I never said that. War, like Government, is a necessary evil.

No, I never said that. I never wrote that. I said that oil is worth going to war for, because without oil millions of Americans would die of starvation and disease. I don't believe we should go to war to steal oil, but we should definitely go to war to protect our oil suppliers or the flow of oil through international waters. This isn't the way I want things to be, but I'm a realist. Open up our own oil fields and we won't have to go to war over oil ever again.

"War is hell." - William Tecumseh Sherman

Thank you.

I don't think I have anyone blocked, but I don't know how to find out. I can see a woman needing that functionality far more than a man.

Genesis 4:11-12 details the curse that was put upon Cain for murdering his brother Abel.



But in Genesis 17, we see that Cain had a son and built the world's first city named after him.



Some people believe that Cain was unrepentant, but I see Cain as a repentant man, who later had his curse lifted, possibly when he realized the value of human life because of the birth of his son.

This would explain why in Genesis 4:15, God puts a mark on Cain to protect him from retaliation.



If I am correct, then this is the first example of God's mercy in the Bible. And goes further to show that the God of Abraham is forgiving and merciful.

Does anyone else have any opinion on this?

Don't flatter yourself, I'm having a fantastic day and you have nothing to do with it.

Okay, so I'm not intelligent or emotionally mature to understand you. Got it.



Oh sweet irony, thy name is Lori.

I get it, I asked a question and you get the right to smear my character.

Private prisons are run through taxpayer dollars. They are contracted by the Government. The prisoners aren't slaves, they aren't forced into labor, they are still protected by the law and private prisons are held to a higher standard of treatment of the inmates than public prisons.

Can you explain to me how "I worry about humanity in ways you could never understand!" isn't a comment on my person?

You know that, because you know me so well. We've had so many long deep discussions of politics, economics and religion, right?



I see a lot of the same problems as you, just because my solutions aren't your solution doesn't make me a bad or insensitive or unknowledgeable person. You need to open your mind and stop judging people.

That is incredibly irrational.

The Government would have NO incentive to put innocent people into prison. So why would they get rounded up? Do you imagine that the Government would allow the prison to send out teams of man-catchers who illegally arrest and enslave people? While that might make a workable B-movie plot, it's just not possible in a democracy. Also, states can write the prison labor laws, not the private prisons. So if the state says that prisoners can't be used for for-profit labor, they can't be. Your whole scenario reeks of desperation to find a reason to oppose private prisons, but there is no rational intellectual basis on which to base your objections.

I have a close friend who worked in a prison. She told me what the prisons are like and how the inmates are treated. "Snitches get stitches". Those who are in protective custody, because they reported on another inmate, are in turn mistreated by the guards. Their food will sometimes be dropped on the floor and they have to eat it or go hungry. Overall, prisoner healthcare is so bad, it's rare to see anyone who has been an inmate for a long time who has all their teeth. She said they will go six months or more with a toothache, because they just won't get treated.

You have your anecdotes and she has hers, you'll have to pardon me for accepting hers as the gospel truth.

A fish rots from the head. Our Government, which tells us every day that we should eat a high carb / low fat diet is killing us. Our Government prevents us from having potentially life saving drugs, while driving up the cost of the drugs that are available. Our Government makes deals with Public School unions, which protects them from being fired and gives them huge pensions and enviable benefits, even when they commit horrible crimes and also keeps bad teachers on the job and doesn't reward good teachers. There are firemen who can retire at 50 with full benefits and 90% of their salary AND WE HAVE TO PAY FOR IT!

But if we take away the hospitals, schools and grocery stores, do you worry about the millions who will suffer and die? What about the people who WANT private education or need medical attention or want to eat junk food? Do their rights count for nothing? Wouldn't it make more sense to cut back the Government to the constitutionally mandated powers and leave the rest for the people to decide?

Should we close down private schools, hospitals and grocery stores?

As I see it, private prisons provide a public service. I don't see how a private prison is any different from a public prison, except for the possible cost savings, the better conditions and the legal recourses available to the inmates for abusive guards.

I am a man of mystery.

I love the idea of private prisons. I just think that most people who currently go to prison, shouldn't. What good is it to send a man to prison for non-payment of child support? Now, not only does the child not get the child support, but a citizen loses his job and the child loses his father. How about the prostitute who is simply trying to feed her drug habit? Should she have her freedom taken away for charging a fee for something she can give away freely? Why are drugs still illegal in the most free country in the world? Why do we lock up people simply because they want to put poison into their bodies? Violent / sex crimes and repeat offenders deserve prison time, all other crimes should be punished with community service.

I favor private prisons, because they can be run more cheaply and humanely and most importantly, there is less chance of corruption. Inmates are abused by guards in public prisons and they rarely have any recourse. With a private prison, the inmates can complain to the controlling Government authority and expect a rapid response.

No, they are not. SpiderCMB is my first email address ever and was created nearly 20 years ago. The acronym was much more topical, though not relevant to me, back then. I'll just keep the acronym to myself, as it would take a lot of explaining for anyone to understand why I chose it.

That's infatuation.

Love is best when it blossoms from friendship.