Selective Morality

When Americans heard of Jeremiah Wright sermonizing about “America’s chickens are coming home to roost”, most of them were outraged. They could not believe that someone in the country is actually saying that Americans in the World Trade Center did anything to deserve what happened on that fateful day. Even now, liberals and realists both get queasy when discussing America’s foreign policy and its repercussions – they are afraid to say what is obvious – that when you kill people in the rest of the world, when you meddle in their internal affairs, they will strike back.


Rarely has anyone been able to make that statement without fear of retribution – except for Ron Paul. But Ron Paul is different. Americans have gotten used to hearing some crazy shit from Ron Paul – he talks about going back to the Gold Standard, closing the Federal Reserve, letting corporations collapse in the middle of a deep recession, he will allow people to die in order to cleanse the market of the bad policies. He is okay with poor people dying of starvation or when they cannot afford health insurance. Hey, that is free market economics. So when Ron Paul says that America is the empire and America meddled with other countries’ internal affairs, Americans tend to ignore it. But even Ron Paul doesn’t say that Americans deserved 9/11 – not in as many words.

On 11-Mar, the 38-year old US Army staff sergeant left his forward operating base, by himself, in southern Afghanistan near Kandahar early Sunday. He reportedly knocked on several doors and entered at least two houses, where he allegedly shot and killed 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children.

Days after, once the staff sergeant has been identified as Robert Bales, all we can see in the news is reports of the number of lives the soldier has saved, the trauma he faced, the mortgages he couldn’t pay, the homes he lost, the bloody wars he was a part of, being passed over for promotion, all subtly hinting at how the circumstances were to blame. The articles talk about what a loving father he was and such an adoring husband. He even underwent an anger management assessment way back in 2002 after he was charged with assault. Even this is somehow beamed on to us as a virtue.

He is an army combatant who murdered innocent women and children – 16 of them. But his neighbors “cannot see how this could have happened”. His comrades say that “there has to be very severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder involved. I just don't want him seen as some psychopath, because he is not.” When Americans murder and rape in the countries they are at war with, there are reasons. When others kill Americans, it is simply because they are barbarians and animals.

If the fathers or the husbands of the people murdered in that home were to come and kill 16 people in America tomorrow, you would not hear of PTSD, or family problems, or insanity pleas. America would go back to carpet bombing Afghanistan the next day. Because murdering Americans would be an act of terrorism.

Worst part is, a lot of Americans do not see this is as double standard. They wonder why there is anti-Americanism in the rest of the world, and most of them believe that it is because the rest of the world envies America for its wealth and freedom. No, there is Anti Americanism because the rest of the world can see this double standard. 

I love America for the values it stands for. Lincoln’s picture adorns my walls right next to Jefferson, Buddha and Gandhi. I strive to internalize the values that Clarence Darrow espoused. I have a lot of friends in America who I love and respect – I have learnt a lot from them. But blind patriotism shouldn't stop you from condemning what is wrong. In  fact, patriotism should push you to stand for what is right.

Ricky Balboa, Ladies and Gentlemen...

Gazo: How's about investing in condominiums? It's safe. 

Ricky Balboa: Condominiums? 

Gazo: Yeah, condominiums. 

Ricky Balboa: I never use 'em

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSGweaROZBQ

[to Mitt Romney, about a rematch with Ricky on Super Tuesday] 

Chris Christie: He's all wrong for us, baby. I saw you beat that man like I never saw no man get beat before, and the man kept coming after you. Now we don't need no man like that in our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutS7C7WQSc

[Ricky says to Mickey after the Primary Election]  Ricky Balboa: I feel like a Kentucky Fried idiot.  Ricky Balboa: [after his Obama.. what a snob speech] What's that in your ear there?  Mickey: What it is, is I hear stupid things better.

Adrian: Do you know how to drive? 

Ricky Balboa: Do I know how to drive? I drive airplanes and bulldozers. I'll drive you crazy if you give me a chance. You know what I mean?

