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Old 25th Apr 2001, 09:03
  #34 (permalink)  
Blacksheep
Cunning Artificer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Age: 76
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Lightbulb

BLCL, while saying he is an ex-cop, suggests that we should not all lie down, belly up and submit to the bad guys. He hints that a bit a collateral damage is inevitable.

Our systems of justice, whether 'English Law' (as in the U.S. as well as England/Wales and much of the Commonwealth) or the 'Civil Law' that prevails in most of the rest of the free world, assumes that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The standard of proof for guilt is "Beyond all reasonable doubt" The reason being that it is considered preferable that a guilty person should go free rather than an innocent person should be punished.

There are those who believe that the opposite is true - It is better that we get the b*st*rds by whatever means possible. If anyone gets in the way, that's just the way it is. Life sucks. Well maybe I'm not alone in believing that it is better not to have such people employed in law enforcement. Thank goodness BLCL is an ex-cop.

BLCL tells me to go back to the cinema and watch movies. I suggest that there are people out here in the real world who imagine that life IS like a movie. Hot-shot heros fly around, cigar clenched between their teeth, machine gunning the bad guys outta the sky. Cops race around the streets blasting M16 wielding drug dealers into oblivion. It is such movie scenes that promote the idea that street battles with drug dealers are a good thing. They even make the drug scene look glamorous instead of the dirty, degrading business that it really is.

Leaving all that aside, we must return to the original issue. A civilian light aircraft going about its lawful business was shot down by a military aircraft on anti-drug patrol. A mother and her baby were killed. Surely there are other ways of dealing with the problem? Indeed, would it not be better if the electronic-eye aircraft trailed the target to its destination? Then the recipients of the load could also be apprehended if they turned out drug dealers. Of course, they may turn out to be Jet Blast's own OCB and some of his friends.

If a militaristic regime wishes to run its affairs in this way there is no need for a civilised nation to dirty their hands and become part of it. Too many civil aircraft have been shot down already and too many women, children and yes, even innocent men have been killed. Let the US disengage from such activities and behave like the world leader that it undoubtedly is.

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Through difficulties to the cinema
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