"it is the acts we must prosecute, not the words." Kat Rosenfield"
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions.” Lao Tzu"
"You will know them by their fruits." Jesus
Because a train runs several times an hour by my grandchild's house blowing its horn, I had many occasions to begin singing "Folsom Prison Blues." Great song. But with my grandchild listening and soaking up every word being spoken or sung in the house, the lyrics took on a new significance and kept me humming rather than singing:
When I was just a baby, my mama told me, "Son
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns"
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry
When Johnny Cash sang that to the inmates of Folsom Prison, they cheered right after the word "die."
Ms. Rosenfield may be correct that we shouldn't legally prosecute people just for descriptions of heinous acts in books or songs. But neither should we dismiss the great power those words have to shape our lives, including an inclination toward evil.
"it is the acts we must prosecute, not the words." Kat Rosenfield"
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions.” Lao Tzu"
"You will know them by their fruits." Jesus
Because a train runs several times an hour by my grandchild's house blowing its horn, I had many occasions to begin singing "Folsom Prison Blues." Great song. But with my grandchild listening and soaking up every word being spoken or sung in the house, the lyrics took on a new significance and kept me humming rather than singing:
When I was just a baby, my mama told me, "Son
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns"
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin', I hang my head and cry
When Johnny Cash sang that to the inmates of Folsom Prison, they cheered right after the word "die."
Ms. Rosenfield may be correct that we shouldn't legally prosecute people just for descriptions of heinous acts in books or songs. But neither should we dismiss the great power those words have to shape our lives, including an inclination toward evil.