[Before Arizona Republican Presidential Debate]

Rush Limbaugh: You're gonna eat lightnin'; you're gonna crap thunder.                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0CXUv-xxtY

Mickey: This guy don't just want to win, you know. He wants to bury you, he wants to humiliate you, he wants to prove to the whole world that you was nothing but some kind of a... a freak the first time out. He said you were a one time lucky bum!  Well now I don't wanna get mad in a biblical place like this, but I think you're a hell of a lot more than that kid! A hell of a lot!

But now wait a minute, if you wanna blow this thing, if you wanna blow it, then damn it I'm gonna blow it with ya. If you wanna stay here, I'll stay with ya. I stay with ya. 

Mitt Romney: [after slapping Rocky in the face with his left hand] Now you didn't even see that comin', did ya? And that's comin' from a broken down punk like me. What... what do ya think the Obama would do to ya?  Ricky Balboa: Hurt me bad, I guess...  Romney: Na, he'd hurt ya permanent. Permanent!

[at the end of an exhausting Republican Primary, Ricky lands a knockout punch at Mitt Romney but sends them both falling onto the ring] 

Adrian: [shocked] Oh! 
Referee: One! Two! 
Bill Baldwin: If he gets up, Romney will regain the title! If neither of them gets up, it's a draw and Romney will win the title automatically! The count... 
Referee: Four... 
Chris Christie: [calling to Romney] Get up, my Man! 
Rush Limbaugh: GET ON YOUR FEET!

Adrian: [whispers] Get up.

Referee: [Pandemonium in the stadium grows] Six! Seven! 
Paulie: [Screams] Get up! 
Referee: Eight! 
Anne Romney: GET UP! 
Referee: Nine... 

[Finally admitting that Ricky deserves the championship, Romney collapses; Mary Anne moans]  

Referee: [Ricky at the last second stands up] TEN! YOU'RE OUT! 

[Paulie and Adrian screams in happiness; Mickey yells] 
Bill Baldwin: He made it at the last second! Ricky Balboa has shocked the world! He is the new Republican Presidential Nominee for 2012!  (and the heavyweight champion of the world)

bada-bing, bada-boom

Of all the things in the world, if there is anything I do not look forward to, it is dealing with the Indian government. No matter what, where and when, it has always left a bad taste in the mouth, with bribes and red tape all around. When I was young and was in situations where I had to pay bribes, I used to feel guilty; I stopped paying, but I get enraged every time someone asks for a bribe. So you can imagine my trepidation as I was getting closer to my passport's expiration date. I didn't dare pick a fight with the officials lest it should go to passport limbo. I couldn't get myself to pay up either.

I kept procrastinating for months.

I finally decided I couldn't keep it off any more and decided to book an appointment (which itself was a recent feature, added three months before my passport was to expire). I was told that TCS took over the Passport application process and instead of waiting in line day after day (as my colleagues had done), we could just go online and apply for a slot. I did.

Once I was in the Passport Seva Kendra, I had to wait to get my documents checked. This was the first step - TCS employees handled the first check to ensure that I have all the documents needed for the application. Once they confirmed that I have the documents, they gave me a token for the next step.

The second step is where they scan the documents I brought and upload into the system. They validated everything, asked me to sign on the copies and when some copies were missing, I was able to get them in the photocopier room within the building. This again was handled by TCS. To my delight, the people were polite and professional!

The TCS personnel then directed me to the next booth, which is when I saw the first government official. By this time, I was sure that I had all the documents. More importantly, they knew I had all the documents - because I wouldn't be in front of them if I didn't. The lady verified the scanned copies, reviewed my originals, stamped the application, signed it and spat on the floor (she was disgusted about the lack of red-tape and bribery).

The next guy is another government official to whom I had to submit the application. He too looked at the documents, stamped them, signed them and spat on the floor.

Once it was done, I just picked up an acknowledgement and was out! That's it! No going back, no begging them to close the application, no greasing the wheels, no searching for agents, or goat sacrifices. Nothing.

