Crime and Punkishness

Apologies for scarce posting. Made it to the Howard Dean event early last evening, but with the press of other business I couldn't stay long enough to see/hear/meet the Guv.

On the return leg -- hoping to catch Dean at a later event -- I broke up a strong-arm carjacking and detained the perp for police. The think-write-post cycle got shot to shinola ... and then I fatfingered one whole post straight into the aether ... but a here's couple thoughts in brief.

First, some folks do not have what it takes to make crime pay. It would save a whole lot of people a whole lot of trouble if there were a required aptitude test or something. (I know, I know, another Big Gubmint solution.)

Second, it's a bad thing when ordinary people don't feel safe going to ordinary places to do ordinary things. The victim -- recently arrived from out of state -- expressed her intent to start sending out resumes first thing in the morning. One of the witnesses says she's moving out in two weeks to get away from "stuff like this".

Crime is diseconomic in the most fundamental sense. Just like 9/11, predators do more harm to others than they do good for themselves. Just like 9/11, victim reaction tends to be sustained, disproportionate ... even counterproductive. Paranoia strikes deep, and all that.

That brings us to Iraq. Ambassador Bremer made a brief statement this morning ... actually a string of brief, remarkable statements (more on this later). Listening, I thought to myself "Here is a worthy opponent ... a man of genuine criminal aptitude".

Among other things, Bremer tells us Iraq is not in a state of anarchy. Very well, Mr. Ambassador, but it'll do nicely until anarchy comes along. Ordinary people don't feel safe going to ordinary places to do ordinary things. The average Iraqi lives in fear -- in more immediate personal danger than when Saddam was in power, and with less of a clue how to play the Survival Game.

And that brings us back to Gov. Dean, and to Health Care Plan Week, a list of Things You Can't Say on Television, and more. Thank you for your patience, and please stay tuned.

RonK, Seattle

Posted May 15, 2003 10:23 AM | Comments (53)