MoveOn... Are these people insane?

The most recent ad over at moveon.org (https://political.moveon.org/donate/pollshow-QT) tells a really slanted story. The ad says "most Iraqis" want the US to leave their country. Really? What poll was this? How was the question worded? Who was asked? I am guessing that most Iraqis do want the United States to leave, as an sovereign nation would. Do they want us to leave tomorrow? or soon? next month? next year? Is it reasonable to turn and run, leaving this country to certain violent end?

What is the goal of organizations like MoveOn? Who benefits from a hasty retreat? This ad is irresponsible and misleading at best.

EDIT - the direct link does not work go to https://political.moveon.org/donate/iraqideadline.html and click on the watch the ad link on the upper right side of the page.

Commit a crime, do your time...then what?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178021,00.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03222/210010.stm

James Hamm has a troubled past to say the least. In 1974, Hamm was a drug dealer who was confronted by two men that wanted to buy 20 pounds of marijuana from Hamm and his drug dealing friend. Hamm and his friend decided to rob the men. During the robbery, his friend killed the two men. For his part in the crime Hamm served 17 and one half years in prison. In prison Hamm earned his bachelors degree. After his sentence was commuted he attended and graduated from law school, in 1999 he passed the bar. After submitting his fitness and character application, the Arizona bar unanimously denied his admission to the bar.

The man committed a crime, he was sentenced and served his punishment. He has taken the steps to positively change his life and shown that he has a drive to reach his goals. His story is contrary to the common role of prisoners who spend their lives in the revolving door of the prison system. Do we want to discourage prisoners from reforming their lives?

I have no love for prisoners and I am all for harsh punishments. In this case, James Hamm has served his time. If his sentence has not sufficient, that should have been addressed at his sentencing. We cannot punish people like James Hamm forever.

Is there a fitting punishment for this?

Most of the time I find myself reading the news and my reaction is mostly muted. With all of the bad things that happen that I read about, I get sort of de-sensitized. Then something like this is reported. It is hard to fathom that a guy like was ever released from prison. At the time of his release he was categorized as a “Category 3” sex offender. This terminology is used to describe a freak who is likely to be a repeat offender. So he skips his mandatory parole meeting twice, then his parole office calls authorities. Meanwhile he allegedly molests another 7 year old boy, then kills four people and repeatedly rapes two small children. I ask, why are we not keeping very close tabs on monsters like this? I realize we must let them out when their sentence is over, but if they are likely to be a repeat offender we need to be sending out a police cruiser the FIRST time they miss a mandatory meeting with their parole officer.

The surviving child (Shasta) has witnessed the brutal slaying of three family members, the repeated rape and murder of her other brother, and has herself been abducted and repeatedly been raped. I shudder to think what the rest of her life is going to be like to overcome horrible deck that that she has been dealt. May God bless her and her family and help them find the peace that they deserve.

Now I ask, what shall we do with Joseph Duncan? What punishment is appropriate for this sort of crime?