Las Vegas Mayor Advocates Severing the Thumbs of Graffiti Artists

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, while on the Nevada Newsmakers tv show Wednesday stated that the thumbs of graffiti artists should be severed on television.
In the past Goodman has also advocated whippings or canings should be brought back for children who get into trouble.
When asked if he was serious he responded "I'm dead serious," said Goodman, adding, "Some of these (children) don't learn. You have got to teach them a lesson, and this is coming from a criminal defense lawyer."

Mayor: Sever Thumbs of Graffiti Artists

I have to agree with Howard Rosenberg who also was on the show Goodman needs to use his head for more than a hatrack This is idiotic to the extreme.

Where's the problem with this?

I think punishment should be taken back to the old days.. People should be ostrisized.. To hell with them.. They break the law.. they pay.. Jail doesnt do anything anymore.. Ohh I get sent to jail where I have no bills.. no worries.. just a bed, food and entertainment.. Geez.. Give criminals something to be afraid of.. a real threat to scare them straight..

Paint child molesters purple.. so the public knows who they are, Cut the left hand off of theives..

I'm all for it..

Actually there is a lot that is wrong with Goodman's statments.
We are supposed to be above this type of abuse and moral miasma.
Yes, such tactics worked in the past and in some countries still does, but I have to question your stance that it should be revived.
Think of it this way, If such tactics as an "eye for an eye" or cutting off the hand of a thief actually worked, why then were (are) there more criminals?
It has never detered the law breakers and never will.
In the US we have the death penalty but yet it has not stemmed the number of murders or any other major crime. In fact if you review the records, you will find that the crime rates have gone up after the death penalty was instituted.

The death penalty is a joke.. That's why.. These prisoners sit on death row for 15 years or more with appeals and what not.. They know they're not going to die tomorrow.. It costs about $1500 per day per prisoner, to keep in a regular state prison.. It costs about 35 cents for a .50 calibre round and a family member to off a convicted killer..

Repeat offenders dont worry about going to jail.. that's where they feel most comfortable.. they know the system in there.. in there they are someone.. out on the streets, they're just some low life jerk off who society wont pay attention to.. Wont hire.. wont notice.. In prison they're the man to be afraid of..

Which would you be more afraid of.. A convicted child molester whom you cannot identify.. Or someone painted purple moving into the house next to you?

Repeat offenders commit crimes over and over again because they know they're going to get jail time blah blah blah.. Would you steal if you knew your hand would be cut off? I dont think so.

While I agree that capital/corporal punishment is quite brutal, how has regular jail time stemmed crime? Our prisons aren't overcrowded because they offer a free cruise with every two year lease.

As far as being above corporal punishment, aren't we also above stealing, raping, and murdering? "We" are the same people as "they", the criminals--same society, same nationalities, etc. What separates the "us" from "them"? The fact that we haven't committed a crime? I doubt very few of us ever sit around and say "Gee, when I grow up I want to be a convicted felon," and the fact that "we" haven't doesn't mean necessarily that "we" won't.

As Ox said, would you steal something if you knew you weren't going to be able to carry two suitcases at a time again? If you knew you were going to get beaten with a bamboo cane for having some fun with a spray can, wouldn't you think twice about vandalizing someone's hard-earned property? If you think the punishment is too harsh, then don't do the crime. Simple as that.

Personally, and contrary to my above statements, I would like to see more money spent on education and rehabilitation, but that's not going to happen any time soon, at least not at the level necessary to make much of a difference. Caning someone is cheap and quick--a couple of months for appeals, 10 minutes on the board, done and over. Maybe not for tagging or something like that, but for some more serious crimes it'd be worth it. You know, really bad stuff, like downloading mp3's.

Haha.. Downloading mp3's That's great...

And the truth.. Let the punishment suit the crime.. Castrating a sex offender wont stop them.. Just because they wont have sex doesnt mean they wont offend in a different way.. Shoot them.. they wont do it again.. See my point? Crime will go down..

I wouldnt cut the thumbs off of vandils.. I'd cut off their index fingers .. cant operate a spray can without index fingers.. And if they say "ohh it's art" Oh yeah.. then buy some canvas.. make some money.. not commit a crime ya dolt!..

To hell with spending money to keep people in jail.. Do away with them.. it's cheaper..

Dont worry about how they feel or crap like that.. did they worry when they stole? or vandalised your car? Hmm? NO!..

And I am all about education.. And if an inmate wants their education, then they should have gotten it when they had the chance like the rest of us did and not skipped school to graffiti on someones wall!

Im just being honest

Jeff

I'm all for major punishment. My momma would beat me blue when I did something stupid. I only shot a bird once with my bb gun after that whooping. If I had just gotten a month of grounded or something no big deal, but pain is something the brain is geared towards avoiding. If it knows pain will happen for doing something, it won't do it.(unless it thinks it won't get caught)

So hey, cane, belt, cutting the finger off, being purple, all work for me. Just goes to show don't do something illegal if you don't wanna get punished.

