The Smallest Minority

This is the result of a society unable to differentiate between "violent and predatory" and "violent but protective."

To my mind (not to detract from your correct point), this is the result of wanting certain results, and ignoring how the policies, laws, judgments are working the exact opposite.

Wanting won't get you there. Abdicating your responsibility and expecting "society" to pick it up won't work either.

But some are unable to conceive of the OODA loop or its analogies. As we've seen here recently.

I'm usually pretty good at working through someone else's thought processes. But I'm drawing a blank on what kind of lunacy would impel someone to go out of his way to reduce the life sentence of a pair of thugs who beat a frigging halfwit to death with 2x4's!

I know, intellectually, how this could happen. But don't the people involved have a shred of simple human primeval instinct left? The vague, incohate force within the psyche that generally points you away from willful self-destruction?

I'm at a loss.

" But I'm drawing a blank on what kind of lunacy would impel someone to go out of his way to reduce the life sentence of a pair of thugs who beat a frigging halfwit to death with 2x4's!"

And I cannot fathom the utter pussification of the neighbors who knew that this poor fellow was being terrorized by these two and did nothing.

If it was a fucking dog being beaten, they'd have surely spoken up.

Y'know...if that's the kind of apathetic shit-heels that are infesting Merseyside, then fuck them...they deserve all the vipers that they can embrace.

Let 'em bleed.

Mastiff:

But don't the people involved have a shred of simple human primeval instinct left?

They won't (they're positive!) be the ones dealing with these .. "misguided .. 'yutes'".

It's the same break in logic where gay-promoting groups support Islamic fundamentalists, while denouncing Bush (or other US politician) for "hating gays" or "anti-gay". (After all, those gay-haters would "never let them come really threaten me".)

Or the exact same logic we see every day with antigunners who amazingly think that the laws don't apply to them, they're special, or in a special case! But, but, but, I won't face angry thugs who can outmuscle me!

"I cannot fathom the utter pussification of the neighbors who knew that this poor fellow was being terrorized by these two and did nothing."

Oddly enough, I can understand it, though I can't agree with it. If they did something about it (other than calling the police in vain) they would have found themselves facing even longer jail sentences than the thugs. The police simply cannot allow anyone to be cheeky enough to usurp their "rightful" role.

Ed:

"If they did something about it (other than calling the police in vain) they would have found themselves facing even longer jail sentences than the thugs"

Y'know, you're prolly right.

It irks me though...no Scouser I've ever met shrank from a dust-up, and providing a right Royal thrashing on two punks who would beat a 'tard for fun...

Heck, that would be a "Freebie".

At least on a jury that I was empanelled on.

And by reputation, the Liverpool Bobbies wouldn't trouble themselves overmuch, as long as the teeth were returned to their rightful owners in a reasonable time period.