James,
Congratulations and the best of luck as you near your sixth anniversary of sobriety. I hope you celebrate it with a nice dinner somewhere with those of whom you love.
I agree with almost all of your post, except for two issues.
I don't believe homosexuality is a moral issue.
I think children should also be responsible for their own actions, and hence accountable. Last week on "60 Minutes" there was a segment on a new policy and program in Florida of imprisoning children for crimes. There were several points; all positive IMHO. I'll try to list some of them correctly:
1. first-time offenders weren't just set free;
2. children were imprisoned only with children;
3. a "regular" school was run in the prison (excellent attendance);
4. the whole program was designed to catch "at-risk" children at a very young age;
5. parents were held accountable for their children missing school;
6. liberals love the program because it rehabilitates kids;
7. conservatives love the program because it's tough on crime; and
8. one study suggests that the program saves a lot of money in the long term.
Surprisingly, the only point not raised was that the kids in jail get a better education than those outside. While I agree that the student to teacher ratio is much better in jail, I don't think such a program should be modified with respect to this point.
Oh, I hate to bring this up, since it sounds inflammatory, which I am not intending it to be, but: do you think one can become too obsessed or addicted to God and/or religion?
Greg |
