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About ArmaVirumque ( AHR-mah wih-ROOM-kweh) In the Aeneid, the Roman poet Virgil sang of "arms and a man" (Arma virumque cano). Month in and month out, The New Criterion expounds with great clarity and wit on the art, culture, and political controversies of our times. With postings of reviews, essays, links, recs, and news, Armavirumque seeks to continue this mission in accordance with the timetable of the digital age. Recent posts
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Feb 10, 2005 08:55 AM
"Democratic civilization," the philosopher Jean-Fran�ois Revel once observed, "is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it." I thought of Revel’s comment when reading The Daily Telegraph’s story about the the 35-year-old Algerian member of al Qaeda who had been been released from prison because he was depressed. Yes, you read that correctly: "G.," as the chap is identified--real names are changed to protect the guilty--"had been released on house arrest after suffering a mental breakdown in custody." Well, you know how these Algerian terrorists are: they don’t like to remain cooped-up at home. It makes them nervous. We don’t know much about G., except that in October 2003 he was put in the pokey because the Court had concluded that he had "actively assisted terrorists who have links to al-Qa’eda." So now the poor baby is depressed. So what? Being bonkers is part of what it means to be a terrorist. Osama (if he is still with us) is probably pretty depressed, too. I certainly hope so. According to the police, G. violated house arrest by receiving unauthorized "visitors." (I wonder who? Did anyone check their headgear?) The Home Secretary wanted to send G. back to jail. But the judge, a Mr. Justice Collins, ruled that the crown had failed to prove "to the necessary standard" that G. had wrongly violated house arrest. G.’s solicitor likened the risk of bail being wrongly withdrawn to the "’sword of Damocles hanging over anyone’s head,’" and said that it was the "’ultimate nightmare’" for G. "to be at the mercy of secret evidence that he was unable to disprove." Well, my ultimate nightmare is the spectacle of convicted terrorists set free courtesy the suicidal machinations of liberal lawyers and conniving courts. Hat tip to Horsefeathers for the Telegraph story.
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