Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Immutable Laws
Reading the papers and online news about what's going on in Europe, China, Washington, New York, California and other places around the world, it occurs to me that there are several types of laws that no politician, legislature, dictator or elected leader, however powerful, can change, affect or do anything whatsoever about, except possibly to delay the inevitable in some limited circumstances. Among these are the laws of mathematics, the laws of physics, the laws of economics and the law of unintended consequences with its famous corollary, Murphy's Law.
Any action taken contrary to or in disregard of any of these laws is doomed to failure. Sometimes that failure is catastrophic. For example, I'm no expert but it seems what is going on in the Eurozone is a prime candidate for such a catastrophe.
The unfortunate part is that the politicians, etc., who take such actions usually either are not around to experience the consequences of their hubris or exempt themselves from those consequences, and the masses of people affected by those actions usually suffer out of all proportion to their behavior.
In this election season in the United States, we would do well to ascertain who among the candidates at all levels (including incumbents) are most and least likely to ignore or violate those immutable laws, and vote accordingly.
Labels: Economics, government, Law, politicians
Monday, September 15, 2008
Britain Adopts Islamic Law
If you think bilingual countries have cultural issues, how about "bilegal" countries? The UK has given Sharia courts full power to rule in Muslim civil cases.
Now, I don't know how the UK deals with the notion of equal protection under the law, but it seems to me that separate but equal legal systems will work about as well as separate but equal education systems. That is, someone's gonna get screwed.
I imagine that Sharia courts will (at least initially) only deal with disputes in which all the parties are Muslim. I figure it'll be about a year, maybe less, before some non-Muslim gets hauled before a Sharia court by a Muslim in an attempt to impose Sharia law in any case in which at least one of the parties is Muslim. The logic would be, of course, that the Muslim is entitled to be judged according to Muslim law, irrespective of the identity of the other party. That's political correctness run amok, but that appears to be the way the UK, and the rest of Europe, for that matter, is heading. Anything to prevent religious riots, right?
Neville Chamberlain's ghost is somewhere smiling in approval.
I have had a fear for a couple years now that our cousins in the UK are committing cultural suicide. This will prove to be one more nail in the coffin, and it's a damn shame.
(0) comments
Now, I don't know how the UK deals with the notion of equal protection under the law, but it seems to me that separate but equal legal systems will work about as well as separate but equal education systems. That is, someone's gonna get screwed.
I imagine that Sharia courts will (at least initially) only deal with disputes in which all the parties are Muslim. I figure it'll be about a year, maybe less, before some non-Muslim gets hauled before a Sharia court by a Muslim in an attempt to impose Sharia law in any case in which at least one of the parties is Muslim. The logic would be, of course, that the Muslim is entitled to be judged according to Muslim law, irrespective of the identity of the other party. That's political correctness run amok, but that appears to be the way the UK, and the rest of Europe, for that matter, is heading. Anything to prevent religious riots, right?
Neville Chamberlain's ghost is somewhere smiling in approval.
I have had a fear for a couple years now that our cousins in the UK are committing cultural suicide. This will prove to be one more nail in the coffin, and it's a damn shame.
Labels: Great Britain, Islam, Law, Political correctness, Sharia, UK
