May 18, 2007

Gentle Brutality

Gentle Brutality

Jeff Jacoby quotes Robert F. Kennedy an abrasive upper class politician
with little compassion and mercy for his opponents saying, "Let us dedicate
ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of
man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that,
and say a prayer for our country, and for our people." (Jeff Jacoby, "A time for
tears and silence, not politics," Boston Globe, April 22, 2007) Isn't it typical
of politicians to say one thing and to do the opposite? How soon Jacoby forgets if
he ever noticed.
Answering those prayers is the psychiatric industry and the drug companies,
who tame "the savageness" of man with the approval of control freak
journalists. Using the police power of the state to force an alleged medical
diagnosis shows how brutal contemporary officials are who are making people more
gentle. Friendly persuasion under threat of police powers and chemicals is not
the way to end the cycle of violence. Using psychiatric drugs, often the cause
of violence, in the name of ending violence is expert spinning of the facts.

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM


A time for tears and silence, not politics
Boston Globe
By Jeff Jacoby
April 22, 2007

Paul Helmke didn't miss a beat. The bodies of the Virginia Tech shooting victims
weren't yet cold when the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence was out with a press release.

"Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to
act," Helmke's statement said. "It is well known, however, how easy it is for an
individual to get powerful weapons in our country. . . . It is long overdue for
us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from
continuing to occur."
[...]
Jeff Jacoby's e-mail address is jacoby@globe.com.

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