Careful what you put in writing -- it will come back to haunt you. Greg Walker, mainly an anti-abortion candidate, didn't really make public flogging part of his successful campaign to unseat longtime Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton. But he did, once upon a time, speak favorably of it in a letter to the editor in the Columbus Republic. Now, it's all anybody wants to talk about:
Still, Walker wouldn't back down from his stance. While saying anti-abortion legislation would be his top concern as a senator, he defended flogging as a biblically based punishment."It's not a core value for me, but it's part of the inspired word of God, so I know it works," he said. "If that makes me a radical, then so be it. I'll accept the label. But I don't think it's a radical position."Actually, it's the definition of a radical position. Walker, however, defines flogging as a "compassionate" alternative to jail for some people convicted of crimes such as drug abuse or being drunk in public.Ahh, yes, compassionate whipping? I can't imagine why Walker didn't make that his campaign slogan.
That brings up an interesting idea. Would you accept public flogging as an alternative to a week in jail? How about instead of a year in prison? Think about it. Sure, there would be some humiliation involved, but you'd get a certain amount of sympathy, too. The pain would be over relatively quickly, and you'd still have the next year free. Hmmm. Maybe the deterrent value isn't quite as strong as Walker supposes.