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- kp998, on 03/28/2009, -1/+49FTA:We have 5% of the world's population; we have 25% of the world's known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world.
- graphictruth, on 03/28/2009, -1/+37I'm with Glenn on this. Politics may be "the art of the possible," but it seems like there are far, far FAR too many supposed "third rails" that are really just painted lines.
- inactive, on 03/28/2009, -1/+35The more I know about Webb, the more I like and respect him!
- JenniferInMO, on 03/29/2009, -2/+27Jim Webb has been an impressive Senator. His actions are consistent with a man who is actually a public servant who wants to address issues and problems more than grandstanding for votes and contributions.
- paintgrl, on 03/29/2009, -1/+23I hope there are more like Jim Webb in congress. Just when you think all of congress is full of Michele Bachmann, a Jim Webb pops up.
- Hetman, on 03/29/2009, -1/+23All institutions cannot be profit based in all situations. The prisons systems are a good example. It is complete corporatism. Prison owners know they can get money for prisoners even if they are non-violent. So they have a vested interest in keeping these people in jail. It is not right.
- woodsjransom, on 03/29/2009, -1/+20Webb deserves 3 gold stars behind his name.
- homercles337, on 03/28/2009, -2/+16We also have nearly 100% of the god damn puritans. Like Dan Savage said: Australia got the convicts. Canada got the French. We got the Puritans. We’re stuck with them.
Meaning, of course, Canada and Australia got *lucky* while we have to deal with the ***** puritans and all their *****. - novenator, on 03/29/2009, -4/+16Jim Webb has a big future in the Democratic party. He has demonstrated courage, rational thinking, and long-term ideas that are integral to restoring this nation.
- corycramer, on 03/28/2009, -4/+16I'm a Republican and I like Jim Web. I thought he got a raw deal during his campaign when they tried to use novels he had written against him. I think he seems like a stand up guy. (But I hope doesn't vote for Obama's budget without cutting it first.)
- JumpingJack79, on 03/29/2009, -1/+10Jim Webb turned out to be a great senator. I also very much liked his handling of foreign policy issues. He's honest and won't take any BS.
As about the American prison system, FINALLY someone has made the case to reform it. If nothing else, having so many people locked up COSTS A DAMN FORTUNE. A prisoner costs roughly $50.000 a year. So 500.000 people imprisoned just for drug crimes must cost about $25 BILLION a year! And nobody cares about THAT?! Let alone that it pretty much ruins those people's lives.
And many of them are sent to jail merely for being duped into some drug use. Those people are more victims than criminals. But being "tough on crime" by imprisoning as many people as possible makes one look like John Wayne and thare's just nothing cooler than that (even if each "John Wayne point" costs $50.000 a year). - inactive, on 03/29/2009, -7/+15Obama is not going to lead us anywhere. We are still going to pursue eternal war against nebulous enemies including drucgs and terrorism, killing and enslaving hundreds of thousands in the process.
God bless Jim Webb for taking the decision to lead us out of our self-destructive and bellicose policies - inactive, on 03/29/2009, -0/+6It's great to see another article by Glen Greenwald hit the FP of Digg. Like I said before, he's the intellectual version of a Jon Stewart (minus the wit) -- a vigilant watchdog of the corrupt, bought-and-paid-for, lazy media.
- kurttrail, on 03/29/2009, -0/+5I thought it was the Protestant Work Ethic?
Puritan /= Protestant - RavagesOfTime, on 03/29/2009, -0/+5http://www.ithoughtobamawouldgetmelaid.com/
- supermanly, on 03/29/2009, -0/+5I'm sure Larry Craig would take you up on that offer.
- potshots, on 03/29/2009, -0/+4You can point at the violent criminals all you want but you can't use it to excuse the number of non violent drug users in prison... No one is saying let all of the rapists and murders go free.
- D1Foley, on 03/29/2009, -0/+4Pick up "A Time to Fight" great book.
- jayjayjoni, on 03/29/2009, -0/+4Reducing prison sentence on both violent and nonviolent offenders has proven to rehabilitate and help.
- Barackalypse, on 03/29/2009, -1/+5They have plenty of power to change public opinion, unfortunately they have historically used that power to scare people in to accepting more Government control over their lives (ohh, terrorists, better accept warrant less wiretaps and no liquids on airplanes!) . When they aren't using their power to scare the people, their actions are destroying the public's confidence in the institutions of Government. Look at this Gallup poll from last summer, 12% confidence in Congress, 26% confidence in the presidency, notice how much that has fallen since even 2004.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/108142/Confidence-Congr ...
Also, I'm pre-preemptively responding to anyone who posts a remark about Bush as if it somehow invalidates my point or attempts to label me a supporter of his (I never voted for a Democratic or Republican Presidential candidate since I started voting in 1998). The Democrats had a majority in Congress 6 months before this poll took place, so this transcends the sins of just one man or one party. - RonPauls, on 03/29/2009, -0/+3a more likely explanation is that conscience = ideology. If they do not, then the person has cognitive dissonance which requires reconciliation.
especially ironic is that the article title says webb is not being "pragmatic", but you claim that he is by not listening to some "ideology". Hence, you disagree with the article title.
