Gimmee A Break!

I read a story in the New York Times today about yet another prison inmate suing the prison systems. First of all, aren't most inmates in prison because they have committed a crime that caused them to lose their rights? Second, aren't all these lawsuits generated by frustrated prisoners clogging up our legal system and costing law-abiding tax payers more money? Aren't we the ones paying the bill? I'm pretty darn sure the answers to those all those questions are "YES!"

Okay, so here's the story from today's times.

IMPRISONED RABBI SUES OVER SPACE FOR PRAYER

"Let me splain. No, there is too much--let me sum-up." This lawsuit is brought by a man, in fact, a Rabbi, who asserts his religious beliefs are being violated. In 2003 he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for over $4 million dollars worth of fraud, (i.e. submitting false death claims to insurance companies, defrauding banks with counterfeit checks, soliciting money for fake lotteries) basically financial fraud to a lofty degree.

The Rabbi claims it is against his religion to pray in a room where there is a toilet (making his cell off limits.) According to the article, an expert on Jewish law has comfirmed that Observant Jews cannot pray in a bathroom.

So, what I get out of that is that this Rabbi is claiming through his lawsuit (with our money) that it is very important to him to follow the covenants of his religion. He is also blaming the prison system and society for taking those rights away from him. Following me so far? Okay--so here's where I get lost in his argument. I'll bet if we checked with the expert on Jewish Law or for that matter with an expert on any other religious law--say Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Born Again, LDS, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist--You name it--I'll bet that expert would tell you that Observant _______ are not allowed to defraud people, banks or insurance companies or any other entities of their money. I'll bet they would also tell you that Observant or Orthodox members of their faith are not allowed to be dishonest or disobey the law of the land. Hmmm.

Everyone still with me? You are using your religious nature to sue us for more freedom--and yet it is your lack of religious nature that lost you your freedom. I am honestly not trying to make light of anyone's religious beliefs or habits. It just seems to me if you are worried about whether or not you can pray in your prison cell because there is a toilet there and it is unclean--you also might want to be concerned that you stole money from people and businesses that didn't belong to you. Again you are in a place with less freedom because you created that situation. If you were really as religious as you profess to be-would you be in prison for stealing?

Gimmee A Break, Rabbi.