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M*W: Strapped to the table. Needle in the arm. Dead. Gone. History.
M*W: Strapped to the table. Needle in the arm. Dead. Gone. History.
DC sniper Muhammad set to die by lethal injection
- Thread starter madanthonywayne
- Start date
Yes, lets take a giant leap backward for all mankind...
how is it a giant leap backward?
When a human being takes the life of an innocent person then he or she loses the right to live . I believe in the death penalty as long as the evidence is there and no doubt is over the court head . A dog with rabies is just a menace to society .
Never choose the road less taken, since you don't know where it goes
The inadequacy of the correctional system is a result of the priorities we, as a community, set according to our political will.
You laugh at our own failure.
And that is a dishonest response. Please behave in a less insulting manner, sir.
Again, a result of our priorities.
To learn a minor trade that introduces a prisoner to some new discipline? To develop business contacts, people one can call on the outside to develop legitimate business contacts? To feel an intrinsic connection to the community and environment around oneself?
These are things that prisoners don't "deserve" because we are more interested in exacting revenge. Yet they are vital components in devising a scheme that breaks the recidivist cycle.
Harry Greer, incidentally, is serving a rap including drug trafficking and armed robbery; Al Dell is in for his fifth DUI. They're both expected to hit the streets in late 2011; it would be nice to think this project—a creation of the corrections department and Evergreen State College—has given these guys a chance to actually be useful, to feel as if they are vital members of their community, when they once again breathe free air.
Unless it's our intention that they should go back.
___________________
Notes:
Waller, Sarah. "Raising Endangered Frogs in Prison". KUOW Presents. October 23, 2009. KUOW.org. November 17, 2009. http://kuow.org/program.php?id=18644
Madanthonywayne said:
The inadequacy of the correctional system is a result of the priorities we, as a community, set according to our political will.
You laugh at our own failure.
And that is a dishonest response. Please behave in a less insulting manner, sir.
Again, a result of our priorities.
Sarah Waller: Despite the twelve graves on Boot Hill, Harry and Al have had an incredible success rate raising their frogs. Eighty-five percent of their eggs have survived into maturity. In fact, the two prisoners have been able to raise larger, healthier frogs than scientists at the Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Trek, and the Oregon Zoo.
Harry Greer: Well, they say our smallest one is bigger than their biggest one down at the other places. See, when they brought them to us, they were the size of a fingernail clipping. And they've grown up to fifty-two grams.
Waller: And when it comes to frogs, size is important. One of the biggest threats to Oregon spotted frogs in the wild is being picked off by larger predators. So the larger the frog upon release, the better its chance of survival. Still, no one quite knows why Harry and Al have been so successful.
Greer: You know, I honestly don't know what it is that has given us such success, but I'm proud of it.
Waller: Al [Dell] isn't sure, either. But he has a theory.
Dell: Well, I think the main reason is we can devote more time than the other institutions that are rearing the frogs. It's our main job, our primary job. I mean, it's what we do every day. We do it seven days a week; we're out here for eight hours a day, and sometimes we'll sit right by the tank and just watch them. And plus, we feed them constantly, so, they're always eating and they're always being cared for. So I think that's probably the main reason why they're so big and so many are still alive.
Waller: Researchers agree: custom lily-pads, a frog cemetery, and extra handfuls of crickets now and then are not typically considered scientific. But these personal touches, and the extra time Harry and Al have lavished on their frogs, is paying off. And working with the frogs has brought something meaningful to the prisoners, too.
Greer: I'm doing something for the environment; that's cool. I'm doing something for an endangered species; that's even cooler. I get to meet a lot of new people. You know, when you sit in prison for a while, you see all the same faces, except when the chain comes in every Friday. You get to see like fourteen, fifteen new guy; you know, whoa. And another thing I've refrained from doing now is stepping on bugs. You know, I kind of step around them. And I don't, you know, I don't have that killer instinct anymore about, you know, trying to just squash anything and everything. Except for the hornets.
Waller: It's unlikely Harry and Al will be allowed to attend the frogs' release, which is scheduled for later this month at Fort Lewis. But release is definitely on their minds as they count down their own remaining months in prison. Harry is already thinking about how his work with frogs might influence his life on the other side of the fence.
