|
PeonForHer -> RE: Does it bother anyone else the Boston terrorist is 19? (4/30/2013 6:05:11 PM)
|
quote:
That's the sort of attitude the quote I mentioned earlier was about. Nietzsche, who isn't exactly a bleeding heart sort of fellow, feels that people who consider punishment the trunk of the tree of public management are of poor stock, which I've tried to be more polite and nuanced about. Believe it or not, I'm both less verbose and more explicatorial than him.
Rational public management is evidence based. The evidence is clear that a punishment centric approach is suboptimal, and the evidence is getting fairly solid that punishment is also not a very cost effective deterrent. The role of a State in regard to law is precisely rational public management (which, incidentally, is why I consider it important for principled aspects- how the State relates to a Citizen and vice versa- to be codified in a manner that strongly restricts the solution domain the State may employ), and this excludes indulging the masses in their own worst impulses (they can do so on their own; it's just not the job of the State).
Why do we try to understand, if not to change? And where does change begin, if not in ourselves?
«When might turns to Grace and reveals itself, such revelation I call beauty. And from none do I more desire righteous beauty than from you, the masters. Let your goodness be your final discipline. All malice do I ascribe to you, therefore I want good from you. Truly, I've often laughed at those that think themselves good, merely because they have no claws.» [my translation, from the German]
I'm not laughing, even if the pawing doesn't leave any marks.
I begin to wonder what the point is, Aswad, seriously. There's always going to be a contingent here that'll carry on intimating, as heavily as it takes to shut up their opponents, that anyone whose 'analysis' isn't based solidly on a "catch 'em, punish 'em, job done and that'll teach 'em" theme is just a liberal, USA-hating pansy.
The Islamist terror issue facing the USA now is far worse than anything the UK had to face with the Irish paramilitaries - we're not just talking of different islands, though with a majorly-shared history, culture, religion and language; we're talking of enemies that might as well come from different planets entirely. And the hatred involved makes the IRA's antipathy towards their Brit oppressors look almost finger-wagging-tut-tut by comparison.
Well, no doubt this is yet more evidence of my supposed view that Americans are a bunch of stupid yee-hah cowboys. But fuck it. The truth is that I would just suggest that the USA not follow the same route with their current terrorist threat as the UK did for decades on end with the Irish Republicans. It was miserable for all of us. I would not recommend it.
|
|
|
|
