Perpetual Punishment

According to Christian religious tradition, perpetual punishment is what you get when you go to hell for sins not forgiven in this world. With the prevalence of the Religious Right in many state legislatures, is it any wonder that our prison populations are swollen as sentences are lengthened and more life sentences without parole are given to repeat offenders. The idea of eternal damnation, not only in the after-life, but in this life as well through a variety of means, is proposed for beyond the prison. Eternal probation is created for sex offenders who must register and exhibit a brand on driver's licenses and Web pages regardless of the nature of their crime. Some people would like for Michael Vick to be kept off the football field even though that's the only skill he has to make a lucrative living. He paid the civil penalty for his dog-fighting crime, yet some folks would ban him from football forever. Even pathetic Squeaky Fromm, the would be assassin of Gerald Ford, who has served 30-plus years in prison for her transgression, will be released from jail but will remain on probation until her natural life expires. How did the idea that punishment should be forever get in the heads of the self-righteous? Where is forgiveness? Where is rehabilitation? Well, at least the mob isn't demanding the gallows nowadays. Let's hope this trend abates or our society and civilization will revert to medievalism.