Re: You know it's getting late when... (fwd)

[Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com>]

Hi all,

Forwarded message:

> Subject: Re: You know it's getting late when...
> Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 18:36:38 -0500 (CDT)
> From: ichudov@algebra.com (Igor Chudov @ home)
> > 
> > Ostensibly, one of the reasons for having a free and fair political system 
> > is so people will not be inclined to throw bombs and plot violent 
> > revolution.  Grandly ignoring this, that reporter seems to take the 
> > diametrically opposite tack:  A totalitarian government can best avoid 
> > bombings and violence.
> > 
> Actually the graph goes like this: 
> 
> ^ Non-State Terrorism
> |
> |            ..-..
> |          /~     \
> |       .-~        \
> |..---/~            ~-.
> +------------------------------------------------> Level of Totalitarianism
> 
> ^ State Terrorism
> |
> |          -------------------------------------
> |       .-~
> |    .-~
> | .-~
> |/
> +------------------------------------------------> Level of Totalitarianism
> 

So we should take your personal opinion as fact? What statistics do you base
this on? What are the vertical scales, number killed? What is the horizontal
scale measured in, number wanted to kill?

I suspect it simply is not possible to measure such a phenomena as terrorism
as anything other than a simple counting game. The problem becomes quite
quickly, what qualifies as terrorism?

Consider (to some) a trivial example. There are 20 million cats and dogs
killed each year because somebody was irresponsible. The vast majority of
these are or were pets (not feral or wild animals as some would claim) which
persons simply didn't want anymore. Now there is somewhere around 250
million people in the US. This means that 1 out of 10 (roughly) are costing
the rest of us about $50 ea. to take care of their pet 'problem'.

I see no difference in having my money taken via taxes (where most of it
comes from) for this than having somebody come and take $50 for whatever
reason by kicking my front door in. Why am I being forced to pay this money
to pay for somebody elses lack of discipline and simple human empathy?

                                               Jim Choate