[rustybike]

Ironic it's now costing us £37,000 a year to keep him in prison though!

The general consensus is it's all f*cked up anyway, but what is the solution?

People of all faiths and backgrounds have extreme views, and as a society we have to deal with them.

We use the law to do this, the law can be an ass.

But then again you can teach a dog to ski, so its not all bad.

A chap in Plymouth last week was banned from driving for just 18 months following a crash where he mounted the pavement and put 4 people in Hospital, 2 were critical for nearly 4 months. He was twice over the drink drive limit, and it was 4 in the morning. A friend of mine moved his car 30 yards off the main road to a car park at 10 at night when twice over the limit and got a two year ban, it makes no sense what so ever.

A couple of years ago, our secretary was in a car with her sister, her best mate and her best mates Boyfriend (He was driving). It was about 7 in the evening in the middle of summer, and pissing it down, although it was still quite light. They were going to a pub in the country for something to eat. As they were traveling through the winding lanes they were hit head on by a nova who was on the wrong side of the road (Verity described it to me as 'Rally Driving round the corner'.) Verity had a shattered hip and was off work for 6 months and has had 3 operations. Her sister broke her leg in 3 places. The driver in their car had severe seat belt laserations and a ripped liver. Verity's Best friend Natasha died on the scene, as did the passenger in the other car. The other driver had a sprained wrist. He got banned from driving for 8 months.

Now thats just terrifying...

[S4B]

OOOh that reminds me.

About a month ago in Peterborough a bloke drove his car at high speed through a pedestrian area. (He had to drive through a barrier to get onto the pedestrian bit). He drove down about 4 people before he stopped, a guy tried to detain him and the driver knifed him in the stomach! All the security guards, street wardens etc got there before the police and managed to get him on the ground.

Now to my mind that should have been attempted murder & assault with a deadly weapon and various other nasty charges. Last I heard he has only been charged with actual bodily harm! What the hell is that about?

[MK Chris]

A couple of years ago, our secretary was in a car with her sister, her best mate and her best mates Boyfriend (He was driving). It was about 7 in the evening in the middle of summer, and pissing it down, although it was still quite light. They were going to a pub in the country for something to eat. As they were traveling through the winding lanes they were hit head on by a nova who was on the wrong side of the road (Verity described it to me as 'Rally Driving round the corner'.) Verity had a shattered hip and was off work for 6 months and has had 3 operations. Her sister broke her leg in 3 places. The driver in their car had severe seat belt laserations and a ripped liver. Verity's Best friend Natasha died on the scene, as did the passenger in the other car. The other driver had a sprained wrist. He got banned from driving for 8 months.

See, to me, that's a lifetime ban and a lengthy prison sentence.

To say "he/she had a violent family background... so thats why he attacked that person" is surely a "get out of jail free" card? Don't get me wrong, family upbringing and family history can be a huge factor of future psychological issues and/or opinions but persoanlly, thats not good enough.
Surely there are enough programmes on the television these days and articles in the news to show someone that murdering or raping someone is not right in this world...
No matter how badly they were treated as a child, as an adult with so many influences around them today, surely they are your own person eventually with opions, views and beliefs to decide what their movements are?? But that's just my opinion - i'm not saying that family upbringing DOESN'T have an impact to your way of thinking; it must do. I just believe that you will eventaully grow up with your own opinions and beliefs via school, friends, college, work, work collegues, television, books, newspapers, you name it. There are enough things around these days to change your path.

I know people who were mentally abused by their so called parents, and rather than believing that what happened to them was right it instead made them even stronger about making sure their children were given a life that they didn't have.

If you re-read my post, you will see that I mentioned on at least two occasions that that does not make it excusable. I was merely suggesting that parents should be punished as well in the vast majority of cases.

While we're on the subject of law, "Sarah's Law" will be a disaster and will only serve to drive paedophiles underground. I know Sara Payne has campaigned tirelessly for it and I've no doubt she absolutely feels it is the right thing to do, but I have to say I think she is too emotionally involved with a similar case to make a reasonable judgement. The fact that the News of the World also thinks it's the right thing to do doesn't make it right. They don't necessarily think it's the right thing to do, but they have a campaign that they think will sell papers. Something like that can never, never work and the day that law passes (as it looks increasingly like it will do) will be a sad day for this country, in my opinion. Also, any little respect I ever had for the News of the World went out of the window when they held their "naming and shaming" campaign. They should have been fined extremely heavily for that stunt.

[Yudster]

I thought a Muslim could marry someone outside their religion as long as they converted.

No, according to Islamic law they shouldn't even be seeing each other. That's what I meant by religion being a "pick and mix" where you can take the bits you like, alter the bits that don't quite please you and just observe the bits you find comfortable and easy, or that you think you can use to your advantage. And I say again I am in no way confining these observations to Islam.

[MK Chris]

Wouldn't that be the same with Christianity? (That is a genuine question rather than a statement.. I'd imagine that's how you get all the different types of Christianity like Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism, etc?)

[Yudster]

Wouldn't that be the same with Christianity? (That is a genuine question rather than a statement.. I'd imagine that's how you get all the different types of Christianity like Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism, etc?)

The observation of Catholicism, Anglicanism, or any other man made denominational ism sheltering under the wing of Christianity is religion, and many - most? - of the people observing these things are prone to the "pick and mix" approach, yes. Religion is the stuff and man made structure which surrounds a faith based belief system, not the system itself.

[foot-loose]

My personal opinion is bring back the death sentence

No. They are TRYING to get to their God. I want them kept alive for as long as is fecking possible. And I want every minute that they are kept alive to be downright miseralble.

or at least something far worse than a cushy little prison sentence

Yes.

get their goolies chopped off...

Now this sounds familliar... Call them baws and we will get on just fine.

Footy has got this whole 'newsreader' thing down to a tee - he's even got the 'and finally' bit in!

This has just got my goat, zoot. And it is well documented that I don't like others touching my goat.

I'm sorry foots, who's goat did you say it was?

You donated the goat to me months ago. If you argue, I will either claim that you have neglected it to the RSPCA OR I will be suing your ass since I have been caring for it all this time under false pretences. Your call.

[Yudster]

Hang on, I thought it was the goat you were concerned about? What has baggies ass got to do with any of this? Poor thing, how is any of this his fault? He's just a wannabe donkey after all.......

[foot-loose]

Hang on, I thought it was the goat you were concerned about? What has baggies ass got to do with any of this? Poor thing, how is any of this his fault? He's just a wannabe donkey after all.......

hahaha

Touché.