Quote:
Originally posted by Donut:
quote:
Originally posted by John D Harris:
One doesn't become a criminal until 3 conditions are met.
1) those with the authority make the claim.
2) those with the power to back the claim up make it.
3) those with the will to make the claim do so.
until then you are simply a human that other humans have opinions of, just like everybody else.
|
So I could murder someone and unless I'm caught I'm not a criminal. That doesn't sound right.
As to 2) Am I a criminal just because they have the power to back there claim up? Even if I( didn't commit the crime. [/QUOTE]By your and most civilized standards it doesn't seem right, but in reality that is exactly the way it is, unless there is some authorthity with the power and will to make the claims you are not a criminal. ie: if you are in country A and the laws of that country say you can kill somebody for looking at you goat then you are not a criminal if you kill them for looking at your goat. Now if you are in country B and it's laws say you can't kill anybody for any reason, and you kill somebody for looking at your goat then you're a criminal provided those with the authority have the power and will to carry out their laws.
The worlds prisons are full of people that don't reconize the authority of the state that calls them criminals, but they are still in prison. The world is full of people that have fled to other counties, where the country they comitted a crime in doesn't have the power to back up the claim. Likewise the world is full of people where the authorities don't have the will to make the claim, ie: just a petty crime, cost too much, ahh he's my brother -in-law and I don't want to arrest him.