Hang Kasab

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The hanging of Kasab may be the correct punishment as per Indian Criminal Law. It may also bring temporary succour and a feeling of justice to many who have been directly and indirectly affected by Kasab and feel deeply aggrieved at his henious acts. But, will the hanging of Kasab really prevent other such Kasab's from germinating and spreading their evil ways? WILL IT STOP EVIL?? NO IT WON'T!

The Joker may die, but there will be many more Harvey Dents, Poison Ivys, Riddlers, Penguins and Catwomans to come; and unfortunately, they would come out of the countless citizens of Gotham as a part of the endless cycle of VIOLENCE AND HATE. A kills B, tomorrow C kills A, then D takes revenge on C by brutally murdering him, then E kills D years later; then slowly the whole thing escalates into a full scale war, and then there is no one left to kill since everybody is dead.
Unless the cycle stops somewhere, the deaths, murders and killings will continue to extract a heavy toll on humankind. An eye for an eye will eventually make the world blind, and that is what is happening now.
The problem is it really requires a lot of courage and heart to stand up and say "enough is enough, no more blows" and drop the cudgels, and start with a clean fresh plate.

As for Kasab, he really has nothing to lose; as an indoctrinated Jehadi, "shahadat" was his final goal. It hardly makes any difference now to him or to his "masters" in Pakistan whether he is acquitted or is hanged. He has done what he had to do; he has killed people and has been successful in spreading hatred and fear and has created deep angst amongst Indians here.

If we really want the spectre of terrorism to stop the hard, violent way, then we must be prepared to lose many of our near and dear ones in a possible nuclear holocaust, because that would be the only way India and Pakistan would be able to come to some understanding and peace.

I say this because the only practical violent way India could hope to end Pakistan's terror mechanism would be to carry out surgical strikes on the terrorist camps in Pakistan. Pakistan would then declare war, which I am certain would be a full fledged nuclear confrontation with a destruction on an unimaginable scale where millions will die. I don't think we would really wan't that, would we?

In another comment thread, Smallsquirrel talked about a middle way between an American style response and doing nothing at all. I am afraid there is no middle way here, with regards to terrorism. Either you act with the full wrath of your "just fury" and "kill 'em all and wipe 'em off the face of the Earth" like a cauterizing purge; or you win over the so called "evil" and "soulless" through non-violent means as shown by Buddha and Jesus, which is painful and requires time, patience and a lot of sacrifice and selflessness. The choice is ours, but the consequences will be borne by generations to come; if there are any generations left, that is.

Cheers,
Ayan

Ayan, I already talked about Gun boat diplomacy. Peace works only from the position of strength. Strengthen our borders, promote the cause of peace and hang those who cause mayhem on our soil. That is what India has been doing. After Kargil and even after 26/11 we have shown restrain.

The nuclear scare does not work since the last time we came to a nuclear flashpoint the government saw that we had much to lose economically. But thats on our end. Fear actually lies on Pakistan's side since they are unable to shed the jihadi vipers snuggled close to their bosom.

The battle on their side is immense not on ours. And there we can do nothing.

Our job is to safeguard our people of all religious denominations and our territories.

There is no hatred in India if such was the case communal violence and the call for war would have been vocalized. Instead people held the government accountable for being unable to safeguard our country.

India has taken the middle ground. We've been fighting it on the diplomatic front since the 80s.

Crime against humanity deserves death penalty. And hypothetical arguments such as the end of the world or religious pontifications hold little water when violence against the innocents are committed in the present.

And I do believe SS quiet eloquently showed what the terrorists would think of a magnanimous pardon granted to Kasab.

I have said what I had to say about this matter on this and all related posts. Just a bit dismayed and disillusioned. Thank you for your responses, though.

Going slightly off topic, I hope you can overcome your anger because there is nothing as "just" anger. Anger is suffering and is destructive. I wish you well.

Cheers,
Ayan

Ayan... really? There is nothing as "just" anger? So GOD FORBID a parent lives through the murder of their child, they would not be justified to be angry about it? What the hell are you going on about? The women of south africa should not be justly angry that their young girls have a higher chance of being raped than learning to read?

At some point, yes, you must get over your anger and move on with your life. But there absolutely is such a thing as just anger... you, thank God, have obviously never been wronged so badly that you have had to feel it. And I hope that you never do. but your armchair philosophizing is out of place. you can say what you think, but not what is... because your reality is not the reality of millions of others. count your blessings.

ss:

on the other thread, almost simultaneously, i wrote about 'compassion' whent it comes to one's near and dear one!

bottom line: murder begets murder and i concur with dee fully

(to be read in conjunction with my other post on this subject)

Sorry Deepti, this goes off topic as a response to Smallsquirrel:

There was a time when I used to get "angry" at almost everything "bad". Bad traffic, pollution, global warming, war, terrorism, rape, murder, honour killings, animal abuse, slavery, genocide at al. I used to feel furious when I used to read news reports and used to watch TV news about death, killings and other injustices perpetrated with impunity all over the world. I used to feel helpless. Sometimes I used to cry out, "Why??" I wanted to go out and be the hand of justice and extract revenge on evil-doers and exercise my anger which I thought was "just". However, I slowly realized that this "anger" was useless; it only made me bitter and cynical, and made my blood boil, and made me waste my time brooding on issues I could not control. At a similar stage I got introduced to Buddhism, and I realized that anger, though a natural response in many situations in varying degrees, was harmful as it clouded rational thinking and made me lose self-control. I would not be able to progress nor solve anything if I held on to that anger. Thus I made a solemn pledge to control my anger and react coolly NO MATTER THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROVOCATION. It has been very difficult to keep the pledge but I have tried and succeeded on many occasions.
My father taught me that the best way to combat all the evils of the world is to lead a compassionate life with integrity, never harming or hurting anyone or anybody, and to take whatever little steps in your power to improve your surroundings and the world you live in, and to help others with all your power. Raving, ranting and holding onto anger makes me weak and unable to function rationally, which indirectly harms my own cause and the cause of others near me.
I never meant that the FEELING of anger was not justified. Anger may spring up anytime for any reason. It still does for me, as it does for everybody else. But holding onto it, not controlling it and reacting to that anger is in general useless and destructive in my opinion and in my observation.
In my opinion, not getting angry at injustice does not mean that one is not compassionate towards the people who suffer. It's just that our anger DOES NOT HELP ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING of the victims of injustice!
And let me add, if God forbid something bad does indeed happen to my near and dear ones, say someone close is knocked down by a speeding drunk driver, I know I will not hold onto anger as I know my anger will not bring back my loved one, and will only make me more miserable and bitter.
And I do always count my blessings.

Cheers,
Ayan

sorry Ayan but I continue to assert that your concepts of anger are armchair philosophizing. why? because you basically pointed it out yourself.. that something like traffic used to get you in a lather.

that is not what we are talking about here.

we are talking about what happens to you, the visceral, real, tangible anger that happens when you are horribly, irrevocably wronged (or when it happens to someone you love). we're not talking about something you read in the paper and causes you to cringe. we're not talking about a 4th grade teacher who screwed you out of an A. We're talking about someone raping your wife in front of you, or someone murdering your child or a fucking piece of shit terrorist like Kasab using some warped justification to maim and murder hundreds of people without remorse.

you can philosophize all you want to. no one is advocating dwelling in anger for all eternity, or even 10 years. we're just saying that this fucking fuckwit of a waste of space kasab needs to die. there. there is my anger. now I will let it go.

I wonder what Ayan and Golden Boy would do if they were on an hijacked plane for 10 days (with shitty toilets I may add) and with a co passenger whose neck has been cut and the terrorists demanding the release of Ajmal Kasab in exchange for releasing Ayan and Golden Boy. Would they want the Govt to release Kasab or let them die?

I think Kasab and his masters have incredibly succeeded. They have got this forum into a lather, into a purely emotional response of anger and fear. Precisely the purpose and objective of terrorism. Where the targets cease to be rational and become completely focussed on the act. More importantly on the minions of the actual strategists.

We forget that terrorism is a political tool, a strategy of civilian, psychological warfare. A tool to gain attention. And this kind of outrage cry for justice is the marginal pay-off. Its the pay-off that the exhibitionist gets - outrage, scandalousness, helplessness, anger and generally feeling molested.

The problem I see here is we are entirely focussed on Kasab. Who cares about Kasab - neither his community nor his country nor his masters? He was a tool, a weapon - used and thrown off. But we are now focussed on him - the red herring. The tree as against the woods.

