Two interesting news items in the British press, one inspiring...one pathetic.
The first concerns how to fight terrorism...and win! Terrorists use the local population in Northwest Pakistan like the New Jersey militia used the local population of Pennsylvania when it was putting down the Whisky Rebellion. That is, they barge into houses and demand food and lodging.
One brave man said 'no.'
The terrorists were giving him a good thrashing when his daughter took the initiative. She hit one with an axe, took is AK47, and shot him dead. The other two fled.
Once again, we see how private initiative - at negligible cost - can succeed where trillion-dollar government boondoggles fail. Why make a federal case out of it? Got a problem with a terrorist? Whack him!
The other story was front-page fodder for the Telegraph last week. It illustrated the real problem with suicidal people - they think only of themselves.
A young woman was depressed because she couldn't have children. She decided to kill herself. She drank poison...and then called the ambulance. At the hospital, she was still conscious and told doctors that under UK legislation she had a "right to die." The doctors were forbidden from treating her. She died.
Naturally, her parents were upset. Hadn't the doctors taken an oath? Weren't they morally bound to intervene, no matter what the law said? She made them all complicit in a homicide. A more considerate person would have stayed home.
Until tomorrow,
Bill Bonner
for The Daily Reckoning Australia
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About the Author
Best-selling investment author Bill Bonner is the founder and president of Agora Publishing, one of the world's most successful consumer newsletter companies. Owner of both Fleet Street Publications and MoneyWeek magazine in the UK, he is also author of the free daily e-mail The Daily Reckoning.
Comment by dsylexic on 6 October 2009:
umm the woman whacking terrorist incident happened in Kashmir-india and not NWFP pakistan.a little fact checking perhaps,my man
Comment by Dan on 6 October 2009:
"Naturally, her parents were upset. Hadn't the doctors taken an oath? Weren't they morally bound to intervene, no matter what the law said? She made them all complicit in a homicide. A more considerate person would have stayed home."
Not an easy one. Suicidal ideation and suicidality are a mental illness, and a person ought not to be considered mentally competent in such a case as this (and therefore receive full treatment). But doctors generally don't take the oath, FYI, nor do they usually subscribe to the Geneva Oath's strong wording, although the public believes they do. There are many systems now where repeat drug overdoses are not treated at all.
Comment by mike on 7 October 2009:
...it's a pity the terrorists weren't cannibals because then the daughter and her father could have eaten well for many days...