Varieties of Nothing (Thomas Sowell)

Jewish World Review ^ | June 9, 2009 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

Doing nothing might seem to be simple and easy. But there are many varieties of nothing, and some kinds of nothing can get very elaborate and complex.

In courts of law, for example, "concurrent sentences" mean that nothing is being done to punish a convicted criminal for some of his crimes, since the time he is serving for one crime is being served concurrently with the time served for other crimes.

A study in Britain found that, among criminals caught, convicted and sentenced, only 7 percent of these sentences involved being put behind bars. Most of what is done in the other 93 percent of the cases amounts to virtually nothing.

People convicted of burglary in Britain are seldom jailed. For this and many other crimes, they will get a stern talking to. And, if they do it again, they will get an even sterner talking to. The idea is that burglary is "only" a property crime and the left intelligentsia in Britain show their disdain for property rights by not taking property crimes very seriously. The net result is that burglary is far more common in Britain than in the United States.

Moreover, burglars in Britain seldom bother to "case" the place as most American burglars do before breaking in. Even if someone is home, that is far less of a danger in Britain where severe gun control laws greatly reduce the dangers to burglars. A British homeowner who held two burglars at gunpoint until the police arrived was arrested — even though the gun he used turned out to be just a realistic-looking toy gun. The British intelligentsia take guns much more seriously than they take burglary, even when it is only a toy gun that is used to "intimidate" a burglar, as they put it.

[jazusamo]

*PING*
Thomas Sowell

Recent columns
“Out of Context“: Part III
“Out of Context“: Part II
“Out of Context“

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Thomas Sowell ping list…

[Fester Chugabrew]

May we forever be preserved from “the left intelligentsia in Britain.”

[Gene Eric]

>> A British homeowner who held two burglars at gunpoint until the police arrived was arrested

Too bad the homeowner didn’t squirt the perps.

[rockinqsranch]

Thanks for the ping jaz.

Dr. Sowell is always a great read. This article is no exception, and is exceptional.

[nuconvert]

Great ending. Thanks

[jazusamo]

Yes it is, I’ll bet there are some who’ll not get to it. :)

[Yosemitest]

Check this (The “Shadow Party”) out,
if you want more information on our enemies.

I think you'll find it ... well worth your time.

[Bahbah]

However, thanks to the United Nations, there is a place where political leaders can go to do nothing, with a flurry of highly visible activity — and the media will cover it in detail, with a straight face, so that people will think that something is actually being done.

How perfectly he portrays and exposes the nonsense.

[RoadTest]

Tom, you pegged it again! You see things as nobody else sees them and we love you for it!!!!!

Doing nothing, in an elaborate and political way, with important-sounding headlines, is such a smokescreen for a host of evils! And it’s going on all over the place all the time!

[RoadTest]

We can” learn from other countries” WHAT NOT TO DO!

[wjcsux]

Thomas Sowell hits another one out of the park!