Retirement Age in the Honorverse

tlb wrote:Depending on intent, there can be a real difference between someone who kills one person and someone who kills several. The only argument that I find good against capital punishment is the possibility of executing an innocent person. Where there is certainty that someone has killed others, then there is no reason to sentence to life. Perhaps if they only killed one, then there might be extenuating reasons to think that they may not kill again and could someday be released into society.

cthia wrote:I can certainly appreciate the possibility that someone who has killed only once should generally be considered for parole, but certainly weighing each circumstance.

At any rate, killing only one person definitely being indicative of rehab material certainly isn't written in stone. I'd say it would depend on the particulars of that one kill. If someone shows an aversion to sick depravity like what's found in Silence of the Lambs and butchered an infant to small child and was caught eating it, or did something like stabbed a 7 yr-old girl over 250 times, then do proceed to build the prison atop him.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:You do realize that the biggest killers of young children (under 12) are their mothers?

tlb wrote:Depending on intent, there can be a real difference between someone who kills one person and someone who kills several. The only argument that I find good against capital punishment is the possibility of executing an innocent person. Where there is certainty that someone has killed others, then there is no reason to sentence to life. Perhaps if they only killed one, then there might be extenuating reasons to think that they may not kill again and could someday be released into society.

cthia wrote:I can certainly appreciate the possibility that someone who has killed only once should generally be considered for parole, but certainly weighing each circumstance.

At any rate, killing only one person definitely being indicative of rehab material certainly isn't written in stone. I'd say it would depend on the particulars of that one kill. If someone shows an aversion to sick depravity like what's found in Silence of the Lambs and butchered an infant to small child and was caught eating it, or did something like stabbed a 7 yr-old girl over 250 times, then do proceed to build the prison atop him.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:You do realize that the biggest killers of young children (under 12) are their mothers?

tlb wrote:I do not think that changes anything in the analysis (except cthia probably meant inclination, instead of aversion).

saber964 wrote:The probable reason why in the RMN Slaving and Piracy are immediate capital offences are because usually the evidence is immediate and overwhelming.

Oh,we've caught Mr. Slaver, he has violated the equipment clause or has a few hundred or thousand really, really pissed off witness for the prosecution.
Pirates are probably the same way.

cthia wrote:And because Slaving and Piracy are the most disgusting and morally bankrupt crimes.

ywing14 wrote:Yeah it really doesn't get any worse than that.

tlb wrote:However there probably more disgusting and morally bankrupt crimes: consider the killing fields of various countries beginning in the 20th century.

You can cross over into different branches. If you start out in the Marines first you won't have to attend any other branch of service's boot camp.

cthia wrote:Somehow, this didn't exactly register as it does now . . .

You can cross over into different branches. If you start out in the Marines first you won't have to attend any other branch of service's boot camp.

but it leaves me with questions and possibilities. If someone is beached in one branch, are they cleared to crossover? And if so, will their rank transfer while beached? The RMN would have to go through Marine Corp boot camp?

At any rate, if Honor got bored with the Navy, she could join the Marines and get in touch with her Horatio Hornblower persona. Maybe go swashbuckling down on some planet . . .

The Adventures of a Swashbuckling Salamander and her 'Cat.

Somehow, she'd probably have to go incognito, being such a high profile target.

tlb wrote:What? Hornblower was Royal Navy, never Marines.

tlb wrote:However there probably more disgusting and morally bankrupt crimes: consider the killing fields of various countries beginning in the 20th century.

Weird Harold wrote:Why limit atrocities to the 20th? There are plenty of examples of genocides, purges, pogroms, and "kill them all! Let God sort them out" in previous centuries.

Kill them all for the Lord knoweth them that are His

tlb wrote:What? Hornblower was Royal Navy, never Marines.

Weird Harold wrote:But Honor is a Colonel of Marines. For most it's purely ceremonial, but Honor is Honor.

tlb wrote:

tlb wrote:However there probably more disgusting and morally bankrupt crimes: consider the killing fields of various countries beginning in the 20th century.

Weird Harold wrote:Why limit atrocities to the 20th? There are plenty of examples of genocides, purges, pogroms, and "kill them all! Let God sort them out" in previous centuries.

Certainly true, but it took the industrial revolution to bring the machinery of atrocity up to the level of blood-thirst. However there were examples of people who managed to overcome their technological disadvantage.

Kill them all for the Lord knoweth them that are His

I am not counting the spread of disease to the New World, as that was not generally an intended consequence.