St. Valentine Not So Saintly

As we all know,today is a very exciting time of year. A day we all know and love. Yes, that's right: Valentines Day. Every year on February 14th, a day is set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the love we have for everyone in our lives, emphasizing romantic lust and romantic lovers. I had never really known how Valentines Day was "created", so like any curious American citizen, I googled it. I discovered on History.com that St. Valentine was a priest in the 3rd century in Rome. The Emperor (Claudius II) made the decision to ban marriage for young men because he believed single men made better soldiers. This outlaw of marriage outraged St. Valentine, and in response he rebelled by secretly marrying people. When this act of rebellion was discovered, Valentine was immediately put to death. Despite this gruesome end, he is still remembered as a man who kept love alive and is praised for it annually I found this new information very interesting, especially after our discussion in class about the drastic increase in prisoners in America. There are currently over 2 million prisoners in America at this moment in time. In 1970, there were approximately 300,000. This overwhelming change makes us question our laws and if over 2 million people deserve to be locked in jail, even if it's the most minor infraction of the law. On one hand, America idolizes the justice system it has and the honest way our country enforce the laws it creates. On the other hand, is there a point that we are taking these small steps out of line too seriously? Was it just to put Valentine to death when he was doing something so harmless? Preserving love--one of the most noble things to fight for?How can a governing system decide who commits a "minor" crime versus those who need to be punished for their actions?