Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance

Carl's story is just a glimpse of what the justice system would face in the type of prisoners that would be using the revolving to door to prison. Our country is so filled with greedy, corrupt politicians and a pack of sadistic guards who still beat and torture prison under secrecy. Our communities are struggling to survive in this world and are time bombs waiting to explode under the pressure. With the constant recessions, raising taxes, corrupt officials and peace officers that are murdering innocent citizens because they can and get away with it. People are becoming more and more distrustful of those people. They in turn start doing what they have to do to feed themselves and their loved ones even if it means that they have to break the laws. Eventually something is going to erupt. I have been watching documentary after documentary that discuss the subjects of corrupt officials in the various branches of government. I am overwhelmed. So far I have seen the New Orleans, Detroit and Pennsylvania States are so broke they can't afford to staff their department.. I recently watched "Parking Wars" and everyone voiced a great deal of displeasure about the fleecing of the citizens to bankroll their projects or whatever they are doing with the money. Innocent people are getting murdered by police officers because they made a mistake and refuse to admit it. I would respect a Commander if he was willing to admit their errors and do something about then the ones that just give their officers and atta boy. They think it will make their department stronger but it just makes them no different the criminals they are enforced to arrest and investigate. They are not too good at that because I have seen so many documentaries on the wrongful convictions of 30 people in Texas and a few around the U.S. I would venture to say that their are more innocent people in prison then they are willing to admit. I guess the system thinks that there is nothing we can do about their inefficiency, so they don't bother to correct it. They are please with the way it is and are trying to make the police force into an army. The military are giving police stations some of their old arsenal to conduct its business. Are states will soon be under Marshall Law. We will look like communist Germany soon. I wonder if any of our young men would be able to hold up arms against another American should there be a civil war? Our poverty areas are beginning to look like the poverty areas in India, Africa and other third worlds. Detroit has some horrible areas now and so does New York. I lived in N.Y. in the low income area and it is worse then it was then. I see the decline. People are becoming apathetic. The rich think that it will not affect them however, if they don't have the middle class slaving for them to keep their pockets full, they would be the ones that have to foot the bill. I would love to see that. I don't say it was right what Carl Panzram did. What I am saying the justice made that Frankenstein. They are producing more and more. Why? What would they do if they couldn't fill those prisons? They would have too many people of color working and they don't want to have too many of them at their work sites. They may even mess up their votes. Maybe vote for a more honest person. Maybe mess up their little system they have going.

I only ordered this book because the subject of it came up in a video I watched. I wanted to know more as I've never heard of this man before. Good read but again not for the squeamish.

This is definitely not a typical serial killer documentary. It reads more like a cautionary tale directed to the American penal system; which in 1928 was definitely not all it could, or should have been. It's a sad tale of a man's brutal reactions to years of abuse, and although, one can admire his bravado in the face of violence, and we see, at times, (through his own journals) someone almost eloquent, there is also a question, if, given his propensity for braggadocio, if he even committed half the crimes he confessed to? A fellow prisoner at Leavenworth, the actual "Bird-Man of Alcatraz" goes so far as to opine that his (Panzram's) claims are ridiculous to anyone who has first hand knowledge of such things. I thoroughly enjoyed it; but did not give it 5 stars, because I was left feeling slightly dissatisfied. I was not uncomfortable with the somewhat sympathetic treatment of the subject, but felt that, having chosen to treat the subject this way, in a large part because, "if a man, knowing he is "bad" , and knowing he has done only "bad", wishes only for death, because he finds life itself (not the conditions of Leavenworth prison, which by his own admission he quite enjoyed) intolerable, doesn't that go a long way in toward proving that this individual is perhaps spiritually, or mentally sick, as opposed to sociopathic? And, doesn't his violently feral reaction to clergy and all things religious somewhat substantiate this?

Great

The movie kept my interest. But don't think you're going to learn anything from it. Maybe you would if there were more from Katherine Ramsland who is a professor of Forensic Psychology. But too much time is given to the old Communist who buys into all Panzram's excuses because of his prejudices. All Ramsland remarks, psychopaths lie and blame others and never take responsibility for their actions. And there is no evidence that Panzram's brothers or his sister found their home life abusive or ever had any brushes with the law. Before you start cursing the "Judeo Christian ethos" think about what China would do with a criminal like Panzram. Also realize that it is that "Judeo Christian ethos" that has lead the west to become the most lenient on criminals. If you already have your mind made up (because of some psychological need of your own) so be it. But if Panzram sodomized and murdered YOUR twelve-year-old son, YOU would want him tortured day and night.

Not much has changed in human history, but it’s nice to see attention drawn to the fact that doing bad things to people who do bad things doesn’t help make a good person.This movie is important if one can understand it’s meant to teach us about the meaning of “two wrongs don’t make a right” ...but if looking to be spoon fed some gore this isn’t it. It’s meant to be raw, and therefore to promote a bit of thinking.If you want to understand how criminals become this way, it’s a good movie. If you’re a hater who wishes the worst suffering for those who do wrong, and that’s where your heart is, this may or may not help you.

Hat is off to the late Henry Lesser. He understood what may still don't understand today, and that's you can catch more flies with honey. For the very first time in hardened, coldblooded rapist and killer Carl Panzrams life, he knew friendship and compassion and a level of respect he'd never experienced before though the kindness of Mr. Lesser. You think maybe he could be reformed. But in the end when his time with the hangman gets nearer you see a leopard cannot change his stripes no matter what.

bought as xmas present for my partner, i got him the book a few years ago and they have both been a complete surprise.Could not be happier