The Unthinkable

My thoughts which follow have been deeply and uncomfortably compelled by the movie ‘Unthinkable’. This movie comes with a health warning – as it shows graphic scenes of torture. If you are likely to suffer stress or ill-health do not watch this movie.

Adult audiences only.

I'm not here to change anyone's mind on anything. I have not changed my mind on anything. I am here to explore an issue - not to prove that torture should be made legal.

This film has brought me to consider that, if one believes that a minority of persons should be allowed to use the rights afforded by humanity to effect total destruction of the human race, then there is never room for torture as a consideration. In such a doomsday scenario - even if it could never happen in your estimation - we're doomed.

Absolute rights afforded to individuals in the present therefore stand to be used to effect absolute annihilation of the human race at some point in the future. It may be not tomorrow, maybe in 20 years (no one could predict exactly when), but at some point when the power to destroy the world’s population falls into the hands of a core minority so inclined, we will stare self-destruction in the face. The statues of the morally invincible will stand tall and glorious even if a bit beaten, for no one of our degree of sentience to admire (or condemn) – if we don’t cross this bridge before we reach it.

You and your politicians need to consider whether absolute rights can or ought to be protected in the face of a real threat of absolute destruction of the human race. [As a minor distraction asteroid impact was never seen as a serious threat until a few years ago. In comparison the world stands at greater risk of self-destruction by terrorist minds over the next 50 - 100 years.] And perhaps some politicians have already thought about the subject (of torture) behind closed doors. However, it is not possible for obvious political reasons for politicians to declare that serious consideration should be given legalising torture in certain extreme circumstances.

What has happened in Guantanamo (and other places) - and is quite probably happening now as you read this - in floating facilities out at sea, is that they are outfoxing the law and various Constitutions. The human race has always found ways of breaking all known laws. Governments around the world have consistently demonstrated (in my observations) that they are willing to tear up Constitutions and Treaties when the going 'gets rough'. They go 'underground' and out of the sight or reach of the law - and illegal activity happens there - that cannot be proved. The law can only bite where it's teeth can reach! No - I don't have hard evidence of that. I'm not a crime buster of governments.

My purpose is to deal with a matter of 'efficacy' - and in one specific scenario - of potential total annihilation, I'm unable to see how the balance should be allowed to swing to annihilation. Should rights afforded to protect individuals be used to infringe upon the rights of the human race to survival? This is what compelled me to think about the unthinkable... at great discomfort to myself, even if I attract it. ;) Efficacy becomes important when the world is faced (eventually) with a total loss scenario. Efficacy of any method of allowing sufficient numbers to carry on the race will be important. 

For the avoidance of all doubt - I am well aware of expert opinion about why torture fails, why it is illegal and immoral - and I accept and defend all such opinions. However, my above (and more) concerns are what has compelled me to thing about the unthinkable... that possibly there could be a case for 'torture'. ‘A case’ means a single case. The above is not intended to be an argument to prove that torture should be legalised – and it should not be so used.

Thought for tomorrow

The survival of the human race is truly our collective ultimate right. Rights afforded by humanity ought not to be used for the total destruction of humanity. Those who use rights as shields under which they may safely conspire to effect such destruction, risk having their rights stripped from them.

- Captain Walker, January 2012

New ways of working in windows

Over the last couple days I was actually working on a way to put up a to-do list on my laptop screen, in a way that made it always visible. I ended up purchasing Actual Windows Manager. It was such good value, I thought after 2 hours of testing.

Actual Windows Manager can do very interesting things to all windows on a Microsoft Windows Operating System. I’m using Window 7.

The Ghost feature is the one that works well for me with my to-do list. Now my to-do list is always in sight on my computer screen, but faded out so as not to cause distractions. (you may need to click on the screenshot at left for a bigger view).

This shot only shows use of the transparency features – and this simply means how see-through you make the Ghost! LOL. My ghosted to-do list will live in the same spot (unless I move it) on top of all windows I open!! Yes – I can minimise it if I want. With Actual Windows Manager I can even set a time for it to be automatically minimised. So, I’ve done just that. After 10 minutes it will minimise and go to the taskbar. If I click it again on the taskbar, it comes alive and is ghosted until I need to do something with it. The Transparency features are very useful for other things of course. Yes – you can do this stuff without Actual Windows Manager however it is not as easy.

