I'm perplexed at the way people talk about governments "killing their own people" as if it is worse than killing a different nation's people. I mean, the way governments work is that they have jurisdiction to pass laws over their own people but not over the people of other nations, no? Thus, shouldn't it be more reasonable for them to think they can kill their own people, the people whom they supposedly have jurisdiction over, than the people of some other country, who supposedly are under the jurisdiction of other governments?
But, when talking about human rights violators around the world, I hear people say things like "the worst is that they killed their own people!" as if their actions would be more acceptable had they been killing some other people from some other country. Why would this ever be the case?
[ May 13, 2004, 09:07 PM: Message edited by: Xaposert ]
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
I see what you mean but I think that the point is that as a leader you are supposed to protect the people you lead not kill them.
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Exactly. While obviously one shouldn't go around killing people regardless of their nationality, a government has a special responsibility toward the people it governs, the same way parents have a special responsibility toward their family. It's shocking to hear about a murder, but much more shocking to hear that a mother has drowned her own child. Why? Because authority comes with responsibility.