    Mr. Clinton claims to be tough on crime. His passage of the Brady
bill left citizens unarmed against those who would violate the sanctity
of the home. How can he claim to be tough when he supports and appoints
liberal judges who make living in prison easier than living an honest
life? Tonight on C-MUR, the cable only version of WMUR, the head of the
NH Department of corrections was the guest. There was a mixture of
claiming to have his hands tied by the courts and by the state's
finances.
    Where does the blame lie? I don't claim to have all the answers.
Why couldn't Portsmouth Naval Prison be refurbished and save the cost of
building a new one? Why do a lot of people on the outside have to watch
their fuel expenses in the winter? What is the temperature of the prison
kept at? I am really not in favor of keeping humans in subhuman living
conditions, but enough already. Many of the city's crime victims have
their lives disrupted and sometimes destroyed by people who get free
access to legal services, three meals a day, in some cases free cable
and education benefits. Many of these victims can barely afford to make
ends meet. Weren't prisons designed and built to keep people away from
the innocent and to PUNISH them for their crimes?
    Do they really think that a man in his late 30's or 40's who has
long had a history of crime, can suddenly be corrected and re-introduced
into the mainstream? Some first time offenders often see their
mistakes and turn themselves around. Some however are strictly
hard core. A number of years ago, I went with a group from a local
church to play some softball at the State Penitentiary in Concord.
The feeling of and seeing the doors close behind me, left a firm
impression. I knew I could leave. Some were the rest of their lives.
An easy price to pay for the taking of a life.
    The state of New Jersey had a program for youths called "Scared
Straight". Most who saw what their current life paths would lead to went
straight. The problem of those overseeing the prisons and "Interpreting"
the Bill of Rights is that to them, evil doesn't exist. Man is born
inherently evil. Most parents raising children will tell you that a
child is corrected or admonished when he has done some thing wrong. How
many of them tell their children "That was Good?" More often than not it
is NO! Bad! That is wrong! From my own childhood there were times when I
was warned of what the consequences of my actions would be and went
through with it anyway. Oh I was punished alright. I didn't get a slap
on the wrist or let off with a warning. I payed for my action. I lost
privileges and rights for a period of time. I wasn't brutally beaten or
any such thing, but the look on my folks face was enough.
    Someone once said "Let the punishment fit the crime." I guess that
doesn't apply in today's society. I don't really advocate the
Mid-Eastern philosophy of castration or amputation for offenses, but
their crime rates are much lower. The criminal element has no fear of
any real punishment. Some European countries have the death penalty for
drunken driving. How many would get behind the wheel facing the
possibility of that? In Farmington this month, death unjustly
interfered with lives of some young children. How long will the guilty
man serve? I know he is only accused, but the accused was legally
drunk. The lowering of the legal DWI limits is a good step.
    Should we build more prisons? Should we start executing jaywalkers?
I ask that facetiously of course, but the point is self-evident. Is it a
good or bad sign that we need to build more prisons. Are the Police
agencies and court systems getting better in convicting the guilty, or
is it a sign that this country is in moral and ethical decay? For all
the times I have been pulled over for a traffic offense, numerous and
justly so by the way, I have been even more glad to see them patrolling
the streets.
    I live in the inner city, and there is a feeling that things are
getting better and turning around. I hope this is not just politicking
and positioning for the upcoming election. I trust that they are
dedicated to making this one of the All-American cities. Let the state
that cast the ratifying vote for the US Constitution become a model for
the rest of the country to follow.

                                                 William H Ford

                                                 August 29, 1995
