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Work for "dastardly crimes against music", lol. There are probably quite a few American singers who could be added to the list as well.I think the medievals punished severely because it was harder to catch criminals. Think about it back then - no CSI, no criminal databases, no fingerprinting. Nowadays it's much easier to catch criminals and we're more lenient.
I dont necessarily think it was harder to catch criminals then. Most people are still busted because they open their mouths to the wrong person. the number of cases solved exclusively by technology is staggeringly low. What modern technology does is confirm the correctness of traditional police work. I just think that the nedieval mind was devious in ways we dont even think of. I wish I could find a picture of the mask they made gossips wear. It was hilarious and scary at the same time. They also have examples os chastity belts, stains and all.
wasn't it Heinlein who wrote in “Stranger in a Strange Land” that “an armed society, is a safe society”. I can think of few truer words.
That makes me think of the book about how the Scots invented the Modern World. I do not deny Eastern influence, I just contend that any Eastern influences were minor compared to Greece and Rome. That is always excepting the Judeao-Christian influence, which was and still is decisive in the formation of western culture and civilization.
The Sam Houston statue is next to the Battleship. It is actually a monument to all the Freemasons that particpated in the Texas revolution and the settling of the state. It looks kind of like Nelson's column, the refineries in the background kind of take away from its impact though.
Don't forget about British Commonwealthman Legal Tradition which married itself to Roman Legal Tradition. Scholars like Bernard Bailyn, Pocock, and Edmund S. Morgan among others...would remind us that the British legal tradition diverged away from Continental Europe on many fronts.
That speaks to my point that we owe the Romans and Greeks far more than any of the Near Eastern cultures.
While we're suggesting this new Book Review Room, I might also suggest we couple it with historiography as well. Since we have serious students of History on the forum now, it is very important to know the various schools of thought and what scholars are associated with them. I am utterly fascinated by the history of historians and their historical methods. It's also a good way to ask your professors what school they subscribe to and if you should take their courses. 🙂
Good point, I hadn't thought of that. Of course, Everything is up to the Emperor in the end and I defer to his judgement.
I dont know if you have read the paper I sent you. But the style I write in my best shot at writing in the style that I love to read the most. I guess it is the English blood in me that makes like British writers. I get Benny Hill and Monty Python too.
I will give you that he puts his money where his mouth is. I just have an innate distrust of any celebrity that spouts off about whatever their pet causes are. He is like many celebrities who seem to think that the industrialized world can solve all the world's problems with a simple wave of the hand. How I wish the real world were that easy. My opinion of him and his ilk still stands.
On further reflection, one thing Americans do have that Europeans do not have is pride in our country. That is why they giggle. Europeans equate patriotism and nationalism, they simply cannot fathom the difference between the two. They think nationalism is evil and since patriotism and nationalism are the same this feeds their world view that the US is trying to achieve the hegemony that Hitler could not. Just my opinion.I still think Bono is an idiot though. 😉
I have been to Fort Donelson and Shiloh. What caused Donelson to fall was not poor construction but a lack of will on the part of the defenders to actually defend it. At Shiloh, he wasn't losing control of his army, he had already lost control when he was killed. His death just capped the defeat and made it a virtual rout. Had he lived it is probable that he could have restored a semblance of control to his army but he could not have won the battle. He had done a good job of losing it by his overly complicated plan. Shiloh simply highlighted Grant's superior generalship.
I know all about that. And wholeheartedly support such activities in that case, the name and title are worthless as to the quality of the book. Pictures of the cover aren't much better. ;D
I think appeasement is simply negotiation through or because of fear or cowardice. True negotiations come from a position of strength and a willingness to back up negotiations with strength. In a sense, Clausewitz is entirely correct that
War is a continuation of politics by other means
, but he also says that war is a last resort. Appeasement comes when politicians will not stand on their principles. The root of appeasement is always either fear or cowardice.
Bono is an idiot, and these kind of pronouncements by him just prove it. ;D I guess because he is a famous rock star, I am supposed to give more weight to his political opinion? ;D Pleas, I would listen to my barber first, who is at least grounded in reality.
Ski,I will answer you point by point.
I believe every human has a desire to be free, but I don't believe every human has been given that opportunity and many don't even know what freedom is.
You believe this, but do not know it. There are many examples where freedom is not all it is cracked up to be. In fact, throughout history freedom is the exception rather than the rule. Recent examples of freedom being worse than what was before include, The Balkans, Russia, Iraq, many of the former Soviet Republics, Haiti, and many former African Colonies, you could even make the argument that South Africa is much worse off today than prior to the end of apartheid. You enjoy freedom, but only by an accident of birth. Many people in the world crave stability more than freedom, freedom means uncertainty, and possibly hunger, injury, or even death. It is arrogant to assume that because we enjoy our freedom, everyone wants to be free. Many people do desire freedom, it is good however to remember to old Chinese curse, ?be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?.
but according to world law
I will keep pounding on this one. What is world law? As the victors in World War II, we had the right to treat the enemy leaders however we wanted, that is an established historical principal. Where the Allies erred in my opinion, was dressing it up in a legal robe. We had the right to summarily shoot all the Nazi leaders and history says we were right. Nuremberg set a dangerous precedent. Germany could have, and should have been treated the same way as a town traditionally was when it resisted a siege. There was no need to create laws out of whole cloth.It is much like the concept of hate crimes, isn?t their already a law for assault, rape, and murder? Why create a different category of crime for basically the same offense? In the same manner, crimes against humanity will come back to haunt those who created the laws. They will and have been used against us. Check this out: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/28/9263/, that is where that kind of thinking leads. There has also been talk of charging GI?s at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.My main point is that heinous acts by governments or individuals should be handled on a case by case basis; they are all different and defy classification. The current international law is so vague that almost anything is liable to be charged as a war crime, even legitimate combat operations. The US has no business deferring to international law in criminal matter anyway, we have laws at home for that.
I'm not saying give up our sovereignty to the UN, but there are international laws that, of all countries, WE should follow. With our power, there's no excuse not to. Plus, I am one who places a lot of value on world opinion. Others don't have to like us, but they should respect us, and because of our power and status, we should set the example for everyone.
All I can say to this is that enlightened self interest leads us to follow international law. Our power gives us the ability not to. The US is not a rogue nation despite the voices on the left. You are almost correct, our power and status demand respect, but there are some politicians in America who are embarrassed at our power. Deferring to the UN can serve a purpose but American interests should always be paramount. Why should we care about world opinion except to the extent that we benefit? This one I do not understand either.In the end, everything America does should ultimately serve American interests. This can be interpreted as broadly or as narrowly as you want. Nevertheless, anything that hurts America or damages our legitimate interests is by its very nature antithetical to the government?s role in society.
