Comments on: Alan Turing http://blog.lesgray.co.uk/2009/09/alan-turing/ Because staying sane is a full time job Sun, 23 May 2010 20:42:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Les http://blog.lesgray.co.uk/2009/09/alan-turing/comment-page-1/#comment-2860 Les Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:35:15 +0000 http://blog.lesgray.co.uk/2009/09/alan-turing/#comment-2860 Yes. I am commenting to my own posts and yes, I am very probably the only one reading them. Yes, this is, perhaps more than a little bit sad but in my experience debates are best had only with yourself. You always win and can change your mind and swap sides without any whining and moaning from others. I heartily recommend the practice. To myself, obviously. Yes. I am commenting to my own posts and yes, I am very probably the only one reading them. Yes, this is, perhaps more than a little bit sad but in my experience debates are best had only with yourself. You always win and can change your mind and swap sides without any whining and moaning from others. I heartily recommend the practice.

To myself, obviously.

]]> By: Les http://blog.lesgray.co.uk/2009/09/alan-turing/comment-page-1/#comment-2859 Les Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:31:38 +0000 http://blog.lesgray.co.uk/2009/09/alan-turing/#comment-2859 In a similar vein, I hear victims of IRA bombs are trying to sue Libya because... a company there made the explosive! I understand that victims want to feel some justice is being done but honestly, where does this sort of thing stop? Should the world sue the Chinese for inventing gunpowder? Can we sue Mercedes Benz because they invented the internal combustion engine that powers cars that kill tens of thousands of people every year even though the cars are driven by idiots? How about Einstein? His estate must have a few quid from all those t-shirts, mugs and little nodding Einstein figurines. After all, without his little nugget letting us know just how much energy there is to be liberated from a given quantity of matter, we may not have had nuclear weapons for many years hence. I'm guessing that today's peoples who still suffer from the genetic aftermath of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl etc. would be very interested in a class action against our frizzy headed Uncle Albert. Just another example of people understandably seeking out some compensation for the pain inflicted on them. Of course, it's easy for me to say that the search is misguided as I sit typing this with my body for the most part complete and functional and without having lost loved ones to monsters who thought bombing innocents was justifiable and I cannot offer the slightest hint of an alternative but it does just seem a bit of a stretch. Libya deserves sanctions and other diplomatic pressure for all kinds of reasons just as on some matters, so might Britain but let's not forget that we have a substantial and long-lived arms industry in this country and we're rather throwing explosive stones from the open skylight of our very own glasshouse here. Let's hope that the victims of every terror group, dictatorship, guerilla and unstable government that we've ever thrown weapons and training at don't come out seeking compensation from our aerospace and weapons companies. In a similar vein, I hear victims of IRA bombs are trying to sue Libya because… a company there made the explosive! I understand that victims want to feel some justice is being done but honestly, where does this sort of thing stop? Should the world sue the Chinese for inventing gunpowder? Can we sue Mercedes Benz because they invented the internal combustion engine that powers cars that kill tens of thousands of people every year even though the cars are driven by idiots? How about Einstein? His estate must have a few quid from all those t-shirts, mugs and little nodding Einstein figurines. After all, without his little nugget letting us know just how much energy there is to be liberated from a given quantity of matter, we may not have had nuclear weapons for many years hence. I’m guessing that today’s peoples who still suffer from the genetic aftermath of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl etc. would be very interested in a class action against our frizzy headed Uncle Albert.

Just another example of people understandably seeking out some compensation for the pain inflicted on them. Of course, it’s easy for me to say that the search is misguided as I sit typing this with my body for the most part complete and functional and without having lost loved ones to monsters who thought bombing innocents was justifiable and I cannot offer the slightest hint of an alternative but it does just seem a bit of a stretch.

Libya deserves sanctions and other diplomatic pressure for all kinds of reasons just as on some matters, so might Britain but let’s not forget that we have a substantial and long-lived arms industry in this country and we’re rather throwing explosive stones from the open skylight of our very own glasshouse here.

Let’s hope that the victims of every terror group, dictatorship, guerilla and unstable government that we’ve ever thrown weapons and training at don’t come out seeking compensation from our aerospace and weapons companies.

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