Penalties Quotes
This was a fairly radical constraint on what had been a traditional priestly prerogative throughout the ages. However, the penalty for such a sin and infraction was rather modest—a warning for the first offence, followed by reducing the cleric’s income. There were more serious punishments proscribed for repeated offenses, but typical of most reform efforts a newly prohibited activity carries a very light penalty. For example $20 fines for providing alcohol to a minor was the initial penalty in some states. A then current comparison can be made since elsewhere in this council dueling between Christians was also prohibited. But the penalty for even the first offence was excommunication.
He referred to the Biblical injunction for capital punishment which mandated the death penalty for murder. However the Bible also requires the death penalty for adultery, heresy, blasphemy, homosexuality, and a number of other offenses including a son being disobedient to his father where death was also proscribed. This quotation is an excellent example of a rhetorical political technique where the speaker selectively provides the truth. Taken at its face, this argument would persuade many people, few of whom would still support the argument if they knew that it applied equally to a host of other behaviors many of which are not even regarded as crimes in a modern civilized society.
This was the day after the Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 9-11. Perle, a leading neoconservative advisor and guru, from that day on advocated for the invasion of Iraq. The irony was that at that time, Iraq had never attacked an American, anywhere in the world. Also, there was no Al Qaeda presence in Iraq. Many believe that the neocon main reason to invade Iraq was a regime change and democratization that would, they believed, be a catalyst for democracy throughout the Middle East. The supposed role in 9-11 and the WMD were for them just excuses to initiate military action, so they, the Vice President, and others who agreed with their objective did not question very seriously the so called intelligence about Iraq.
Theoretically every male citizen was supposed to serve in the Militia at that time. But if one did not, the penalty was a small fine. It became a status symbol. Those middle and upper class men who could get commissions as officers would serve, but those who did not have the political connections or the money to equip his own troops, would rather pay the fine than serve with men he thought beneath him. There is a , romantic American myth about the Militiamen in Colonial and Revolutionary America—the citizen soldiers who would leave their farms and rise to the military necessity of the day. However, not only were the militia very hard to muster to duty, but most actually didn’t own or have experience with firearms, and the prevailing opinion of knowledgeable military leaders from George Washington on down was that the militia were not very good soldiers. See {613015}, {613016}, {613022}, {613027}, {621987}, {621988}, {613030}, {613033}, & {613056}
With the exception of during church, drinking was allowed. However, inviting others to drink was prohibited. In a sense there is a modern European parallel in that drinking is legal in most countries but advertising alcohol on television is not. The deed is allowed; the marketing, not.
