Ben:
The purpose of the prison system should be to punish and reform criminals with the goal of preventing future violations. Therefore, I see no need for lifetime prison sentences, because they often are applied to criminals that are incapable of reform. Moreover, long-term prison sentences are a drain on taxpayers’ money. As harsh as this may sound, it seems to me that it would make more sense to execute the murderers and rapists of the world who would normally get extensive sentences.
Bilz:
No child dreams of going to prison someday. Rather, prisons are home to life’s failures. But whose failures, the prisoners’ or ours? What kinds of parents seek to satisfy their own indulgences while neglecting their children’s needs? The kind that are still children. What kind of societies stand idly by while others struggle for survival amidst squalor? The greedy kind with a heart-numbing Darwinian social philosophy. Such are the sources of the world’s pain, suffering, crime, violence, and brokenness. We punish criminals, yet we fail to fix the social structures and attitudes that produce them. If prisons are to be considered any sort of success, we must rehabilitate criminals from the scars of their lives. Only love can do that. Only a belief that these lives, these people are worth redeeming. Anything else, and we might as well just kill them. It would save taxpayers a lot more money.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Is NASCAR a sport?
Bilz:
Sport. What is it? Is NASCAR a sport? Of course not! Seems straightforward enough. I begin by defining sport generally: a physical competition to reach some goal. Seems direct enough, but I realize that NASCAR also has physical elements. People control cars with skill and decision making much as they would horses, and I’d like to think horse racing is a sport. No, there must be something more that truly defines sport. After all, sports are the descendants of ancient feats of war which were valorized. Football players converge on the battlefield as heroes of old. There is something pure and beautiful about a footrace, recalling the messenger who raced from the plains of Marathon to proclaim Greek victory. Valor, purity, beauty. This is sport. And then there is NASCAR: a white-trash version of horse racing where people drive in countless circles while the countriest of bumpkins hoot and holler.
Ben:
It bothers me how most people scoff at the suggestion that Nascar is a “sport.” As I see it, Nascar is one of the purest forms of competition there is: people get in cars and see who can get from point A to point B the fastest. Nascar drivers are not exactly bastions of ideal fitness, but the amount of focus required to maintain control of 1 car racing 39 others going 200 miles per hour in a continuous circle is amazing. I understand not caring to watch Nascar (I can’t watch an entire race without getting bored), but there is really no need to badmouth the people that make a living off of the sport.
Sport. What is it? Is NASCAR a sport? Of course not! Seems straightforward enough. I begin by defining sport generally: a physical competition to reach some goal. Seems direct enough, but I realize that NASCAR also has physical elements. People control cars with skill and decision making much as they would horses, and I’d like to think horse racing is a sport. No, there must be something more that truly defines sport. After all, sports are the descendants of ancient feats of war which were valorized. Football players converge on the battlefield as heroes of old. There is something pure and beautiful about a footrace, recalling the messenger who raced from the plains of Marathon to proclaim Greek victory. Valor, purity, beauty. This is sport. And then there is NASCAR: a white-trash version of horse racing where people drive in countless circles while the countriest of bumpkins hoot and holler.
Ben:
It bothers me how most people scoff at the suggestion that Nascar is a “sport.” As I see it, Nascar is one of the purest forms of competition there is: people get in cars and see who can get from point A to point B the fastest. Nascar drivers are not exactly bastions of ideal fitness, but the amount of focus required to maintain control of 1 car racing 39 others going 200 miles per hour in a continuous circle is amazing. I understand not caring to watch Nascar (I can’t watch an entire race without getting bored), but there is really no need to badmouth the people that make a living off of the sport.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Bilz Versus Ben Launch
Hello friends!
Welcome to "Bilz Versus Ben." As you all know, we are two of the most contrasting individuals on the Men's Cross Country Team. In countless ways, whether it be height, event group, political view, spiritual conviction, personality, method of problem solving, motivation, musical taste, or devilishly good looks, we define the spectrum of differences concerning many things.
About twice a week, we are going to each briefly comment on a topic, scenario, question, opinion, or whatever. You are free to engage with our thoughts as well, with comments, responses, declarations of brilliance or victory, etc. Further, for each post, you can vote for either Bilz or Ben based on with whom you agree, which you thought was funier or more interesting, or whatever rationale you choose. We also invite people to suggest categories for us to further broaden the range of possibilities. Thanks for checking this blog out, and we hope you come again.
-Bilz
Welcome to "Bilz Versus Ben." As you all know, we are two of the most contrasting individuals on the Men's Cross Country Team. In countless ways, whether it be height, event group, political view, spiritual conviction, personality, method of problem solving, motivation, musical taste, or devilishly good looks, we define the spectrum of differences concerning many things.
About twice a week, we are going to each briefly comment on a topic, scenario, question, opinion, or whatever. You are free to engage with our thoughts as well, with comments, responses, declarations of brilliance or victory, etc. Further, for each post, you can vote for either Bilz or Ben based on with whom you agree, which you thought was funier or more interesting, or whatever rationale you choose. We also invite people to suggest categories for us to further broaden the range of possibilities. Thanks for checking this blog out, and we hope you come again.
-Bilz
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