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Subject: 
Re: We'll take in your poor, your homeless, your oppressed...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Fri, 9 Jul 2004 01:47:52 GMT
Viewed: 
3691 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Leonard Hoffman wrote:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Bruce Schlickbernd wrote:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Leonard Hoffman wrote:
> > > > So, Germany could slaughter jews at whim in the 20th century because it was a
> > > > sovereign nation and you fully support that?
> > > 
> > > Not comparable.  And I'm not talking about my support - but rather the legality
> > > of international law.
> > 
> > A dodge, but I'll go with the flow: then you believe that international law
> > supports that any nation recognized by the U.N. is free to slaughter its
> > inhabitants at will and no intervention is just?
> 
> "no intervention" - the UN has repeatedly placed economic sanctions on countries
> for human rights abuses.

This does not answer my question.  Because it hasn't doesn't mean it can't.

> 
> "slaughter" is a loaded term.  A nation has a right to defend itself from
> insurgents and rebels.  A nation has a right to enforce its own laws, including
> by execution.

Or a genocide against different tribe from the ruling one?  Or those of a given
religion that aren't rebeling?  Or a people or region that were forced into the
nation in the first place?  You keep stopping short in your examples.

> 
> But let me be clear - I do not support human rights abuses of any sort. However,
> the *need* to invade a country must be very high before any country has the
> right/justness to do so.  *ALL* other options must be tried first.

I'll accept that.

> 
> 
> > I'll lay it out to you the same way I did to David - you found the explosives,
> > traced the wire back to McVey who just finished hooking up the cables to the
> > detonator and is set to push the plunger.  You have identified that you are
> > armed and will shoot if he doesn't step away from the detonator immediately.  He
> > starts to push.
> 
> The issue is self defence.  And like Scott said, I'd prefer a non fatal wound.
> But I would kill because the situation is immeadiate.
> 
> Tying this back to Iraq - Iraq posed no immeadiate threat to the US, therefore
> the attack was unwarranted and unjust.

From that standpoint, I agree.  However, that was not the standpoint that I have
been refering to.

> 
> 
> > > I don't believe in vigilantes or vigilante style justice.  The rule of law is
> > > what keeps us civilized and not barbarians.
> > 
> > So, if we pass a law to slaughter all people with Germanic names you are okay
> > with that?  I mean, it wouldn't be vigilante or anything like that.  It would be
> > a law - even passed by elected representatives.
> 
> The opposite of vigilantes is not unchecked mob rule.  I don't see how the two
> issues are even related.  Vigilantes take the law into their own hands (wrong) -
> Killing Germans Law is an abuse of elective power and unconstitutional (also
> wrong).

I didn't bring up the McVey example.  Anyway, 75% can change that what is
unconsitutional, and there are other countries besides the United States.

> 
> If elected representatives passed such a law, I would do everything in my power
> to fight it.  Mainly because I have a Germanic name.

But going by what you have said, as a sovereign nation, you would hold that no
other nation would have the right to come to your aid?

> 
> > You are still arguing that Saddam and his supporters can kill whomever they want
> > and that there are no "just" scenarios for stopping him.
> 
> There are plenty of just scenarios for stopping Saddam.  None of them include a
> unilateral invasion of Iraq by the US.

So, is it okay for Saddam to slaughter his people unless the U.N. says
otherwise?  The U.N. is infallible?

> 
> > > I'm sure my confusion is the root of this.  I think wisdom of doing an action
> > > and the justness of said action are very closely connected.  Indeed, most
> > > "unwise" actions are immoral.
> > 
> > So, if I am miles away from any aid, and a 300 pound weight lifter starts
> > beating you to death, and I unwisely (and unsuccessfully) try to save your life,
> > I've done something immoral?  As I said, you are confusing wisdom with justness,
> > and I've already said the war was stupid and unwise.  I'll even say Bush's
> > approach to the war is unjust, but removing Saddam inherently being unjust?
> > Nonsense.
> 
> I did not say all unwise actions are necessarily immoral.  Unwise does not equal
> immoral.  This is level one logic here.  You're trying to reverse my statement
> when clearly the reverse is not logical.

How about if I say that I don't see where you have established that, "most
"unwise" actions are immoral."

> 
> All men are mortal.
> Socrates is a man.
> Therefore Socrates is mortal. (valid)
> Therefore any mortal man is Socrates. (reverse of the conclusion is invalid)

Wonderful example, but I didn't say that.  You said most unwise examples are
immoral, and I presented one that wasn't.  I have little doubt I could come up
with thousands.  I think that you are skipping the proof and going onto the
(unsupported) conclusion.

> 
> Furthermore, if you were being beaten by a 300 lb weight lifter - the only wise
> choice for me (successful or not) is to try to save you.
> 
> It seems you're saying the attempt to save my life is unwise.
> 
> I hope we haven't gone that far down the dark path.. have we Bruce?

Heck, I *tried* to save you.  Should've had that gun I used against McVey.  :-)

-->Bruce<--



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: We'll take in your poor, your homeless, your oppressed...
 
(...) "no intervention" - the UN has repeatedly placed economic sanctions on countries for human rights abuses. "slaughter" is a loaded term. A nation has a right to defend itself from insurgents and rebels. A nation has a right to enforce its own (...) (22 years ago, 8-Jul-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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