging from kiddy-fiddling priests to bomb-strapped mujahadeen are only the most severe and newsworthy effects... some of the more subtle effects (such as the reinforcement of stereotypical societal and gender roles and a prevalent sense of self-righteous justification of child abuse) are perhaps more damaging, due to their pervasiveness.
I for one have always been disgusted when some psycho whackjob murderer wants to be released from prison because he's found Jesus... good for him, if he's on such good terms with Jesus he should be calm and collected while sitting on death row, secure in the thought that his premature enlightenment is sufficient to counterbalance whatever horrors he committed prior to being 'saved'. It's always amazed me that people who yap so much about the glories of heaven go into such histrionics when it is their turn to die.
I suspect that the *real* reason for this new step towards religious fascism in the US owes more to political ideology than to any belief that the results will be useful. After all, it blends in quite nicely with the other dipshit Bush's 'faith-based initiatives', adding yet another mechanism for American tax dollars to fund a specific religious sect. Yes, a specific sect. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has already stated that 'pagan' religious groups will not receive funds, because helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts are drawn to it. Apparently pagans don't have loving hearts, at least not in the same sense as child-molesting priests (for instance) do.
There are deep waters in the philosophies and practices of the penal system. We pretend that the purpose of incarceration is to make the offender pay off their debt to society, but too often it becomes apparent that the real purpose is retribution (which would be fine, if we'd just come out and say it, but we need to pretend we're nicer than that.) This new twist opens a big can of worms for the future: if this prison shows lower levels of recidivism (I'd like to propose that somebody other than the Florida government be responsible for counting the votes on that one, please), it will be that much easier to expand the program all over the country. Before too long, federal tax dollars can become so inextricably intertwined with religious programs that there will be no turning back. This isn't paranoid ranting: it is the stated goals of Bush and friends.
Just remember this: the Nazi party felt they were Christian. Tiny steps, over a long period of time, led them from a reasonably sane set of beliefs to the point of no return. Our country is this fucking close to starting a new world war, creating new enemies and alienating more allies with each passing day.
The only good thing I have to say about the faith-based prison is that it gives me a very strong incentive to stay on the right side of the law... getting sent to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison sounded bad enough, but now there are federal pound-me-in-the-soul prisons... if I ever commit a crime, I'm going to make sure it is one with a mandatory death penalty. I don't even have a philosophy about what happens after we die, but every day it looks more and more like it can't be any worse than what's going on here.
Later, Bush told the inmates "I can't think of a better place to reflect on the awesome love of our lord Jesus than to be here at Lawtey Correctional. God bless you."
While many prisoners loudly applauded Bush, some remained seated throughout the ceremony, staring straight ahead with no expression.
Despite the claim that the prisoners will be able to follow their own faith, their is a hell of a lot of 'Jesus' talk going on.
The 'hallelujah' factor didn't keep these people from commiting their crimes in the first place, so why should we assume that 'more religion' = 'more morality'? It hasn't been shown to be the case. In fact, many of the most abhorrent things happening on this planet right now are being commited in the name of one religion or another. Atrocities ranging from kiddy-fiddling priests to bomb-strapped mujahadeen are only the most severe and newsworthy effects... some of the more subtle effects (such as the reinforcement of stereotypical societal and gender roles and a prevalent sense of self-righteous justification of child abuse) are perhaps more damaging, due to their pervasiveness.
I for one have always been disgusted when some psycho whackjob murderer wants to be released from prison because he's found Jesus... good for him, if he's on such good terms with Jesus he should be calm and collected while sitting on death row, secure in the thought that his premature enlightenment is sufficient to counterbalance whatever horrors he committed prior to being 'saved'. It's always amazed me that people who yap so much about the glories of heaven go into such histrionics when it is their turn to die.
I suspect that the *real* reason for this new step towards religious fascism in the US owes more to political ideology than to any belief that the results will be useful. After all, it blends in quite nicely with the other dipshit Bush's 'faith-based initiatives', adding yet another mechanism for American tax dollars to fund a specific religious sect. Yes, a specific sect. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has already stated that 'pagan' religious groups will not receive funds, because helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts are drawn to it. Apparently pagans don't have loving hearts, at least not in the same sense as child-molesting priests (for instance) do.
There are deep waters in the philosophies and practices of the penal system. We pretend that the purpose of incarceration is to make the offender pay off their debt to society, but too often it becomes apparent that the real purpose is retribution (which would be fine, if we'd just come out and say it, but we need to pretend we're nicer than that.) This new twist opens a big can of worms for the future: if this prison shows lower levels of recidivism (I'd like to propose that somebody other than the Florida government be responsible for counting the votes on that one, please), it will be that much easier to expand the program all over the country. Before too long, federal tax dollars can become so inextricably intertwined with religious programs that there will be no turning back. This isn't paranoid ranting: it is the stated goals of Bush and friends.
Just remember this: the Nazi party felt they were Christian. Tiny steps, over a long period of time, led them from a reasonably sane set of beliefs to the point of no return. Our country is this fucking close to starting a new world war, creating new enemies and alienating more allies with each passing day.
The only good thing I have to say about the faith-based prison is that it gives me a very strong incentive to stay on the right side of the law... getting sent to federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison sounded bad enough, but now there are federal pound-me-in-the-soul prisons... if I ever commit a crime, I'm going to make sure it is one with a mandatory death penalty. I don't even have a philosophy about what happens after we die, but every day it looks more and more like it can't be any worse than what's going on here.
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