3 ms·

Two reasons: 0. Military Indu$trial Complex 1. Moral-panicking Christian sociopaths hate poor people

log_base_login 9y ago
Not sure why you have to point at the members of the Christian religion as the culprit, when there are people of similarly zealous ilk in each and every religion besides Christianity. Certainly, Christianity has the majority stake of religion in the Western world, but this question is a global one, and I don't remember the last time a person was summarily executed for dealing drugs in a Christian country like one might find in Singapore, or their head cut off like one might find in certain Middle Eastern countries, or (again) killed, in certain African countries. Pointing a finger at a single group is unproductive when the desired outcome is a more comprehensively understanding, less punitive, and essentially more humanitarian solution for what is at issue. The real disconnect is that the people in power are not held to the same standard as those being sentenced. When was the last time you heard of a prosecuting attorney being drug tested before they could argue in court? What about a judge, or probation/parole/police officer? If there was some transparency in how ubiquitous drug use actually is, one might have some real leverage when seeking to implement more equitable (and therefore less punitive) legislation that provides fairer sentencing guidelines.
- knowaveragejoe 9y ago
  > I don't remember the last time a person was summarily executed for dealing drugs in a Christian country like one might find in Singapore, or their head cut off like one might find in certain Middle Eastern countries, or (again) killed, in certain African countries. This is precisely what's happening in the Philippines, a predominantly Christian nation, and very devoutly so.
  - log_base_login 9y ago
    Fair point, I didn't realize that the Philippines were predominantly Christian. I really didn't want to go about defending Christianity necessarily, though I realize that is how the beginning of my comment turned out, but rather point to how we shouldn't generalize the problem into a certain religion being responsible for problem. Thanks for helping me understand the punitive issue in more detail.
tedeh 9y ago
With regards to #1 - Portugal is among the more religious countries in Europe [1]. The article unfortunately does not touch on the stance of the religious community of Portugal and how it was (or was not) handled, something which could hold important lessons for similar efforts in the US. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe
dang 9y ago
Please don't post baity rants here. We're trying for thoughtful discussion and the two things are incompatible.

Not sure why you have to point at the members of the Christian religion as the culprit, when there are people of similarly zealous ilk in each and every religion besides Christianity. Certainly, Christianity has the majority stake of religion in the Western world, but this question is a global one, and I don't remember the last time a person was summarily executed for dealing drugs in a Christian country like one might find in Singapore, or their head cut off like one might find in certain Middle Eastern countries, or (again) killed, in certain African countries. Pointing a finger at a single group is unproductive when the desired outcome is a more comprehensively understanding, less punitive, and essentially more humanitarian solution for what is at issue. The real disconnect is that the people in power are not held to the same standard as those being sentenced. When was the last time you heard of a prosecuting attorney being drug tested before they could argue in court? What about a judge, or probation/parole/police officer? If there was some transparency in how ubiquitous drug use actually is, one might have some real leverage when seeking to implement more equitable (and therefore less punitive) legislation that provides fairer sentencing guidelines.

knowaveragejoe 9y ago
> I don't remember the last time a person was summarily executed for dealing drugs in a Christian country like one might find in Singapore, or their head cut off like one might find in certain Middle Eastern countries, or (again) killed, in certain African countries. This is precisely what's happening in the Philippines, a predominantly Christian nation, and very devoutly so.
- log_base_login 9y ago
  Fair point, I didn't realize that the Philippines were predominantly Christian. I really didn't want to go about defending Christianity necessarily, though I realize that is how the beginning of my comment turned out, but rather point to how we shouldn't generalize the problem into a certain religion being responsible for problem. Thanks for helping me understand the punitive issue in more detail.

tedeh 9y ago

With regards to #1 - Portugal is among the more religious countries in Europe [1]. The article unfortunately does not touch on the stance of the religious community of Portugal and how it was (or was not) handled, something which could hold important lessons for similar efforts in the US. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe

dang 9y ago

Please don't post baity rants here. We're trying for thoughtful discussion and the two things are incompatible.