Thousands of men and women were murdered on September 11, 2001. The adjective, "innocent", significantly added, results in "innocent men and women". This serves to convey and reinforce a message that, unlike the eagerly anticipated fate of the guilty murderer, their demise was undeserved. Justice and revenge become inseparable in capital punishment.

When times are financially tough and government fails to provide goodies, citizens in a democracy simply fall prey to new demagogues who repeat the invocation to "good" government. This pendulum swings back and forth as politicians pander to their constituents, lie, promise, and behave expediently, sacrificing long-term solutions for short-term personal benefit. Mencken sarcastically found this spectacle "incomparably amusing" although his sadness was palpable.