Summary justice in a summer lacking justice

When times are good, organizations and cultures develop vertically. Additional levels are added to the organization chart. If-then-else loops become more complicated. Hierarchies are refined to the nth degree.

When things go into the septic tank, organizations and cultures get flattened.

Layers of middle management get eliminated. The rolls of the mandarins get purged. If-then-else loops get simplified to If-then loops. Hierarchies implode.

One can make a reasonable case for the "going into the septic tank" at least for anti-social behaviors and the responses to those behaviors. Perpetrators of crimes deemed "minor" by judges and politicians are being released from jail/prison in job-lot numbers.

If we are devolving to a summary justice environment, what crimes become worthy of capital punishment?

Before we get rolling, though, I want to caution that these must be observable actions and not assumptions about the person's political beliefs. We can imagine any number of vile things about people we do not like. We are better than that, even if the other side wallows in it.

I propose the following crimes for the list and offer a few reasons:

Arson: This was a no-brainer in the 1800s because there were no firecodes. On October 8, 1871, for instance, wild fires killed 2000 people in Wisconsin, 500 in Michigan and 250 in Chicago...all on one day.

Fire codes blunt the risk but do not eliminate it. People drag all kinds of flammables into their houses and apartments. Modern plastics, like vinyl, produce carcinogens when they burn. Fires, particularly in older, crowded parts of urban areas still have the potential to kill hundreds or to shorten the lifespans of thousands.

Inhibiting the flow of emergency vehicles and personnel: There have been multiple cases of emergency personnel, i.e. figher-fighters and EMTs, being prevented from completing their "runs".

The people inhibiting that movement are acting as judge, jury and executioner for the person on the receiving end of the help. A mother in labor who needlessly passes away? A "brother" having a coronary (which was the biological cause of George Floyd's demise)?

Pedophiles: I am going to make a distinction here. Statutory rape is when one partner is below the age of consent and the other is above that age. In Michigan, a couple can be having sex like bunnies when both are below age 18 but on the birthday of the older partner it becomes a crime. Then, when the younger partner passes the checkered flag and is also 18, it no longer is a crime.

I propose that Pedophiles who are more than two years older than their victims be liable to summary justice.


Inhibiting the free passage of delivery trucks: It is not possible to know what is in a UPS or FEDEX truck, for instance. It might be insulin. It might be antipsychotic drugs. It might be parts to repair an air conditioner or CPAP machine.

Inhibiting the free passage of personal vehicles: This is a two-fer: The demonstrators who inhibit the free passage of a passenger vehicle have no knowledge of the driver and passenger's errand. Also, some percentage of drivers will panic and mow down demonstrators. The driver (who may have documented anxiety issues, although the demonstrators cannot know that) and the demonstrators are equally culpable.

Also, some drivers don't have the night vision we used to have. Demonstrators wearing black and lying down in the street to stop traffic is stupid.

Destroying places where people work: If one uses longevity as a proxy for health and happiness, then people who engage in meaningful work live healthier, happier lives.

If rioters destroy a place-of-business and put 10 people out of work and 7 of those people die three years sooner than they would otherwise...how is that not manslaughter?

Please add to the list in comments. I am particularly interested in the reasons.