Cartoon of students receiving the cane, 1888 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m sure that gangs are a natural part of life for any minority or group of immigrants. I have little doubt that gangs (like the poor) will always be with us. Therefore, I’m not going to argue that I or anyone else can dream up an idea that can eliminate gangs.
But it still might be possible to make an occasional insight that would reduce the incidence of gangs. Instead of having 100 gangs, with a little common sense, maybe we could reduce the number to 20 or even 10.
• I’ve been watching two videos on gangs. One describes the Hispanic “MS13″ gang. The other tells the history of the Negro “Bloods” and “Crips” gangs. All three gangs fight other gangs (including the cops) for territory and then extort “protection money” from the businesses in their territory. If businesses don’t pay for “protection,” their owners can lose their property or their lives.
Extortion by gangs seems cruel and unjustifiable. But, when you stop to think about it, there’s not much difference between the protection money extorted by the the gangs from the taxes imposed by the government. If you don’t pay your taxes to the government “protector” (they’re here to help us, y’ know), you can also lose your property and at least your liberty.
Apparently, that’s the primary difference between gangs and government. If you don’t pay the gangs, they’ll kill you. If you don’t pay the government, they won’t killl you, but they might take a few years of your life. Government is simply a “kinder, gentler” gang–but it’s still just a gang.
• The links to the gang videos are below. I don’t claim that these videos are worth your time, but as I watched them, a possibility crossed my mind.
When I was a kid, we’d sing about schools: ”Readin’ n’ writin’ and ‘rythmatic–taught to the tune of the hickory stick.” Corporal punishment was approved back then. It was taken for granted that any child who merely failed to learn, might be subjected to a good whacking with the “hickory stick”. If a child dared act out violently, the resulting encounter with the “hickory stick” could be memorable.
One of the videos (below) explained how (in the generation after mine) the teachers in public schools would expel any boy who was guilty of too much fighting in the school. As the boy who liked to fight–no longer in school–was walking around the streets, he was inevitably approached by older “gang-bangers” and recruited into the gang. Thus, by pushing the violent kids out of the schools, the schools helped to expand the size of street gangs and the degree of violence within their communities.
So, I’m wondering if the incidence of gangs didn’t rise with the growth of the idea that teachers could not subject students of corporal punishment. How many boys who were violent enough to belong in jail when they were 16 years old, might have been a lot less violent if they’d been given a good spanking by their elementary school teachers, in front of their class, when they were guilty of some violent act?
If we were still teaching “to the tune of the hickory stick,” and the kids who were potentially violent got a good caning every so often in elementary school, would we have so many gang-bangers today?
Did the loss of corporal punishment in the public schools fan the rise of gangs in the public streets?
Insofar as government is just a gang, I wonder how many senators, representatives and presidents would be such treasonous whores if they’d had a dose of the hickory stick back in the day?
MS13 video 00:51:36 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mphZPKQ9TXs&feature=related
Bloods & Crips video 00:45:23 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiuAIow13wY&feature=related
charles
July 17, 2012 at 2:22 AM
I’ve argued for many years that the only difference between taxes and extortion is that the government criminalizes one and endorses the other. Unfortunately, the logic is lost on many people.
Ben
July 17, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Touché Comrade, Teaching is set aside for “programming” to align with the “Brave New World”.
I received the same from my schooling until I started learning on my own, such writings as;
“The Federalist Papers”
“Mayflower Compact”
“Articles of Confederation”
“Northwest Ordinance”
“Monroe Doctrine”
“state Constitutions”
“Constitution for The united States” ………. and many more documents.in the past 40 years.
For one important truth is a this; The united States Congress assembled has no legislative authority to impose a duty or responsibility on the people in the states.
Ben
Jethro
July 17, 2012 at 12:58 PM
No doubt the “war on drugs” has contributed to the allure, size and violence of gangs by providing them a lucrative business.
Christian Gains
July 17, 2012 at 2:58 PM
GANGS are definitely a BROAD subject, which, is, in itself, quite diverse. #1] there are (as you’ve pointed out), several types of GANGS…others that you didn’t, but, deserve to be mentioned are: ROBBER BARRON GANGS, TAMMINY HALL type GANGS, the MAFIA, and too many “Neighborhood Associations”…Then there are the SIMPLY “Drug gangs”, or “Militant gangs” {Nation of Islam comes to mind], and then there are the various Govt. GANGS…(such as those in Ruby Ridge, and WACO, and then there’s that April 15th GANG). So, we need a bit of clarification here.
Obviously, you are speaking to the most base & basic & least organized of ALL GANG TYPES, the “street gang”. But, there IS a progression involved. MANY “gang bangers” end up in MUCH MORE ORDERED, ORGANIZED, AND SOPHISTICATED GANGS…”Mafia style” gangs, and some even end up in D.C. style gangs, (Rahm & B.O., [da stink's uh D.C.] come to mind).
As to your suggestion that “corporal punishment” might be a reasonable solution, might I temper that with the suggestion that STRONG CHRISTIAN MORAL & ETHICAL STANDARDS were greatly responsible for the success of such punishment processes?
I too grew up in the last era of STRONG Christian moral & ethical standards applied in the school room. And, yes! Mild, but certain, guaranteed “corporal punishment” DID have a STRONG impact on my personal decision making, and choices. And, YES! “Tossing’da bums out!” is not the best, nor should it be the first, solution.
