The devil made "we" do it

Jason Lim is a columnist for the Korea Times who writes thoughtful commentaries. After going through the trauma of trying to understand Eun-jung Chung’s rambling commentary yesterday, Lim's was a delight.

My only complaints about his column in yesterday's Korea Times on terrorism.

1) According to my Microsoft Word counter, he used the word “we” 53 times. I’m not saying that using “we” is wrong. Slow down and use your brain. His constant use of the word was to explain how people think...I feel like I have been drafted as an advocate of his argument.

2) This paragraph stands out among the others:

“Then we create a narrative that explains why this person (or group of persons) did what he or she did. And when we collectively believe in this narrative that we created, it becomes the truth of what happened. And that truth, often not supported by facts, will drive our decisions and actions.”

3) I don't agree with his analysis so I can't join him for the ride. I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't care why the terrorists did what they did. It is a legitimate issue for law enforcement because they want to figure out who else may be involved. But for all of the Perry Masons and Judge Judys watching at home, I'm not sure why it is relevant.

Criminals seem to have different explanations, with my favorite still being Flip Wilson’s “The Devil Made Me Do It.” If law enforcement has enough evidence to prove the accused did the crime, that’s enough for me. Lock ‘em away or execute them—they can figure out their own root causes while they are behind bars. They can explain the “why” to their mothers or sweethearts.

4) I'm going against the tide, I know. The idea that psychopathic and crazy people do psychopathic and crazy things for a reason other than that they are psychopathic and crazy requires a rational explanation. I will guess those are the people Lim is speaking on behalf of.

In president Obama's first statement about the bombing. he said: "We'll find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this." Okay, so the "we" here is law enforcement, and they have a specific mission. For journalists: "Why did they do it? Stay tuned to find out, that and more."

Haven't these particular psychopaths already had enough face time? I have heard enough on the radio about the losers that I can explain why I am not interested in those losers.

I'm just an unsophisticated, lock-em-up and melt-the-key kinda guy. The Boston Bombers had their days in the media. Time for the rule of law and law enforcement to do their thing, hopefully with a speedy and proper execution to follow.

CJL

Disclaimers:

1) First prize for the person who correctly counts the number of times I used “we” to talk about what people believe.
2) I certainly understand law enforcement wanting to understand the criminal mind, as part of the investigation. But "why" is fodder for the chattering class of society.

How not to get your ass beat by the police

The black president of the United States stupidly commented on the arrest of a black Harvard professor in his own home by a white police officer. Some random thoughts and memories: * I'm sure most people are still trying to figure out who Prof. Gates is. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote: "Journalism consists largely in saying 'Lord Jones is dead' to people who never knew Lord Jones was alive." * Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Gates' arrest was "every black man's nightmare." Perhaps. But having a criminal in my house is even more of a nightmare. Also, having the president of the United States talk off the cuff about me about something he doesn't know is pretty bad. And getting shot by a cop after I escalated a situation would also be worse than getting arrested. Anyway, I have had my own dealings with the police over the years: * Back when I was a college student many many moons ago, one of my brothers and I got stopped by police in Bro...

Teach North Korean Refugees--directions to Mulmangcho Human Rights Institute

DIRECTIONS to Mulmangcho Institute=Easy, easy, easy. Almost like they chose the location for the people who get lost within a block from home... * Bangbae station on line 2, exit 1. Walk to the top of the stairs. * Look to your left. There will be a Woori Bank teller machine. * Standing, looking directly at the teller machine location, walk inside the building to the right of it, under the navy blue sign with the telephone number "587-4145-6..." Walk up to the 3rd floor, room 305. That's it. After you leave the subway exit, it will take you about 5 seconds to get to the building. I don't have a Naver map for it, but if you are driving, use the Bangbae subway as a landmark. Bangbae station (line 2) exit 1 Woori Bank Bd (우리은행건물) #305호 I know people won't believe me, they have been lied to so many times by people in Korea who said a location was "easy to find." I have learned that "easy to find" in Korea means: “Sure, just go down ...

2015-10-09 TNKR tutor flies from Jeju to Seoul

Today is a holiday in Korea, but that didn't mean that studying in Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) had a day off. TNKR co-directors Eunkoo Lee and Casey Lartigue joined a class by the tutor in TNKR who has won the "Came the Longest Distance" award. Afsha flew from Jeju Island to Seoul to tutor one of the learners in TNKR. The only way anyone will be able to top her will be if the person flies from a different country! Her student today has been in our program for several months, all of his tutors talk about what a great student he is! Focused, friendly, eager to learn.

Weekend roundup

Kim Heung - sook asks: " Who Needs New Bills ?" When I first saw the headline, I thought: I AGREE!!! In fact, I don't want or need ANY bills, whether old or new! I have a dream job now...After a couple of days at work, one of the managers here told me to give him all of my bills, the company would take care of my expenses. So I say...Who needs new bills!!! Who needs old bills!!! Her essay is about the new 50,000 won bill. That's about 40 bucks. The next largest bill? 10,000 won. That's about 8 bucks. * * * Get a job! In an LA Times piece trying to guilt California taxpayers and the governor to spend more on higher education in the state , Vincent J. Del Casino Jr. concludes by asking how he should explain spending cuts to his students: "Governor, any good one-liners I might use?" I've written some speeches for some prominent people over the years, I'll give this one to the governor for free, "Get a job!" * * * The next borrowed word? ...

Walter E. Williams on Rush Limbaugh

Professor Walter E. Williams will be hosting the Rush Limbaugh Show 8/24/10 from noon-3 p.m. EST. Thomas Sowell will be his featured guest the second hour. In case you can't hear the show or can't wait, you can listen to me interview him back in 2007 (hit the free user button, wait for countdown, then download). We discussed reparations for slavery during one show and the minimum wage on another. By the way, I was really thankful that he agreed to be on my show twice during the three months I was on the air. I interviewed him another time when I was a guest host and he interviewed me on the Rush Limbaugh about a paper I wrote about education in Washington, D.C. When I contacted him and told him that I was going to have my own show and that I would be delighted if he would come on from time to time, he hesitated at first. I waited. He then said it would be okay. I know he won't do anything if it is inconvenient for himself, so I asked if there was a conflict. He said he had...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog