from Machiavelli, 'The Prince'

"When the duke occupied the Romagna he found it under the rule of weak
masters, who rather plundered their subjects than ruled them, and gave
them more cause for disunion than for union, so that the country was
full of robbery, quarrels, and every kind of violence; and so, wishing
to bring back peace and obedience to authority, he considered it
necessary to give it a good governor. Thereupon he promoted Messer
Ramiro d'Orco [de Lorqua], a swift and cruel man, to whom he gave the
fullest power. This man in a short time restored peace and unity with
the greatest success. Afterwards the duke considered that it was not
advisable to confer such excessive authority, for he had no doubt but
that he would become odious, so he set up a court of judgment in the
country, under a most excellent president, wherein all cities had
their advocates. And because he knew that the past severity had caused
some hatred against himself, so, to clear himself in the minds of the
people, and gain them entirely to himself, he desired to show that, if
any cruelty had been practised, it had not originated with him, but in
the natural sternness of the minister. Under this pretence he took
Ramiro, and one morning caused him to be executed and left on the
piazza at Cesena with the block and a bloody knife at his side. The
barbarity of this spectacle caused the people to be at once satisfied
and dismayed."

In a thread about the value (or lack of value) of "pressure points" in martial arts (Systema), Charles wrote as below:

From my experience as a lawyer, the most permanently damaging or fatal, situation in real life comes not as a result of any pressure point or exotic manuever.
The worst nightmare is simply is a bouncer/drunk/nitwit punching someone who is rendered unconscious and then falls, striking his head on the pavement. I have had 3 clients victimized in that fashion with catastrophic results. And another 2 beaten by police with flashlights and then falling unconscious and striking the back of their head on the ground.
When the victim does not die outright, they lead the rest of their a shell of their former selves.
In my opinion, study this art, or any other, for purposes of self-improvement and union of mind and body. Prisons and jails are full of dangerous men and boys. I doubt if any of them knew pressure points, but they sure knew how to ruin or take the lives of others.
Oh, if it matters 5of the 6 above did not start a fight and in fact did not even know they know their attackers etc. And yes, not one of them has any memory of what happened, bystanders witnesses and videocams filled in the story. I will not discuss these cases more than I have, except to warn you that there are gangs or loosely associated young men who simply enjoy hurting people. Perhaps they did not intend the grievous results, but they intentionally threw savage, full body weight punches. Punches you dont want to even watch on tape.