This one is for the old-timers. If you remember Peter, Paul, and Mary, you qualify, and this is for you. You should read the article first, but in brief, Peter Yarrow, in 1969, had a consensual but illegal relationship with a young lady below the age of consent. He served a three month jail sentence and has, for some, ever since been considered a sex offender. He has continued his music and combined his music career with involvement in political issues.His alliance has been with those of the Democratic party. Those of the opposing party have not hesitated to dredge up Yarrow's past and use it against their political enemies, often with the results they desired.
It is happening again; Yarrow is featured in a fundraiser being held in Ithaca, New York, the end of this month for a Democratic candidate, and the Republican candidate is making as much hay as possible out of Yarrow's ancient record as a sex offender.
What is wrong with this scenario? Our criminal justice system is comprised of one part punishment and one part rehabilitation. The purpose of the punishment is to bring about rehabilitation.
Sometimes it works like it is supposed to. Mr. Yarrow committed a crime in 1969. That is over 40 years ago. He served his court ordered punishment, and in light of the fact that there has been no re-offense in over 40 years, I think we are safe in declaring him rehabilitated. Everything worked just like it is supposed to.
What then is the problem? Is rehabilitation not good enough for some? Is there some other standard of measure needed?
Those who keep throwing Mr. Yarrow's bad choice over 40 years ago in his face and using it to discredit their opponents are despicable hypocrites, and I would rather have Mr. Yarrow and an entire host of former felons who served their time, learned their lessons, and spent the rest of their lives as productive citizens as my political leaders than a bunch of mealy-mouthed hypocrites who are incapable of practicing what they preach.
Wow Shelly , three years and two months to the day I wanted to reply . So if I may , The times then were even innocent for presidents having extra marrital flings , even in the whitehouse . The sixties were times of revolt of the goverenment take over sending the children of WW II veterans by draft hoping they never return , and that seems familuar of todays rebellion but now with street violence like we've never seen before . At the time I would have given my left " N- to be with Mary Travis . The purity and sinserity of every word sung . And if she would have had me tho quite younger at the time would have keep that by my heart till the day I died . But with time she was taken from us all . Peter's bio on U-Tube about the pantie raids in college were funny to everyone and would have been more of a growing experience than a felon convicition and registry life time offence as a termminal every lasting non curable victim of assult .
ReplyDeleteThe best thing now if Peters victim is still alive would be to have her come foward of the experence . The secret is the laws that were drawn and past is that a victim can never come foward with what really happend after a conviction , concluded from the judges agreement with the prosecution agreed with the defence . We should all place bets that at that time of the sucsess of the trio that money was involved as in the Roman Polanski trial . Only the United states would never let go with money to earn ,even the mother and the daughter of the Pollanski case wants the FBI to leave them alone but still is ruining whats left of their lives and they want it to stop . The statute of Peters nightmare with either the republican or democratic party now 2016 is the laughing stock main stage of the world . They sang piece and government deception in the sixties as many others for world piece . We heard it , and believed it and it was heart felt . What happened to, and or where is the woman now to tell her story .
Also being there ; Grace slick I would have sacraficed the other of my boyhood recreators to be with her . But that was then and look at her now . I'm sure glad it never happend . This is what shoud be taught ! Behind the visiual is a mass of heretitary long lasting desease's . This has never been relalyed as a sex class of controlled desire's with our youths and our cronological disorders of ageing of real time . Dear Mary can't leave on a jet plane anymore and that taxi, " well ", it will never show up at my door after they read my name with an address check, and if they do its to kill me, thanks to the registry . Dear Peter I'm sure if the girl never came on to you all this bull shit would not be an issue . Like many of us , even when we said NO ! But did 'nt call the police first . Even if we did who in their right mind would believe a male .