Runner and others,

'criminal apologists' like the author and myself ARE thinking about the victim, and future potential victims. We are thinking about PREVENTING crime, now and in the future, 'tough on crime' populist policies do not prevent crime. Addressing the social issues that cause people to turn to crime can prevent it.

Our Prime Minister here in the UK promised to be 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'. He has done his worst on the first issue. We have successfully alienated and demonised the young, the non-white, muslims, people with learning difficulties and mental health labels and single parents; anyone who IS or DOES anything that is not regarded as 'normal' among the predominantly white, middle class, ruling population. At the same time paying lip service to many of the aforementioned through ridiculous politically correct thought policing.

What about the causes of crime? Poverty, mental illness, neglect, education, health; the building blocks of any society that calls itself civilised.

In the uk the wealthiest 10% lose approximately 33% of their income in direct and indirect taxation whilst the poorest 10% lose 39%, mainly through indirect stealth taxes introduced by Blair and Brown. Mental illnesses are created by already too powerful drug companies for control of our minds,our behaviour and our money. Disparate groups are ghettoised then blamed for not understanding one another and when there's no available scapegoat, single parents (or parents generally) are wheeled out for castigation. The areas of governemnt that could make a difference; health and education, are neglected in favour of spending on prisons and wars, neither of which 'the people' want.

The west claims to be civilised whilst civilised behaviour has become a rarity, and I do not refer to the young. Young people for the most part care about the planet, they care about each other, a few who do not, because we as the older generation have failed them have become the perceived norm through press hype and the clamour among politicians of all persuasions to find any excuse to tighten their controls on 'the masses'.

Two pertinent quotes here, the first from a muslim prophet, Hazrat Ali:

'To have respect, you must HAVE respect'

the 2nd from Ghandi, when asked by a young British reporter what he thought about western civilisation:

'I think it would be a very good idea'

I agree with them both.

Parents accountability is essential if you want to have any hope at fixing this issue.

We recognize that a juvenile is not competent to accept full responsibility for their actions, so who picks up the tab? Who should accept responsibility for the crimes of their children?

In most cases the parents, in a few cases, where the parents have demonstrated historic responsibility yet the child remains willful and anti-social and the parents have sought intervention, then the child should be a ward of the state, subject to the sanctions of the state and thus, to a juvenile custody unit.

Criminal intent can be a genetic abnormality and not just a socially acquired complaint.

Do-Gooders who think they can or will eliminate criminal behaviour by pandering to the criminal are not only risking their own lives and property, they risk everyone else’s lives and property too and I do not take kindly to those who take risks in my name and at my risk.

We are all accountable for our actions, misbehaviour deserves punishment and those who exercise good behaviour deserve protection from the bad.

I find it ironic that those on the left of politics tend to make excuses for the “bad”, whilst simultaneously seeking to intervene and regulate the free trade and commerce of the “good”.
Example,
The greens who would see drug addicts with subsidised access to their addiction in government sponsored shooting galleries whilst the same greens lock themselves to legal registered and operated logging trucks in Melbourne Street (heard on the TV news this AM).

It is enough to make one want to vomit (and the bloke chained to the truck looked like a suitable substitue for a sick-bag).

Great rant, Col Rouge. You worked yourself up to full indignation by the end, with your favourite whipping boys, the lefties, the greenies, do-gooders (as distinct from do-badders or do-nothings, Col?) and those who try to restrict free trade. As someone on another thread pointed out, you often come over like Alf Garnett crossed with Basil Fawlty and the older Steptoe. It is entertaining, though.

But earlier on in your post there were a few points worthy of further investigation. 'Criminal intent can be a genetic abnormality and not just a socially acquired complaint' - if that is true, what should be done about that, Col? "We are all accountable for our actions". What about the mentally ill? A lot of crime is committed by them. What would you have the authorities do about that? Blame their parents, maybe?

You went off on the wrong direction in your post just when you were beginning to get somewhere. Please expand on these points.

wanna prevent crime? legalise all drugs. top idea, read ben eltons 'high society', brilliant

fringe looney, aka Carl