Land of imprisonment & execution.

Wow! I learned something fascinating -- and depressing, too -- by reading the New York Times today. That the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.

Yes, another sign that America is the land of punishment. Harshness. No mercy. I suspect it’s part of the mean-spiritedness in the American soul. Another reason why we still have capital punishment in many states. Whereas in other advanced nations, there’s no death penalty. We either kill or lock up the so-called bad guys and gals.

Oh, I think our meanness is expressed in many ways. The lack of universal health care, for instance. And the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Sort of an everybody for himself mentality. Rather than working for the common good. Rather than spreading the wealth. I sense that we don’t believe in even-handedness. Or forgiveness. Maybe that’s one reason why you’ll find mostly poor people and minorities executed and imprisoned.

Anyway, we criticize China for human rights violations. For being cruel. Harsh. Well, folks, China, which is four times more populous than the United States, has 1.6 million people in prison or under house arrest or in labor camps. That compares with 2.3 million in the U.S.

It breaks down this way: We have 751 people in prison or jail for every 100,000 population. Russia comes close, with 627 prisoners for every 100,000 people. In England, the rate is 151. In Germany, 88. In Japan, 63. The median among all nations is about 125.

America often has been hailed as the land of opportunity. But it also is the land of imprisonment and execution. –Jim Broede