On May 13, 11:36 pm, "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> raymond larsson wrote:
> > In article <2dc2dd68-a4bb-4f36-b26f-1a8082506404
> > @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, j_gree...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
says...
>
> > > On May 13, 4:31 pm, "jerry_fried...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"
> > > <jerry_fried...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > > > On May 13, 1:42 am, the Omrud <usenet.om...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > > > wrote:
>
> > > > > Dan Leifker wrote:
> > > > > > the Omrud wrote:
> > > > > >> Was it Heinlein who wrote of a society where you could
> > > > > volunteer for >> the punishment for any specific crime, after
> > > > > which you had a credit >> for that crime and could commit it
> > > > > when you wanted? The punishment >> for murder was so severe
> > > > > (something like 20 years on a harsh mining >> planet where most
> > > > > prisoners died during the sentence) that only one >> person
> > > > > ever went through the voluntary sentence. He was then greatly
> > > > > >> feared because he had the right to murder one person without
> > > > > further >> punishment.
>
> > > Funny thing is, I remember a story like this as well. Only two men
> > > return from the prison planet. The first one goes to find out the
> > > person he went to prison to kill is already dead, and when the
> > > second contacts his 'victim', he doesn't have the heart to follow
> > > through and commit the crime. When latter challenged by a police
> > > officer for a minor offence (don't feed the pigeons/walk on the
> > > grass kind of thing) the men show him their certficates and tear
> > > off a small corner, "This should cover our 'debt to society'."
>
> > "Time in Advance" by William Tenn, I believe.
>
> I think it is, but if so some of the details are wrong:
> 1) _Half_ the time is served in advance.
> 2) The story only follows one man. He finds out that various people
> consider themselves likely victims because they wronged him -- in ways
> he never knew about till they tell him.
> 3) He doesn't kill the intended victim because the guy has been
> straighter with him than the people he trusted were.
>
> According to the Internet Speculative Fiction Data Base, it's available
> here:
....
> * The Science Fiction Century, (Nov 1997 , David G. Hartwell, Tor,
> 0-312-86338-1, $40.00, 1005pp, hc, anth) Cover: John Harris - [VERIFIED]
> * The Science Fiction Century, (May 1998 , David G. Hartwell,
> Quality Paperback Book Club, 0-9658501-3-7, $21.95, 1005pp, tp, anth)
> Cover: John Harris
....
Which is available here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NuWUFPM9CC0C&pg=PA333&dq=William+Tenn+%22Time+in+Advance%22&ei=LPYqSI_BLYXUjgG9n9TIDQ&sig=Uo08YfY7KPfkvF2HcRockBr8W6E
or http://tinyurl.com/6zye7q
(Limited preview--some pages are missing.)
--
Jerry Friedman
|