I never thought I'd say this in my life - I was pleased with how a government related transaction was conducted.

I am pretty sure, even with TCS handling the process, people are put through a whole of hassles. I am sure TCS hasn't perfected it yet and is not at 6-sigma level. Far from it. But all the people who were around me at that center on that day had a nice experience, and I would be surprised if, unless things change drastically, the experience is any different for typical applicants at that location.

Since people who are dissatisfied with the service will surely complain, I think it is only fair that they get a pat on the back when we are satisfied. Thank you TCS. Please keep up the good work.

We have freedom of speech, but...

India got outraged when they heard Sibal talk about censoring Facebook. First couple of days, they 'dharna-ed' in front of his house with placards. They prayed that Sibal-Mamu would 'get well soon' (Munna Bhai reference) and were furious that Sibal would even think about trespassing on their God given right to the freedom of expression.

To tell you the truth, I was amazed. I was pleasantly surprised that Indians cared to protest. To see that people cared enough to feel threatened by what Sibal was tempted to do. On the face of it, removing sites that are 'anti-social' or 'anti-religious' sounds very reasonable. But censoring the social media is a slippery slope. It will start with anti-religious pages now, but it can just end up being like China, where TV shows which ask people to vote for the contestants are banned because the government thinks it will give people wrong ideas (like, that they should be able to make decisions) This sets a bad precedent and is ripe to get exploited, especially by people like Sibal.

Thankfully, people here got pissed that Sibal was intruding upon their right to expression. And fairly so; you have your rights only when you are willing to protect them. Sibal had to back off.

People 1, Sibal 0.

My euphoria was short-lived though. Last Sunday, I saw a news item about how a Delhi Court asked the same websites to remove the objectionable content, and there was no reaction from anyone!

Well played Sibal.

Innocent until proven guilty

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free.

- Clarence Darrow

Kanimozhi was denied bail last week. General consensus seems to be that Judge Saini has done the right thing by denying her bail. “She deserves to be in prison”, most say, “the rich and wealthy never go to jail; they should not be allowed to get away”.

Only problem - the judgment was not the sentencing after trial – it was a decision on granting bail.

Bail is the incentive that the court seeks in order to ensure that the accused will come back to court and stand for trial. The accused is let go with a condition that he/she will come back to face trial once the prosecution has gathered evidence and built a case against the accused.

Now there are circumstances where it may be believed that the accused is likely to skip bail (abscond), believed to be a danger to public (commit another crime while he is out on bail), tamper witness (intimidate them) etc., due to which bail may be denied. But unless there is a reason to believe that such a circumstance exists, bail should be granted to the accused. The prosecution should have a convincing argument that granting bail will undermine their case.

(In this particular case, prosecution did not feel that such circumstances exist - maybe because they didn't think she could tamper witness any more than Karunanidhi can)

One may feel that Kanimozhi deserves to rot in prison, but it shouldn't be before she is convicted. We cannot decide that she is guilty before we have gathered evidence and built a case. What is denied to her will be denied to us.

Bail is not designed to be punitive and we should not punish before anyone is convicted of a crime. The accused should not be penalized for the time it is taking the state apparatus to build the case against the accused (unless there is a strong reason to believe that letting the accused to be free will stymie the delivery of justice).

Just because there are countless other cases where the guilty have not been brought to justice, it does not mean that Kanimozhi should be punished before her case goes to trial. That is just misdirected anger and not justice.
 
I have not read the full transcript of what the judge has said, but according to most news sources, the essence of the ruling was:

The persons involved in such offenses... do not deserve any indulgence;  and any sympathy to them not only being entirely misplaced but also against the larger interest of the society [because] such offenses are preceded by cool, calculated and deliberate design with an eye on personal gains and in fact not all such offenses come to the surface.

