From: "John Foster" <borealis-AT-mercuryspeed.com> Subject: Re: Proof that New France is Old Europe Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 09:48:11 -0800 Subject: Re: Proof that New France is Old Europe John Foster wrote: >>>>The point should be obvious. There are serious social issues in the US >>>>which are more important than the foreign policy issues which the US is >>>>insisting on from a military perspective. It should be obvious that >>>>there are more Americans, murdered on a per capita basis than are killed >>>>by terrorists (eg. Oklahoma bomber, Unabomber, et cetera). The real war >>>>on crime should begin in the US.... "By this reasoning, the current murder rate in America is more serious than the Nazi threat was, because there are more Americans murdered on a per capita basis than were ever killed by Nazis. Obviously, the reasoning must be flawed. And what is the flaw? It is the assumption that the seriousness of an issue is solely a function of the number of people who die per capita. Such a mathematization of social seriousness is at the heart of the mathematical scientific attitude that Heidegger was trying to overcome." Anthony Crifasi John here, So you are suggesting that I think this and agree with this 'inference'? Not likely. Root is rot whether it is my house damaging the walls or in your house. You are referring to the idea that 'calculative rationality' flawed as a 'form of judgement'. Well this may or may not be true, depending on a range of variables. The answer to this is situated in "The Question Concerning Technology" perhaps. But there is a flaw in the thinking about what Anthony has claimed. The Nazi SS are no longer killing people. It is the American people who are being killed, serially, every day, every hour by their own citizens. Instead of the US Federal government focussing on the exceptionally high rate of homicides (which on a per capita basis are 9 times greater than in the United Kingdom), they focus on issues which are more likely to be seen as 'popular' and 'consensus-based'. The US government cares very little about serious consequences which they themselves create for innocent kids in other countries when they use bombers to 'smoke out' terrorists. Because drug use is very illegal in the US, it would be devisive and politically difficult, if not impossible, to deal with this horrible problem. If there was a system like there is in Holland, or Denmark, where users of illegal drugs, addicts, were able to obtain clean needles, and safer drugs, and enter treatment programs, then then the problem in the US would decline. Afterall it is active drug use, pushers, and others who use drugs that get young people to start using drugs. Stiff drugs laws which do not solve the problem create the need to use guns, and other lethal weapons by drug users, addicts, so as to prevent being caught, and punished. The typical users needs to find a $100 bucks, so goes to a department store, buys a hand gun, then simply enters a 7-11 or some other store, attempts to steal a carton of cigarettes, often succeeds, but when the drug user gets caught -sometimes this happens - they may panic and pull of the hand gun and have a showdown. You see the approach which readers of Heidegger take? Anxiety as experienced by the addict is accentuated by the physiological and pyschological need for the high, the rush and the exstacy of the drug as well as the drug culture. Imprisoning the drug addict is like putting a person in handcuffs. It temporarily prevents the person from doing what is harmful to innocent people, but eventually, the handcuffs are removed, the prisoner is let out, and the stigma of being a criminal remains. Most of 'criminals' return to their social milieu without much money, or material assets. In "old Europe" therefore drug use is not exactly a 'crime' because of the 'serious consequences' which occur for society if the drug user is made a 'criminal'. Illegal drugs are often very expensive.....which makes addicts become criminals to maintain their habits... and that is one reason why in "America" the "new world" there is a very high homicide rate. There are other reasons why the homicide rate there is greatest. cheers john foster ____________________________________________________________ _____ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 --- from list heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- --- from list heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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