Whew! The world might actually end this year. My issues with Pat Robertson stem primarily from the harsh extremism of his rhetoric and his ability to blame gay people for almost everything that goes wrong in our society. At least he isn't nearly as bad as Fred Phelps. The day I agree with Phelps on anything is the day I give up on life.
Although, come to think of it, Robertson has been softening up a little over the last few months. And so here is the first thing I agree with him on. The Republican presidential candidates are talking a bit too extreme, though I'm sure he has different reasons for thinking that than me.
Maybe it's old age, or maybe he's just realizing that he may be a bit too much for most people to take. Now, that being said, here comes the second thing I agree with him on. Pat Robertson is saying that the legalization of marijuana may help break the cycle of incarceration that has been blamed in destroying many young lives.
I won't say that legalizing pot will solve all problems, and may well create new ones we haven't thought of. If it had never been criminalized in the first place, we probably wouldn't have the huge war on drugs that we have now. Now, this is just an opinion, but seeing the rise of designer drugs that can be made out of easily purchased household products does support my point.
As for Robertson, I'm not sure why one kind of perceived "immorality" is okay to be legal and not the others he rails against, but you know what? Personal opinion, while benefiting from the use of reason, doesn't necessarily have to correspond with reason.
One might argue that in order to avoid prison, the consequence in indulging in the illegal behavior, one should not indulge in said illegal behavior to begin with. That is a valid point, but I don't think touting the adage of personal responsibility is going to put a dent in a problem this large. We have too many people in prison. A lot of this comes from drug related crime.
And yes, I understand that a lot of drug addicts commit a good number of crimes in an effort to get their drugs, and even if legalized, jobs probably don't want to hire employees who come to work stoned. Therefore, unemployed addicts may still steal to support their habit.
At this point, there is no easy solution, but it's an issue worth thinking about.
I agree there is no easy solution, but I'm for the legalization of drugs. If someone does a crime while on drugs, then they get a tougher sentence, but they shouldn't incarcerate someone who hasn't committed a crime against others.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I had to look out the window to make sure pigs weren't flying when I found myself agreeing with Robertson.
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