That's all the better I need to do with that lameass comment.

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Election 2008 – Addicted to Placebos

Wow, from a mod even! I must admit that I am impressed.

Try again (or don't).

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"Bring the boys back home!"--Pink Floyd

NFA JJG 42-95

Free People/Free Markets

Following the Path of the Beam

Operant conditioning, yes. The problem is that for operant conditioning to work the negative stimulus has to be closely coupled with the action. Even a delay of a few minutes or an hour renders it not very effective. Weeks or months later, after a trial? Totally ineffective.
I doubt that deterrance at all will reduce crime, except possibly the highly premeditiated and planned sort of white collar crimes, like embezzlement schemes. And in those cases, I think the prospect of total financial ruin is more deterring than physical punishment.

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"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin

Maybe it's my puritanical streak showing, but 'consensual' seems like the only word out of those three to accurately describe the practice you're referring to.

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During the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every profession is chosen as a means to an end but continued as an end in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent act of stupidity.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and his Shadow

All good socialists have villas in Southern France. That's not the point.
-Eurosocialist

I suppose sane may be a matter of opininon, but my understanding is that it refers to not mixing it with alcohol or drugs, and safe...well there's things that hurt, and there's things that can harm or kill. The idea being to aviod the latter.

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"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin

No we arent - then again, it isn't like the criminal's victims were dealing with a safe, sane and consensual environment either.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

But unless they aren't US citizens, they are afforded the same constitutional rights as the rest of us.

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"Bring the boys back home!"--Pink Floyd

NFA JJG 42-95

Free People/Free Markets

Following the Path of the Beam

Yes they are, until they choose to give up those rights by committing a crime, unless you're seriously suggesting an incarcerated felon retains the right to vote, bear arms, require a warrant for searches, etc.

Once convicted through due process, the criminal retains NO rights and only those privileges the legislative process allows him to exercise.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

I was mildly suprised to find out that in some states an incarcerated felon does retain the right to vote, or at least, did until recently.

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please click and help the eggs hatch!

"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin

It might make some of them more bitter towards society, but I also think its going to show them that society is not something to be messed with.
I dont give a rats ass about criminals reasons for doing what they do as long as they have a chance of surviving legally, and I reckon that all of them do.But would they feel like committing another crime again after feeling such extensive pain for what they did, thats the question?History shows something else.
Its not creative thinking, but one of the oldest punishing methods known to man, and its both simpe and cheap as well!
The whipping should not take place publicly, but in a small room without civilian spectators. And I dont have any problems at all with whipping a 19 year old girl for shoplifting a CD, or keying a car (not if its her ex-boyfriends though - then it might be excusable) which is destruction of private property. I would even volunteer to whip the girl myself if nobody else would.

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It all comes down to this on election day: Are you a racist, or do you look down on spastics?

I think they should. My general rule is that if you can't trust a man with a gun, you can't trust him with freedom.

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During the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every profession is chosen as a means to an end but continued as an end in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent act of stupidity.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and his Shadow

All good socialists have villas in Southern France. That's not the point.
-Eurosocialist

Let me clarify - my comments were intended to apply ONLY to the period of incarceration.

Once the person is out of jail, he should be treated like anyone else. If he cannot be fully trusted, he should still be in jail.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

I'm sure you would. Only, if it's done privately, doesn't that reduce it's effectiveness as a deterrent? That was the original argumnent in favor, here.

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please click and help the eggs hatch!

"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin

As a deterrent the pain should be enough in itself, and I dont fancy the idea of humiliating people in public.

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It all comes down to this on election day: Are you a racist, or do you look down on spastics?

How does that work? A deterrent needs to act *before* the crime is committed (and assumes a rational decision making process is involved, which is something I rather doubt is often the case); pain inflicted afterwards is still just operant conditioning.

__________________
please click and help the eggs hatch!

"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin