Boston priests say they understand police policy at Marathon bombing site
CWN – May 10, 2013

*** begin quote ***

Two Catholic priests who were turned away from the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing have said that they understand the reasons why police refused to allow them access to wounded bombing victims.

Father Tom Carzon, OMV, said that media reports suggesting tensions between police and priests were mistaken. He told the Boston Pilot, the archdiocesan newspaper, that he understood the desire of police officers to keep people away from what was still considered a danger zone.

*** end quote ***

While I understand that the police have a tough job, I don’t understand by what authority they can prevent the clergy to an area?

I don’t want to be an asshat, but the clergy are not tourists. And as smart people, they know the risk and how stay out of the way. If they are willing to risk their lives going into danger freely, willingly, and intelligently, then why should they be prevented from doing the Lord’s work.

I find it inspiring when people go towards danger to help. Hope I have that type of courage when the time comes. 

I’d suggest that the clergy have some serious conversations with the police about the First Amendment.

And may all our challenges be much smaller.

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Coaching matters!
Posted on May 5, 2013

by Steve Boyle [MC????]

*** begin quote ***

I estimate that I’ve probably coached – in some capacity – over 20,000 kids in numerous towns, cities and states- literally from coast to coast. Teams, clinics, camps – be it track and field, cross-country, basketball, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse – no matter the sport – coaching is coaching. It is building relationships with kids (and sometimes their families) in a way that is genuinely meaningful and then getting them uncomfortable enough to actually challenge themselves in ways they didn’t think possible.

Before I did all this coaching – I did an awful lot of playing. Growing up it was primarily soccer, baseball and basketball. In high school I dropped baseball for track and field. Finally in college I had the blessing and curse of having 3 different head coaches and 11 different assistants for 1 sport in my 4 years at Manhattan (as a future coach it was a blessing- as a player it was a bit of a nightmare).

*** and ***

Of the 20,000 plus – I hope that at least some of them – when they do the recall of their athletic lives- will have me pop into their head as someone who made them feel valued.  Moving forward – all I can do is continually try to improve and hope that the 20,000 to come will continue to give me the opportunity to help them grow through the medium of athletics.  And I hope that as I mentor younger coaches they come to realize that winning and losing takes care of itself if the focus of your coaching is integrity and relationship building.  And that when you do make a mistake – how you handle that mistake may be the greatest lesson you give your kids.  After all – Coaching matters!

*** end quote ***

Under the direction of my now passed wife, we coached 6-8th grade girls basketball. 

I learned more about coaching, the personalities of young girls, my wife, a fellow Jasper, and myself.

Who was being “coached”?

Me!

Hope I’ve taken those lessons forward.

Funny, the lesson works also on the teacher.

Is that cause and effect?

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MEDICAL REPATRIATION
Posted on April 27, 2013 by keywestlou

*** begin quote *** 

There is a new term out there. Few have heard it. Many will as time goes on.

It is medical repatriation.

Formal sounding. Serious in its implications.

I spoke of medical repatriation on the Key West Lou Legal Hour yesterday. The term involves illegal persons and hospital bills.

The law in the United States is that a hospital is required to care for an injured or sick person till that person is “stabilized.” Not cured. Regardless of ability to pay. Until recently, hospitals have been caring for illegal persons till cured. The result was increased billing to those who had the ability to pay. An unfair but Christian like approach.

Medicaid does not pay the medical bills of those illegally in the United States.

Hospitals have begun to change the format for handling illegals. Now they hire a plane and ship these still sick persons back to their country of origin. The expense of the plane is on the hospital. It is cheaper for a hospital to go this route rather than absorb the balance of a cure bill and rehabilitation.

A recent case involves two Mexican illegals who were working. Their employer provided each with a $100,000 medical policy. The two men had an automobile accident resulting in serious brain injuries. The $100,000 per person was eaten up in less than one week. The hospital flew them back to Mexico on the eleventh day. While both were comatose, a state they had been in since the happening of the accident.

Bad business! Such conduct sets a precedent for a hospital to throw the sick out when the money runs out. I am talking about U.S. citizens who are sick and have no insurance or have insurance that has run out.

I fear that what happens to others today, will happen to us tomorrow.

*** end quote ***

Petrone, Louis S. “Key West Lou” (MC1957) highlights just how barbaric life becomes when we allow the Gooferment, politicians, and bureaucrats to do “charity”.

First, a system is setup to control “immigration”. (Like the character Red says in The Shawshank Redemption (1994): “I know what *you* think it means, sonny. To me it’s just a made up word. A politician’s word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie, and have a job. What do you really want to know?”

Immigration isn’t controlled.

(And this little L libertarian thinks that we should welcome any individual who wants to participate in the American dream. I’d hand out green cards at the border like penny candy. The flip side is that there would be no “welfare” for anybody: immigrant, citizen, or corporation! Then we would have plenty of funds for moral, effective, and efficient private charity.)

So, “we” have created an “attractive nuisance” and then “abuse human beings” when they can no longer serve the State!

What’s positive about this?

Easy!

If you haven’t been so desensitized by the Gosnell Abortion Trial, then surely this should induce you to listen to Key West Lou’s show and then put pen to paper or finger to keyboard to express your dismay, confer, or dare I say outrage at how we treat the poor.

Good Samaritan?

Now I understand that Gooferment ”health”, “health care”, “health care insurance”, or something else is totally immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. BUT, it should NOT be cruel!

Argh!

Look how easy it would to improve.

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White House: No Comment on Gosnell “Beheading” Babies in Abortions
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 4/15/13 1:59 PM

*** begin quote ***

White House spokesman Jay Carney today said President Barack Obama has no comment on the murder trial involving late-term abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell.

*** end quote ***

Yeah, I know, what’s positive about this.

It’s rubbing the killing of babies under the rubric of “choice” in all the Sheeple’s noses.

I’ve read the stories and it takes a pretty hard heart not to cry.

I think back what my now-departed wife and I would have given to have any of those children entrusted to our care.

I find this a POSITIVE story, because until we look EVIL right in the eye, call it for what it is, and get enraged, then we can turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to it.

I hope every Jasper, regardless of their position on the issue, reads every story.

It motivates me to action. I hope it will you.

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Chaplain gets Medal of Honor 62 years after death
Published April 06, 2013
Associated Press

*** begin quote ***

In the cold, barren hills of Korea more than 60 years ago, two teary-eyed soldiers stood in a prisoner of war camp where their chaplain lay dying.

The Rev. Emil Kapaun was weak, his body wracked by pneumonia and dysentery. After six brutal months in the hellish camp, the once sturdy Kansas farmer’s son could take no more. Thousands of soldiers had already died, some starving, others freezing to death. Now the end was near for the chaplain.

*** end quote ***

I’d forgotten this one. I’d learned it Grammar School from the Christian Brothers, many of who were vets.

Hard to envision that anyone could do what he did.

Good deeds are never truly forgotten.

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Tuesday, April 2, 2013
4 Things I’ve Learned Over the Past 4 Years (and other stuff)
Vacca, Nicole Marie (MC2013)

*** begin quote ***

2. Forgive. People have said or done unkind/unjust things to me, both inside and outside of college. In the end, though, holding a grudge only makes me feel bad–chances are that person has already moved on with their life, and they have completely forgotten what they’ve done. Also, I’m glad that there were certain disagreements that I’ve been able to reconcile like an adult, where the offender and I actually made peace.

*** end quote ***

A good moral for all Jaspers.

I’d add — Especially to forgive ourselves for the things we’ve done.

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Missioners Change Lives – Often Their Own – In D.R.

Teenagers and adults from St. Luke’s have been traveling to a small village in the Dominican Republic for more than 10 years; the trips have left their mark.

By Elizabeth McNamara

*** begin quote ***

The expression “mission trip” conjures up images of do-gooders looking to better the lot of poorer people. But these days, people on mission trips are often the seekers, the ones looking for God’s grace in a faraway land. Sometimes that’s because, quite simply, that grace is easier to see when you are away from the distractions of your everyday life.

So it is that St. Luke’s found Mount Transfiguration, an Episcopal camp in El Pedregal, our destination this past February. The trip is part of the religious education of teenagers at St. Luke’s.

There are 11 teens (mainly 15 and 16 year olds) and 9 adults, although we are reunited with a fellow St. Luker upon arrival. Heather MacDonald is teaching in the D.R. now, after first traveling here as a teen missioner several years ago. She’d been back a couple times and, after full-time teaching jobs proved elusive in Rhode Island, she decided to sign on to a two-year teaching job in Jarabacoa, the town nearest El Pedregal.

*** end quote ***

[JR: When "men of good will" inspire, the particular flavor of their beliefs matters not. Good works speak for themselves. "Suffer the little children to come unto me." Peace!]

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*** begin quote ***

Liberals demand that the Catholic Church bow to their infallible instincts. You can’t just dress humbly, preach the gospel, and serve the poor. You have to grant indulgences to the feminists, the homosexuals, and the contraceptive industry.

NBC medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman lectured the new pope that “poverty without birth control begets more poverty….this is a chance to take the humility and the poverty and say now we’re really going to talk about this in a civilized way and move it forward.” Deutsch added: “And we can talk about tolerance with gays and attitudes towards women.” Snyderman threw in “And women in the Church.”

If only the Vatican had thought of that.

Is there anything funnier than a couple of pompous NBC millionaires lecturing the pope about poverty and humility?

*** end quote ***

When will the Liberal Media start holding people accountable for their choices?

Poverty means you can’t restrain pro-creation until you’re NOT poor?

Seems to completely underestimate the power of a human being.

Look at what people accomplish!

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The Gifts of Random Acts of Kindness
Erica Sofrina
March 14, 2013

*** begin quote ***

I received a powerful teaching that day. I saw that I did not have to save the world. I just needed to show up and do the things that appeared on my path each day. I learned that life unfolds in the moment and must be lived and acted upon in the moment, or a precious and possibly even life-changing opportunity can be lost forever. The challenge is to listen to that quiet voice and not the often-louder ones that declare all of the reasons why it is not a good or “practical” idea.

*** end quote ***

I hope that I can listen to my inner soul and do good things.

Read the whole story. It’s impressive in its simplicity. 

Reminds me of the new Pope.

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*** begin quote ***

Saw an incredible documentary today, entitled “Hit and Stay.” It’s about the work of Catholic activists in opposing the Vietnam War. At a time when the Cardinals of the Church were providing cover for politicians who were executing the war, these courageous people saw the true measure of their faith in a commitment to ending the war and saving the lives of Americans and Vietnamese. Took my 2 oldest boys, too, so they could get a sense of what it means to live their faith.

*** end quote ***

http://www.hitandstay.com/background.html

History & Background
In 1967, the Baltimore Four poured blood on a few hundred A-1 draft files and waited peacefully to be arrested. They hoped not only to spare a few lives by denying the Selective Service system recruits, but also to start a discussion about the morality of war and conscription and to inspire others to take similar action.

The following year, the Catonsville Nine, Milwaukee 14, and D.C. Nine followed up with similar actions carried out by groups of priests, nuns, and their friends. Their tactics and goals moved beyond symbolic action; in doing so they subjected themselves to serious prison sentences. They sought to put the war on trial as they were being tried for their acts of resistance.

Hundreds more soon joined in as a flood of similar actions followed throughout the early 1970s. Their tactics changed: Symbolic action gave way to concerted efforts to disrupt the Selective Service system, state by state. Activists stopped waiting around to be arrested and started trying to destroy as many induction files as possible and evade capture. Many of them took part in multiple actions. Many ended up serving lengthy prison terms.

Actions like the Catonsville Nine received massive media attention, others went uncovered by the press and unreported or even downplayed by government officials. But the government took notice and Hoover’s FBI set out to infiltrate the movement and nullify it as it did the Black Panthers, Weather Underground, and other organizations. By the mid-1970s it seemed the government had succeeded.

But these actions and activists inspired untold numbers of people around the world. And many of the so-called Catholic Left or Ultra Resistance activists have continued the struggle and are working toward a variety of causes today.

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[JR: While one can question if this was "authentic", one can't question that there was a Ghandi-like MLK-like individuals here. Interesting that there is NO anti-war movement when a D is in the White House. Well, no movement other than the Quakers, Libertarians, and some pro-lifers. But it's minuscule in comparison to what it was against the draft! Now that it's all "volunteer", it's fine! Blessed are the peacemakers? Anyone remember the "Just War" doctrine?]

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WND EXCLUSIVE
PROTESTERS CHALLENGE BAN ON TRUTH ABOUT ‘CHOICE’
Supremes asked to restore speech rights to pro-lifers
Published: 1 day ago
by BOB UNRUH

*** begin quote ***

A Colorado court’s decision that revealing the truth about abortion – through images of the results of the violent procedures – can be banned is being challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court by pro-life advocates who charge that such content-based restrictions are unconstitutional.

The case is being presented to the high court by officials with the Thomas More Society, who have engaged Professor Eugene Volokh of UCLA’s law school, a widely acclaimed, prolific First Amendment legal scholar and author, to take the lead.

Volokh, who blogs at the Volokh Conspiracy, drafted the petition for certiorari which was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

*** end quote ***

It’s a shame we only hear of these valiant warriors in the alternative media.

I’ve sent them a couple of bucks from time to time. 

But, does that do enough?

As a little L libertarian, I don’t want the Gooferment with its heavy handed one size fits all diktats forcing people to do or not do anything. That includes restricting “free speech” because the truth is unpleasant. 

Abortion should make people sick. 

It should be the rarest of procedures. For the life of the mother. Really, not some fakey diagnosis. Rape and incest. Hard choices for any women without my help or the thugs pretending to “The Government”. Certainly not as an alternative to birth control. 

I would hope that by the beauty and logic of our arguments we can sway people to “choose life”.

One way is to make it not clean and impersonal, but messy and gory and as repulsive an act as ever a man could do to a woman. (Most docs are men!)

Today’s Mario Day. March 10. MAR10 get it. And I know a young Mario. I can’t imagine the world without him. I don’t know how he will turn out, but he’s got a right to life. He had an older sister who he never knew. She “failed to thrive”. But she had every chance. I don’t know how she would have turned out. But I saw the pain of her loss in all my loved ones.

I keep coming back to the same point. We know so much but understand too little. Supposed one of these aborted babies was “scheduled” to cure cancer, bring world peace, or compose beautiful music. And, that has been lost forever. Like when you played the original Adventure computer game, if you killed the bird, then you could never get by the snake. (It’s a computer geek axiom, “don’t kill the bird”, meaning you don’t know what you may need later.)

So I’ll say prayer that this case goes “Life’s way”. And, I’ll be more alert to help the cause in the future.

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People pulling together! 

Inspiring story.

And not without personal risk.

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NewsComAu

Facebook sends strangers to funeral

From:NewsComAu
February 25, 2013

This sad story with a beautiful ending has demonstrated the human capacity for generosity and selflessness.

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One of the corporal works of mercy is to bury the dead?

I hope that Jasper Obits are seen in that light.

Nothing sadder for me than to see our fellow alums pass and mine is the only entry in their “guestbook”.

Some have pages of entries as testimony to their impact; many have but one.

Social media has the potential to rally us to our better nature.

In this case, an old vet was not alone on that last sad trip.

In my childhood, I remember Brother Principal would get a call from the Pastor for some “help”. Whoever was on Brother’s “special list” would be escorted over to attend a funeral Mass where there were only a few people. (I think Pastor’s standard was a dozen. Because Brother Principal would bring a dozen.) Pastor would wait for us to arrive, apologize for the delay, while taking the blame himself. (His standard excuse was he mislaid his reading glasses. Which was reported as a white lie by the altar boys.) I guess I pulled this punishment duty often because I was always on that list for one reason or another!

In any event, I hope this story inspires us to remember the old folks.

FWIW!

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‘What’s the Global Brouhaha Over Lance Armstrong?’ « LewRockwell.com Blog »

*** begin quote ***

Bushco & boys can lie us into a war and slaughter millions and no action is taken – but let a bike racer drink a Red Bull or some such, and the world goes nuts. Go figure. (Hell, he still won desp…

*** end quote ***

I agree. “who cares!” about any of these sports millionaires?

We have War, Abortion, Debt, Deficit, and Crony Capitalism galore.

I care far more about the young women and men killed, maimed, and scared with PTSD for life. Suicides off the charts.

Who cares about a little cheating or immorality?

Actually, I care because this is symptom of the larger problems.

And, when do we address ANY problems?

Everything gets “kicked down the road”.

Where does it end?

Here and now!

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Years ago, when my family and I lived in the Pacific Northwest, we had the opportunity to visit Mount St. Helens. You may know that mountain is a volcano that erupted in deadly, spectacular fashion in May, 1980.

Though I knew about the volcanic eruption’s devastating effect on the mountain, its wildlife, and the people who lived within the miles and miles of landscape which surrounded Mount St. Helens, the area had a much more profound impact on me spiritually than I anticipated.

I expected to see confirmed the details I already knew. I expected to hear stories of destruction, of wasted beauty, of death. I did.

As we drove up the mountain, there was a clear line after which there was little left. The forest, the wildlife, the lush greenery that is omnipresent elsewhere in the breath-taking Cascade Mountains, was absent. Though it had been many years since the eruption, it left an indelible mark on the landscape. It was a solemn realization, but it was part of the natural order. It felt like a holy place.

Today, we enter the season of Lent. One of my high school student friends asked me on Facebook yesterday what “Lent” was:

Lent is a season of the traditional church year. It is a 40 day period of time beginning tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) and continuing until Easter – it doesn’t include Sundays because they are always a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. From ancient times, people have taken the practice of giving up (sacrificing, fasting) something(s) in order to more clearly focus on what God has done for us and prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter with new commitment and understanding.

Sometimes people will fast from (give up) a particular food, or something that consumes their time (like Facebook, TV or other screen time). Usually, I have preferred to take up a new devotional practice, read a more difficult devotional or theological book, or develop a new habit of prayer. Whatever is chosen, it ought not be “easy” — it should be something that takes attention and discipline, so that we know we need God’s help to accomplish it. It’s a reminder that we didn’t earn salvation ourselves, but it required God.

A quick reply, to be sure. The season calls us to particular devotion, above and beyond the regular habits, and to set aside some of the comforts of our lives through prayer, fasting, and study, in order to more deeply understand what our salvation cost — Jesus’ life. We intentionally revisit the story of “before” to more deeply understand the story of “after.”

So what does this have to do with the stunning destruction of the eruption of Mount St. Helens?

As the literal fire and molten rock of the mountain laid waste to what had accumulated for miles around it, Lent is a season holding an invitation for the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit to lay waste to the accumulation of our lives. Lent is a season to shed “it’s about me” and re-focus on “it’s about Jesus.”

During our tour of Mount St. Helens, the Park Service officer who led our group told us about something remarkable. Spirit Lake, which had been boiled to death by the molten flow, had recently been found to have microscopic life. The surrounding forest land, which had been dense and lush but left in ashes feet deep, was sprouting new growth. Re-creation was underway.

My Lenten prayer? Lord, let re-creation be underway.

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Gibbons, Patti (MC1986)

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Driver ‘a hero’ for saving toddler
BRONWYN TORRIE

Last updated 16:30 23/01/2013

The Paraparaumu truck driver who slammed on his brakes and scooped a toddler out of harm’s way in February last year has been rewarded for his heroic actions.

Dennis Roderick was reunited with the little blond-haired boy for the first time today when he received the supreme Beaurepairs Highways Hero award in Wellington.

”You’re a little bit heavier now mate,” Roderick said as he gave Liam Adamson, now aged two, a hug.

The grandfather was driving at about 40kmh along Mana Esplanade, north of Porirua, last February when he saw Liam just metres in front of him attempting to cross four lanes of traffic.

He swung his 20-metre-long truck and trailer across both southbound lanes to prevent the toddler being run over. He then leapt out of his cab and picked up the boy, who was dressed in a nappy and singlet.

Roderick’s heart continued to race as he cradled the then 16-month old in his arms while trying to figure out where the tot had come from.

He spotted an open gate then Liam’s distraught mum Michelle Barr. He handed Liam over and drove away, not wanting to hold up traffic.

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What were all the other drivers doing?

Typical hero. Just drive away after doing the right thing. No big deal.

Hope I have an opportunity to be that heroic and humble.

But, small challenges only, in line with my limited abilities.

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Nick Derba ’07 Returns as Assistant for Manhattan Baseball

*** begin quote ***

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan baseball program welcomes back former Jasper standout Nick Derba ’07 who joins the team as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2013 campaign. Derba was a three-time First Team All-MAAC selection during his career from 2004-2007 before going on to play six seasons of professional baseball within the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to begin my coaching career in the presence of a winning coaching staff and a group of winning players,” said Derba. “It is only that much sweeter that I can begin my coaching career in the same uniform I wore as a student-athlete.”

Derba was selected by the Cardinals in the 30th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft and climbed the minor league ranks during his professional career. He spent the majority of his career playing for the Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals and was promoted to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Derba played in 368 games in the minors, recording 217 hits and 103 RBI, while also scoring 120 runs.

*** end quote ***

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http://www.gojaspers.com//ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=5435&DB_OEM_ID=12500&ATCLID=206196664

Writing in The Washington Post, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento says that “Catholics must remind themselves and the world of the importance of fighting poverty.”

He begins:

Imagine the recent debate over the “fiscal cliff,” which found Democrats and Republicans alike obsessing over whose tax rates—people earning more than $250,000? $400,000?—might go up, and how different the debate might have been if the same attention had gone to the other end of the income spectrum. What if our leaders had focused on the lives of the millions who live in poverty and stand on the brink of despair? What if they had talked about the working poor and the tax credits that are vital to lifting millions out of poverty? What if keeping families together and saving mothers and children from the abortion cliff had been on the top of their agenda?

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I guess I’m really a fat old white guy injineer at heart, because to me “fighting poverty” means improving the lives of the poor by giving them effective ways out of poverty. Maybe it’s un-Christian or un-Catholic, but I want to succor those who have no options but not trap those capable of escaping poverty in the mire of de-motivating Gooferment “programs”. Those programs do nothing but create the modern day “slave plantation” for poor of all races. A woman who runs HomeFront in Mercer County NJ described the NJ Welfare program as “a trap to condemn poor women and their children to a life of perpetual poverty”. Her program, and it’s really “hers”, moves the needy from the grasp of the welfare bureaucrats by giving them the support need to pull themselves out. She’s a fighter and coach who puts the fight back into people that have been trained to be dependent.

I think that the irresponsible fiscal policy of the Gooferment is making us all poor. Giving the Government more money to do bad things is the wrong answer. Not only do they waste it and make war with it, they take it from the People who can use it for true charity.

Holy Mother Church has lost so many battles against the “King” (i.e., Secular Progressive Gooferment) I wonder if She, and we, can recover.

If I had to pick the battles — education, honest money, and the return of “charity” to Holy Mother Church and other such private organizations — that need to be fought and won to restore America and the American Spirit.

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Virginia official: going to jail may be strategy against HHS mandate
CWN – January 11, 2013

*** begin quote ***

Ken Cuccinelli, a pro-life Catholic who serves as Virginia’s attorney general, has told a radio show host that going to jail may be an effective strategy to oppose the HHS mandate.

“Abraham Lincoln has many good quotes, but one of them is ‘The best way to get rid of a bad law is to enforce it vigorously,’” said Cuccinelli, a gubernatorial candidate. Going to jail would “provide an example of what tyranny means when it’s played to its logical conclusion.”

*** end quote ***

[JR: Well, we are going to find out who has "huevos muchos grande"! Think of the Civil Rights leaders of the 60's and what they endured to insist on their human rights. Will "Catholics" be found wanting? Will others of "good will" join, if for no other reason than to preserve their First Amendment rights? Will Holy Mother Church finally discipline CINO politicians? Will this be the battle that turns us away from the "Secular Progressive" view of the world and return us to the great American experiment? Or is this the end! What brings people to the streets? I don't know. ]

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January 4th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
When Prisons Become Illegal
Futurist Thomas Frey 

*** begin quote ***

Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the surrounding community.

Crime is a larger issue than just how government deals with criminals. Since crime victims and the community bear the brunt of the crime, they too must be actively involved in the criminal justice process.

Currently, many victims feel re-victimized by the criminal justice system itself because it excludes them from most of the process. Using a different approach, with restorative justice victims take an active role in the process, while offenders are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, “to repair the harm they’ve done—by apologizing, returning stolen money, or community service”.

Restorative justice asks that victim’s concerns be considered throughout the process. Victims need help regaining a sense of control over their lives, and they need to be compensated for their loss.

Rather than simply warehousing offenders, restorative justice holds offenders personally accountable. They need to confront the pain they have caused to their victims and take the steps necessary to overcome their criminal behavior.

*** end quote ***

The USA has too many in prison.

Time to try something different.

As far as capital punishment, I’d restrict that to inmates that are too dangerous to put in prison.

Libertarians generally believe in restitution. And, we’ve been saying it for a while.

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