TO BE JUST

law must ALWAYS be defensive!

Is Offensive War Just? by Wes Alexander

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    Is it appropriate for an individual to use the power of deadly force against another individual, when the threat is only perceived or a potential danger? Is there a boundary of perception that once crossed, gives the individual the right to offensively destroy the potential threat? Perhaps the threat is real; but should the use of deadly force be restricted to defensive purposes or can it be used in a first strike against perceived evil? What happens if my "evil" does not equal your "evil?" Does the strike first method turn society into a hellish chaos, where "might makes right" and every man becomes the sword of God? Is our federal government making an argument that can be turned around and used against it?

    The letter below was published in the Gwinnett Daily Post on September 18th, 2002.
    -- 09/20/02


Our federal government is contemplating an offensive war against Iraq. This is not an easy decision, but it is one that will affect our country and lives for a very long time. Please pray for our leaders, our country, and all people of the world.

Like a complicated math problem, I believe this decision may be easier to understand and perhaps resolve if we break it down into smaller components. Here's a smaller version of the dilemma we find ourselves in.

Suppose a married couple with two teenage children is going through a bitter divorce. Suppose the husband is an alcoholic and, according to the wife, prone to violent outbursts. Suppose the husband and two of his poker buddies claim the wife is prone to wild accusations and is always nagging him about going to church. Sounds like they might be from Anywhere, GA.

The wife is truly afraid of the husband and he is truly a pitiful husband and father. She believes his heavy drinking will eventually lead him to do bodily harm to her, her children, or another innocent victim on the highway. She is probably right.

In this stressful situation the wife elects to strike first. She buys a handgun and kills her estranged husband as he comes home drunk from a night of bar hopping over in the next county.

Do you believe the local police will think she was justified? Was she acting within the law, or did she take the law into her own hands. What about real drunks? Someday their actions may destroy an innocent family. Who gets to decide what is evil and what is not? Are cable television, laziness, and political expedience evil? I need another beer.




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