Comments for Basement Garden

Comment on Wreckage of Dreams: a Miniopera by Shaun

Shaun — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 21:32:50 +0000

Thanks Colonel – hang in there, I’ll post an update of some sketches soon!

Comment on Wreckage of Dreams: a Miniopera by Colonel Hazard

Colonel Hazard — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:07:14 +0000

Congratulations on your happy marriage, and your new house! We’re still here, lurking, waiting for the next chapter. The miniopera thing is pretty cool, though

Comment on Preview: Chapter 2 by Terry I

Terry I — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:55:07 +0000

This chapter 2 preview is really exciting. Definately a different style to the other one, but I think much better.

Comment on Capital punishment is only part of the problem by shaun

shaun — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:52:20 +0000

Glad you enjoyed the post, Margo. I agree with what you say about capital punishment as devaluing the life the justice system has supposedly sought to redress – it all seems a mishmash of confused standards. Death sentencing especially denies the possibility of those sentenced being able to change, to be redeemed, which surely should follow on from believing in the primacy of choice…

Thanks for posting the quote from Ross Byrd, by the way – shame that his view wasn’t mentioned in any of the articles I encountered.

Comment on Capital punishment is only part of the problem by Margo Schulter

Margo Schulter — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:36:51 +0000

Thank you for a thoughtful statement of why Ross Byrd, the son of lynching victim James Byrd Jr., was right in arguing against the exection of Lawrence Brewer: “You can’t fight murder with murder.” And in so many of these cases, we do learn how the condemned prisoner suffered devastating childhood abuse and/or head trauma which could affect the ability not only to make intellectual and behavioral “choices,” but to _appreciate_ the nature and consequences of these choices.

Even from a strictly but truly retributive point of view, which focuses on the “moral accountability” of offenders and the vindication of society’s norm, the death penalty is an utter failure, because it sets an example of lethal violence defeating the value of life it supposedly is vindicating. And a vital element of true retribution, as authors such as Dan Markel have observed, is an invitation for the offender to live in the future according to society’s norms, even if in a prison setting under a “natural life” sentence.

Thus, even from a retributive point of view, sentencing Lawrence Brewer to life in prison performing some dignified and useful labor to help make restitution to crime victims and their families and to society at large would have been much more to the point than the brutality of another killing.

However, while this might be one element of restorative justice, we in the U.S.A. need also to look in the mirror at the social conditions and inequalities that promote crime, and especially violent crime. Ritual human sacrifice is not the solution. Thank you again for a most thoughtful article!

Comment on David Cox and the propaganda of conservation by shaun

shaun — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:12:15 +0000

You’re welcome, you’re welcome – and thank you back.

I did take biology at A level, but I haven’t studied it since then. And I’m definitely not versed in evolutionary psychology!

In fact the main things I’m trained in are English Literature and Theological Research (focussing mainly on mythology and philosophy). All the science I’ve picked up has been in the form of idle scraps by the roadside – some of them, though, admittedly big enough to make my metaphorical pockets suffer.

Glad you liked the post by the way, cheers!

Comment on David Cox and the propaganda of conservation by ColonelHazard

ColonelHazard — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:37:52 +0000

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is always good to see that there are still people out there with brains in their heads. Did you, by any chance, ever study biology of any sort? You seem to be better versed in it (especially modern issues such as the problems with evo. psych.) than the average layperson.

Comment on Richard Littlejohn’s golden compass by A daily fail « Julian's musings

A daily fail « Julian's musings — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:58:39 +0000

[...] Anyway, I was reminded of my occasional dalliance with the Mail when reading this excellent piece – Richard Littlejohn’s golden compass. [...]

Comment on Human Centipede 2 banned in the UK by S_

S_ — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:27:12 +0000

Many people seem to forget that objectification of one person who happens to be female is not the same as objectification of women. In the same way that saying “Bob is such an idiot” is not the same thing as “Men are such idiots”.

I am not a fan of censorship in any form either; having one board of people saying “This film is unsuitable for any kind of person anywhere” is going a little over the top. Not everyone is a moral crusader, and not everyone mimics everything they see in films (and if they did, I suppose after seeing all those films where superheroes jump in front of trains and stop them, or something similarly life-endangering, they’d probably be dead already).

Comment on The Secret of Kells: the circle and the serpent by Stewart

Stewart — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:57:10 +0000

I am very impressed with the Secret of Kells movies especially when the battle between Brendan and colossal snake. People who see this movie might want to watch again. This is the great movie.