The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Was Ascher telling the truth?

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wardenferry419:
Thank you, Mr. Death. I think I was approaching the subject in the wrong way.

Mira:

--- Quote from: Arjan on December 11, 2017, 07:25:26 PM ---When Harry tried to bring in Molly for trial the merlins reaction to was something like "why did you not kill her yet" and "you are wasting time". Even with a warden they do not really trust like Harry the overview is minimal.

I am sure a lot of wardens do their jobs as expected but there is a lot of room for abusing power, cutting corners, acting on tunnel vision, ....

And little chance of discovery. In such an organisation you need only a few bad apples to get a reputation among people who do not dare to complain because there is no independent complains department and wardens will cover each other. Because that is what members of closed organisations do if they get the chance.

And if a bad apple is in a position of influence others will copy his behaviour because they think it is normal.

Wardens have power. People behave differently around them which makes them less aware what is going on.

And most importantly pressure to get results can do the rest. The whole structure promotes abuse of power and no real brakes on it. The only brakes are the wardens own consciences. That is not enough.

So I do not think they will all the run out to kill the kids but if one does there is little to stop him and other abuse will even be more likely.

--- End quote ---

As I said, for various reasons some of them perhaps understandable, the White Council's justice for breakers of the Laws, has become a zero tolerance policy... 

wardenferry419:
Not all magic users who are not WC are warlocks. Some are doing good and just lack the juice to leave amateur level.

Arjan:

--- Quote from: Mr. Death on December 11, 2017, 08:59:41 PM ---Because she was a warlock.

The paranetters are not warlocks.

That's what it boils down to. The Wardens might be fanatical, but they're fanatical about killing warlocks, not just lopping the heads off any minor practitioner they can get away with.

They don't have a quota. There isn't some "results" leader board they have to keep up on that's going to make them want to kill more people.

In fact, Harry makes it explicitly clear in White Night that the people who make up the Paranet are explicitly under the protection of the White Council. They have a hotline that minor talents can call to get people like Harry to show up. Half the plot of White Night was framing the Wardens because otherwise the minor talents would have been able to call them for protection.

So I don't get it. Why do you seem to think the Wardens are going to look at a list of innocent minor talents and consider it a hit list?

--- End quote ---
No, I am saying that if there is abuse of power there are no checks and balances to stop it and it can easily spread. I expect it to be covered up as well to protect the good name of the wardens.

The whole organisation is structured in such a way that begs for abuse of power. How much abuse of power there really is is for Jim to decide but I would not trust an organisation structured like that in the real world at all.

Mr. Death:
But there are reports -- Dresden makes mention of making them. Morgan must have someone he has to report to, otherwise why wouldn't he have just summarily executed Dresden in the first book?

You're making some pretty stern pronouncements about their procedures, but we don't even see their procedures. You're assuming there's no oversight at all, when there is evidence -- like I said, Dresden makes reports -- that there is.

There's a White Council hotline that minor talents and even normals can call. Even before the Paranet.

And a lot of potential White Council members could come from the minor talents. It's in the White Council's best interests to have good relationships with groups like the Paranet because they are actively harmed by having a bad relationship with them.

Again, it's notable that the start of the plot in White Night is specifically framing the Wardens so that the victims don't go to the White Council for help -- i.e., if Vittorio and Madrigal hadn't gone out of the way to stop them, the minor talents could have scuttled the whole plot by calling on the White Council.

That wouldn't be the case if the Wardens were a group that would kill minor talents just because they could get away with it.

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