NUMBER OF PRISONERS SHAMES AMERICA

I'm writing about Bob Schuster's thoughtful Sunday column: "Founders knew
freedom cannot survive without public virtue." I believe a reliable
barometer of America's freedom is our rate of incarceration.

We now have the highest rate of incarceration on the planet and in history.
And our 2 million prisoners make the U. S. the not-so-proud holder of the
world's record in total prisoners. Even though the U. S. has fewer than 5%
of the world's population, we have greater than 25% of the world's
prisoners. In other words, one out of every four prisoners in the world sit
in a U. S. jail or prison.

The most incarcerated nation in history is NOT the freest society on Earth.
What freedoms do we have that they don't have in Canada, Australia and
almost every country of Europe? None.

If Schuster thinks we are the freest society on Earth, I suggest he read a
copy of the Patriot Act.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Arizona