Why Is It a Problem?
by Josh Marshall
A lot of people -- mainly but by no means exclusively Republicans -- were on the Sunday shows yesterday denouncing the administration's decision to jail and try KSM and four accused 9/11 plotters in New York City. And most of the criticism comes under three distinct but related arguments: 1) civilian trials give the defendants too many rights and protections and thus create too big a risk they'll get acquitted and set free, 2) holding the prisoners and trial in New York City puts the city's civilian population at unnecessary risk of new terror attacks, and 3) holding public, civilian trials will give the defendants an opportunity to mock the victims, have a platform to issue propaganda or gain public sympathy.
The first two arguments strike me as understandable but basically wrong on the facts. The third I find difficult in some ways even to understand and seems grounded in bad political values or even ideological cowardice.
Let's start with the idea that civilian trials have too many safeguards and create too big a risk these guys will go free. This does not hold up to any scrutiny for two reasons. First, remember all those high-profile terror prosecutions where the defendants went free? Right, me neither. It just does not happen. The fact is that federal judges are extremely deferential to the government in terror prosecutions. And national security law already gives the government the ability to do lots of things the government would never be allowed to do in a conventional civilian trial. (People who really think this is an issue seem to base their understanding of federal criminal procedure on watching too many Dirty Harry movies, which, as it happens, I'm actually a big fan of. But remember, they're movies.) KSM is not going to be able to depose or cross-examine CIA Director Leon Panetta or President Bush or Vice President Cheney or anyone else.
The possibility that a judge would suppress evidence obtained through torture is a real one. But Eric Holder made clear he and his prosecutors believe they have more than enough untainted evidence to obtain convictions. So that should not be an issue.
Finally, even in the extremely unlikely case that any of the five were acquitted of these charges, the government has a hundred other things it can charge them with. Indeed, the government could as easily turn them over to military commissions or indefinite detention post-acquittal as it can do those things with them now. That may not make civil libertarians happy. But it is the nail in the coffin of any suggestions that these guys are going to be walking out of the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan saying they're headed to Disneyland. It's simply not going to happen.
(The best argument against what I've argued here is probably the case of El Sayyid Nosair, the murderer of Jewish extremist leader Meir Kahane, who received a partial acquittal when he was tried in 1991. Here I would say that the case came prior to modern counter-terrorism law in the United States, which I'd date to the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. And the Nosair example actually proves my larger point since a subsequent terrorism conspiracy trial got Nosair a life without parole plus fifteen year sentence, which he is now serving at the SuperMax facility in Florence, Colorado.)
We can imagine a different set of facts, where all the most damning evidence was obtained through torture, and acquittal seemed at all a reasonable possibility. In that case there might be a real question as to whether it was worth taking the risk when military commissions which have been used in the past are available. But this 'risk' simply doesn't appear to exist so you do not even need to get to the constitutional or deeper rule-of-law questions.
Next we have the question of danger to the people of New York City. As I said in my first post on this question, just on the facts I don't think al Qaeda terrorists are holding off on attacking New York now because they lack or incentive or feel we haven't pushed things far enough yet to merit another hit. The symbolic value of hitting New York might increase a bit. But it's already so high for these people that the increase seems notional at best. And more to the point, I choose to trust the people already charged with keeping the city safe.
On a more general level, however, since when is it something we advertise or say proudly that we're going to change our behavior because we fear terrorists will attack us if we don't? To be unPC about it, isn't there some residual national machismo that keeps us from cowering even before trivially increased dangers? As much as I think the added dangers are basically nil, I'm surprised that people can stand up as say we should change what we do in response to some minuscule added danger and not be embarrassed.
And finally we come to the fear of what KSM and the others will say. I don't see what factual dispute there is here. And at some level I don't even understand the argument. Logically I understand it; I understand what they're saying. But it's so contrary to my values and assumptions that at some level I don't get it. I cannot imagine anything KSM or his confederates would say that would diminish America or damage us in any way. Are we really so worried that what we represent is so questionable or our identity so brittle? (Some will say, yes: torture. The fact that some of these men were tortured is a huge stain on the country. But it happened and it's known about. To the extent that it is a stain it is the kind of stain that is diminished not made worse by an open public accounting.) Does anyone think that Nuremberg trials or the trial of Adolph Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961 or the war crimes trials of Slobodan Milosevic and others at the Hague advanced these mens' causes? Or that, in retrospect, it would have been wiser to hold these trials in secret?
At the end of the day, what are we afraid these men are going to say?
What we seem to be forgetting here is that trials are not simply for judging guilt and meting out punishment. We hold trials in public not only because we want a check on the government's behavior but because a key part of the exercise is a public accounting and condemnation of wrongs. Especially in great trials for the worst crimes they are public displays pitting one set of values against another. And I'm troubled by anyone who thinks that this is a confrontation in which we would come out the worse.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Ethics in Communication.
The Ethics in Communication.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
Communicating with others one to one.
Communicating with others one to one.
What is interpersonal Communication?
Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between parties, usually in close visual and aural proximity which allows for immediate feedback and close attention to verbal and nonverbal cues.
In simple terms, Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between a small number of people who can see and hear each other with immediate feedback.
Interpersonal communication is different from Public Communication because of the number of people and the proximity involved.
Number of People
Interpersonal Communication involves a small number of participants. It is often referred to as Dyadic communication, when two people are involved, e.g husband and wife, or two friends. When three people are involved in Communication it is known as Triadic communication for example a couple talking to a real estate agent about a house they want to rent.