But! Unfortunately, “We the people” have been negligent to a SERIOUS FAULT. We have failed, as the general public, to properly study, grasp, understand and then pass on, the BEST principals of learning, and maturing, as individuals, and as a people.
We have expected the Pastors…or the Teachers, or the Police, to do the MAIN TRAINING of our youth. AND, we’ve CHOSEN comfort, security, and abundance, above wisdom, selflessness, and sharing or giving.
Our parents ALLOWED Madalin Murry to change our ENTIRE GODLY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM…under the guise of “the guarantees of the 1st Amendment”…rather than diligently having studied the “FOUNDERS” thinking on that matter…(Thomas Jefferson’s now famous — for all the wrong reasons — statement that he would “build a wall between Church & State” is a PERFECT example of how we failed to PROPERLY DISCERN the ACTUAL CONTEXT & MEANING of our founder’s statements).
So, yes…renewed “corporal punishment” COULD have been QUITE effective in the 1960′s, AND the refusal to eliminate the reading of the STANDARD OF LEGAL JURISPRUDENCE for 1000′s of years — the Scriptures — WOULD have brought back into our Educational system the instilling of GODLY wisdom, which would have impacted, by teaching the upcoming generations to “fear God” and “obey Him”…and, therefore, their parents, & their authorities.
But, unfortunately, we (FAR TOO generally), as a people, have accepted “half truths”, “twisted truths”, and down right lies, as truth, (Evolution, and politicians’ promises comes to mind), when we SHOULD have been diligently learning just what the TRUTH WAS!
Now, (altho we have the amazing availability to learned knowledge & truths, through the INTERNET), we’ve allowed our Nation to slide too far into the abyss of darkness (just WHY the DARK AGES gained such a title), to effectively utilize such a broad knowledge base! We’ve COMPROMISED away our NATIONAL VALUES, for a “pot of security porridge”, abundance…and…acceptance. We CHOSE to be LIKED…rather than RIGHT!
And, when God ALLOWED our “hedge of protection”, (Job 1:9 – 10) to be removed, and the enemy of our souls to “touch” us; as a WARNING that we NEED to return to our FIRST LOVE.
Instead, we opted to SHOW HOW GREAT & RICH & INSIGHTFULLY PROTECTED we are…and now we’re about to learn that, in TRUTH, SPIRITUALLY we’ve become, “wretched, and poor, and blind and naked”…and that, all of the methods we might attempt, cannot return the guidance, and wisdom, and light to our halls of learning…that we allowed to be “tossed out”.
FIRST WE MUST RETURN TO GOD’S WILL (learned through diligent study of HIS Word), and THEN we might know which “methods of correction” will TRULY be best. Just as the Scriptures taught us which LAWS were best…for many wonderful years.
Yartap
July 17, 2012 at 9:26 PM
Well, I can’t add to what all have said. Well done!
So, let’s change the subject and have some FUN!
To Christian Gain and others,
You are absolutely right about how the courts and law schools have misconstrued Thomas Jefferson’s words, “thus building a high wall of separation between Church and State.”
So, let’s have some fun with our liberal friends!
First, concur with them about the statement as lawful and accepted. This makes our liberal friends happy.
Second, you state that this lawful statement further declares that the United States is and only is a “Christian Nation,” and no other religion. Now, watch for their reaction and rejection of your statement.
Third, point out that your statement must be true, because if your statement was not true, then Jefferson would have said, “a high wall of separation between “religions” and State. But, he used the term, “Church” (Caps, proper noun), and only one religion uses and created the word, “Church.”
And remember, Jefferson was one of our most intelligent Founders. He, of all people, knew the meaning of words, and he had two others help him edit the letter from its original draft to the Danbury Baptist Asso.
Making a liberal “wonder” is the start of their sick mind’s destruction.
Gary Snider
August 22, 2012 at 7:27 PM
Spare the rod and you spoil the child!
SEM
July 23, 2012 at 11:56 AM
I don’t know if I’m a “LIBERAL” or not; but, I’m sure I’m not a “CONSERVATIVE”. That said, be it known that I concur wholeheartedly with the Sermon preached forth by Christian. I will presume by the sound of your name that you are female and recommend, “UGoGurl!”
As I exit the church hereof, I shake your hand and leave you with this bit of wisdom:
Whenever, therefore, people are deceived and form opinions wide of the truth, it is clear that the error has slid into their minds through the medium of certain resemblances to that truth.
Socrates
BC 469-399, Greek Philosopher of Athens
PeaceOut
Yartap
July 24, 2012 at 10:59 AM
SEM: Like you, I’m neither a Liberal nor a Conservative in the political sense. I like the words of Socrates that you quoted. But I feel that what most suffer from is the FEAR of truth.
The little boy said, “Look! The King has no clothes on!” But, the people re-framed from seeing the truth. “How dare you say that!” exclaimed the guard.
SEM, my father had a small town newspaper years ago. Under the mass-head name of the our paper, he placed a Thomas Jefferson’s quote: “Show man the light, and he will find his own way.” After many years, my father had the quote removed, because he said it was no longer true.
For fear, the people will look past the hard truth for a comfortable lie.
SEM
July 24, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Fear is definitely a powerful emotion be it learned or inherent. For this reason it is necessary to know the truth…for the truth will make you free; so much so, that we may remove all fear, all doubt and all unbelief.
PeaceOut