<< So the law shouldn't be criticized? I suppose you agree with those states that jail people who commit sodomy where it's illegal too. >>
And we all know how often that happens.
However...
If you know something is a crime, you know the punishment, and you do it anyway... I don't feel an oz of pity for you.
In all fairness, Viper's reasoning could just as easily apply to fundamentalist Muslim nations that cut people's hands off for shoplifting - they did, after all, break the law, so they deserved to lose their hands, right? Personally even as a prosecutor I think many of our civilian criminal laws (particularly drug laws) are draconian, and seem to be driven by politics, not reality. I have a hard time articulating why possession of marijuana by a civilian is harmful to society, much less why it justifies a lengthy prison term. No question, these people broke the law, but God knows not every law makes sense.
I'm a little torn on that one, but not due to the punishment itself. If the person actually committed the crime, then I support the punishment specified by law. The thing I have reservations about, though, is the method by which guilt is determined.
AdamDuritz99
Other than the fact that I called him a moron, there was no opinion in that statement. Do you really believe that any of the people jailed for marijuana didn't realize it was illegal? Therefore they WILLINGLY BROKE THE LAW.
That's all there is to it, no opinion involved.
Viper GTS