tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post1377107444623682291..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: You Can't Have It Both WaysAndrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-10619357483414036002015-02-03T12:02:20.086-08:002015-02-03T12:02:20.086-08:00Lee: You know, I think we need to simplify moralit...Lee: You know, I think we need to simplify morality teaching down to "treat others like yourself."<br /><br />As far as terrorism in North Korea, I think it's probably difficult to be a terrorist when you're living in the 19th century.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-58630369314833816012015-02-03T11:48:52.389-08:002015-02-03T11:48:52.389-08:00Alex H: Well, sure, I agree. But, see, that's ...Alex H: Well, sure, I agree. But, see, that's okay, because so much of the stuff required for an active terrorist plot is illegal. Explosives and assault weapons? Yeah, go in and take that stuff away and arrest people. They've already broken the law.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-71578806296148494972015-02-03T11:47:09.616-08:002015-02-03T11:47:09.616-08:00Eva: Honestly, what I really think is that we need...Eva: Honestly, what I really think is that we need the UN (or some "parent" organization) to step up and enforce real timeouts on people and countries. "You go to your room, now, and think about what you have done! Don't come out until you're ready to apologize!"Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-75506803221874649942015-02-03T10:35:01.266-08:002015-02-03T10:35:01.266-08:00It's a difficult issue where many people have ...It's a difficult issue where many people have interesting answers that can work sometimes and other people have potentially chilling solutions that might even work in certain cases, but it's question whether we would want to go there. Wonder what the crime/terrorism rate is like in North Korea?<br /><br />No solution is going to be the absolute answer or acceptable to everyone. Though one area in which I think the western world is deficient is the general cognizance of morality. There is an ambiguity concerning right and wrong with many people and often no one's teaching the lessons about this except for the entertainment mediums. This may not be the best idea under the current ideological thinking of the entertainment industry.<br /><br />Arlee Bird<br />A to Z Challenge Co-host<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a>Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-89908230375792604862015-02-03T03:47:26.659-08:002015-02-03T03:47:26.659-08:00I agree, with the caveat that if there is evidence...I agree, with the caveat that if there is evidence of the plot, and I mean hard evidence (emails, video, sworn statements, etc), then a pre-emptive bust (not strike) is warranted. It would be irresponsible not to do so (though the charges for the crime are obviously less severe if the crime didn't happen.) <br /><br />People in the United States are arrested, at times, for attempting, or conspiring, to commit a crime. <br /><br />But yes, to go full force on an 'enemy' out of fear is to strip justice, and liberty, right out of the equation.Alex Hursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05556334141936498897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-13710766920300509392015-02-02T20:15:09.465-08:002015-02-02T20:15:09.465-08:00I totally agree. People do make horrible choices a...I totally agree. People do make horrible choices and do, do horrible things. Individuals and religions and governments all have, from time to time, committed atrocities. It's a terrible thing and I don't know for sure if there is even a way to stop it...these recent attacks are so random...or they seem to be....and all the video taped beheadings?! WTF is wrong with people? The people doing that don't even seem to be human...I mean, I think most people would have a natural revulsion to cutting off another person's head...unless of course that revulsion was over ridden by religious doctrine.<br /> We had a shooting here at Parliment that was totally connected to militant Islamic ideas.<br />I feel totally safe where I live, I mean, nothing happens here as far as that goes. I guess something could happen, but I'm not gonna worry about it too much...you can't go through your life being afraid that the boogey man will jump out and shoot you. as for America being a violent country, I know that's the way we see it up here. Most of us are appalled at the gun violence that seems to go on as a matter of course down there...I think that if the boogey man does have me in his sights at some point, he's more likely to be some garden variety deranged psychotic than an ISIS militant....which would suck for me either way I guess...I find this topic so frustrating. I really wish that people were decent to each other all the time. <br />I'm looking forward to the next post.E. M. Prokophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12395951217528199963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-38705355570210257462015-02-02T17:29:14.144-08:002015-02-02T17:29:14.144-08:00Briane: Well, I agree with you.
Especially, I agre...Briane: Well, I agree with you.<br />Especially, I agree with you about how our country started. If that was happening today, the colonists would be considered terrorists.<br /><br />Where I think it gets even more messed up (and I probably have a future post about this) is where we allow governments to torture and massacre their citizens, commit genocide, and we just allow that stuff, but we will assassinate suspected terrorists (suspected because there has been no trial or anything).<br /><br />At any rate, part of freedom is allowing the possibility of someone making a "wrong" choice. Without that option being there, there is no freedom.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-88827860065588514462015-02-02T17:07:35.495-08:002015-02-02T17:07:35.495-08:00Rebekah: >bows<
Thank you.Rebekah: >bows<<br />Thank you.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-56479018402398271962015-02-02T17:07:16.597-08:002015-02-02T17:07:16.597-08:00ABftS: And I just saw that some other kid got in t...ABftS: And I just saw that some other kid got in trouble for bringing a "One Ring" to school. The word "terrorist" has been used. I'm not even going to read the article because it's just so overboard.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-76174332805201899232015-02-02T17:02:18.729-08:002015-02-02T17:02:18.729-08:00TAS: Very true. I think Franklin said something si...TAS: Very true. I think Franklin said something similar.<br /><br />(I'll drop by and check it out!)Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-48967861655126159902015-02-02T17:01:40.317-08:002015-02-02T17:01:40.317-08:00Alex: Or take them away completely.Alex: Or take them away completely.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-89760165638855268682015-02-02T17:01:36.212-08:002015-02-02T17:01:36.212-08:00The question you're really asking is: is someo...The question you're really asking is: is someone evil, or are their actions evil? A person might plan all day long to bomb a public building or assassinate a public official, but if all he or she ever does is think about it, that person is not worthy of punishment. Even if they fully intend to actually do that, some day, we as a society don't (and shouldn't) punish them until they take irrevocable steps towards committing that crime.<br /><br />My first year in law school I spent a lot of time thinking about the act of attempting a crime; there's a whole art to what constitutes an attempt to commit a crime. For example, if you say "I ought to shoot [official]" and you go buy a gun the next day, that's probably not enough. Each step you take: buying tickets to a public appearance, loading the gun, etc., is a further step along to where the law will charge you with the crime of attempted assassination, but even then, who is to say that you would have pulled the trigger, if you were there in the room with the person and had your gun? Should nobody try to stop you until you pull the gun out? If someone does stop you, by say talking you out of it, are you still guilty?<br /><br />This is why we have inchoate crimes like "conspiracy" and "making threats" and the like. Unable to draw the line between evil thoughts and evil deeds, we criminalize the thoughts themselves. <br /><br />The question becomes even harder with terrorism and other political crimes. What we characterize as terrorism often is conceived as some sort of quasi-militaristic blow on behalf of a nongovernmental organization Violence, of course, is never the answer to a political crisis, or so we say -- a country that began in violence and cemented itself as a united country through violence, and then became a superpower through violence, as well. <br /><br />Not that I'm condoning terrorism -- one has to say that, or concern for antiterrorism efforts and freedom becomes twisted into 'he loves ISIS!" -- but I'm more on your side: siding with freedom, and not allowing our president to shoot wedding parties with unmanned drones because we think those countries might be the kind of countries where terrorist cells can breed.<br /><br />I often say: Imagine if other countries treated us the way we treat them. What if the OPEC nations got together and began sending drones over the midwest, shooting missiles into compounds in Idaho where Posse Comitatus-types form anti-government right-wing militias? We might not be so cavalier after a couple of those.<br /><br />And people fear terrorist attacks, and violent deaths, in general, far more than they should. That goes without saying, too. But it's far more dramatic to think that I might go out by being letter-bombed by ISIS than that I'm going to drop dead of that extra slice of pizza I just had. And I can't blame Obama for the pizza!Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-11037517695636602462015-02-02T12:49:45.537-08:002015-02-02T12:49:45.537-08:00*stands and applauds**stands and applauds*Rebekah Loperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09910220361720811916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-28167434601218581922015-02-02T08:38:31.904-08:002015-02-02T08:38:31.904-08:00Andrew, I've nominated you for an award over a...Andrew, I've nominated you for an award over at my blog.The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10739833215220853127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-69728200155650213572015-02-02T07:34:59.642-08:002015-02-02T07:34:59.642-08:00It's true. It's a nice thought that we cou...It's true. It's a nice thought that we could stop these things before they happen, but sometimes we just can't. The warning signs aren't always there. And the extreme it's gotten to already is ridiculous. Like suspending a kid for <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/examiner-recommends-school-board-uphold-pop-tart-suspension/" rel="nofollow">biting his pop tart into a gun-like shape.</a> Newsflash: you did not just prevent a major school shooting by doing this. All you did was make your school look like a joke to the rest of the world.A Beer for the Showerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029139745335325356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-40068937855853405022015-02-02T05:48:52.082-08:002015-02-02T05:48:52.082-08:00If we can't have liberty in our most challengi...If we can't have liberty in our most challenging times, we have no liberty.The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10739833215220853127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-23236220530973076362015-02-02T03:49:59.184-08:002015-02-02T03:49:59.184-08:00Good point. You can't have both. You want to b...Good point. You can't have both. You want to be super secure? Prepare for it to infringe on your freedoms and rights.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com