Here are a few things that Judge Saini has decided:

• Because the crime Kanimozhi is accused of is a serious offense, the accused does not deserve sympathy
• Because the crime she is being accused of needs careful planning, the accused does not deserve sympathy
• Because crimes like these do not usually come to court, the accused does not deserve sympathy
• Because a strong message needs to be sent to... criminals [that] it does not pay to be on the wrong side of the law, the accused does not deserve sympathy

Key word here being, "accused". The judge is condemning the accused before she got her fair trial. I would have agreed with the judge if this was said at the time of her sentencing.

What's even more dangerous is that this sets a precedent. I believe the judge's decision itself has been based on a previous judgment - Mukesh Jain v CBI. From now on, any Judge arbitrating on a corruption case can deny bail to anyone because the crime is a serious one.

In the public's eye, Kanimozhi is guilty, but people have the luxury of sitting on the couch and passing judgment. People do not require evidence. We do not need hard facts. Public decides based on emotions. It is only understandable – we are dejected and impatient with the state of affairs. We are frustrated that justice is both delayed and denied especially when the rich and powerful are involved. The system has failed us so many times that we are baying for blood now.

But judiciary cannot be playing for the crowds! Judges cannot get emotional and make statements instead of passing judgment. The primary objective is to arbitrate, not make a point or an example of someone. What we need is justice, not a witch-hunt.  

Judicial activism gets especially dangerous if judges are unable to rise above their bias, prejudice, or popular sentiment. 

Shit that Patil Said

Ms. Patil expressed her deep concern at the rising trend of crimes against women and called upon the law and order enforcing authorities as well as society to create a safe and secure environment for women. She lamented that even as the country entered the 21st century, families were worried about lack of security for their women members.

She continues to amaze me in so many ways! Patil is expressing her concerns and calling up on law and order enforcing authorities to create a safe environment for women - that is very reassuring. I mean what else can she do? It's not like she can talk to the Home Minister and insist on accountability, or talk to the police commissioners and talk strategy. Its not like she can seek counsel with supreme court judges and discuss how to solve the problem. C'mon.. you cant expect her to do any of that! She is just the president of this country.

So, what is her solution? What is she suggesting?  "Self-defense is the best form of defense". That's right! You are on your own girls.

“A paradox of sorts exists as far as women in India are concerned. On the one hand they have proved to undertake all types of missions and works and on the other they faced numerous challenges and discrimination emanating from social prejudices and social evils.” 

 Do you know what a paradox is, Ms Patil?

The President emphasized a “forward looking and comprehensive approach” to meet the challenges of an “evolving society.”

I am sure you did, Madam President.. this definitely sounds like the the kind of crap you would say.


You go girl!

Delhi Terror Attack

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "This is a cowardly act. We will deal with it. We will not succumb to pressure of terrorism." He added, "This is a long war in which all political parties, all people of India should stand united so that the scourge of terrorism is crushed."

You will deal with jack squat, Mr.Prime Minister.

All you will do is add more strip searches in malls and groping in movie lines. You will add more "security" guys who will eyeball car trunks but wont even glance inside the cars or ask whats inside my backpack. You will have more cops on the streets to take bribes from people to allow them right of passage. All this when what failed is intelligence.

Not sure why this is a cowardly act when they just flip us off every time and tell us that they did it and you can do nothing. You cannot prove anything and you cannot get us justice. You are the coward Mr. Singh, not them. You do not have the cajones to do what it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice (the masterminds, not the ones who pulled the trigger or pressed a button). This is war and you have zip to prove it. You will talk a lot of trash and your posse will talk a lot of trash. But nothing will happen. You will make sure that this is a long war.

I don't even know what "we will not succumb to pressure of terrorism" means to the families of the people who got killed. On the face of it, it looks like you are saying that tomorrow is going to be business as usual. That nothing will change. You are saying that they can kill some more and nothing will change.

All the political parties, all the people of India, we will all stand united and we will gawk. We will stand up and we will think that just the mere act of being united will crush the scourge of terrorism.

You suck sir. Big time.