On Thu, 28 Aug 1997, John Smith wrote:
A Japanese man holes up in his house and shoots at those who try to take him away. A Caucasian man outside shoots back, fearing that the Japanese is a spy, whose information will lead to Japanese victory in the war. Both men are shooting, both fear for their lives. And in each case, the fear could arguably be justified, based on the information available to each man at the time.
How does your simple rule solve this case?
"John
Let me get this straight: a couple of federal (were they in this case?) LEA's come to your door and say, "Come with us, you and your family are going to prison because of the color of your skin." You say, "I am a citizen of of the United States, and my rights are enumerated in the Constitution. You do not have the authority to incarcerate me without due process of law. Now please get off my property." The LEA's reply, "Hey, we're just doing our jobs. Don't give us a hard time, you stupid Nip." You pick up the shotgun you keep in the closet by the front door and say, "If I have commited a crime, then arrest me. Otherwise, get off of my property." The LEA's reply, "You just made a big mistake, bud." Twenty minutes later they return with a fifty agents with automatic rifles and orders to shoot to kill the "spy". Of course, if he just "went along quietly", he would have spent a few years rotting in an "internment camp" while his business failed or he lost his job to someone fortunate enough to have immigrated from Italy or Germany instead of Japan. That's better than endangering the lives or yourself and your family, right? You might feel that the example that you responded to was a bit too simplistically polemic, but I think for many people, especially those in this forum, your hypothetical situation is not at all an ethical dilemma. -stonedog