Concentration Camps for Peace

Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to concentration camps, it might be more productive to talk about some potential benefits to the camps, and how we can make them more efficient and useful.

I don't think anyone would disagree that the prison system in the United States is a mess. One way concentration camps could come in handy is to serve as a cost-effective way of making the prison system work. The prisons in the U.S. are just revolving-door facilities where prisoners and gangs intimidate the guards and drugs and crime are rampant. Our prisons are expensive, too, with the cost of medical care, food, and security rising all the time.

I think it would be a much better idea to use concentration camps, Russian gulags to be specific, as a way to greatly cut costs and reduce the effect prisoners have on their local communities. We can tear down our local prisons and ship people off to the Russian steppes, where you don't even need walls because the nearest place to escape is 1000 miles away. I would imagine that the threat of being sent to Russia to chop wood 12 hours a day might also be a bit more a deterrent than threatening to send somebody to one of the local prisons to work out and learn to advance their criminal careers.

Just a thought. The Nazis gave them a bad name, but concentration camps are not necessarily a bad idea all the time.

I must say your pretty active on the forums as of late.
I have never considered your solution to thsi problem we seem to have.
It sounds to be a good one. But I seriously doubt if Russia would like hardened American criminals running around her steppes, even through the country is very US influenced these days. And there would doubtless be protests within the US. I'm sure the mother of the kid who stole the car would not be too happy with her son being shipped off to Siberia.

But these problems can be overcome, I'm sure. And Russian guards would shut those prisoners down quick smart.

I doubt that you would send petty criminals to the nuclear wastelands anyway. Yeah, good idea.

before we go spiraling on this - that the term concentration camp was attributed to the British during the Boer war - and its connotations with the "death camps" of the Nazi regime are totally unconnected.

Far be it from me to cast aspersions about the Nazis. Great bunch of guys. Very snappy uniforms.

I would really hope your kidding, at least if your talking about the SS. The regular German army was jsut following orders, but the SS were killers, all pigs. And let's stop this conversation about Nazi Germany right here. Remember what this thread is about.

I didnt mean to lead the thread astray - was merely clarifying the distinction between concentration camps and the popular missidentification

Instead of starting an entirely new thread in response to another, it's just as easy to contribute your views and ideas to the other thread and have an actual debate.

Other thread: Concentration camps ohno...

Thread closed.

[edit on 2/17/2006 by cmdrkeenkid]