[ExI] What is Grace?

[Lee Corbin]

Stefano wrote

> Think in modern times of the internment of dangerously deranged
> psychopaths, or of aliens in wartime, or the expulsion of unwanted
> immigrants, or the order to stay away from a given area or person,
> which does not require evidence of any actual "guilt" of anything, nor
> is aimed per se at any "punishment".
> 
> Now, the entire notion has become distinctly unfashionable in western
> democracies, especially after the sixties, and this makes for a
> distorsive [distorted] use of criminal remedies "to keep them out
 > of the street", little else being legally available to concerned people.

Yes, a difficult question. It beats me what principles to follow
if "concerned people" really do want to help clearly insane people,
and force is the only way. Most communities probably should just
forget it. So as much as it pains me, perhaps they were right back
in the sixties.

>> But far more importantly---a point steadfastly and absurdly ignored
>> by our present system---is the hideous relative injustice inflicted
>> on the weaker of the prisoners by the stronger.
> 
> This again is hypocritical. We refrain from inflicting any kind of
> punishment other than mere detention, so we delegate... other inmates
> to make prison life a hellish nightmare.

Yes, we totally abdicate responsibility. But it's worse
than merely that. Much worse.

The very most horrible people in prison are thereby
rewarded for being such animals, and any trace of
refinement or sensitivity likewise thereby punished.
How do the populations of today's nations live with
themselves after permitting these practices?

>> Often I think that the best solution is solitary confinement. It
>> seemed to work out okay for Edmund Dantes, so far as I could tell
>> when I read the Dumas book. Severe, yes, but not inhuman.
> 
> I was just mentioning the same example!
> 
> Great minds continue working alike... :-)

Right.  Now if we can just get the other  7x10^6 - 2  people to go along!

Lee