Guard Dog

CNN said today. Dunno. If this has been done here already sorry bout that. I never come to this board. Originally this was in OT but Meta banished it.

Shia and Sunni co-exist peacefully in most Gulf States at least. There are increased tensions between them now because each feels their co-religionists are under attack from the other in Iraq. The solution is not to stir up a bloody civil war in Iraq, but of course no-one saw that coming when the US invaded, except oops actually yes they did. Is this decision a reprieve? I can see how for tactical reasons you might not want to announce in advance your exit date, so perhaps the Democrats' proposal wasn't ideal, but the coalition needs to get out of Iraq and quickly. Of course no-one can be sure of what will happen afterwards - but then, no-one's sure what will happen next anyway. I wonder if the US' greatest fear in leaving Iraq isn't the loss of the sense of control, however illusory that sense is. What exactly is it that coalition troops are currently doing in Iraq that its cessation upon their withdrawal will lead to disaster? Once the coalition goes, however, my own view is that there won't be a massive bloodbath, because there are too many actors within and outside Iraq who have an interest in preventing it. What's more likely is endless rounds of negotiations and peace talks, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran and whoever else feels like it - the insurgents will feel flattered to be invited, they'll continue with low-grade violence just to keep themselves important but won't escalate. That's my prediction, for what it's worth. As a matter of interest, I read in the paper today that the US government is toying with the idea of changing tack in Iraq to treat it like a civil war - with the US trying to broker deals between the factions rather than simply siding with the Iraqi government. I'm glad they're coming to accept that it's a civil war, especially after they were so rude and dismissive about those of us who've been calling it a civil war for a while now. However, the coalition needs to understand that they are not, and cannot for a long time be, regarded as honest brokers in the Middle East. Their clout may still be such that their approval for deals needs to be sought, but honest brokers? Not this half-century. Correct me if I'm wrong Steve. My expertise in the ME is a little outdated and limited only to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (and then only to small remote parts) but in most gulf states the overwhelming majority of any population is one sect or the other. Iraq was unusual because the minority sect held all the power for so many years. Plus ,as I understand it, Sunnis and Shi'as self segregate as a rule and in their day to day lives seldom interact with each other. Of the Saudi officers I worked with in 91 few were very friendly but the ones I did talk to really were not that into religion (imo) so it never really came up.

In honor of the 30th Anniversary of the release of Star Wars, which movie was your favorite? 30 freaking years! I feel old. My vote goes to Empire. It was the darkest of all the filems and the only one that actually made Vader seem dangerous.

Wait, what? I think he's still around.

Not to go OT Meta, but did you know Islamophobia is actually a word in the english language now. Who would have thought.

Heh, I'm not an anarchist Enoch . Politically I believe local, federal, and state governments should operate only within the limits of their constitutions and charters. Which I believed should be read through a filter of strict constructionism. That is my idea of protecting individual liberties. If the government does only what it is allowed to, the rest takes care of itself. Is DP a bigger deterrent than Life without parole? Dunno. How would such a metric even be tracked? But life without parole is a rare sentence in the justice system. BTW what kind of law do you practice? If you ever told me I don't remember.

First of all, I disagree completely that anything I stated could be used as an arguemnt to execute people for fiscal corruption, or any other non violent crime. I put a pretty strong qualifier on my argument so what you wrote here is non sequitur. Also I did not say that no criminal could be redeemed. What I said was in the cases of super-violent offenders (child rapists, cold blooded murderers) rehabilitation was a fools errand. Based on recidivism rates for both I believe I am right. And believing one of these offenders to be rehabilitated and releasing them puts everyone near them at risk. In my opinion, you rape a child (I'm not talking about statutory rape here, you know better than that) then you have forfeited your right to live among the rest of society. If you had a young daughter and you learned a convicted and paroled child rapist has moved in next door would you be concerned? With a recidivism rate of almost 60% (according to CSOM ) you should be.

C'mon Enoch were are talking about child rapists (of the John Lee Couey type), and cold blooded murderes. In every state that has the DP it is only applied if the crime is heinious enough to warrant it. In my example, ordering a pizza then lying in wait to murder the deliver girl qualifies. A Stalinist approach would make no distinctions between animals like that and petty felons such as car thieves or con artists. Or even political dissidents if you take a literal historical example of Stalinist justice. I did qualify my argument by stating I'm talking about child rapists and cold blooded killers. That said I am also very much in favor of truth in sentencing laws. If a prisioner is sentenced to five years they will do five years.

To be fair, the tragedy of my story was not mine so much as her family and close friends. Objectively speaking in my opinion a child rapist or a murderer (as in a cold blooded or sociopathic killer, not a heat-of-the-moment type) senteced to death is not being punished. They are being disposed of. These people represent a fundamental threat to other innocent people and I do believe rehabilitation is a fools errand at best. At worst it is reckless and irresponsible to ever release these types. Excecution is no more than irradiating a cancer cell. Or stepping on a venomous spider. As to your first point the entire purpose of the justice system is to protect the citizens from criminals. Excecuting the worst and most dangerous types accomplishes it's purpose, not opposes it. As to your second point it is irreversable but it is also a prevention. If it does nothing else it prevents that one individual from harming anyone else. I'll agree with your third point it is against one of the core western values but it supports it in another light by protecting the lives of other people who may one day cross the path of one of these individuals. That includes prison guards and fellow inmates.

