Dissuading Islamist Terrorists. To the extent that any terrorist is persuaded to kill himself by promises of being met in Paradise by 72 virgins waiting to be ravished (in heaven!), we can counteract that appeal by making complete CASTRATION --— removal of testes and penis — before execution the punishment for attempted mass murder. How are you going to enjoy 72 virgins with no genitals, fool? Actually, of course, there is no Paradise, no God, no virgins — and why would these Islamist fools think they would have a body in heaven?
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Another penalty for terrorists should be cremation of the body — after appropriate organs and tissues have been harvested for decent people. Islam forbids cremation, so in mandating cremation for terrorists, governmental authorities would be making a very public pronouncement that terrorists are not entitled to the privileges or rites of Islam, but are treated as nonbelievers.
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Ultimately, the world needs to end all crazy superstition, and make people deal with the reality that there is no afterlife, and no future lives after this one, so we must all work together to make the world as good as it possibly can be, for everyone. There is no Heaven, no Paradise, but maybe we can approach heaven on Earth or Earthly Paradise, if we will just stop all the lunacy and do as every major ethical and religious leader has always told us to do: obey the Golden Rule. Whether the Golden Rule is expressed in the negative (do no harm to others, as you would have them do no harm to you) or positive (do to others as you would have them do to you) doesn't much matter.
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"Voters" vs. "The People". We are told that 'the people will be heard tomorrow'. No they won't. Only voters, who are typically much less than half the eligible population (not "registered voters", who are nothing like the eligible population), will be heard. In the United States, turnout of an unrepresentative minority defeats "the will of the people" every time.
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NEVER should a minority rule. Ever. But in the United States, a majority or even a mere plurality of a minority, sometimes as little as 20% of the eligible electorate overall, controls everything. That is not democracy. That is antidemocratic lunacy.
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We are ruled by people who do not represent "us" in the slitest. That must change.
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Unrepresentative voting is the problem; compulsory voting is the solution.
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The very least we can do is pass laws that require a "quorum of the people", a turnout of at least 3/4 of all eligible voters — not registered voters, but all adult citizens — before an election can be regarded as legitimate. No quorum? No legitimacy, so no one gets elected by the nonrepresentative minority that does vote. The election must be held again, and again, and again, until at least 3/4 of all people eligible to vote actually do vote and a majority of all voters agree on one candidate.
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If 3/4 of the people don't turn out, then at the end of their terms, all people not legitimately elected must vacate their seats, and whoever is left, who was voted in legitimately by a majority of a quorum of the people, controls the legislature. If a single position is at issue, like mayor, governor, or President, and 3/4 of the people do not turn out for the election, or a majority of that 3/4 turnout does not approve a candidate (as in a three-way race), the post remains VACANT until a legitimate election DOES occur, be it a runoff or a new election with new candidates. No mayor, no governor, no President, no representative in a state legislature nor Congress should be seated for any district in which the turnout is less than 3/4 of the people! (In the case of President of the United States, a law of succession would fill the office on at least an interim basis. At present, that law provides that the Speaker of the House of Representatives becomes President.) That would crack the whip over both the political parties and the electorate to get out the vote.
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3/4 of eligible voters is actually the very least we should require for an election to have effect. We could require 90%, or 95%. Some countries with compulsory voting have a 98% turnout — as well they should. As well WE should.
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 4,427 — for Israel.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 7:43 PM