For some time now, I have been forming a list of heroes in American politics. Other people have politicians they detest, but I decided to be different and look for the good people, the role models. These politicians have to stand out from the crowd in some way, either by taking a stand on an issue, or through eloquence, diplomacy, or statesmanship. In other words, I don't pick a hero just because I agree with his politics. And my usage of the term "hero" can encompass the female gender as well. (One of my peeves with English is the division of titles, such as hero/heroine, into male and female.)
At the top is Rep. Barney Frank. The time has come to add Sen. Jim Webb, who is addressing a problem of long standing, the disparity between the inmate population in the U.S. and in all other nations of the world. I have been aware for some time that the U.S. incarcerates more people per capita than any other nation, including China. Something needs to be done about that. The most obvious fix would be to either decriminalize or reduce the penalties for marijuana. I am pleased to see that action is being taken on this front, and I am sure that our Founding Fathers would be too, as they would have been sentenced to lengthy terms in prison under the current system, as they were cultivators and users of the forbidden herb.
No comments:
Post a Comment