Chuck Avery| Special to The Palladium-Item

I see in the news that since the Taliban has regained power in Afghanistan, it has eased its ban on music. I dont pretend to understand the prohibitions of any religion, but forbidding music seems a bit harsh. Of course, the Taliban intends to establish a theocracy,a type of government where there is no separation between religious law and civil law. Our founding fathers felt so strongly that the two should be kept separate that they stated so in the Constitution. A theocracy would be tough for the average American to accept. He prefers suggestions rather than rigidly-enforced commandments. That way he can decide for himself how devout he wants to be.

In conjunction with the Talibans change of heart concerning music was another news story stating that the Indiana state legislature is talking about legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. If the Hoosier state follows the trend set by several of its neighbors, recreational use will not be far behind.

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Throughout history the pattern seems to be consistent:young, developing cultures pass strict, no-nonsense laws. Then, there is a gradual easing of enforcement and, eventually, revocation. For example, all amendments to our Constitution, except one, could be considered mitigations or corrections. (The exception was the 18th or Prohibition Amendment, and it was soon repealed.) Strict rules are sometimes enacted by established governments in times of stress, fear or danger. They are usually followed by repeal, regret and apologies(e.g.Japanese internment during WWII).

When I was a kid, I watched the police arrest our next-door neighbor, Bill, for public profanity. In those days, bread was in short supply. He had seen several loaves behind the counter at the neighborhood grocery and asked to buy one. The owner refused, saying he was holding those for his special customers. Bill told him where he could stick his bread and walked out. The police were waiting when he got home. Decades later, the Supreme Court found that only language that constitutes a threat is illegal. (Watts vs United States, 1969)

The public use of language is one area where our former lawmakers were perhaps too much influenced by religious rules. Some Islamic societies still execute people for blasphemy. Theologians and sociologists contend that those cultures resemble Christian cultures of 400 years ago, when Christians burned witches and tortured Jews.

I also remember the panic in the family when my Uncle Charley was arrested and jailed for gambling. During the day, Charley worked for the county highway department, but at night he was the houseman for a local service club. In the years since, Indiana and other states saw the money Nevada was raking in by legalizing and taxing gambling, and one by one, each state followed suit. Today gaming, including betting on sports, is advertised on national television. Likewise, our attitude toward the sin of unwed motherhood has turned 180 degrees, along with societys view of homosexuality.

Most tragic were and often still are harsh laws and mandatory sentences for drug use or possession. Fortunately, legislatures and law enforcement agents are realizing that we have packed the prisons nearly 50% of prisoners were sentenced for violating drug laws and saddled thousands with felony records for what is, in most cases, a tragic dependency. Overall, drug laws may have ruined more lives and done more harm to the social structure than the drugs themselves.

With time, fear subsides, rationality prevails and we try to correct our mistakes, but its a never-ending process.

Email Chuck Avery at charlesravery@gmail.com.

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Chuck Avery: The evolution of sin and crime - Palladium-Item