Raise the Hammer

"If strict punishment isn't working to solve complex social problems, the only solution offered up is to punish harder."

I like this Undustrial.

Patience and understanding go along way. I can yell at my kids (punish them because I don't know how or do not have the patience to find a better solution), when they won't listen/are being bad, but the crying will only get louder and go on longer. When I calmly try to reason and patiently keep trying to find a middle ground until something breaks the tears and opens up the communication, it's amazing how much faster reslove is found and how peaceful those moments end.

Both situations always end in a hug and sorry's all around, but I'd much rather the hugs came much sooner in those missunderstandings. With patience and an open mind (or an open ear in the case of children), it will. We all have breaking points, but I think we also all know that in the end,'beatings' and yelling and anger, and punishment, don't solve problems.

You can look at last nights Stanley Cup finals game and be reminded that champions are made and dreams are realized, by patience, determination, teamwork, respect, and love - working together to find a way, to reach those goals together.

There is anger along our paths to realizing our goals for sure, but going back to hockey as an example again for another moment if I could, the hockey fan (or any sports fan for that matter), knows that when anger get's the best of you, things go bad - focus is lost.

I hope our Mayor get's the opportunity to have this discussion with us. Obviously I'd rather we could find a solution to make this problem go away, but perhaps it never will so yes, we should do whatever it takes to make it safer. I think it's a good place to start.

The current laws are about control. Kind of like bans on Bully Breads. Can't control the owners, so let's make the dogs suffer. Can't find a solution to making prostitution go away, so we'll just make them feel like criminals because we are too busy golfing to work on some real solutions.

You could almost group marijuana use into this as things we don't know how to control or pollice, so we just make these things illegal which means so many upstanding citizens in our communities from Dr's, lawyers, politicians, teachers, etc., feel like criminals because they use marijuana as a way to wind down, like so many others choose to achieve with a glass of wine or a cold beer at the end of a hard, hot day.

As a friend of mine always joked "It's all about power and control, man."

Regarding what Steve said, do laws change to make it easier for law enforcement to 'move away' the 'street corner' presence, if a Red Light District is formed?

Comment edited by lawrence on 2011-06-16 14:48:34