Love and War
More is fair.
An astronaut drives halfway across the country wearing a diaper with the intent of murdering the girlfriend of the lover that spurned her. Prisoners of war in Afghanistan are brutally tortured in order to gain information about terrorist organizations. While some are appalled by the proliferation of such activities, others simply shrug and say, “All is fair in love and war.” However, the very nature of this phrase is problematic with the assertion that any and all imaginable activities can be deemed just. Nevertheless, there are more leniencies in regard to societal rules for people who are engaged in what are deemed to be acts of love, or acts of war.
Under normal circumstances, an individual who commits an act such as murder is punished to the full extent of the law. Take for example the case of John Allen Muhammad, otherwise known as The D.C. Sniper. Between 5 September 2002 and 23 October 2002, Muhammad, a former expert marksman for the US Army, was responsible for ten deaths and three injuries in the Washington D.C. area. In addition he was suspected of another 11 shootings elsewhere in the United States. When Muhammad was caught, a case was quickly built against him that resulted in his going to trial in October 2003. On 17 November 2003 Muhammad was found guilty of capital murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder with intent to terrorize the government. He was executed on 10 November 2009.
However, the same types of actions as those committed by Muhammad can lead to praise when they are committed during times of war. Carlos Hatchcock was a sniper for the marines during the Vietnam War. During his 20-year career with the military he held a record 93 confirmed kills with an unknown number of unconfirmed kills. He holds the record for the 4th highest number of confirmed kills by a sniper, and it was also confirmed that he once shot any enemy sniper dead with a single shot through that snipers own scope. In recognition of his
An astronaut drives halfway across the country wearing a diaper with the intent of murdering the girlfriend of the lover that spurned her. Prisoners of war in Afghanistan are brutally tortured in order to gain information about terrorist organizations. While some are appalled by the proliferation of such activities, others simply shrug and say, “All is fair in love and war.” However, the very nature of this phrase is problematic with the assertion that any and all imaginable activities can be deemed just. Nevertheless, there are more leniencies in regard to societal rules for people who are engaged in what are deemed to be acts of love, or acts of war.
Under normal circumstances, an individual who commits an act such as murder is punished to the full extent of the law. Take for example the case of John Allen Muhammad, otherwise known as The D.C. Sniper. Between 5 September 2002 and 23 October 2002, Muhammad, a former expert marksman for the US Army, was responsible for ten deaths and three injuries in the Washington D.C. area. In addition he was suspected of another 11 shootings elsewhere in the United States. When Muhammad was caught, a case was quickly built against him that resulted in his going to trial in October 2003. On 17 November 2003 Muhammad was found guilty of capital murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder with intent to terrorize the government. He was executed on 10 November 2009.
However, the same types of actions as those committed by Muhammad can lead to praise when they are committed during times of war. Carlos Hatchcock was a sniper for the marines during the Vietnam War. During his 20-year career with the military he held a record 93 confirmed kills with an unknown number of unconfirmed kills. He holds the record for the 4th highest number of confirmed kills by a sniper, and it was also confirmed that he once shot any enemy sniper dead with a single shot through that snipers own scope. In recognition of his
Cited: "Astronaut faces attempted murder charges." By Nell Greenfieldboyce. All things considered. Natl. Public Radio. KXJZ, California. 6 February 2007. Web. Transcript. 23 June 2010. Belkin, Lisa. "When Is Spanking Child Abuse?" Motherload. 21 October 2008. Web. 24 June 2010 "Child abuse." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 24 Jun. 2010. Web. 24 June 2010 "D.C. Sniper Muhammad Executed in Virginia." Foxnews.com. Fox. 11 November 2009. Web. 24 June 2010 Henderson, Charles (2001). Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills. Berkeley books. 2001. Web. 23 June 2010. Hersh, Seymour M. "Torture at Abu Ghraib." New York Times. 10 may 2004. Web. 23 June 2010 "US sniper jailed for Iraq murder." Aljazeera.net. Aljazeera. 10 February 2008. Web. 23 June 2010 "US sniper jailer for Iraqi murder." BBC news. BBC. 10 February 2008. Web. 23 June 2010.