h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Because I can't think of one. Re: your proposal for a parole system: IMHO you're on a loser, because ultimately whatever you come up with has to apply equally to the mildly irritating but persistent troll, the inveterate advertiser/political campaigner etc., the more "difficult to categorise" offender (yeah), and the poster of links to child pornography.

Modest Proposal works for all of those characters because under it they are *all* GONE, right away - some may be back, but it's simple to apply it to everyone. Any parole system is going to have to decide which of them you let back and after how long. How long do you think the arguments over *that* could rage?

Don't misunderstand - it's a good idea. I hope something like it comes to pass, because I for one agree that banning someone for life is harsh. But you are letting yourself in for a *lot* of debate over exactly what should get you banned without possibility of parole, what should be a year, or two, or five - and how high do you go, let's be realistic? So, a great idea. I'll watch the debate with interest.

Good luck.

H.

Ahh - but you're missing the magic ingredient of any such system: discretion. Never thought you'd here me praising that, did you?

Read the entry - I'll post it tomorrow sometime...

Ahh - but you're missing the magic ingredient of any such system: discretion. Never thought you'd here me praising that, did you?

Read the entry - I'll post it tomorrow sometime...

Discretion = argument.

Not a criticism, per se. Just an observation.

I will read it - I look forward to it.

H.

'tis done.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A661097

OK, comments.

Firstly, if you mean "exciting transgressions policy", do you mean the policy regarding exciting transgressions, or that the policy on transgressions is itself exciting? Either way, I think you "c" what I'm getting at. A namecheck would be nice - I'm wildly self-promoting like that.

Moving on, I find you have named checked me after all. Thanks!

There's a letter missing from the word "wonderful", and I know you know your "r"'s from your elbow...

Footnote from "Solutions" - "disapper"?

Other than those rather pedantic and self congratulatory nitpicks, I can't right now think of anything nasty to say about it. It sounds perfectly reasonable, operable and sensible. Drafting into h2g2 lawyerspeak and getting adopted may take some time, but I can't really see that it needs much more change than Modest Proposal did, and we'll see shortly how successfully that works, unfortunately.

In summary, I like it. Expect an ally in the defence of the principle, if not the amount of footnotes. (you *really* like footnotes, don't you?)

H.

I took four out after first creating it - so it could be worse...