>>>>>>>Wow, have you ever seen the the SNL skit Debbie Downer?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Waa waa waaaaaa.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Why would he be a downer? He actually found a few points to the contrary of the original downer.
>>>>>
>>>>>You don't understand. If you don't agree with all things right wing, you are a whiner.
>>>>
>>>>But from all the things in the first post, maybe one is a result of liberal(ization?) policies. Most of them are a matter of being tough on this or tough on that, zero tolerance policies and heightening the security - all right-wing stuff, IMO. The rebuff was about the two positive changes over these 51 years, and these two would never come to be if right-wingers could have it the way they wanted. So... I don't know what happened here. Mike Cole got lost in the labyrinth consisting of one straight line? Somehow the original, right-wing-bashing post was fun and the counterpost is a wet blanket? Hmmm... Mike! We're over here!
>>>
>>>I guess we can continue and work on Alan's version.
>>>
>>>The rapist goes to court, is determined to be culturally disadvantaged, and set free because a liberal judge takes Tamar's view and decides that the rapist probably has felt bad about it and so can be forgiven (like the terrorist she discussed in a previous thread). The victim realizes that there is no justice in the 'enlightened world and hangs herself.
>>
>>You want to cite where I said a terrorist should be forgiven? I have no problem putting real criminals in jail (though I'm opposed to mandatory sentences and to trying children as adults). i do think that jails should do their best to rehabilitate as many prisoners as possible, since productive members of society are a plus, and prisoners cost us money.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>Message 1346136.

Here is what she wrote:

I don't know enough about the Ayers (which is apparently the right spelling) case to make a judgment, but apparently, he wasn't prosecuted because of misbehavior by the prosecutors. And while he didn't pay the price of prison, I suspect living underground for years did exact some price.

I guess it's a reasonable interpretation to say she thinks he should be forgiven, even though she didn't say that directly. As in anything else, there are degrees. William Ayers was part of two terrorist groups, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weather Underground, but they did not commit any terrorist acts other than blowing up a statue. Call me a bleeding heart but I don't think people should be condemned for life for the passions of youth, even if they were misguided ones.

Maybe you would like him to sound more repentant. Maybe I would, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ayers