[Uncledave]

Simply brilliant

[Billthedrill]

One consequence of the liberal intelligentsia’s long march through the institutions is the acceptance of the category of Thoughtcrime.

That pathetic apologia from the UCSD student regarding speech codes yesterday came to mind reading this. It is simply difficult to credit that normal, intelligent people are capable of repeating such palpable nonsense so solemnly and expect other people to accede to the mutual illusion. We aren't immune from this by any means.

[Malesherbes]

Yes, brilliant indeed, and Theodore Dalrymple has written an equally perceptive analysis about the situation that surrounds him in France. Sadly, virtually the same incidents he describes in Britain can and do happen in the USA in certain jurisdictions. The lesson in Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" is to separate yourself from such jurisdictions.

[Mr. Rational]

Thanks. Writing this the week of the Duke Lax fantasy just hits the nail on the head.

[Snickersnee]

Mene, mene, tekel upharsin

[Campion]

It is more concerned that young men should not smoke cigarettes in prison or make silly jokes to policemen than that they should not attack and permanently maim their elders and betters.

And more concerned with taking firearms away from law-abiding citizens than with keeping criminals armed with rocks, sticks, and fists from brutalizing those law-abiding citizens.

But the root of this is that Britain has a socialist mindset -- Labour advances socialism and the Tories preserve it until Labour takes power again -- and socialism is fundamentally criminal at its root, being based on the confiscation (pronounced, "theft") of lawfully-earned property for the benefit of the idle. Hence a socialist state is almost guaranteed to take the side of criminals against the side of the law-abiding and productive. The socialists know who their friends are.

[ccmay]

“You were looking for trouble and prepared to use any excuse to visit violence on anyone you came by. It is the callousness of this that is so chilling. . . . You do not seem to care that others have been blighted by your gratuitous violence.”

Pretty fancy words the judge was using, showing off his public-school education no doubt. For all the uneducated yobbo understood of his lecture, he might as well have been speaking in Welsh.

This kind of thug only understands the language of hot lead and hard wood. Bringing back the rope is not sufficient; it's time to start hanging them in chains at crossroads, for the ravens to peck out their eyes.

-ccm

[LibertarianInExile]

This is a phenomenal quote:

"...one does not feel the defects of a foreign country in quite the same lacerating way as the defects of one’s native land; they are more an object of amused, detached interest than of personal despair."

[familyop]

"Simply brilliant"

...except that the author avoided writing about the main cause of the problem, even in such a wordy piece. He did manage to misrepresent his case by mentioning the family ties of only one young man, though.

[traviskicks]

thanks for posting that. the man is a great writer.

[tonycavanagh]

This is a problem everywhere not just in Britain.

And the sad fact is we have always had this sort of violence even when I was growing up in avery tough part of the East End.

As a young lad in the early 70s I would not go into bars where I was not known.

The what you looking at has always been used to start a punch up, with also popular you looking at my bird, and you just made me spill my pint

And it was the same in my Dads day as well.

There are parts of Britain that have always been very violent, going right back through time.

That said we need to sort out a better sentencing structure.

The problem is we tend to use jail to much, which means we end up with overcrowded jails, and so have to limit the time spent.

We need to sort out a proper sentencing strategy and maybe look at what constitutes a crime as well.

I know one crime that I would legalise as it uses up more than its fair share of police, court and prison resources.

Also I sometimes work with youngsters and on the whole they are law abiding.

Its just the bad ones, the mindless thugs and criminals who get publicity.

[MadIvan]

He misses a point. If these incidents were considered "normal", and not out of order, they would not have been in the newspapers which he read.

Plenty of normal life goes on in England. I live on the South Coast, and while we have our share of young and stupid teenagers, this is a good place to be and to live.

Every country has its problems, but there are virtues too. What is certain is that every time the world has written Britain off, that judgement has been proven incorrect.

Regards, Ivan

[Shery]

Good read! Makes you wonder about the ones who claim that we are becoming better and better all the time...why in no time, we will all be gods!

[hershey]

Simply wonderful. Every word a gem.

[Antoninus]

Coming to a country near you.

Remember, the neo-comms want the US to be "more like Europe."

[Jhensy]

You can blame a lot of the problems in England (and elsewhere across the pond) on hip-hop culture. I was deeply depressed last time in London over how much it has filtered into their youth society.

Gangsta machoism, glorification of stupidity, foul-mouthed nihilism, abuse and degradation of women... all the lovely baggage that comes along with it. A cancer, plain and simple.

[alarm rider]

I agree that this is a fine article, brilliant in it's point and writing.

What I did not see was any reference to morals and where morals come from. Brace yourselves....God.

How do expect anyone to know squat about principal, morality, civilized conduct or anything resembling those qualities when there is a focus on humanism? From their parents? How were they raised?

It would appear that most of Britain turned their backs on religion, and that the Church of England, once a rock, has dissolved into a pile of PC silliness.

It's sad, I have been to England many times, though not lately. And on an even more sad note, we are seeing the same thing here, and it will get worse. The problem is moral bankruptcy. It will not be solved by courts, or police or politicians.

[traviskicks]

A good article on twisted government values and incentives.





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