Jail-happy America

Yesterday I had a chance to briefly chat with a couple of ex-cons. We were walking back from this care facility we'd gone to visit with the rest of our church-group, and got to talking about why we think the itsy-bitsy church we go to is pretty cool, even if most churches aren't. And I was thinking, I like these guys. Not only that, but I really wanna know what their stories are, because they're not just some box marked "Ex-Con." They're people. Complex, fascinating people.

I love people, and I just bet those guys have a lot of really great stories to tell.

I also know enough about the penal system in 'Murrica to be sick about it, and even though I don't have a clue how to turn the tide of stupid-headed stupidism that's given this country one of the most effed-up, over-incarcerating, stupid-dumb penal codes in the world, well, maybe I can strike a blow for the good by listening to the stories of people who've been curb-stomped by society. Listening is, after all, an act of love.

Then today I saw a quick little animated video about 'Murrican penal-system stupidness, and even though I sometimes feel like re-posting videos to this website is a bit of a bloggeriffic cop-out, well, I reckon this is worth your time: