Senate Suicide Sob Sisters
Published July 09, 2004
"Pity is the most agreeable feeling among those who have little pride and no prospects of great conquests: for them easy prey--and that is what all who suffer are--is enchanting. Pity is praised as the virtue of prostitutes." - Nietzsche, from The Gay Science
Thursday, July 8, 2004, the United States Senate abandoned the business of the nation for a few hours to indulge in a pity party on company time - and certainly very much on the company dime.
Oregon Republican Gordon Smith took the floor to introduce a $60 million dollar suicide prevention bill, but really mostly to talk about his college age son who killed himself last fall. "He saw only despair ahead and felt only pain in his present. Pain and despair so potent that he sought suicide as a release. As a release."
He put on quite a good show for C-Span, sobbing and giving us the sad details of his adoptive son's bipolar disorder, and such what.
But Nevada Democrat Harry Reid would not be denied an opportunity to nuzzle up and get a mouth full of public sympathy from the pity titty, giving us sad details about his father who killed himself.
It's probably just as well that C-Span cut out before Oklahoma Republican Don Nickles rose to tell about his suicide dad, and before hugging and commiseration all around played out.
This story was fairly pathetic just from reading the news story, but seeing it on C-Span 2 got disgusting real quick. This display was really wrong on SO many different levels. I, for one, felt a kind of queasy nausea, like Zarathustra.
First of all, our enemies must have just LOVED this. They are predisposed to think that we're weak, too sensitive and overcome by emotion to deal with them. US Senators crying and hugging and moaning about their personal sad family stories on the senate floor perfectly supports that image. This is the US Senate, the highest elected body in the land- and they turn into a bunch of girly men crying over their personal feelings about their family tragedies. Crikey, if this is our elite leadership, think what a bunch of soft little sob sisters the rank and file must be.
Second, they're indulging themselves on company time. It's unfortunate about poor Garrett Smith killing himself. Sounds like he was a real nice kid. If the senator or his family wants to talk to me after hours, or after the senate recesses for the season, I'll be happy to give them pastoral counseling with a sympathetic ear.
Not while they're on the floor and supposed to be conducting the nation's business, though. That's not the time or place for such stuff. You've got a few limited days and hours to take care of the important business of a vast nation. Cry on your own time.
Now, I don't mean to be insensitive. Losing a child or father like this would be horrible, and you would be expected to have deep personal feelings. If Senator Smith really feels this strongly, perhaps he should resign his senate seat. Then he could dedicate his life to preventing suicide. He could go speak at local high schools, or whatever it is that you do... I didn't think so.
- Senate Suicide Sob Sisters
- Published: July 09, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Politics
- Filed Under: Books: Literature and Fiction, Books: Philosophy
- Writer: Al Barger
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Comments on this articleComments
I didn't see the emotional display on C-Span, but I did see an article about the Bill and how it was presented. Every part of it seemed distasteful to me; thank you for articulating so well what I couldn't quite put into words.
What's next?
...Allowing family members of crime victims to testify at the sentencing hearings?
Oh... wait...
nevermind...
"...our enemies must have just LOVED this. They...think that we're weak, too sensitive and overcome by emotion to deal with them... Senators crying and hugging and moaning about their personal sad family stories... supports that image."
Past encounters:
Shark: "No wonder they hate us."
Right Wingers: "Pinko! Treason! Turncoat! Terrorist Supporter! America-Hater!"
Big Al, glad to see you've joined the leftist liberal anti-USAers who unpatriotically criticize their fellow Americans.
Welcome, Comrade!
"What's next?
"...Allowing family members of crime victims to testify at the sentencing hearings?"
This is actually a hotly-debated issue in criminal justice circles. Should this be allowed? I'm not sure. Appealing the the emotions of a judge or jury instead of the facts is not ideal. However, it does allow the victims and loved-ones of the victims some sense of "doing something" instead of feeling helpless while a government prosecutor does whatever he wants, regardless of the wishes of the wronged.
RJ: "...This is actually a hotly-debated issue in criminal justice circles. Should this be allowed? ...Appealing the the emotions of a judge or jury instead of the facts is not ideal. However, it does allow the victims and loved-ones of the victims some sense of "doing something"...
"Doing something": That's the job of the "jury of peers".
Law influenced by appeals to emotion is no longer law; it's revenge.
Same goes for senate actions; if they write a check everytime someone who's suffered a tragedy testifies and squirts a few, *Noah better be Speaker of the House.
*(biblical reference meant to invoke an image of water, a ship, and lots of **"Ham" filling the Senate)
**son of Noah -- Jeez, didn't you people go to Vacation Bible School?!
Heh.
But "revenge" is partly the point. The criminal justice system was implemented partly to prevent "blood feuds" and the like from occuring. If the state steps in an exacts "revenge" against the guilty, then the victim(s) will not feel the need to do so.
Allowing victims to become part of the process is all part of the "victims' rights" movement, which is basically a pro-revenge movement.
As I stated, this is currently a subject of much debate amongst criminal justice types. I tend to oppose such statements before a verdict, but allow them, with qualifications, when determining the sentence after conviction.
YMMV...
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/17255)
This is pure emotionalism. No cold, logical debate on this issue. Just grown men, sobbing. Pathetic.
Maybe it's a good bill. If so, defend it on its merits. Don't break down in front of the TV cameras like a little boy, and then demand that the bill passes, and anyone who votes against it is a heartless sub-human.
Al, I truly hope you win your Senate seat. I would never expect this kind of inane tripe from you. Maybe the soccer moms eat this crap up, but the informed voters don't.