Comments on: Life, I Love You! http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/ Maryna Rakhlei is a journalist with Belarusian information company Belapan - the country's oldest independent news outlet. She has reported on Belarus-EU relations since 2004. She fits in a suitcase and travels a lot. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:06:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jean-Baptiste Perrin http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/comment-page-1/#comment-641 Jean-Baptiste Perrin Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:19:30 +0000 http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/?p=155#comment-641 @ Andrew, although I understand your point of view, it is one of emotion indeed. Justice should have nothing to do with emotions. That's one of the reasons we represent justice as "blind". By the way, I fail to see how vengeance can be noble. I do see how it can be satisfying (at the instant it is done), but then the one enacting his/her vengeance quickly realizes how empty it is: he/she then has to live with the remorse of the deed on top of the pain of what led to it. Vengeance is an illusion, an archaic remain of ultra-violent societies. Justice bureaucracy might feel insipid, but that's the price to pay for living in a peaceful society. Further, nobody is obliged to work in the justice system if they don't find it exciting. But at least, both suspects, victims and witnesses can have a trial based on facts and reasons and not feelings, passions and other irrational elements. @ Andrew, although I understand your point of view, it is one of emotion indeed. Justice should have nothing to do with emotions. That’s one of the reasons we represent justice as “blind”.

By the way, I fail to see how vengeance can be noble. I do see how it can be satisfying (at the instant it is done), but then the one enacting his/her vengeance quickly realizes how empty it is: he/she then has to live with the remorse of the deed on top of the pain of what led to it. Vengeance is an illusion, an archaic remain of ultra-violent societies.

Justice bureaucracy might feel insipid, but that’s the price to pay for living in a peaceful society. Further, nobody is obliged to work in the justice system if they don’t find it exciting. But at least, both suspects, victims and witnesses can have a trial based on facts and reasons and not feelings, passions and other irrational elements.

]]> By: andrew http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/comment-page-1/#comment-630 andrew Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:09:01 +0000 http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/?p=155#comment-630 i see your point jean-baptiste. but if you imprison the wrong man for 20 years you can't give him his life back either. and why is vengeance such a bad thing? in the face of some appalling violent crime, is vengeance not a much more noble and satisfying response, than the insipid bureaucracy of justice in our society? it's a bit like smacking your child. if you have to do it, do it with some emotional content. i see your point jean-baptiste. but if you imprison the wrong man for 20 years you can’t give him his life back either. and why is vengeance such a bad thing? in the face of some appalling violent crime, is vengeance not a much more noble and satisfying response, than the insipid bureaucracy of justice in our society? it’s a bit like smacking your child. if you have to do it, do it with some emotional content.

]]> By: Jean-Baptiste Perrin http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/comment-page-1/#comment-629 Jean-Baptiste Perrin Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:44:18 +0000 http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/?p=155#comment-629 Capital punishment is irreversible. Once it has been applied, it can not be reversed. Human justice is fallible, per definition. Hence, human societies should ban capital punishment. Put people in jail for life, without parole, if you want. But killing them is just putting the whole society at the same level than the murderers. Society is not there to implement vengeance, it is there to protect law abiding citizens from criminals or external threats. The death penalty does not do this. Capital punishment is irreversible. Once it has been applied, it can not be reversed. Human justice is fallible, per definition. Hence, human societies should ban capital punishment. Put people in jail for life, without parole, if you want. But killing them is just putting the whole society at the same level than the murderers. Society is not there to implement vengeance, it is there to protect law abiding citizens from criminals or external threats. The death penalty does not do this.

]]> By: andrew http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/comment-page-1/#comment-628 andrew Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:25:18 +0000 http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/?p=155#comment-628 vigilante justice can sometimes seem appealing in a gut-instinct way. especially if the law fails. but when you hear the details - "stalked with axes" - it's not so attractive anymore. i wonder, if there were referendums across the EU, how many countries would be in favour of capital punishment. i'm torn myself. vigilante justice can sometimes seem appealing in a gut-instinct way. especially if the law fails. but when you hear the details – “stalked with axes” – it’s not so attractive anymore. i wonder, if there were referendums across the EU, how many countries would be in favour of capital punishment. i’m torn myself.

]]> By: valentina pop http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/2009/10/15/life-i-love-you/comment-page-1/#comment-617 valentina pop Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:46:43 +0000 http://blogs.euobserver.com/rakhlei/?p=155#comment-617 ah, the joys of Soviet-inherited justice systems... same deeds, opposite sentences. when the convict is a friend or a relative of someone close to the judge or powerful politicians, or if the bribe is right, amnesty is granted. and how easy it is for the same judge to be ruthless when a political order has to be carried out or when the convict is a 'nobody'.. ah, the joys of Soviet-inherited justice systems… same deeds, opposite sentences. when the convict is a friend or a relative of someone close to the judge or powerful politicians, or if the bribe is right, amnesty is granted. and how easy it is for the same judge to be ruthless when a political order has to be carried out or when the convict is a ‘nobody’..

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