Reaping What We Sow
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86568)
United States
June 23, 2016 12:05pm CST
There's another myLotter, @LoriAMoore , who lives where I do (not in the same house, mind you 
), so when I see her post something that's in reaction to something from here I know exactly what she's talking about. Yesterday she posted a discussion about a TV news editorial that pondered why Louisville's murder rate has gone through the roof over the past two years. Her particular post was in reaction to the first response the TV station showed: someone called and said something along the lines of "churches are just telling feel-good stories now, when they need to be preaching on hell."
Yeah, I know. I rolled my eyes, too.
However, there's an element of truth here. Not that "we need more hell fire and brimstone" preached, but we need more preaching that there is an absolute right and an absolute wrong, and that there are consequences for our actions.
This doesn't seem to be "preached" anywhere: not in church, not in school, and certainly not from government or law enforcement.
There's a law against loud music, yet I call the cops to complain and I'm wrong for letting it bother me (at 2 AM when I'm trying to sleep)? My late mother said she once saw someone dumping trash out of their car, so she called the cops. They told her she needed to come down, file a complaint, etc. etc. etc....in other words, being a "responsible citizen" was such a tremendous burden on her that it discouraged her from doing the right thing.
And what of our murder rate? A 14-year-old girl was shot not too long ago, and she absolutely REFUSED to tell the cops who shot her. Although I'm sure part of the reason for that is fear of retaliation (we had a witness to a murder gunned down in broad daylight while she was sitting on a park bench in order to keep her from testifying), I believe the bigger part of that is these so-called "community leaders" brainwashing young blacks into believing that the police are their enemies. I saw a young black man walking across the street one day with a T-shirt on that said, "If you see a cop...." then the WB logo. Translation: "If you see a cop, warn your brothers (Warner Brothers)."
People who have been released from prison "to reduce overcrowding" get back into the swing of things (the crimes that put them behind bars to begin with) as soon as they get out. (This isn't my opinion: government stats show that 72-86% of people in prison are repeat offenders.)
We've had a rash of car thefts and break-ins in my neighborhood in recent weeks, but no news station is covering it. They're too busy covering all the murders to worry about something as "insignificant" as car thefts (of course, this crime is reported when it's the high-income east end of town that's hit, but....).
The bottom line: we are reaping what we sowed. We have made this society one that laughs at crime, disregards the mentally ill, and ties the police departments' hands. Meanwhile, people cheer when criminals get off, and they turn criminals into heroes (there was a store in Nashville that I will not shop at any longer who had a Charles Manson T-shirt for sale...and that is why I won't shop there). We are more worried about the racial make-up of prisons than the fact that the person who committed the crime deserves to be in prison, regardless of his/her skin color or ethnic background.
Call it church, religion, or whatever, but SOMEBODY needs to be preaching that there is a right and a wrong, so this nation can embrace it.
), so when I see her post something that's in reaction to something from here I know exactly what she's talking about. Yesterday she posted a discussion about a TV news editorial that pondered why Louisville's murder rate has gone through the roof over the past two years. Her particular post was in reaction to the first response the TV station showed: someone called and said something along the lines of "churches are just telling feel-good stories now, when they need to be preaching on hell."
Yeah, I know. I rolled my eyes, too.
However, there's an element of truth here. Not that "we need more hell fire and brimstone" preached, but we need more preaching that there is an absolute right and an absolute wrong, and that there are consequences for our actions.
This doesn't seem to be "preached" anywhere: not in church, not in school, and certainly not from government or law enforcement.
There's a law against loud music, yet I call the cops to complain and I'm wrong for letting it bother me (at 2 AM when I'm trying to sleep)? My late mother said she once saw someone dumping trash out of their car, so she called the cops. They told her she needed to come down, file a complaint, etc. etc. etc....in other words, being a "responsible citizen" was such a tremendous burden on her that it discouraged her from doing the right thing.
And what of our murder rate? A 14-year-old girl was shot not too long ago, and she absolutely REFUSED to tell the cops who shot her. Although I'm sure part of the reason for that is fear of retaliation (we had a witness to a murder gunned down in broad daylight while she was sitting on a park bench in order to keep her from testifying), I believe the bigger part of that is these so-called "community leaders" brainwashing young blacks into believing that the police are their enemies. I saw a young black man walking across the street one day with a T-shirt on that said, "If you see a cop...." then the WB logo. Translation: "If you see a cop, warn your brothers (Warner Brothers)."
People who have been released from prison "to reduce overcrowding" get back into the swing of things (the crimes that put them behind bars to begin with) as soon as they get out. (This isn't my opinion: government stats show that 72-86% of people in prison are repeat offenders.)
We've had a rash of car thefts and break-ins in my neighborhood in recent weeks, but no news station is covering it. They're too busy covering all the murders to worry about something as "insignificant" as car thefts (of course, this crime is reported when it's the high-income east end of town that's hit, but....).
The bottom line: we are reaping what we sowed. We have made this society one that laughs at crime, disregards the mentally ill, and ties the police departments' hands. Meanwhile, people cheer when criminals get off, and they turn criminals into heroes (there was a store in Nashville that I will not shop at any longer who had a Charles Manson T-shirt for sale...and that is why I won't shop there). We are more worried about the racial make-up of prisons than the fact that the person who committed the crime deserves to be in prison, regardless of his/her skin color or ethnic background.
Call it church, religion, or whatever, but SOMEBODY needs to be preaching that there is a right and a wrong, so this nation can embrace it.6 people like this
6 responses
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Jun 16
I live in LA so a high crime is expected and what we live with but Louisville, KY is a much smaller city and one would think slower paced, quieter, more church oriented, more down home. How the heck did it become so high crime! Not your stated reasons but for Louisville to challenge LA for crime rate.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (86568)
• United States
23 Jun 16
We have gangs. We also have a mayor whose head is buried in the sand so deeply that he can French kiss a Chinese ostrich over the fact that we have gangs. If AA says the first step to getting help is admitting you have a problem, then that would also work for gang violence.
Of course, they also give away free needles to heroin addicts instead of trying to get them off of it.....
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Jun 16
@FourWalls Gangs are just everywhere it seems. There was a time gangs were an inner city thing. My mother's small town in Central CA has been completely taken over by gangs and I don't know how regular people continue living there.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43567)
• Denver, Colorado
23 Jun 16
On the other hand, prison would be less crowded if they would stop giving lengthy sentences to people who get caught with a joint.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (52907)
• Mojave, California
23 Jun 16
I kind of think our society has made crime legal. More or less we have organized crime if it is not blatantly obvious. Just a lot of code speak and actions to make everything grey so there is no right or wrong. Kind of hard to teach people if we are going to go this route.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Jun 16
Yet, with 5% of the world population, the US has 25% of the world's prisoners (American Psychological Association. 2014). Some prisoners were no doubt given sentences too harsh for their crimes, such as pot possession, and should be out due to the terrible overcrowding. It does sound as if the city is out of control there.
1 person likes this
@AutumnSnow (4583)
•
23 Jun 16
OMG!!! I feel the same way we have these neighboors and they are so much troublemakers the kids are out of control and all the mother does and yell and scream and cuss at them and yet when I complain to management or try my best to poietly say something to them I come out looking like a you know what. Whenever their confronted about something they run to mommy and mommy say no it wasnt them when she knows darn good and well they did. I teach my kids differently if you do something you will own up it and make it right no expection. I can stand the way some people parent oh their kids or oh Im trying to give them their freedom yeah and that's why we have the problems we do.
1 person likes this