Greer: I would like to talk to Northwest Trek, maybe Oregon Zoo or anybody like that. Could I come and volunteer? You know, I don't mind cleaning out a cage, or helping out with the frogs, or whatever it is they want me to do. And, I don't know, there's a possibility I could start my own little frog pond.
Waller: For Al, raising frogs has taught him what a difference a helping hand can make, whether you're in a frog pond or a prison yard.
Dell: We all need a hand in one way or another through life, and these guys here needed a hand just to get to where they are, and I think we've done a good job. And hopefully, with society and the prison system, and everything, we can gain whatever we can here while we're inside, so that when we're released, we're successful out there, too.
(Waller)
Harry Greer: Well, they say our smallest one is bigger than their biggest one down at the other places. See, when they brought them to us, they were the size of a fingernail clipping. And they've grown up to fifty-two grams.
Waller: And when it comes to frogs, size is important. One of the biggest threats to Oregon spotted frogs in the wild is being picked off by larger predators. So the larger the frog upon release, the better its chance of survival. Still, no one quite knows why Harry and Al have been so successful.
Greer: You know, I honestly don't know what it is that has given us such success, but I'm proud of it.
Waller: Al [Dell] isn't sure, either. But he has a theory.
Dell: Well, I think the main reason is we can devote more time than the other institutions that are rearing the frogs. It's our main job, our primary job. I mean, it's what we do every day. We do it seven days a week; we're out here for eight hours a day, and sometimes we'll sit right by the tank and just watch them. And plus, we feed them constantly, so, they're always eating and they're always being cared for. So I think that's probably the main reason why they're so big and so many are still alive.
Waller: Researchers agree: custom lily-pads, a frog cemetery, and extra handfuls of crickets now and then are not typically considered scientific. But these personal touches, and the extra time Harry and Al have lavished on their frogs, is paying off. And working with the frogs has brought something meaningful to the prisoners, too.
Greer: I'm doing something for the environment; that's cool. I'm doing something for an endangered species; that's even cooler. I get to meet a lot of new people. You know, when you sit in prison for a while, you see all the same faces, except when the chain comes in every Friday. You get to see like fourteen, fifteen new guy; you know, whoa. And another thing I've refrained from doing now is stepping on bugs. You know, I kind of step around them. And I don't, you know, I don't have that killer instinct anymore about, you know, trying to just squash anything and everything. Except for the hornets.
Waller: It's unlikely Harry and Al will be allowed to attend the frogs' release, which is scheduled for later this month at Fort Lewis. But release is definitely on their minds as they count down their own remaining months in prison. Harry is already thinking about how his work with frogs might influence his life on the other side of the fence.
Greer: I would like to talk to Northwest Trek, maybe Oregon Zoo or anybody like that. Could I come and volunteer? You know, I don't mind cleaning out a cage, or helping out with the frogs, or whatever it is they want me to do. And, I don't know, there's a possibility I could start my own little frog pond.
Waller: For Al, raising frogs has taught him what a difference a helping hand can make, whether you're in a frog pond or a prison yard.
Dell: We all need a hand in one way or another through life, and these guys here needed a hand just to get to where they are, and I think we've done a good job. And hopefully, with society and the prison system, and everything, we can gain whatever we can here while we're inside, so that when we're released, we're successful out there, too.
(Waller)
To learn a minor trade that introduces a prisoner to some new discipline? To develop business contacts, people one can call on the outside to develop legitimate business contacts? To feel an intrinsic connection to the community and environment around oneself?
These are things that prisoners don't "deserve" because we are more interested in exacting revenge. Yet they are vital components in devising a scheme that breaks the recidivist cycle.
Harry Greer, incidentally, is serving a rap including drug trafficking and armed robbery; Al Dell is in for his fifth DUI. They're both expected to hit the streets in late 2011; it would be nice to think this project—a creation of the corrections department and Evergreen State College—has given these guys a chance to actually be useful, to feel as if they are vital members of their community, when they once again breathe free air.
Unless it's our intention that they should go back.
___________________
Notes:
Waller, Sarah. "Raising Endangered Frogs in Prison". KUOW Presents. October 23, 2009. KUOW.org. November 17, 2009. http://kuow.org/program.php?id=18644