From: blythes@cs.rpi.edu (Stephen Blythe)
Subject: Re: "Moral" issues
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 20:19:37 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.192826.7537@cco.caltech.edu>, thogek@seismo.gps.caltech.edu (Thomas Kiefer) writes:
|> 
|> Maybe "issue" was the wrong word, as most everybody agrees that murder should
|> be outlawed, but it does seem a moral point.  It is immoral to murder another
|> human being (as well as being potentially detrimental to society, as mentioned
|> here), thus it is illegal.

A couple of points here:

1) morals are *not* universal - just take the case we were originally talking
about (abortion). This country is divided right up the middlie on this issue.

2) Many people have said that it is morally wrong for me to have premarital sex.
I do it anyway. You're telling me that since it's immoral, it's illegal. Maybe I
should turn myself in now.
  How about this: Some of the US population sternly believes that drinking is
immoral. By now, most of us belong in jail for life. In fact, this was tried, and
it failed miserably (National Prohibition). 

3) please read my slightly previous post on how the law is to protect
citizens first, catching criminals as a result (not the other way around ...)
|> 
|> 
|> >|> Or, a related, if stupid-sounding question: is the legislation against murder
|> >|> simply/easily enforceable in this country if the victim is NOT a U.S. citizen?
|> >|> (I actually don't know, so please don't flame this.)
|> 
|> >actually, it is enforceable, but often other governments' embassies step in to
|> >protect them (the US does the same for its citizens abroad). Most of the time,
|> >prosecution has the same success rates, mostly because serious crimes are a
|> >"unversal" idea, while misdemeanors mean little anway.
|> 
|> What?  Other governments' embassies step in to protect those who have murdered
|> their (non-U.S.) citizens?  I think somebody misread my question.  Let me spell
|> it out...
|> 
|> A is a citizen of the U.S.  B is a citizen of Othercountry (or none, if that's
|> possible).  A and B are both presently in the United States.  A murders B.
|> 
|> Question: can A be prosecuted in U.S. courts for the murder of B, a non-U.S.
|> citizen?  And if so, would there be any difference due to B's non-citizenship?
|> 
oops, sorry, got a little distracted before i posted ... I meant to go both ways
with this. Being as I used to be a resident alien in this country, I took
carefull notice of this issue. The answer is as follows: I am entitled to the
same protection as a citzen, the only exception to which is national security;
thus if I was killed by some lunatic, similar charges would have been pressed.
Howver, if I was killed for "reasons of national security", nothing has to be
done (but the foreign govt. is likely to get just a little peaved if something
isn't done).

  ==================================================================
  Stephen A. Blythe                |    RPI
  Dept. of Computer Science        |  "where Hell has finally
  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |      thawed out ..."
  blythes@sirius.cs.rpi.edu        |
  ==================================================================

 My views do not necessarily reflect those of the bozos surrounding me.

				"NO MORE
			       BU__ SH__"