To be honest I have a very difficult time mustering any empathy for a rapist or murderer. And I'll admit I have a VERY hard time understanding those who can (including many people here). I just cannot get past the recidivism rate for rapists (particularly child rapists) and violent offenders. When I was in high school a former girlfriend of mine was murdered while delivering a pizza. She was shot in the back of the head without warning and her car and cash bag stolen. She was 17 years old. The animal who murdered her for $74.00 was released from state prison just two weeks earlier. He served 22 months of an 8 year sentence for armed robbery. He is now on death row. Can any one of you convince me that despicable S.O.B. does not deserve to die? No. If he had been kept in for the 8 years he was sentenced to she would have gone on to college and who knows where from there. I simply do not understand how any of you would feel any empathy for him. Or could possibly think he should spend the rest of his life in air conditioned comfort watching cable TV and eating meals I pay for with my tax dollars.

I'd love to work for a game development company. I'm not entirely sure what position to aim for, though. I suppose initially what I would have to bring to the table are some decent programming skills, handiness with Databases, good 2d arts skills, writing skills, and some voice acting (a more recent venture). Ideally I'll be able to come to a mutually beneficial understanding with a company that has a need I can happily fulfill! Slightly less ideal but more realistic, I'll start at the bottom of the chain somewhere and work my way up (and I assume, come closer to figuring out exactly which position I would excel at along the way). Game development? The line for that job starts over there. Waaaaayyyy over there. I think everyone on this board, myself excluded wants to have that job. Seriously though. If that is your goal I'd recommend involving yourself with one of the many high quality modding groups out there. The work is hard and the pay stinks but you will get your name and abilities known to developing studios. I can think of a dozen or so modders who landed jobs at Bethesda, Bioware and Obsidian. Some of whom post right here on this board.

Doh!

Excellent point. But it is extremely rare I think. It is far more common to have a repeat offense committed by a criminal who was shown leniency by the court. Generally speaking, excecuted men commit no more vrimes.

The goal of prison is detterence and reform. The death penalty is meant as deterrence. I'm making no comment on its effectiveness. I'll have to disagree there. The death penalty exists in the US because it's popular with a large part of the electorate. And it's popular with those people because they want revenge. Not so much revenge as we do not want dangerous criminals in our midst, nor do we wish to feed, clothe and house them their entire natural lives. Better to dispose of them. And yes, in reality it is a broken system and death row inmates spend years fighting appeals, and the expense of the fight in enormous. But if it were overhauled and streamlined it can be a very effective deterrent. Florida's 10-20-Life law has demonstrated that merciless sentences for violent crimes ARE an effective deterrent.

Nope For what he DID do. And to protect the next little girl he decides to help "become a lady".

No, but he will not rape anyone else will he?

How about this then. Life in prision with no parole possible. But don't tell the prisoner that. Instead, tell him every day he will be released "tomorrow".

I think this is completely appropriate given the brutality of the offense and the recidivism rate for child predators. Opinions? For those so vocally opposed to the death penalty for any offense ask yourself this question. If that was your daughter would you feel the same way?

I happened to be in Saudi Arabia in 1991 while in the military. One of the Saudi air traffic controllers (British educated as it happens) once told me that if a Sunni and Shi'a were to meet on a road and Allah told each that the other was the last of his kind, they would fight to the death. How does one begin to make peace between them? I'm pretty sure you could have told that same story a few hundred years ago with a protestant and a catholic. The first step is identifying with the problem and realizing that Christianity is really not all that different. If we look back at the past, we might be able to find some keys to unlocking a more peaceful future. The difference is, no third party convinced the Protestants and Catholics to forget their enmity.

Any "best PC games" list that has Grand Theft Auto but omits Planescape: Torment from it's top 20 is a steaming pile of sh... stuff.

I happened to be in Saudi Arabia in 1991 while in the military. One of the Saudi air traffic controllers (British educated as it happens) once told me that if a Sunni and Shi'a were to meet on a road and Allah told each that the other was the last of his kind, they would fight to the death. How does one begin to make peace between them?

I have Water for Elephants on my list of books to get, after reading a friend's review of it. Sounds interesting, and the cover intrigues me. I have the yummy slipcased edition of Children of Hurin waiting on my reading pile. I did have a flick through when it arrived, so I could check out Alan Lee's illustrations...awesomeness. Gruen did an excellent job researching her subject (depression era traveling circuses) and she really captures the "feel" of it. But the story gets away from her a little bit. The plot develops quickly then slips into limbo in the middle. It finishes nicely though. The only one of her characters she could have done a better job with was August (the main antagonist). She should have read The Sea Wolf or Heart of Darkness before writing his parts. Wolf Larsen is one of the best "villains" an any book IMHOP.

Just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Overall I'd give it 4 stars. Good story but it drags a little. Children of Hurin is next.

Heh, then nothing would EVER get done! Wait a min... that would be a GOOD thing!

I had a chance to buy AT&T Wireless stock at $3.16 per share. I passed. Eight months later they were bought out for $16.00 per share. AARRGGHHH.