BTW, being ideological is good. It's having a set philosophy based on principles and sticking to those principles - inactive, on 03/29/2009, -0/+3Shouldn't your ideology be based on your conscience?
- cambob76, on 03/29/2009, -2/+5I wanna give Jim a blow job cuz he's so amazing!
- drunkjack, on 03/29/2009, -0/+3I really don't see the point of imprisoning non-violent offenders.
Don't even get me started on drug crimes. Thousands of people's lives wasted for idiotic puritanical *****. More useless deaths, years in prison and billions wasted on these 'crimes' than anything, ever.
*blinders on* But hey, Prohibition is still working! - ShnowDoggie, on 03/29/2009, -0/+3I am glad I voted for him. (Makes up for me voting for Bush first time around ...)
- ShnowDoggie, on 03/29/2009, -0/+2It is interesting to note that the democratic party really did not support him at first. He was just able to become the democratic nominee over another who was more popular with in the normal party circles.
- whiledo, on 03/29/2009, -0/+2The House tends to be much more full of Bachmanns, be they Rs or Ds (take a look a the former rep Jim Traficant for a great example). It's oddly easier to get elected in a small local race than in a statewide one. The senate winds up with people who are usually less openly nuts, at least until they get enough seniority.
- JumpingJack79, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2I did not denigrate the name of John Wayne. Just politicians who want to appear macho and tough through excessive imprisonment, which actually does damage to the society.
- JumpingJack79, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2Yeah, but your conscience should be based on reality and not some crazy ideas like "God told me to invade Iraq." Also, your conscience should not be based on fear or opportunism.
- skews13, on 03/29/2009, -3/+5Jim Webb is a different kind of cat. He is a conservative Democrat that will vote his concious, and not his ideaology. That confuses the hell out of those on both the right, and left. The very definition of a leader is not being a follower. Something else that confuses those on the right, and the left. I like this guy.
- Seminarian, on 03/31/2009, -0/+2For-profit prisons are a scandal of the first order. People should be up in arms about it. Instead they worry about what their favorite pop star weighs this week.
- RonPauls, on 03/29/2009, -1/+2yeah, it is.
- KaiserArny, on 03/29/2009, -0/+1Spammer
Buried and reported - inactive, on 03/29/2009, -0/+1If you keep up your unabashed spamming, I'm sure you'll get banned, as well.
- Logrusmage, on 03/29/2009, -5/+6Er... you realize that Puritan values helped make this nation right?
Puritan =/= Evangelical.
Shining city on a hill anyone? Mayflower compact? Puritan work ethic? Our University system? Etc etc... - RonPauls, on 03/29/2009, -1/+2" Democrat that will vote his concious, and not his ideaology"
that's the same thing... - PacoLugi, on 03/29/2009, -0/+1Putting violent criminals in prision is more about getting them out of society then rehabilitation. Letting them out early is a bad idea, I don't care what a few "reports" have shown.
- 08soso, on 08/23/2009, -0/+1You would have preferred another Great Depression instead.
- absurdist, on 03/29/2009, -0/+1Not merely a spammer, a crypto-fascist as well.
- whiledo, on 03/29/2009, -1/+2Do yourself a favor and read "The Wordy Shipmates" before you ever mention the "city on a hill" metaphor again.
- whiledo, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1@potshots: Where did you get that crap? The Puritans didn't believe in lifelong abstinence.
- kurttrail, on 03/29/2009, -0/+1Marion Michael Morrison was the real name of the actor whose stage name was John Wayne.
http://frozen-peas.blogspot.com/2006/08/frozen-pea ... - potshots, on 03/29/2009, -2/+2IIRC the Puritans are dead and gone because they believed in lifelong abstinence...
So yeah, while they did leave a lasting influence, they seem to have driven themselves to extinction and are thus not worthy of the influence that they happened to leave. - scamper22, on 03/29/2009, -2/+2Now for me to really go against my own mental well-being.
A huffingtonpost link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-abrahamson/je ...
The powerful prison guard lobby in Caifornia opposes diverting drug offenders away from prison and into rehab.... So now please explain to me how a private company lobbying is any different than a public sector union lobbying?
They're both just special interests looking after their own interests. It's about time people realized, there is no such thing as the public service. There are only jobs that people do. Individuals can perform public service, groups and institutions cannot. - skews13, on 03/29/2009, -0/+0Not exactly. You can vote your ideaology without any concious at all. Something the republicans have been doing for years.
- JumpingJack79, on 03/30/2009, -1/+1Yeah, just let the economy fix itself for free, eh?
You want another bright idea more related to the current topic? Stop imprisoning people and spending huge amounts of taxpayer money for prisons and the police - just let people kill criminals for free. If you handle your own offenders, you can get a tax cut! - inactive, on 03/29/2009, -1/+1You had me until you denigrated the name of John Wayne. :-(
- Barackalypse, on 03/29/2009, -1/+1The percent of a country in prison is not a measure of how just or unjust that country is. It is entirely possible we have a higher percent of people in prison because we have a higher percentage of law breakers or are better at catching them and punishing them. Most people in prison are there for violent offenses, take a look at the Government's data, there are twice as many violent offenders as drug offenders in prison:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/corrtyp.htm -
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