Punitive Action Quotes
Yazid ibn al-Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik. This is an Islamic doctrine that operates to this day together with the stricture that a bad ruler must be endured and not revolted against UNLESS he does not follow his Islamic religious obligations. This is why many Islamic rulers curry favor with the clerics. As long as they do not claim he is violating the word of God, his rule is safe from revolution. However, if the clerics turn on him, he is in deep trouble. Thus Saudi Arabia endures a monarchy and the ruling family pays the Wahhabi enormous sums to avoid their religious condemnation.
South Carolina passed a state law which overrode and nullified Federal Laws that they did not like. It was a type of secession. President Jackson, in his own blunt style, let them know that they had better not try to implement their nullification law. Of all the Presidents in American History, Jackson had the least respect for Constitutionality and due process. He had a history of summary execution where he was the judge, jury and almost the personal executioner. He is the only president in American history who refused to obey and order of the Supreme Court. There were few who doubted that he would make good on his threat. The South Carolina convention reconvened and repealed its Nullification Ordinance on March 11, 1833.
Romulus Whitaker personally killed his brother.
From earliest times, leaders have justified war using religion as the lever to convince the people to fight and pay the other costs of a war. The leaders may have been motivated by hegemony, land, trade and the like but almost always tried to make the war a moral crusade.
This is an excellent example of a theme that has been used since biblical times to justify massacres by military men. Namely that if the first town that you conquer is treated terribly enough, the word will get around and the next town the people will pressure their military to surrender to avoid the same fate. Therefore, they argue, as Ludlow does, that the massacre will reduce future violence. That perverse ethical logic has lasted for a long time. However, that was not the only motive here—vengeance was a major factor. This is another good example of the fact that many of the worst moral atrocities of men were perpetrated and led by men who thought that there were being moral and consonant with God’s will. See {639301} for Oliver Cromwell’s description of the massacre.
The “foreign tribes” were the English and other European traders who were bringing opium to China. Lin had assembled a fleet of 80 ships at the mouth of the Pearl River to persuade the European powers that they would fight if the foreign ships would not cease trading in opium. The British in particular were not intimidated, and they militarily forced the Chinese to accept their “right” to sell opium. The Emperor sent Lin to the “boondocks”—see {621320} for misjudging and provoking British military action, but Lin is remembered for his sound moral and public health perspective. A bronze statue of Lin Zexu was erected in his honor in Chatham Square (Kimlau Square) of New York City's Chinatown and many other places in the world.