Killing and bringing Kasab to justice might satisfy our outrage - momentarily, I might add. How many Kasab's will we kill, hang and bring to justice? How many weapons we will destroy, thinking that we have achieved justice and feel we have eliminated part of the problem?

When will we start focussing on the masters, the people using and holding the weapons like Kasab?

To me, hanging Kasab is non-issue. It will not solve the problem. Neither will a Bush-like, misguided, macho, Terminator, Bruce Willis, kind of stance serve any purpose.

I also don't think there is a middle-way.

Maybe one needs to think out of the box. The solution cannot come from minds that have been part of the problem.

Ayan, one thing I have learned is till we are placed in a certain situations we really have no clue how we will react.

The feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness are things many of us grapple with in this day and age and you have found a coping mechanism which works for you and thats good but others have their own way of coping which for them are legitimate as well.

Sometimes justice brings closure. For me repentance and apology generally works when it comes to interpersonal relationships and I do believe some people can be rehabilitated but the number is small since it depends upon their crimes

Crimes of certain proportions however cannot be treated lightly and I also believe that any leader who uses the nuclear bombs should get death penalty as well.

Maaya, just anger has nothing to do with revenge. It has to do against a crime do heinous that deserves only one response - death penalty.

We Indians have been restrained in our response after the aftermath. We haven't gone and bombed Pakistan so playing this overused card of anger, war, bombs etc doesnt work.

Letting Kasab live will not stop terrorism but handing him a death sentence will definitely send the message across that this is one crime the nation will not stand by.

Good comparison Deepti.
We need to have zero-tolerance for terrorism. Period.
The Pakistani terrorists (and thousands of them in the training currently) are part of those camps because they love to kill( as you pointed out too) and we need to accept that reality. Once we do, only then can we protect ourselves.

We as Indians have been very very fair and good to Kasab by giving him a fair trail.

Do you think Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, UAE, Indonesia, Qatar or Kuwait would have given a Kasab a fair trail? Never. He would be hung instantly and that would be broadcast live on TV to send shivers down the spines of other terrorists in the making.
Kill the source. Instill fear.

Maaya- no one claims that hanging Kasab will solve the problem of terrorism. The reason for hanging Kasab is not that, it is because he committed mass murder on Indian soil and has to be punished according to the due process of law. Why is this so hard to understand?

Ledzius ... if the hanging of Kasab is such a simple issue of executing the law of the land, why is it being discussed so passionately here?

Because some people here want to exempt him from being punished according to Indian law ..duh

I wonder how many of us would take up, if an offer is made, to personally pull switch that would hang Kasab.

Hanging Kasab is akin to deweeding an agricultural field. You don't hate the weeds, you simply feel it is harmful. You consume anti-biotics not because you hate the bacteriae, but you want to preserve your physical body intact.

Our actions against terrorists are similar, and no doctor would waste his time in finding how the infection is caused after it afflicts a body. He would rather administer heavy dose of antibiotics to combat the intruders, only then he would think about further prevention.

Let Golden boy and Ayan Roy refrain from taking therepeutic actions, because they don't hate the bacteriae, let us all take the corrective steps, because we do not hate the pests, but we love our body.

Maaya- "I wonder how many of us would take up, if an offer is made, to personally pull switch that would hang Kasab."

You would be surprised at the answer you get.. in fact, in India, street justice is the norm, unless the police intervene.

If you ask me personally, I will have no problem with pulling the switch or lever. I will go home and probably have a drink after that!

Maaya,

I'd love to do it as well. Anything for my country.
So Maaya, did u get your answer? What's your next question?

Ledzius, thank you for answering so honestly.
Sam, I will wait for some more people to answer in the positive as readily before i settle issues in my own head.

We can vent, scream, shout, for revenge, justice, logic, reason etc. To be human is to be subject to a variety of emotional and rational responses that the "other side" will always be baffled about. We will always fail to appreciate the fragments of truth in the other's point of view. "Ideology is like bad breath; we are never aware of our own bad breath". Except for me, just kidding. Human, all too human.

Meanwhile, the law will take its course. Usually it does, but not always. No hardcore terrorist would be entirely unhappy at the amount of discussion, lather, venom, spleen, calls for logic and rationality their heinous actions are generating.

I may sound idealistic but it is a barbaric act for a society to kill another person no matter what the justification.
Secondly, it is well studied that capital punishment does not work as a deterrent.

More practically, if Kasab is left to live, he can be an asset used to un-brainwash those who have been sold into the idea of Jihad. He can be the poster boy which India can use as propaganda against Pakistan and terrorism.

This would be a more fitting response to terrorism than conveniently hanging him. Especially since several police officers died to ensure he was caught alive.

Ten years from now Kasab (alive) would be a more powerful memory for 26/11 than any monument erected by the candle holding brigade.

ajay,

the fact that capital punishment is a dead end not just for the sentenced but also for society, is a valid point of view that many, including me subscribe to. if by "idealistic" you mean, airy-fairy, unhinged from reality, i would disagree with you. i reject capital punishment, no iffs, no buts and I am not being idealistic. just my viewpoint though. nobody is forced to accept my viewpoint nor even asked to take it seriously. i believe what i believe, based not on scriptures nor so-called holy books, but based on my own so-called mind, reasoning etc. however imperfect they might be.

@commonsense, I am glad you share my views on capital punishment. When I said idealistic, I meant it in a context specific to India. I do not think Indian society is mature enough to reject capital punishment. Hence all views against capital punishment may sound idealistic in the main stream.

Ah, the lofty pedestal of deciding that our society isn't mature enough to reject capital punishment.

Kasab left to live and where exactly? Your home or mine? Definitely not in my home or my country. He is a twisted psychopath not a 2 year old kid who spat on someone's face.

A rabid dog on a short leash cannot be made into a house pet. Why is it so difficult for people to get. Wait a minute I ain't 'evolved' enough or maybe mature enough to get it.

Terrorists need to die undignified deaths - the more undignified, the better. That way the idiots who think that shahada is glory will think again, and maybe a third time.

Commonsense 24


What happens now if our friends hijack a plane with you on board and demand release of Kasab? What should we do, release Kasab or let them chop your head of?

Recall Maulana Masood Azhar?

Dee #26 - I really like your reply! You seem to have more balls and sense than some of the guys around here!

Deepti, maybe you are not, especially going by your choice of analogies.

Looking beyond just killing him in blind anger, what are your thoughts on using him as India's propaganda against terrorism, wouldn't he be more useful alive than dead? I also reiterate that the lives of police officers sacrificed in capturing him alive should not be in vain.

The whole of western Europe has abolished capital punishment along with two thirds of all countries in the world. Maybe they are on to something there.

Chandra, Khandahar was another case of a weak Indian policy on hostages. Thankfully, India has since legislated not to negotiate with hostage takers.

chandra,

my comment was about capital punishment.

So ajay, I take it once he serves his term he will live with you and you will maintain his cost of living, rehabilitation and more so bear the consequences of all his actions if he reverts back to his evil nature?

Why should we blindly follow the west? Are they still our lords and masters? Wait! They are far more evolved than us or like you said mature!

Selling us Indians short comes easy to some Desi pple as usual. We've been under the shadow of terrorism far longer than them and can teach them a thing or two on how to handle this issue.

You and I could go on debating this issue but in the end the matter lies in the hands of the Courts and I am thankfully for it.

Ledzuis, I am a liberal but I didn't know some liberal hearts could bleed to such ludicrous extent! May their hearts have the vigor to bear such onslaughts mine is already on a pace maker!

Chandra @28:

""Commonsense 24


What happens now if our friends hijack a plane with you on board and demand release of Kasab? What should we do, release Kasab or let them chop your head of?""

after thinking about it, i will take your fair question.

1. In theory, negotiation with terrorists should not happen. In practice, it happens all the time. The Israelis do it, the Americans do it, the British with the IRA used to do it etc. etc. And they all denied they did it, but everybody knows they are hypocrites. Particularly Margaret Thatcher, with her mixture of self-righteousness and fake upper class english accent.

3. The kasab situation is not the same. nobody disputes the fact that he gunned down scores of people. He does not. The law will take its course.

3. If a plane with me were hijacked, would my head be sacrificed? Well it would depend on whether or not i was the son or daughter of some high-ranking official or minister. But once again, this scenario is not the one we are confronted with Kasab. He is not threatening to kill people in cold blood, but has already done so.

4.The Indian law will take its own course, and this is how it should be. My opposition to capital punishment does not mean that I disregard others' non-opposition to it. It is just an opinion, not a fundmentalist stricture for everyone to follow.

"Why should we blindly follow the west? Are they still our lords and masters? Wait! They are far more evolved than us or like you said mature!"

