The truly sad part of the "Badhdad Shooting..." is that the only thing not
considered should there be a military court marshal (I would gather a jury trial
would be ruled out since the perpetrator was in the military at the time of the
incident) is the reason behind the shooter's action. This is just what Szasz
has argued about for decades - the abolition of both the insanity defense and
civil commitment, where the guilty are exculpated and the innocent are
imprisoned. Andrew Goldstein who in 1999 pushed a lady to her death in front of
a NY subway train had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2006. That would mean
23 years in prison. Goldstein had been escalating his violent behavior for the
purpose of gaining housing. The myth is that his violent "schizophrenic"
behavior was the result of his not taking his medication (brain numbing
neuroleptics). What surpises me is that the judge took Goldstein's guilty plea
seriously. After all he was a "schizophrenic". If Michael Goldstein had been
treated as any other defendant on a murder rap, a first degree murder
conviction with corresponding life imprisonment would have been the outcome.



To: thomasszaszdiscussion@yahoogroups.com
From: sangchenyeshe@...
Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 14:58:21 +0000
Subject: [ThomasSzaszDiscussion] "Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress"







I don't know what to make of this recent shooting in Iraq:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/12/iraq/main5008048.shtml?source=RSSattr=\
HOME_5008048

The gunman's father says the military "broke" his son. There is also speculation
that the perpetrator was concerned a "stress" diagnosis would ruin his military
career. I wonder how this could have been avoided. Unfortuantely, I'm afraid
this case will give the military and police the rationale needed to deploy more
coercive tactics against those diagnosed with "menatl illness".









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