Image: “The First Mourning,” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1888, public domain … This shows the parents of Abel grieving over his lifeless body

Dear Ones,

I just read a thought provoking article. This short article is a great read:

Link: “Are We Chicken about Prison Reform?” by Steven Greenhut,  http://humanevents.com/2013/07/25/are-we-chicken-about-prison-reform/ ..

There’s a point I liked especially, about how California Proposition 2, which decried cramped quarters for chickens, passed and became law in 2008.

Yet many prison inmates live in Security Housing Units (SHUs) — 7½-by-12-foot windowless concrete cells. It’s not like they have a bookshelf in there, for furthering their education. Au contraire, it looks like this:

Image: 7½-by-12-Foot Security Housing Unit, looking down from above, http://humanevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/get_img.jpg ..

So basically, we Californians are interested in prison reform for chickens, and we’re overlooking the humans in the same predicament.

Compute, compute?

It seems to me, the thing that might make the most difference might be a simple shift of emphasis, from punishment to rehabilitation, instruction in a well-paying trade, and a chance for education in the realm of spirit, whether it be a traditional faith, meditation, or another path of their choosing.

And then, why make upset, angry men more upset, more angry? Why not allow conjugal or even sex worker visits, as in Mexican prisons? We could quibble over details, but the thought’s the thing. Upliftment, a chance to live a happy life on the outside.

Remember when we were children, and a quarrel came up? Was there a time when a parent smacked you? What did you feel? Did you feel like being a productive member of your family? Or did you feel like hitting your parent back?

The very next step, psychologically speaking, is ‘projection’ … the little child walks out and smacks the dog ….

So smacking just makes matters worse. Why should we Americans continue an ineffective mental filter instilled in us before the age of 5? We’re brighter than that!

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars

Link: “Redemption,” a poem by Anna Naveed, 2e5 October 2011, http://www.watercoloredsky.com/redemption/ ..

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mental filters, imprisonment, animal rights, Cain and Abel, human rights, prison reform, prison conjugal visits, prison instruction, redemption, rehabilitation, projection, corporeal punishment, carceral system, social issues, psychology, crime,