The countries which have abolished capital punishment include several from Africa, South America even Nepal and Bhutan. Cambodia has also abolished it, in spite of suffering a brutal genocide.

"I take it once he serves his term he will live with you and you will maintain his cost of living"

You surely must have heard of life imprisonment. We do provide for several thousand convicted prisoners anyway, so another one will not make a difference. Or do you suggest we bump them all off too?

I am not showing sympathy towards Kasab in anyway, he can serve rigorous imprisonment in India's high security prison. As a propaganda tool he is more valuable alive than dead. Since you are blinded by anger I doubt if you can see this point of view.

Ruvy:

"Terrorists need to die undignified deaths - the more undignified, the better."

would this apply to kahane too?

Ajay, I have already pointed out why harboring terrorists is a liability and not something I or many Indians are willing to pay for. Your propaganda argument is weak and SS already covered it on another thread as have I.

You feel so keenly on keeping him alive then let him be your house guest and you bear the expenditure. Don't expect the state and society, whom you have little regard for as it, to baby sit for your feel good holier than thou emotions.

Your idea of a propaganda your liability. Take some personal responsibility for the screwed up ideas you espouse and nestle the viper close to your bosom under strict security.

And dude I am asking you hard questions because in the end we all have to walk the talk and I am playing hard ball with you and calling you out on your views. If you see it as anger so be it that is your way of trying to feel good about your 'gentle' self and put me down. I don't care either way.

I rather spend my taxes on helping the poor of our country and not pay for Kasab to be treated like an animal in a zoo to be ogled at and made an example of. That in fact in my books is far more deeming and uncivilized.

Hang him as per the law and have some priest read over his grave. That much consolation we as a nation who have suffered under his hand can offer his parents. Now that is what I call showing grace, not some media driven cheap ass propoganda.

would this apply to (the martyred Rav) Kahane too?

You can't kill a dead man twice - or his son - or his daughter-in-law. And I would say that assassination either by an Arab terrorist who gets off scot free in an American court with a no-balls legal system, or by sniper fire that blow you and your wife to bits and orphan your children is not too dignified.

Terrorists should be murdered off with the same dignity they give their victims - in this case, hanging is too good for the SOB. He should be tortured to death, which is what he did to his victims.

ruvy:

"Terrorists should be murdered off with the same dignity they give their victims"

in other words, just deserts for kahane? i'm afraid, i don't subscribe to this an eye for an eye logic. come to think of it, i don't even like the "two eyes for an eye" logic either.

I'm not really talking about Kahane, commonsense, you are. But since you are, let me bring you my best wishes,

Love and kisses,
Ruvy

Gentlemen, Kasab and the Joker are the topics of discussion.

No one cares for the Joker:(

Ruvy,

Love and kisses to you too. And hugs as well.

Aaman, thanks for bringing me in line...despite all my resolutions to behave...ah...

Deepti,

I am curious to learn on why do you think that Kasab is a psychopath. He did not do this on his own. He was trained by "handlers". If you were to say that the "handlers" are psychopath there may be some meat to it; it is also possible that the "handlers" are working on a cold blooded logic for "greening" this world starting with their neighbours.

It is like punishing the drug-peddler lowest totem-pole with life while the dealer and producer are left untouched. You have to deal with the drug-peddler with appropriate punishment but also address the larger issue of the drug dealer and producers.

In this instance, the "handlers" have perfected the technique of churning out kasabs as part of a normal graduation after the three month-course. They wrote off the graduates the moment they got campus placement with one of the satellite agencies.

We should be like the Chinese who withheld the American super-secret plane early in Bush 43rd first term. We should keep Kasab alive and learn everything that there is about this network. We have to find a means to deal with this network.

I personally think that people who feel that Kasab will be executed before all information is retrieved are naive with respect to how Mumbai police operates. By this time Kasab has probably revealed everything he ever knew or can dare to remember. Mumbai police has been widely criticized for the techniques they use to draw out information from suspects and I am pretty sure he is not going to the gallows without being milked thoroughly by their detectives.

Even if Kasab is at the very lowest rung of this terror chain, he still was the one to pull the trigger without any remorse or respect for the intrinsic value of life. There were several things he could have done differently. Many people come out of poverty and deal with their own wretched situations differently. They do not go around shooting innocent civilians at railway stations. If there is absolutely no consequence for his actions then I believe it will not only mean that we are setting an example, a precedent for other such criminals to come but also there will be no closure for the aggrieved families that lost their loved ones to Kasab's callousness.

