No excuse.

I understand that there are a great many unfortunate people in the world. Having lived through my own health problems, financial problems, family problems, and suchlike, I deeply sympathize with those who suffer through situations which most in our society would prefer to believe could never happen to them. And it is undeniably true that the horrific things which happen to people can make them commit acts which they would heretofore never have even considered, much less performed.

Even so, it doesn't matter if you have some variant of arthritis which makes it impossible for you to hold a pen or type while leaving you able to wield a pair of scissors--or that you have some learning disability leaving you able to read yet unable to write--or that you are too poor to pay the fifteen cents per page that the library charges for copies--or even that you are so friendless and bereft of all social graces that you cannot find someone willing to help you out with simple tasks. Even for you, this is an absolute commandment: Do not EVER cut out the last paragraph of a book you've borrowed from the public library.

Sometimes I wish they'd bring back public floggings.