My Thoughts
Something to really think about. Sixty-two years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote an essay for The Observer entitled “Willing Slaves of the Welfare State” in which he began by writing, “Progress means movement in a desired direction, and we do not all desire the same things for our species.”
Using then current criminal justice theory to illustrate the steady progressive encroachment of government Lewis pointed to what should have been obvious, still should be obvious but rare these days.
On the humanitarian view all crime is pathological; it demands not retributive punishment but cure. This separates the criminal’s treatment from the concepts of justice and desert; a ‘just cure’ is meaningless…
Thus the criminal ceases to be a person, a subject of rights and duties, and becomes merely an object on which society can work …
If society can mend, remake, and unmake men at its pleasure, its pleasure may, of course, be humane or homicidal. The difference is important. But, either way, rulers have become owners. Observe how the ‘humane’ attitude to crime could operate. If crimes are diseases, why should diseases be treated differently from crimes? And who but the experts can define disease? [emphasis added] One school of psychology regards my religion as a neurosis. If this neurosis ever becomes inconvenient to Government, what is to prevent my being subjected to a compulsory ‘cure’? It may be painful; treatments sometimes are. But it will be no use asking, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ The Straightener will reply: ‘But, my dear fellow, no one’s blaming you. We no longer believe in retributive justice. We’re healing you.’…
As a result, classical political theory, with its Stoical, Christian, and juristic key-conceptions (natural law, the value of the individual, the rights of man), has died. The modern State exists not to protect our rights but to do us good or make us good – anyway, to do something to us or make us something.
The worse of it is the tearing down, destroying the past so as not to offend the present. Yet, words in chalk on sidewalks will dare offend tender mercies. Memories and photographs prove testimony to what would sooner be forgotten, ignored or turned a tale to alter facts no longer considered relevant or more likely, simply inconvenient. Elegance and grace and genteel words are no longer praised to high heaven but considered vomitus hate speech straight from hell; not for what was said but for who it was that said them. God bless America is now God d**n America.
It is an awful mess and it is time Americans of every race, creed, and color, rich and poor, tall and short, young and old stand up and say, “Enough! No more!” God bless this land. God bless its people. Wake up America.
Just my thoughts for a Thursday, for what it is worth.