In conclusion, I think people who feel that this man should not be hanged have yet to lose someone to a violent act of terrorism. They probably do not know the anger one feels when someone walks into a city you call home and just opens fire on a person you were waiting for to come home at night. They simply don't know how it is to never see or hear these people in their lives again not because there is a system in place in Pakistan or because of some extremist group but solely because Kasab pulled the trigger when he could have chosen not to.

Its very easy to preach about turning the other cheek but when you lose a child or a parent or a spouse to a brazen man's bullet, you want him to feel that panic, a fear that comes over a person when faced with his mortality.

Rohit, would you be willing to kill innocent people if you were handed a gun? I don't think so.

You forget the man came into contact with the terrorists while he was looking for a gun to do decoity. He already was a pyschopath!

Aditi, sometimes I wonder whether some people on this board have ever come across a hardened criminal and observed his twisted mind where he blames everyone else for his deeds but himself.

My best friend's neighbors in Delhi were robbed and killed in armed decoity with the entire neighborhood standind outside.

People who didnt even know the family had tears streaming down their eyes. But once the criminals were caught none of the neighbors wanted to bear witness in court except for my friend and her parents.

My friend and her family after hearing the screams for mercy and help became quite firm in wanting death penalty for those hardened criminals and were the only ones with balls who cooperated with the cops.

Its very easy to sit in the comforts of our homes and hypothesize or follow some peaceful religious preachings and completely swing to the other extremes as have been done here.

If their hearts bleed for pyschopaths let them take care of all the terrorists who cross over and rape and kill. They won't last a minute in their company much less be able to offer their homes as a rehabilitation sanctuary. Utter bladderdash!

Aditi: I so so completely agree with you. And it is precisely this that "creates" terrorists. How many violently angry people do you think will be spawned in Iraq, Afghanisthan, Palestine, Cambodia ... ? People who have seen loved ones dying, families being wiped out, being tortured and raped and mutilated. What happens to them, to their anger, to their angst ? Is such an angst easy to convert into a weapon? Terrorism rarely comes out of poverty - it almost always is driven by a political agenda - agendas of the "powers" and "handlers" who scour the remotest of areas in search of people who are "angry", who can become an easy tool to pull their chestnuts out of the fire - whether it is a seperatist agenda, a religious agenda or an economic agenda.

And how many of us in their very forum feel it is justified to kill Kasab and his likes even though most of us *haven't* lost our loved ones ... all of us terrorist material, believe me :)

What one (or at least I am) saying is not that Kasab should not be punished. He will be. Nobody is saying he is to be set scot free to live in your and my house ... but to see the situation with a deeper understanding. The action might be the same, but the intent is different.

Sorry, but did not mean to preach.

Deepti: Exactly Deepti. I agree. Kasab would have become a dacoit. But he became a terrorist. He was used (and he allowed himself to be used), by others, those unseen people who never come to the fore, who we can never identify. Kasab will be hanged or whatever. That is a given.

And are we going to be happy with this? Feel safe with the Kasabs gone? Are we never going to examine or think how we will deal with the remaining part of the iceberg?

Maaya , #46 and 47- What is the point you are trying to make?

[EDITED - PERSONAL]

Dee #26

>>Kasab left to live and where exactly? Your home or mine? Definitely not in my home or my country. He is a twisted psychopath not a 2 year old kid who spat on someone's face.

Given that you are unlikely to take in a thief or a rapist or a person convicted of assault in your house, should they be hanged too. That unfortunately is the implication in your argument.

Regarding capital punishment: Prior to Khandhar, I was opposed to capital punishment. Given Indian propensity to release terrorists for hostages and Indian Judicial point of view that it should be applied in the rarest of rare cases, I had changed my prior stance. Someone did mention that we are rushing to conclusion despite the case not being concluded in the courts, but in this case, the evidence is very straight forward with witnesses and the conclusion is foregone (i.e death sentence).

Maya, what do you think decoits do? Steal your stuff and leave you alive? Which part of the world do you live in? They kill the family, rape if they have time and then rob. Its a known fact. What do you think a psychopath is?

I am quite happy doing all these sorts of people. They are far gone cases! Cannot be released in society and too expensive to maintain in prisons which btw are there for rehabilitation and not to treated like guest houses.

