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Queen Pardons Alan Turing[^]
While I'm sure it doesn't mean much to him now, at least his name is cleared. The world would probably be a bit different if he didn't commit suicide at 41 because of what the English government did to him.
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Reminds me of when the Pope pardoned Galileo.
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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Better late than never I guess...
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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There should be a prosecution as well as a pardon here. Marking a homosexual as a criminal is criminal in itself.
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Then I guess we should prosecute the whole judicial system in India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code[^]
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover.
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As they said on the BBC news this morning, it leaves a bad feeling that it was the wrong decision.
Why? Because it says that if you are usefull to the state you can do what you like.
The pardon should have been given to all those convicted, not just Alan Turing. And I suspect he would have thought that too.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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Ahem, it was the British government. England doesn't have a government in its own right.
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England does not have a governmnent. And the government did nothing to Turing, he was convicted in a Court of Law, at a time when homosexuality was a criminal offence. It was some years before the British Government saw the light and repealed this ridiculous law.
Veni, vidi, abiit domum
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The Queen pardoned Alan Turing. Why?
Did he fart or belch?
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Taken a lesson from Putin and pardon political prisoners just before they're scheduled for release.
Let's see now. What comes to mind? I got it!
Thanks for leaving me one finger when you cut off the other nine.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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So what took them so long? Or they debated if destroying one of the greatest brains ever lived was a good thing?
Nuclear launch detected
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I pardon the Queen for taking so long to'pardon' Alan Turing - however he did not need pardoning as he did nothing wrong.
Surely it would be better to admit the cruelty committed by her government and for her to posthumously ask for forgiveness.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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You don't understand how this works do you? The government did not prosecute Alan Turing, the courts did. She can't overturn court verdicts, they have to be overturned via parliament. And while we know he did nothing wrong under the laws that we have in place now, the unpleasant fact is that he did commit a crime under the laws that existed at the time.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: You don't understand how this works do you? The laws are agreed by both houses of parliament and the Queen gives her royal assent.
That to me states that both the government and Queen play a major role in the creating of laws under which people are prosecuted.
Unfortunately generally the only manner in which stupid laws are revoked is by them being broken en masse.
Saying that he committed a crime is a truism, which says nothing about the ass that the law was that he broke at the time.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Um. Not really. Liz became queen in Feb 1952 on the death of her father, and Turing was prosecuted in March of the same year, so she can't really be held personally culpable since the law had been in effect for many years before she ascended the throne.
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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But responsibility works like this: take a person that isn't necessarily to blame, blame them anyways.
So he can go ahead and hold the queen responsible for something she didn't do.
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That only works with Lawyers and similar pond life!
Never underestimate the power of stupid things in large numbers
--- Serious Sam
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OriginalGriff wrote: Liz became queen in Feb 1952 on the death of her father, and Turing was prosecuted in March of the same year, so she can't really be held personally culpable since the law had been in effect for many years before she ascended the throne.
Nor should she receive accolades for it either since the issuance of that type of Pardon by her is almost certainly initiated by the UK government and is not initiated at her behest.
Indeed the movement to get the pardon has existed for years and the UK government took the action that they could 4 years ago. This action is the only way the UK government can actually produce this sort of Pardon.
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Would Alan possibly pardon her?
He does not need pardon.
Veni, vidi, vici.
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And I found a Christmas present from last year still wrapped up that I had forgotten to give to my kids...
Pity really, I think they would have really liked that kitten!!
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Its not too late to give it to them for Christmas this year though.
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We have some guests and they wanted to see the panto.
Sadly we couldn't get eight seats together so I volunteered to stay outside and watch the coats.
Said clothing is a lot more entertaining than some bunch of z listers and failed comics.
speramus in juniperus
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