Auntie Freda
07-31-2009, 04:11 PM
I promised Mugsy in Chat that I would open a thread on this Topic here.
I had momentarily forgotten that we had gone into the question in some depth in the 'Australian Justice?' thread a little while ago.
Rather than repeat my verbosity, I post the thoughts below as a kick-starter.
Let me be crystal clear - whilst I do not feel that perpetrators should be subjected to brutality, I fully accept that Society has a perfect right to do whatever is NECESSARY to protect its young.
Quite often we read reports of American court decisions which make us scratch our heads in disbelief.
BUT, I've got to admit that occasionally there are some quite puzzling ones in Aus too !
I acknowledge that one really should be present in the court to hear all the evidence and the legal arguments before rushing to judgement BUT
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25651579-952,00.html
a father catches a bloke IN THE ACT of molesting his 10 year old son - and gives the molester a hiding.
The molester subsequently walks free from the court
and the father looks like going to jail !
How can THAT be justice ???????????
Clearly, I was somewhat outraged when wording my original post.
On sober reflection, I have mellowed A LITTLE.
......... it seems to me that there are TWO issues.
"Should the molester have been freed simply because he had copped a beating from the child's father ?"
Surely the answer is a resounding "NO".
Society does have an absolute right to protect its young from abusers.
The perpetrator should have been locked up for that reason alone - if for no other.
The second question, for me, is not quite so simple.
"Did the parent have an absolute right to beat the living crap out of the guy ?"
He most certainly had the right to use whatever force necessary to stop the incident in its tracks - no question. But beyond that ?
I suggest not.
In a civilized society, we do NOT have the right to take the law into our own hands.
If one feels strongly, work to lobby those in power to legislate for change.
We simply cannot kill or maim with impunity.
That said, I acknowledge that if one of my own were thus treated, who could say what one might do ?
The bottom line is that these child abusers are obviously mentally ILL.
In NO sociey could their actions be considered 'normal'.
Many, even most, ARE apparently the product of massive abuse in their own childhood.
We no longer cast the mentally ill into medieval bedlam asylums chained to walls and so on - or execute them.
Neither, though, can we tolerate them as ongoing threats within our communities.
So, sure, isolate them by all means - but not necessarily in primitive, barbaric conditions.
"Revenge" might seem sweet - but is it really ?
I had momentarily forgotten that we had gone into the question in some depth in the 'Australian Justice?' thread a little while ago.
Rather than repeat my verbosity, I post the thoughts below as a kick-starter.
Let me be crystal clear - whilst I do not feel that perpetrators should be subjected to brutality, I fully accept that Society has a perfect right to do whatever is NECESSARY to protect its young.
Quite often we read reports of American court decisions which make us scratch our heads in disbelief.
BUT, I've got to admit that occasionally there are some quite puzzling ones in Aus too !
I acknowledge that one really should be present in the court to hear all the evidence and the legal arguments before rushing to judgement BUT
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25651579-952,00.html
a father catches a bloke IN THE ACT of molesting his 10 year old son - and gives the molester a hiding.
The molester subsequently walks free from the court
and the father looks like going to jail !
How can THAT be justice ???????????
Clearly, I was somewhat outraged when wording my original post.
On sober reflection, I have mellowed A LITTLE.
......... it seems to me that there are TWO issues.
"Should the molester have been freed simply because he had copped a beating from the child's father ?"
Surely the answer is a resounding "NO".
Society does have an absolute right to protect its young from abusers.
The perpetrator should have been locked up for that reason alone - if for no other.
The second question, for me, is not quite so simple.
"Did the parent have an absolute right to beat the living crap out of the guy ?"
He most certainly had the right to use whatever force necessary to stop the incident in its tracks - no question. But beyond that ?
I suggest not.
In a civilized society, we do NOT have the right to take the law into our own hands.
If one feels strongly, work to lobby those in power to legislate for change.
We simply cannot kill or maim with impunity.
That said, I acknowledge that if one of my own were thus treated, who could say what one might do ?
The bottom line is that these child abusers are obviously mentally ILL.
In NO sociey could their actions be considered 'normal'.
Many, even most, ARE apparently the product of massive abuse in their own childhood.
We no longer cast the mentally ill into medieval bedlam asylums chained to walls and so on - or execute them.
Neither, though, can we tolerate them as ongoing threats within our communities.
So, sure, isolate them by all means - but not necessarily in primitive, barbaric conditions.
"Revenge" might seem sweet - but is it really ?