We only fear the things we have experienced.. And sometimes not even those.. People become acclimated to things like jail.. and being kept in custody, because they know they're safe. Therefore they will commit again and again..

Would they feel just as safe if they knew they were going to be dyed purple for the rest of their lives? or have one of their fingers removed each time a crime was committed? What happens when they run out of fingers you ask? take the hands.. or toes.. If they dont learn.. it's their fault..

Ok,
As I stated before, if major punishments such as Goodman has advocated were put into place, it still would not stop the criminals nor lower the crime rate.
Most criminals don't ever think they will be caught so imposing the lose of a hand / thumb would be meaningless to them.
Also, Don't you think that such statements as Goodman has advocate will only feul the anti-american sentiment around the world. I mean if the US is willing to do such to their own citizens, what worse will the americans do to others when they are in Iraq, or anywhere else?

The Americans are continually condemned for their abuses as perceived by foreign countries, why legitimize it by having our elected officials calling for such nonsense?

You make an excellent point.. no doubt.. But. They're criminals.. who cares..
I tell you this.. If an armed jerk off broke into my grandmothers house.. at gun point, terrorised her, raped her, beat her and robbed her, I'd expect to see him burn.. slowly.. Like.. with.. melting plastic being poured over him.. I bet you $1,000,000 He'd never EVER do it again.. That's my point.. they'd never do it again..

You know I'm write.. You can admit it.. It's ok

Ox,
If someone were to hurt any member of my family, they will wish that they get caught by the police before I catch them. Like you, I would be like the grandmother down in Australia earlier this year.
Her granddaughter was raped by 2 men. The cops could not find the men. Going by the descriptions that her granddaughter had given, the grandmother spotted one of the men. She followed him and found where he lived. She then went home, got her shotgun returned to the man's apartment. When the man answered the door, the grandmother shot him in the family jewels. There was another man in the apartment who was the second rapist. She gave him what for also.

But there is a difference between revenge and "justice". What you or I would be willing to do, even knowing the consequences of our actions, is different from what the justice system or the goverment can condone.

As stated, the risk of major penalty will never deter a criminal from commiting thier crime, for the state to advocate the severing of a limb for such crimes (especially for graffitti) would make us no better then good ole Sadaam Husain or the other despots and tyrants out there.

The only difference between "revenge" and "justice" is who is passing it..

The war in Iraq = Revenge, Not justice..

Someone raping my daughter (Speaking hypothetically) and the courts cutting off his left leg = Justice.

That's the only difference I see there.. And I'm sure I'm not the only one..Believe me when I say that.

Originally posted by kenshiro2012
In the US we have the death penalty but yet it has not stemmed the number of murders or any other major crime. In fact if you review the records, you will find that the crime rates have gone up after the death penalty was instituted.

Actually that's not true.

For the death penalty to be effective it has to be implemented. Don't let criminals sit around and wait for 20 years for their appeals--and NEVER let murderers out on parole. The problem is not that we have the death penalty--it's that it's not applied enough.

As far as cutting thumbs off--I think that's a little extreme. Let the vandals clean their mess up.

In Orrville, Ohio, there's a railroad overpass that is covered with graffiti. My understanding is that they LET kids decorate it. Then after so many years they paint over it, and let the kids loose on it again.

I read about this on Drudge and I like the idea....give a tagger (1) warning if their caught and if they do it again, cut off their right thumb. I promise you they will never do it again. The same should apply to car thieves.

Child molestors should have their weenies chopped off the first time....if they do it again cut off the right hand....if they do it again, chop off their head. That should put an end to it.

Maximu§

Originally posted by LA_Maximus
Child molestors should have their weenies chopped off the first time....if they do it again cut off the right hand....

If you chop off their weenie, what good is the right hand anyways...............in a majority of the cases I mean?

Peace

criminals aren't born criminals. the problem is in how the child was raised and how he was disiplined as they grew up. nowadays a parents hands are tied as far as discipline is concerned. the schools teach the kids that if anyone touchs you dial 911. give the kid a well deserved butt whipping and the parent goes to jail. to all of you bleeding hearts out there who created time out and all of that crap, you are to blame for the crime rate. sure there are a small amount of cases where some parents had gotten way out of hand as far as discipline is concerned but that doesn't mean corporal punishment should be totally abandoned. before some of you say i don't know what i'm talking about, i got my a## whipped once a week if i needed it or not. some of it was well deserved some not. the times i didn't deserve it meant my sister got away with what she did that i got blamed for. pain and fear are great motivators. i also went to catholic school so what my old man lacked in applying disipline the nuns made up for his short comings. so my solutions to the whole lack of discipline problem

1. let the parent decide what is the proper amount of discipline for thier child. don't give the kid some escape hatch like these worthless social workers and state agencies. they don't have to live with the out of control kid that they create

2. manditory military service. we are the only country in the world without it . 2 years active 4 reserve

3. the most powerful weapon of all. bring back the nuns, with an unlimited supply of wooden rulers.