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House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

bbc.co.uk

71–80 of 161 posts

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#71
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It helps if you contribute factual and useful information instead of trite emotional attacks.

Better to attack bigots who stand against marriage equality than to stand with them.

I'm a bigot? Please, look up the definition of bigot and then look in the mirror. I even explicitly said I was tolerant of gays. You are the one intolerant of others' opinions.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#72

The bigger issue here is that people look to governments and religions for pardons, permission and other validation. People that see some kind of meaning in empty gestures like a posthumous pardon (after shaming and chemically castrating the man) are grossly mislead. Buying into the hype of government is what gives governments the power to commit senseless crimes like what was done to Alan Turing and many, many crime…

well this is certainly a new one.

complete and utter denial of government's existence and influence. not sure where this one falls on the left/right spectrum.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#73
post #64
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You keep arguing with logical fallacies, but I'll respond anyway. Russia is doing quite well and just became the 5th largest economy[1]. They also have a news station (Russia Today) which reports on real issues - unlike western "mainstream" media. You act as if Russia is some backwater slump and not a growing modern nation. Meanwhile the western world is teetering into bankruptcy. You won't know which side of history…

It's interesting that you talk about others' logical fallacies, yet you started the thread with a fallacy (appeal to majority).

I didn't use my appeal to the majority as a support to my argument. My argument was simply not to conflate the issues. If I would have said "The majority of people are opposed to gay marriage, therefore it should be banned", then that would have been a fallacy.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#74
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, how are things waaaay over there on the wrong side of history?

You keep arguing with logical fallacies, but I'll respond anyway. Russia is doing quite well and just became the 5th largest economy[1]. They also have a news station (Russia Today) which reports on real issues - unlike western "mainstream" media. You act as if Russia is some backwater slump and not a growing modern nation. Meanwhile the western world is teetering into bankruptcy. You won't know which side of history…

America grew very well economically while - and partly due to - using African slaves. The European empires dominated the planet economically while believing they had a divine mandate to exploit the savages. Wealth generation has nothing to do with the goodness of a behaviour or attitude.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#75
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better to attack bigots who stand against marriage equality than to stand with them.

I'm a bigot? Please, look up the definition of bigot and then look in the mirror. I even explicitly said I was tolerant of gays. You are the one intolerant of others' opinions.

You don't believe they deserve equal protection under the law? Oh yeah, so tolerant. Congratulation on your unprecedented tolerance.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#76

The bigger issue here is that people look to governments and religions for pardons, permission and other validation. People that see some kind of meaning in empty gestures like a posthumous pardon (after shaming and chemically castrating the man) are grossly mislead. Buying into the hype of government is what gives governments the power to commit senseless crimes like what was done to Alan Turing and many, many crime…

I would argue the opposite: that empty gestures such as these call public attention to the fact that laws and governments are fallible and sometimes unjust.

Imagine the social significance in the U.S. if Congress officially apologized for MLK being mailed a letter suggesting he commit suicide, or for overthrowing the leadership of Iran in the 50s, any of the other misdeeds that have gone down the memory hole.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#77
post #13
post #2

Shouldn't all people punished under criminalization of homosexuality be retrospectively pardoned?

This is possibly why Turing isn't pardoned - it'll open the doors for all the (living) homosexuals who were convicted to make compensation claims.

Listening to the video, I believe one of the lords mentioned they had done just that - pardon all the people convicted by that law who were still alive today. I'll try to find a news reference.

The question, now, is whether to posthumously pardon the others.

Update: Found an article. Turns out they haven't been pardoned, but their convictions are now "disregarded" and no longer appear on their criminal record[1].

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/historic-convictions-for-...

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#78
post #29
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, let's. If homosexuals should be allowed to experience their sexuality than why not permit them to fulfill their emotional, romantic, and other needs? It's such an artificial line to draw and we certainly can discuss both gay marriage and the legality of homosexuality in the same discussion.

The problem arises that the legality of marriage was designed around traditional families. There's nothing that stops homosexuals from fulfilling their emotional, romantic, and other needs. But when you involved tax deductions because children are such an expensive commitment, it gets hairy. I do support civil unions (but not gay adoption), and I am tolerant of gays (I discuss these issues with friends who are gay),…

Your stated reason for opposing gay marriage is that it involves tax deductions because children are an expensive commitment. Then, in the very next sentence, you say you don't support gay adoption. So you oppose gay marriage because they can't have the kids you want to keep from them?

Let me guess: You don't support gay adoption because gay parents can't afford it, what with not having marriage-related tax breaks?

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#79
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Majority of which population?

Majority of people - so the world population.

Yeah, I understood that's what you were talking about, from other comments - I was wondering which rmc was speaking of.

As to world population, I'm not sure you're correct (but also not at all sure you're incorrect). Yes, Russia and much of Africa and certainly the Middle East can be assumed to be majority opposed, but I'm not sure about Asian countries and that's a lot of people. Much of the west is obviously trending against you.

Re: House of Lords debates pardon for Alan Turing

#80

The bigger issue here is that people look to governments and religions for pardons, permission and other validation. People that see some kind of meaning in empty gestures like a posthumous pardon (after shaming and chemically castrating the man) are grossly mislead. Buying into the hype of government is what gives governments the power to commit senseless crimes like what was done to Alan Turing and many, many crime…

Gay marriage is different from posthumously pardoning somebody.

Marriage is not just some meaningless thing, it's a contract, and it comes with all kinds of benefits - lower taxes, visitation rights, medical decisions, common property, etc.

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