death penalty

This is a Special (and Sad) Edition of Real Science Radio

* Lessons from Today's Tragic Mass Murder: Bob Enyart and Will discuss the unfortunate and distracting cliches, then the actual causes, and the solutions to America's murder epidemic. The horrendous mass murder at a theater in Aurora, Colorado was not far from the Real Science Radio studio. Bob and Will ask God for help so that they can bring RSF-clarity to this effort to think through public policy regarding criminal justice.

* Flashback: See KGOV.com/search/node/columbine for never before heard recordings about the Columbine massacre and other authoritative insights into the Whys and the Whats, as in What should be done to avoid many such future massacres.

* Fast-forward: See also KGOV.com/sandy-hook-massacre for our continued assessment of the Whys and the Whats.

You Can't Stop Every Crime, But You CAN End an Epidemic

* First Dismiss the Distracting Cliches
- Gun Distraction: Guns were more accessible to Colorado young people 100 years ago, and they weren't killing each other
- Bias Distraction: If the murderer can be connected to conservatives (or even if not) that's the media spin (like the Norway killer, Gabriel Gifford's shooter, etc.)
- Deterrence Doesn't Work Distraction: Even this particular murderer did not want to die and may have been deterred if he expected return fire from law-abiding concealed-carry moviegoers
- Mental Illness Distraction: Schools and other special interests will call for more focus on mental health, yet many of the school shooters have been on psychiatric drugs. Regarding this particular murderer, he knew the consequences of his actions, for he shot unarmed kids and families, but not the police who would have shot back and killed him. And defense attorneys claim temporary insanity, 99.9% of the time, for murder, but not for lesser crimes like shoplifting or failure to come to a complete stop. What? When people go temporarily insane they only commit felonies and not misdemeanors?

* Identify the Causes of America's Crime Epidemic
- Education, entertainment, government, all deny the existence of absolute right and wrong and that absolutes flow from God
- University of Cambridge researchers discovered something all RSR listeners already knew, that, as regards the 2011 riots in Britain, young people who did not commit crimes did not do so because they feared the consequences, nor because they lacked the opportunity, but primarily because they believed that it was "wrong." A professor at the University of California described this study as "among the most significant works in criminology in decades." Oh brother.
- Moral relativism is promoted; what's right for you isn't necessarily right for me
- It's no longer a justice system, now it's just a system
- If it feels good, do it
- Rejection of God's criminal justice system
- Christian leaders don't even give God the courtesy of knowing what He says on criminal matters (like, for example, perjury)
- Public schools teach kids that they're animals, so no one should be shocked when they act like animals
- Incarceration is time-out for adults where all the worst elements gather to drag each other downward
- Criminals and many young people have no fear, even in court before a judge
- Excessive violence from Hollywood and video games, including for young people, destroys innocence, as does hard and "soft" porn
- Society is drugged and drunk, like this murderer, on pot and other drugs
- Killing the innocent today is promoted as a valid solution to problems, as with euthanasia (like Children's Hospital euthanizing a 4-year-old handicapped boy), suicide, and abortion

* Killing the Messenger: America’s decision (and that of the Church), to tolerate pornography has made the internet a leading source of deadly pornography. Some say regulate the Web, but guest host DougMcBurney has an alternative to keep the internet free.

* Tell Me… Who Are You? It’s not just a song from the 70’s anymore. It’s the infamous line used by Congressman Bob Etheridge as he assaulted a college student. Guest host Doug McBurney wonders aloud what might have set the right honorable gentleman off…

* The Hits Just Keep on coming: California seeks to pass a law preventing those who hire hit men to rub out their divorcing spouse from getting half the victims stuff. Guest host Doug McBurney has a few suggestions on how to prevent the hit!

* Tragedy in Detroit:A daughter is killed, a father is broken, and a cop is scarred for life as the tragedy of an insatiable tolerance for violence on behalf of our political leaders leaves the nation face down in a pool of our children’s blood. Guest host Doug McBurney asks, “how long will God’s church, the Body of Christ allow justice to be perverted”.

* Mentally ill Killer Interrupted: Another horrific shooting at a Littleton Colorado school, and while the news media in general yawns, (after all one can only become jaded when so much bloodshed is taking place), Bob and Doug analyze the crime, the punishment, the hero, the mentally ill perpetrator and the means by which a just government could hav

* Culture Cracks Up: Bob and Doug McBurney educate and entertain while the culture cracks up.

* Judge Rightly: Doug puts Judge Darrell Birkey on the spot. Find out if Darrell’s narrow Biblical interpretation of crime and punishment is up to the task of judging right from wrong.

* $20,054 of $40,000 Telethon Goal: Please help and pray and please call 1-800-8Enyart!

* Guest Host Doug McBurney
- Do you think Bob’s efforts to teach right and wrong are having an impact on people in this culture?

- If Bob’s show and his ministry were to disappear what would it mean for the next generation coming up?

- If you had the opportunity to make sure that our efforts continue, would you ma