This Week in Google Alerts: Home Fires

David Stockhoff · 11 Apr 2012, 20:19 · from 2012-April.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:19:53 -0400
Subject: (urth) This Week in Google Alerts: Home Fires
In-Reply-To: <SNT123-W19420CDFB64D439E6D115DCF350 at phx.gbl>
References: <SNT123-W19420CDFB64D439E6D115DCF350 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4F85E769.7010900 at verizon.net>

On 4/11/2012 3:58 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
>
>> David Stockhoff: I know there are anti-immigrant politicians across Europe,
>> we generally only hear about our own in the US. Here, Islamists boast of nothing.
>> They keep quiet.
>
> There is a sociological rule of thumb stating that minority populations don't start
> trying to exert political power until they approach 10%. Muslim population in the
> USA is well below that, while Latino and African-American are at that level.
>
> I think the desire for sharia law in Europe may be more a function of disadvantaged
> minority status than pure religious zealotry and belief.

Exactly.
>
>
>> I don't think that makes sense. What would any justice system be
>> without, say, a death penalty?
> Yoicks! There are 16 US states without the death penalty. Moreover 50% of all nations
> on earth have abolished it and only 22% actually use it significantly. You've got China
> and the US. Most of the rest are Muslim and/or African nations.
>
> The data seems pretty well established that execution does not serve as a deterrent to
> crime. But it does serve the populace in providing a sense of justice and vengeance. In
> some cultures, most of the USA included,  justice and vengeance are more important than
> crime prevention. 		 	   		

I did wonder if I should go back and add "As far as I can tell, a BETTER 
one." My point was that any legal system can happily lose its most 
regressive features and still retain its character.

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