I was reading in the bathroom when I ran across an item written by
"Rhonda Lea Kirk" <rhondaleakirk@worldnet.att.net> on Mon, 14 Jul 2003
08:12:38 -0400, which said:

>It doesn't matter who I like or who I want/don't want it to
>be. Scapegoating is wrong. It's always wrong.

Moral issues aside, it's wrong because it's worse than ineffective.
It fails to solve the problem by allowing the perp to go free, while
creating another problem by alienating or removing the scapegoat, who
might otherwise be a valuable contributor to your society.  It is also
a strong indication that the rules of your society are insufficient to
ensure the society's efficient operation.

Sorry, Rhonda, but you forget that you're talking to scientists and
engineers, here.  "Human" issues, such as morality, need to be
expressed in somewhat different terms.  This realization was the
inspiration for Law #1 which, while it always draws a smile (and many
comments),  has a serious side to it:


---------
Beady's 1st Law of Social Harmonics: "Never let the designer write the user's manual."