e57, I think you hit the core of the disagreement here.
You say "poverty causes crime."
I submit that has the situation exactly reversed. I say Crime causes poverty.
An 'ethic' that considers crime to be OK is pretty good at making sure no one will ever improve, invest, build, or seek to improve themselves.
There are solid reasons why some communities have essentially no crime, drug abuse, or any of the other 'social ills.' There are also solid reasons that other communities are 'stuck' in an endless cycle of depravity.
You're right ... such a discussion is way beyond the scope of this forum. I made my first post as a response to what seemed to be a 'cry-a-long' for the deceased. As far as I'm concerned ... such sympathy is misplaced. I'm not about to let us become a society of professional victims, where everyone tries to top the other guys' sob story.
