Would you rat out a friend who killed a bad guy?

[Mark CMG]

If someone broke into my house I'd shoot them and bury them in the backyard.

Huh. I thought for sure someone breaking into your house would wind up sleeping with the fishes.

 

[Falkus]

Vigilante justice leads to innocent people being killed because someone else knew that 'they deserved to die.' Look at any lynch mob in the history of the US for proof of that fact.

 

[Aeolius]

Huh. I thought for sure someone breaking into your house would wind up sleeping with the fishes.

I suppose, to clarify, I should mention that I do not in fact own a gun... Just a few swords, fantasy-themed knives, and a trident. ,)

 

[Aeolius]

I stole a loaf of bread!

Hunger is not a valid reason for thievery when there are food banks.

 

[El Mahdi]

Would you answer this question on a publicly accessible website where it may be used against you in the future???

 

[Aeolius]

Would you answer this question on a publicly accessible website where it may be used against you in the future???

"Your Honor, I present Exhibit A - EN World. Ummm... Wait... the site seems to be down..."

 

[Umbran]

Hunger is not a valid reason for thievery when there are food banks.

The Greater Boston Food Bank has a goal of being able to supply one meal a day to the people in need in its area by 2013. Which is to say, they cannot yet do so. I wouldn't expect other cities to do much better.

Be that as it may, though, the detail is beside the point. I'm rather on the side of "it's just stuff". I don't deny anyone defense of their homes and property when someone is breaking in, due to the implied threat to people. But in general, revoking "human" status over stuff? That's harsh, dude.

And I think I'll just leave it at that.

 

[frankthedm]

Hell no I'm not ratting out a friend for making the world a better place.

As for for the normal punishment for thieves, I'd say death is reasonable for the trespass, during the act of trespass. After the fact, and for the stolen items, that's more of a matter I'd leave up to a given region's judges.

 

[Kzach]

Hunger is not a valid reason for thievery when there are food banks.

Spoken like someone who's never had to use one.

The fact is that things happen to people beyond their control to put them into dire situations. Not every homeless person deserves to be homeless because they were slack and didn't try hard enough. Some people just genuinely have rotten strings of luck that force them into poverty.

If your kids were starving and you'd done everything you could to feed them, are you really saying that your ethics would stop you from stealing so that they wouldn't go hungry?

I grew up poor. My father had money but never paid child-support so my mother just didn't have enough money for things like breakfast and lunch. I went to school hungry every day. I learned, among other methods, to steal to support myself. I consider myself to have very strong morals and a code of ethics that places a great deal of importance on fairness and justice, even to my own detriment. Yet I feel not one iota of guilt over what I did as a kid to survive. Would you have imprisoned me for not using the food bank?

 

[Aeolius]

Spoken like someone who's never had to use one.

Fair enough, though I do help a local food bank deliver food to local high schools. I have a 10-passenger van with a wheelchair lift, so it seemed to be the least I could do.

Some people just genuinely have rotten strings of luck that force them into poverty.

Again, I agree. Perhaps things are different, here in my part of NC. There are a few food banks and shelters, for those down on their luck.

If your kids were starving and you'd done everything you could to feed them, are you really saying that your ethics would stop you from stealing so that they wouldn't go hungry?

Granted, I live on a few acres. WIth proper planning I can grow a sizable garden and raise livestock, to help offset the cost of groceries. In fact living off the grid is a lifelong dream of mine.

Would you have imprisoned me for not using the food bank?

My attachment to the human race is tenuous at best.

I tend not to give handouts to beggars, with the exception of the Saxophone Man who played his sax on a local street corner until he was hit by a car (I was going to ask him to play at my wedding reception). On the other hand, if I see someone pushing a stalled car, I always get out and help push.

I believe in the innocence of children, but also firmly believe in "Trust No One".

So, in all honesty, if someone walked down my winding gravel driveway, made it past my outdoor dogs (not likely) and got into my house without setting off the alarm (not likely). I would automatically assume they were a threat to my 7 kids and attempt to incapacitate the intruder with a blow to the head - before they could explain themselves.

Which would be a fair bit kinder that what might happen if my father-in-law woke up first. He'd begin deliberations with his shotgun.