Scott Ritter: A Tipping Point Toward Chaos

[90-percent]

85. How come nobody mentioned the concept of rehabilitation?

We've got a prison industrial complex and the most incarcerated population on the planet, far exceeding any totalitarian fascist police state currently in existence.

We seem to be really enthusiastic as a nation about mass incarceration and getting tough on crime because we're all so afraid of everything. Which has been proven not to work and in toto is medieval in it's cruelty and harm to human lives.

I recall from my 70's high school and college education, I think it was sociology or philosophy or social problems, that there was a time in America where prisons made an effort to rehabilitate people, that is, make them capable of being a productive member of society. And even if no rehabilitation, isn't time served enough punishment, instead of being persecuted and a second class citizen with less rights than the rest of us for the rest of his life?

I think that Scott exercised some very bad judgment and underage children are off limits absolutely, but, he did his time and he's gotten therapy and I hope he's got good tools to cope with his demons. And he really knew his stuff about Iraq before the 2003 invasion and I had lot of respect for his information.

An analogy, on I think the Elizabeth Warren Facebook page, Ted Nugent came up. I know what a creepy conservative the guy is, threatening to kill the President multiple times and all, but I mentioned I really like Ted's guitar solo from Journey to the Center of Your Mind from around 1967. People were offended that I could like the music created by such a monster. Well, I have about three decades of really liking that song before I found out what a creep he is. And I think I found out in the 90's. Some rock mags covered his appetite for underage girls and other sleazy stuff he did. married a few 17 years olds i think and a serial monogamist. Can't I know Ted's a loathsome person but still like that guitar solo?

And because the arrests happened after he was so vocal about no WMD's, it was a great opportunity for our government to practice some SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT on his ass. I mean, we've got mountains of laws. If our government chooses to ruin our lives, they could do it for most of us. But, for some of us, they would have to manufacture evidence or engage in some form of entrapment. I can imagine something of the sort happening to me. They'd find out what bar i like, make friends with me, and the get me in on some criminal easy money conspiracy? I'm scared to death about any encounter with our justice system, so I'd resist the temptation, I HOPE.

I don't know, did Scott ever have an encounter online with a real underage girl?

I've seen so many journalists and public figures attacked on DU, and it's ramped up noticeably in recent times. Chris Hedges, a lot of Glenn Greenwald, Robert Parry, Will Pitt, Noam Chomsky, Bill Maher, and many others that don't come to mind. So, is there a "Approved by DU" list of journalists and public figures where the consensus is that their information is unimpeachable and perfect always? Would Thom Hartmann possibly be one all of DU agrees is largely credible? Actually, there's DU posters I would also put in that category. Octa-fish, for one of many. He's a bona-fide BFEE ombudsman!


-90% Jimmy