European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday May 13, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 17 re Cal Thomas now that politicians self styled human rights groups and sundry commentators have had their say on the caning of Michael Fay by Singapore authorities it might interest some to hear what one self described a career criminal thinks. Ronald Young writes from the Michigan state prison in Jackson. He says he has been incarcerated a total of 30 years for 11 felony convictions but that he Only committed one of those crimes in Kansas. His reason for this provides insight into Why Swift and sure punishment helps deter crime. A in the mid �?T50s,�?� writes Young a i received a 5-to-15-year sentence in Kansas. I did 3vz years of the hardest years of my life. I done to know How hard the time is now but you can be sure i will never go Back to Kansas to find out. The answer to the crime problem is simple heaven or hell. Prison should be hell and release which brings us to the alleged a a torture and a a inhumanity and violation of human rights conducted by the government of Singapore. While Michael Fay was being flogged and the Singapore government received an International Tongue lashing Singapore Sec Nior minister Lee Kuan Yew had some sound advice for americans and the Way we respond to crime and criminals. Lee told time Magazine a we done to have the concept of victim of society either in the chinese malay or tamil language. This concept has led to a situation where if you kill your Mother and father because you were victims you Are not guilty. If you Cut off your husbands Penis its of. But it is not of. If we allow it to be of Well have chaos. Maybe we Are old fashioned maybe we Are reactionary but the place works a Lee believes americans problems Are so profound and deep that no president can change things a it will have to Start in the Home. You must have certain values respected. The schools can Only supplement what the Home docs. The government can set the parameters but the thrust must come from the family when the writer of proverbs noted that sparing the Rod spoils the child he was telling us something fundamental about human nature which because of the widespread secular belief in human perfectibility we have forgotten. If humans were basically Good and could always be relied upon to do right Given the proper education and incentives we would not need punishment or its threat to control people who Are not under the control of an inner Compass. Neither would we need Laws a Only behaviour modification centers designed to readjust out of tune attitudes. Americans have confused Freedom with License. We seem to think that human rights can be had without human responsibility. Because so Many people no longer believe that Mari needs redemption from an inner flawed condition virtually All punishment is seen As cruel and unusual. After All if we Are All victims and criminals the More so punishment becomes vindictive and demonstrates Lack of understanding. But if people Are not basically Good a if they do bad things to others and to themselves when left to follow the downward spiral of human greed arid selfishness a then they must be harnessed either from within by a Power greater than themselves or from without by the Power of the state. Lee Kuan Yew reminds us of that. It is too bad someone from another country must recall what was once taken for granted As a self evident truth by those americans who preceded us. In his 1945 notebook John f. Kennedy attributed this remark to . Chesterton a Don t Ever take a Fence Down until you know the reason Why it was put up.�?T. Punishment and the belief that one is responsible for ones own actions were fences that protected the Law abiding from the Lawless. We took Down the fences without realizing Why they were erected and now we have chaos in our streets and Are afraid to go out at night. V. Quot. Ronald Young sums up his View of punishment from a Michigan prison cell a Stop listening to the sob Sisters out there like the Acle. They remt the ones getting shot and mugged a a a a a. A c to9 Angelos times. The realities of situation Are Clear the struggle in Washington on whether the United states should continue to allow communist China Low Tariff privilege involves a skein of american interests a political economic strategic and Mora but at its Center Are some simple realities that confront president Clinton and every american who has Hopes for him As he nears the decision he Nas to make before june 3, 1. On May 28, 1993, Clinton signed an order committing him to remove those privileges unless by june 3, 1994, China had made a significant Progress toward human rights in China and occupied Tibet. /. Congress was about to pass again a Bill writing that either or plan into Law a a a a Bill once vetoed by president Bush. Clinton persuaded Congress to let him do the Job himself by executive order. 2i in the year since repression by police and army Power in China and Tibet has remained a alleviated. Its instruments used Day in Day out As consistently As Ever Are prison torture religious persecution arrest of political dissidents forced confessions arbitrary detention and the enforcement of the official bastions of economic growth cheap labor prison labor slave labor and prohibition of labor unions. To All this despite a few carefully timed prisoner releases the state department a own reports Bear witness. 3. Now Clinton is under pressure by american companies trading with China to decide that somehow no. 2 fulfils the promises he made to the american and chinese people in no. 1. Naturally not a soul in Congress the administration or business believes for a moment that China has improved its human rights record. The China lobby wants to dump the promises of last year altogether or slide around them by accepting As Progress More Beijing statements of intent like the ones they have already broken. 4. The China lobby in and out of government Sells economic fear. It says the debate is about America a pulling out of China economically. Nobody has suggested that. The lobby and its servants he. The China lobby heavily breathes warning that China itself will Cut off Trade with the United states. The communists Are not suicidal. China exports to the . $25 billion . Rosenthal More than it buys from America. The exports to the United states arc 38 percent of China a world total without american customers China a growing Trade deficit could bring the Economy Down. Who should be worried about whom 5. The majority of americans Are against Low american tariffs to China because they strengthen the wardens of the gulag. These americans Are not without voice or courage. V most of Congress is behind them. So is the energetic human rights lobby a Asia watch the . Conference of Catholic Bishops the Al Cio the International Campaign for Tibet amnesty International. They count. 6, but the China lobby has the Money. The Clinton administration is sending out so Many mixed signals and so Many Are Craven that Washington is convinced Clinton is caving fast. The meaning of Clinton a 1993 order was Clear no human rights Progress no Tariff privileges. A year later nobody of knowledge in Washington seems to believe other than that Clinton will sidle away from that. The struggle now is about what is left. Should the human rights policy just be dumped As a lost cause or can Clinton save his name with a few More promises of intent from Beijing How about a Cha us. Commission to improve human rights or a human rights code not for the communists but for american businesses in China if nobody can keep a straight face about those How about ending the Low tariffs Only for goods produced by. The state and the army maybe the chinese will attach neat labels for the convenience of . Customs a \ the human rights people would rather have some Compromise than nothing so that they can fight another Day. Most Are too Strong in soul to just vomit and walk away. By nature Many daily newspaper people arc optimistic. How could they otherwise keep confronting the keyboard. All right honorable people in govern it a Iii struggle for Clinton a mind and it�?Tp1 about the executive order of May 1993, now that it is May 1994. Ment still Struggs Honor. So its bes until the est to keep calling around resident makes his decision c now York times the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government. %