I already spoke about 'your deeper understanding' - engage the population where the terrorist harvest, promote the peaceful aspects of Islam and the cause of democracy and those who still harm the innocents should have their day in court and be hung.

And those who feel these people can be rehabilitated or things like can be brought around in the grand scheme of things should pack their bags and go and try convincing the Taliban and other terrorist organization of their higher message since it takes two to tango.

Keeping one dumb fuck of a terrorist alive and more like him won't make their master minds have a change of heart since its a war of ideology. The attacks will continue. So weeding them out is the best option along with the stuff I spoke above.

Dark Lord, having been a Delhi-ite I know there is no such thing as a common thief, or a harmless rapist or a person who breaks in and merely assaults you.

We've had people trying to break into our home more than once. Its a scary feeling. We've seen riots and have saved our Sikh neighbors, I and others have suffered molestation in buses and in public places and know if someone breaks into my home while I am there I am as good as dead.

I don't need to give links etc the newspapers report them all the time.

And I have already given my argument why terrorists should be hung- danger to national security and our limited resources can be put to better use.

to state the obvious (commonsense!), there will be a variety of views/opinions on even the most mundane of social issues. on non-mundane issues such as this, it is unlikely that there will be just one view that everybody is expected to accept. unfortunately, the tenor of the discussion here appears to be "hey it's either my way or the highway". not to be preachy, but this is indeed unfortunate.

on second thoughts, there would be no interesting discussions and exchanges if everyone agreed to tamely respect the views of everyone. that would be pretty boring. is there a middle way?

Commonsense:""hey it's either my way or the highway""

You mean choose between a dead Kasab or a not-so-dead Kasab? Prison is hardly the middle way.

OTOH, I stand corrected. As per Buddha we should strive for middle path. Kasab the undead. Lol! Very cool!

CS, there is no such thing as a half a truth, little pregnant or meeting half way on issues such as death penalty or abortion.

But I'm exhausted with this discussion and think I don't have much to say on this topic.

So taking a leaf from your book and moving on to talk about the swine flu.

Deepti:

"CS, there is no such thing as a half a truth, little pregnant or meeting half way on issues such as death penalty or abortion."

completely agree on the issue of pregnancy. there is no such thing as "a little pregnant"; however when it comes to attitudes towards pregnancy, the death penalty, abortion, overating, fasting, suicide, brad pitt, the quality of my posts on DC etc, it is hard to imagine a total consensus in the form of "well either she is pregnant or she is not" and those are the only two alternatives on offer.

Laxmi Bai,

"You mean choose between a dead Kasab or a not-so-dead Kasab? Prison is hardly the middle way."

No, I mean there can never be total consensus on many social issues, ie. is why it is not a question of "either my way or the highway". It is not a criminal offence, not yet anyway, to express one's opinions that are contrary to what a majority thinks, as long as I don't believe that only I am right. Since you hate Hitler and Mussolini, I assume you would not disagree with me. But then again..."ideology is like bad breath; we are aware only of others' bad breath and ideologies"

commonsense

"""No, I mean there can never be total consensus on many social issues, ie. is why it is not a question of "either my way or the highway"... Since you hate Hitler and Mussolini, I assume you would not disagree with me. But then again"""

"""...however when it comes to attitudes towards pregnancy, the death penalty, abortion, overating, fasting, suicide, brad pitt, the quality of my posts on DC etc, it is hard to imagine a total consensus in the form of "well either she is pregnant or she is not" and those are the only two alternatives on offer..."""




Conversely, not everything in this world is in shades of Grey, which is itself derived from the monochrome colors Black and White.

Time to goosestep away from the computer. Oh, and don't worry, I won't be dispatching my Waffen goons over to pick you up!

Laxmi Bai:

""Conversely, not everything in this world is in shades of Grey, which is itself derived from the monochrome colors Black and White.""

I have no choice but to disagree, but not in a disagreeable manner. Except of course, I agree with the second half of your claim. As for the first half: well, maybe not EVERYTHING, but pretty close to everything always comes in shades of gray. Otherwise we might as well give up on what it is to be human (according to me at least, but no necessarily binding on others)

Hang Kasab and get on with it. No question of life imprisonment because it is impractical. We donot want to be releasing him because some plane got hijacked sometime in the future.

Deepti Lamba # 51

>>Dark Lord, having been a Delhi-ite I know there is no such thing as a common thief, or a harmless rapist or a person who breaks in and merely assaults you...and I have already given my argument why terrorists should be hung- danger to national security and our limited resources can be put to better use.

A) From the blog entry, I thought you were saying Kasab is evil and that is the reason for him to be hung.
B) More importantly, be it a thief or a rapist, our "limited" resources are better spent by not feeding and accommodating them in jails.


>>I don't need to give links etc the newspapers report them all the time.

Going by rudimentary newspaper reports will result in a bias. A newspaper is more likely to report an eve-teasing incident resulting in murder than an eve-teasing incident not resulting in murder.

Kasab refuses food in jail, says he wants 'Mutton Biryani'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/mumbai/Kasab-refuses-food-in-jail-says-he-wants-Mutton-Biryani-/articleshow/4864027.cms

MUMBAI: Jail authorities on Thursday complained to a special court that prime accused in 26/11 terror attack case Mohammed Ajmal Kasab has refused
to eat food and thrown away utensils in his cell saying that he wants to have 'mutton biryani'.

The judge M L Tahaliyani reprimanded Kasab for his rude behaviour and warned him to behave himself or else face stringent action.

This is not for the first time that Kasab has thrown tantrums. Even earlier, he had thrown away the utensils in which he was served food, the jail authorities complained.

Kasab's behaviour was brought to the notice of the court after he refused to eat food yesterday and banged the utensil against the wall.

The jail authorities informed the court that Kasab was served same food which was given to other prisoners.

When Judge M L Tahaliyani asked Kasab whether he had behaved rudely with jail staff, he stood up and said "Yes sir".

Kasab is lodged in the high security central prison at Arthur Road. The court is also housed in the same compound.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam condemned Kasab's behaviour saying he was throwing tantrums every now and then.

Nikam said he had read reports in a section of the media that on Raksha Bandhan day, Kasab had asked his lawyer after the court proceedings whether anyone would tie Rakhi to him.

This, he said, was deliberately leaked to the media and the ploy of Kasab was to gain sympathy of the people.

Kasab is very clever and should not be allowed to throw tantrums, Nikam said.

Meanwhile, jail sources said they would keep a strict watch on Kasab. There are CCTV cameras installed in his cell and his movements are being monitored, they said.

Should we pay for his tantrums as well?
He is a wicked boy and needs no mercy.


He throws utensils around....jeez!!

Sam:

"Should we pay for his tantrums as well?"

I don't think so! he can pay for his own rum, if he drinks alcohol. as for the tent, he does not need one.

N: He fesses up because he cannot accept a life with only vegetable diet.
t: Yes, I see now, that would be a double whammy. Vegetating as a veggie. link

Mutton suggestion for Kasab:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7JzKfJbcn4

The jail bird wants Rakhis instead of love letters? LOL! Yup, he is so bloody reformable. I am willing to send him my mutton biryani as a belated Rakhi present. Its so bad he will never ever ask for the dish or an Indian sister:P

what a shit stain of a human. he murders people then wants biryani and praise as a good brother?

what a tool.

I would feel bad for his sheer naive nature, but really... he's a cold blooded killer. feed him only turnips and bitter gourd sambhar, which is much more than he deserves. were I in charge of his diet he'd be eating tree grubs and sawdust.

SS:

"feed him only turnips and bitter gourd sambhar, which is much more than he deserves.tree grubs and sawdust"

a treat for some. except for the sawdust!

yes well I do love both myself.. I was not trying to disparage them... I was thinking about what might be the desi polar opposite to mutton biryani.... not the tree grubs...

perhaps tree grub biyani, seasoned with a sprinkling of sawdust...

there are hard working, hungry people who deserve the rice.. don't waste it!

grubs, plain. no masala.

smallsquirrel:

""I was thinking about what might be the desi polar opposite to mutton biryani.... not the tree grubs...""

In the North, Kichidi.
South...Starch and Rice.

Of the two, Kichidi is not too bad. It is generally consumed when one is sick or when you need to cook a quick meal.

rani.. I guess.. maybe, actually I think the opposite would be just plain upma in the south.

Jowar roti and pickle. But then again thats the food the farmers subsist on.

He's no doubt a wicked minded. I can only imagine what shall happen if he gets a life sentence.

And how many more are like him in Pakistan training day in day out to come kill us!