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: Begging the Question

Don't get me started, part 2

By "Milbarge" and "Fitz-Hume"

I've heard this a lot lately from public figures (or, ahem, clients) who find themselves under some form of punishment for various misdeeds: "It's not like I killed somebody!" A close cousin is the double-disbelief: "I didn't kill nobody! I didn't rape nobody!" Well, yeah, dumbass, you didn't, and you're not being punished like you did, either. Oh, we can't say anything bad about Michael Jackson's dubious relations because "It's not like he killed anybody." True, of course, although most murderers would trade a little loss of reputation at Neverland for being the most revered man at Shawshank. Manny Ramirez complains about his fifty-game suspension for using steroids by whining "I didn't kill nobody! I didn't rape nobody!" No, Manny, you didn't, because if you had, they'd suspend you until the All-Star Break. Manny should ask Michael Vick about proportionality of punishment. Vick's supporters, naturally, moan that he shouldn't have received a two-year sentence for his dogfighting activities because he didn't actually kill a person. Sure, he didn't kill anybody, but he should ask Rae Carruth what would have happened if he treated a person like he treated dogs. The criminal justice system sure would be different if murder and rape were the only crimes you could be punished for.

Full post as published by Begging the Question on July 08, 2009 (boomark / email).