Well – “why am I going through all this effort and cost?” – you may be wondering. If you’ve been following me I’ve lost the battle with sleep – and I am really determined to make better use of my waking hours. This means I need to get things done more efficiently. I spend a lot of time on my computer as well as on my Samsung Galaxy S phone. So yes there are to-do lists there too. However, when I’m on my computer I really want to see my to-do list in the corner of my eye. Notepad was the simplest, though I know I could have brought my Google to-do list to the desktop in the same way. I was looking to make this small but not too small.

I reckon that if I can push two more hours into my waking day that’s worth a whole lot. I cost my time at an average of £120/hr. So 2 hours is £240/day. Over a year I’m therefore worth the order of £90,000 better to myself if I’m more organised and efficient. So – for the naysayers – lets imagine I was very poor at this. Lets say I got back only 15 mins a day in efficiency savings that’s still £10,950 worth of value to myself – tax-free!! So me spending say £200 this year on this efficiency drive is, I think a good investment.

Sending men Haywire

Gina Carano, star of the movie Haywire, is a Muay Thai and Kickboxing champion, and former American Gladiator 'Crush'...

Not only is Haywire a different type of action movie, Carano is the 'eye' in the eye candy.

Observation on non-duncey behaviour

While listening to a radio 4 programme this morning on criminal justice, I was reminded of an incident that happened where I live about two weeks ago.

Early one morning, at around 3 AM I heard a male voice shouting "Keisha! Keisha!", accompanied by a very loud banging (such as a fist thumping on a door and the door vibrating). My bedroom window being open, the sound was very disturbing. This continued for some hours, with the thumping and shouting happening at the various doors in my area. You can see from the photo he was spoilt for choice on the doors.

At around 5 AM I came downstairs. Suddenly the banging started at my door. When I opened the door there was a young black guy asking for Keisha. I told him there was no Keisha living here. He went a few doors away, and began banging on that door (incidentally the doorway Keisha did live). Keisha did not respond.

Then came the banging on my door again. When I opened the door the young man was still there, asking to speak to Keisha.  I told him there was no Keisha living here (again), so he went to another door - not Keisha’s - and began banging over there. No one answered. This merry-go-round went on several times, each time he banged on my door he appeared to be more irritated and more disoriented. I suspect that he might have been on drugs from his behaviour.

The last time that I told him that Keisha was not living at my address he became very aggressive,  and threatened "to put a ‘cap’ in me". I left my door open, turned around and picked up my phone.  I dialled 999, requested the police (in England the operator asks which emergency service you need, whether fire, ambulance or police). I reported to the police that there was a strange man in front my home who threatened to shoot me and whom I suspect might be hiding a gun, and also that he appeared to be on drugs.

Within 2 minutes, two police officers arrived at my door. The taller of the two approached me and address me, "Good morning, sir. Did you phone the police?” to which I replied, “Yes.” The other in the meantime had approached the young man who was still on my lawn. The police had responded so quickly, he was still there hurling threats in my direction. The taller officer again addressed me, enquiring as to what was the problem, and I pointed to the man (early 20’s) on the lawn, saying he was threatening to shoot me.

I was astounded when the police officers, both of them then approached the man and addressed him as “Sir, what are you doing here?” No duncey tactics and attitude for these boys! The man explained he was trying to contact his girlfriend and that his phone battery had died. He switched his phone on, it did come on, but again I was astounded when the police officer took out his own phone and tried to call Keisha using the number supplied by the man. Again, I can’t see a duncey doing this!

After getting no answer, the officers to the man, “Sir, you have to move on. You can’t be disturbing the people here at this early time of the morning”. They  still hadn’t touch him at this point, merely walked alongside him to escort him down the long path and out of the area.

Now, the reason I am blogging this is to highlight a number of things:

1. The response time of the police in England, as differs from dunceys on the Rock. No excuse about not having cars available here!
2. The seriousness with which they took the telephone report.
3. The attitude which they approached me, the complainant.
4. The attitude they approached a possible lawbreaker!
5. The methods used to diffuse a hazardous situation… keep in mind two unarmed officers (English police do not carry guns) approached a possibly armed, potentially hyped up, drugged-up man.
6. The effective, yet completely polite way they removed the man from the area. No batons were wielded nor guns drawn.

Sad to say, I harbour little hopes that dunceys will be similarly trained or become intellectually mature within my lifetime.