What situation or event would be so desperate as to expect crime happening?
What events, or occasions where one can expect crime, even if do to the nature of the crime it should be overlooked? When Katrina hit there was a lot of talk about looting, if a person looted for survival goods or for food for themselves or others that was trapped it was OK, but not if you were looting for profit. Crime is crime, and taking something that wasn’t yours is actually stealing. Now after Katrina the ATMs didn’t work, the banks were not open and even if you had money chances are no one was manning the store because they fled, so if you needed nails, batteries, rope, etc you had to loot them from stores that had them.
What if a person’s <insert family member here> needed an operation to save their life but the insurance would only cover 68% of it and the operation would not go forward until the uncovered cost was paid. If they had no credit or not enough to cover it if they went out to jack a dope dealer for his cash would that be acceptable desperation? Would it still be robbery even though the money they were stealing was gotten by illegal means?
What if a group was out sightseeing and the plane goes down in thick growth. After waiting a day with no rescue in sight it is determined they who survived have to move less become prey to wild animals, caught in flash flood water, etc, but one survivor badly injured cannot be moved but barely has a pulse, is bleeding out from a wound that cant be staunched, shallow breath and is becoming jaundice. If one of the survivors creeps over and puts the man down so the others who would not leave him would go and be saved is that a desperate enough of a situation to give a pass on taking a life it by doing so three or more others would be saved?
How would you determine a situation was desperate enough to break the law behind?
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8 Answers
No, you have to wait until the guy dies to eat him but make sure you slash the throat deep and hang until there are no more drips.
I’d prostitute, cheaper if you just stick it in, lots more money for blow jobs, I have a van.
Really, if you can’t do a crime to give you a positive life, die already.
I guess that’s why we have laws and judges.
Laws are made to cover the normal scope of life, but every so now and then a situation arises in which doing a harm / unlawful action would prevent another bigger harm. The law is there to offer the measure the judge is there to do the evaluation and take into account the situation as well.
In general, you are referring to the difference between ‘the right thing’ and ‘the lawful thing’. Some people would claim that the law is the only guideline, but to me that doesn’t make sense.
Laws are there to help us differentiate between the right and the wrong. If there would be no such thing as ‘the right thing’, without those laws than that would imply that the laws would be without foundation, random as to say. That seems unacceptable. Raping children is wrong, whether or not the law says anything about it.
The latter implies that ‘the right’ or ‘moral thing’ to do is a higher value than ‘the lawful’ thing to do. Now, to answer your question, I would say that a situation is desperate enough if the right thing and the lawful thing no longer align. Beware though, that quite often ‘doing the right thing’ is not an accepted excuse to break the law. So way in the risk of being convicted for the action you undertake and then you’ll ahve your answer.
What the right thing is? That is a question in itself that I would not dare to start to answer on merely one page of Fluther. I am not smart enough to define it so concise.
Hello @JLeslie,it has been a while
Looting after a hurricane for food and water is understandable, but it needs to be done in a non-violent, non-destructive manner, a lot of times that does not happen. A lot of times the people stealing did not lose anything in the disaster, and come in just to steal while others are suffering. After hurricane Andrew there was theft of tv’s, stereos, clothing, all sorts of stuff. The streets were not safe with basically hoodlums stealing goods for their own homes or for resale. I have heard that after the earthquake and tsunami recently in Japan there was not any reports of violence or stealing. I should give credit to FL that hurricanes since Andrew have had very low incidents of looting, and people obey the curfews, but there has not been another really big hurricane in Miami.
@whitenoise Hi!
Expect, maybe? But is it OK? No.
At first I misunderstood your question. I thought you meant were there locations where crime is expected. There are neighborhoods in Washington DC where it is. There is one neighborhood that has had a series of murders this year, almost one every couple of weeks. I think that living there must be very scary.
This is nowhere as intense in scope as survival issues after a hurricane or necessary surgery, but here’s what I’ve got. Brace yourself, it’s a long one:
Yesterday while running errands, I happened to look up and see a pigeon strangling on a net. It was on top of a gas station, where solar panels are installed over the pumps and the net was put up afterwards to deter pigeons. The poor thing was trying desperately to get away, and weakening as I watched. (I can’t stand to see animals suffering, btw…) I flipped a U-ie and went to inform the attendant (as, I found out, another person was as well). Her first response was an “oh well” attitude; when I and the other guy pressed the issue, she said since the station owners had put up the net, they had a certain guy who was authorized to go up there. Another customer suggested the Humane Society; this was met with a flat, loud “NO” by the attendant. She made as if to reach for the phone as I left, but didn’t trust her to actually go through with it. So I myself tried the Humane Society (who couldn’t do anything—“try Animal Control”, I was told), Animal Control, and one other organization. Mostly got answering machines and hang-ups by the system. So that poor creature is very likely long dead by now… it was still up there, flapping feebly, when I returned from my errands 45 minutes later. Not a ladder in sight.
Now, if I’d said “screw you apathetic, bureaucratic tools” and gone on up there my own damn self, I wouldn’t have gotten halfway up the ladder before a law officer of some flavor appeared as if by transporter beam. This has been my experience with such agencies through rape, car theft, assault, etc.: “Sorry, we’re too busy” and/or “there’s nothing we can do”... with the subcontext of “but don’t YOU put a toe out of line”.
I’m not advocating sheer lawlessness. But if the law is not going to be upheld, then maybe the way to deal with a situation is assessing it carefully, then TCBing in a timely manner. Don’t bother replying with vague threats of “karma” or “but YOU’LL get caught”. I’ve seen the perp walk away laughing way too many times.
That’s such a cute, knee-jerk little answer. ANY conflict between ANY two entities (persons, businesses/organizations, etc.) is “every lawyer’s hope”.
Re-read the next-to-last paragraph. Have your wife/daughter/any female you care about go through all those events and be blown off—even laughed at—by the law. Still feel smug now?
Disagree all you want, but have WAY more behind your argument than some self-righteous little bit of popping off.
@peridot
Assuming that you are addressing me….
My ”..cute..” (Thanks!!) answer is in no way directed at your previous answer.
I am answering the original question.
And with very steady knees.
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