When the number of people becomes enlarge beyond three it is referred to as small group.
Proximity.
Proximity is an important element of interpersonal communication. The communication is usually unmediated unlike in mass communication whereby something comes between the sender and the final receiver of the message. Interpersonal communication is often face to face communication, for example a teacher and student talking at the teacher’s desk, a patient seeing the doctor to discuss symptoms of illness.
Features of Interpersonal Communication
1. Use of less formal language:- The small number of people and proximity affects the nature of language used in interpersonal communication. We usually use language that is less formal than that of writing or public speaking.
2. The proximity of interpersonal communication allows for verbal and non verbal cues. Through a series of small movement and gestures, we can know when a conversation needs to continue or end.
3. Close proximity also allows for physical contact which is expected. For example a business interview almost universally opens with a handshake, children may want to be held while their comforts them.
4. Interpersonal Communication requires immediate feedback since both parties can see and hear each other. Feedback is a very essential element of interpersonal communication. A phone conversation is a form of interpersonal communication, but while it involves a small number of close aural proximity, it eliminates all non verbal cues with the exception of paralinguistic.
Posted by Gabriel at 10:43 AM 0 comments
LESSON 7: The Ethics in Communication
The Ethics in Communication.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
What is interpersonal Communication?
Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between parties, usually in close visual and aural proximity which allows for immediate feedback and close attention to verbal and nonverbal cues.
In simple terms, Interpersonal communication is sending and receiving of messages between a small number of people who can see and hear each other with immediate feedback.
Interpersonal communication is different from Public Communication because of the number of people and the proximity involved.
Number of People
Interpersonal Communication involves a small number of participants. It is often referred to as Dyadic communication, when two people are involved, e.g husband and wife, or two friends. When three people are involved in Communication it is known as Triadic communication for example a couple talking to a real estate agent about a house they want to rent.
When the number of people becomes enlarge beyond three it is referred to as small group.
Proximity.
Proximity is an important element of interpersonal communication. The communication is usually unmediated unlike in mass communication whereby something comes between the sender and the final receiver of the message. Interpersonal communication is often face to face communication, for example a teacher and student talking at the teacher’s desk, a patient seeing the doctor to discuss symptoms of illness.
Features of Interpersonal Communication
1. Use of less formal language:- The small number of people and proximity affects the nature of language used in interpersonal communication. We usually use language that is less formal than that of writing or public speaking.
2. The proximity of interpersonal communication allows for verbal and non verbal cues. Through a series of small movement and gestures, we can know when a conversation needs to continue or end.
3. Close proximity also allows for physical contact which is expected. For example a business interview almost universally opens with a handshake, children may want to be held while their comforts them.
4. Interpersonal Communication requires immediate feedback since both parties can see and hear each other. Feedback is a very essential element of interpersonal communication. A phone conversation is a form of interpersonal communication, but while it involves a small number of close aural proximity, it eliminates all non verbal cues with the exception of paralinguistic.
Posted by Gabriel at 10:43 AM 0 comments
LESSON 7: The Ethics in Communication
The Ethics in Communication.
Communication is one of the most basic human activities, a process by which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation and the accomplishment of variety of goals.
However complex or simple our interactions are, we interfere on each other in multiple ways. We influence each other through communication and recognize that communication is not a neutral activity. We influence each other in positive and negative ways, for good and for bad.
When Communicating, we do not simply choose words, we choose words for the effect they will have on our audiences, on ourselves, and ultimately, on society. Thus when we communicate, we cannot escape ethical questions, questions which ask how helpful or harmful our actions are.
An awareness of the ethical dimensions of communication provides us with a deeper understanding or ourselves and of our potentials as human beings.
THE NATURE OF ETHICS
Ethics refers to the study of morality's effect on conduct: the study of moral standards and how they affect conduct.
It refers to the code of morality: a system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for a person or group.
Ethics is the study of what, is the best course of action, the right or wrong of our actions and policies, be those actions communicative, political, social, personal or a mixture of areas.
ETHICS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF COMMUNICATION
Ethical questions are often related to politics. This is because administrators are often faced with questions of truthfulness. When we turn to non political questions, we sometimes think that ethics only focus on issues such as wars or capital punishment. These are certainly significant matters, but the major ethical issues are matters of how to behave in our daily lives and in our relationships with those with whom we have personal contact at home, at school or at work.
Because communication is relational, it brings us face to face with questions that contain ethical judgments. We must decide what is the purpose or purposes of a relationship in which we find ourselves. We must decide how to behave. We must choose how to respond in that situation. Our responses will be based on how we regard the other party or parties and what the consequences of our actions will be. All of these are basic ethical questions in that they involve our deciding what is the “best” course of action.
Ethical Communication is therefore important because.
a. It helps to determine how to behave in our daily lives.
b. it helps to shape our relationship with others
c. it helps to determine the purpose of the relationship we find ourselves.
d. it helps us to consider the consequence of our actions.
e. It helps us to decide the best course of action.
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
To make the best decision in our communication, and to communicate ethically, we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Rules are applied to different communication situations in which we find ourselves. These situations are vast and varying and the following guidelines can help to make ethical communications.
1. Be respectful to your audience
2. Consider the consequence of your communication
3. Respect the truth
4. Use Information Properly ( Adequate and Accurate)
5. Don’t falsify Information
6. Respect the rights of others to information.
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