BBC presenter confesses to mercy killing

[longrunsthefox]

regarding motives, crimes of passion,

so if you kill someone with a good motive you're not as bad as the yorkshire ripper?

would you mind telling me what motives you'd consider to be ok for killing someone?

Very hypothetical but if someone raped and strangled your child... 

[pintsofguinness]

regarding motives, crimes of passion,

so if you kill someone with a good motive you're not as bad as the yorkshire ripper?

would you mind telling me what motives you'd consider to be ok for killing someone?

Very hypothetical but if someone raped and strangled your child...

well that's a very extreme circumstance! Revenge you mean. 

Is that it then? What about these "crimes of passion"?

[longrunsthefox]

regarding motives, crimes of passion,

so if you kill someone with a good motive you're not as bad as the yorkshire ripper?

would you mind telling me what motives you'd consider to be ok for killing someone?

Very hypothetical but if someone raped and strangled your child...

well that's a very extreme circumstance! Revenge you mean. 

Is that it then? What about these "crimes of passion"?

That's a crime of passion... Don't know if you have children but I feel very passionate about mine

[longrunsthefox]

The way I see it, all killing is wrong and can never be justified.  Call it simplistic if you want, fine by me 

I will stand by what I believe

Thats simplistic.

I won't argue that, it's just how I see it

But I think you know deep down its not that simple. If someone is pointing a gun at your child, and your choice is to watch that child be killed or kill that person, you know what you would do. And you wouldnt be wrong, or a sinner, or necessarily going to hell.

So if there is even only one example where it isnt that black and white, then you have to admit there is at least one shade of grey (although the reality is that there are maybe thousands of shades of grey).

Just because you think you are justified Puck doesn't mean you are.
Lots of people can be "justified" in their actions but it doesn't make it ok.  You have made it quite clear your position on the troubles and the armed struggle in particular  - both sides of the equation believe they are "justified" but its black and white in these cases right?

You really have to look at this from a distance and not get emotionally involved.  It's a black and white issue.
Killing is killing is killing

Are you Maggie Thatcher?... 'a crime is a crime is a crime'   I can't see how it's black and white... the Yorkshire Ripper who went out on a serial killing spree for several years is hardly the same as someone gets if a fight, punches someone and they die after hitting their head on the kerb which has happened. Loads of other examples too... regarding motives, crimes of passion, insanity etc.

The difference would be minimal to me there fox in fairness. If you're going to go out acting the **** and throwing punches you need to accept the fact that you might cause someones death.

I know but it happens in towns and villages in Ireland every weekend and on the sports field too. We could name top GAA players have punched opponents! It is wrong and could be tragic but hardly the same as the what a serial killer does.

[ardmhachaabu]

It's a pity the rest of us can't live in the same world you boys live in if you think killing is never justified or necessary. 

It's a good job others were around to do the fighting for yous or God knows what sort of a society or country we'd have, we'd probably be speaking German for a start.

You know something, passive resistance works better than violence ever could, think of the rent and rates strike here or the american civil rights movement.  Violence doesn't have to be the answer

[Puckoon]

I know all too well it happens throughout ireland - and my stance wouldnt change. If you punch someone and they die - thats on you. If you have cause to defend yourself, thats different entirely.

[longrunsthefox]

I know all too well it happens throughout ireland - and my stance wouldnt change. If you punch someone and they die - thats on you. If you have cause to defend yourself, thats different entirely.

Agreed but I don't think it would warrant 30 years in jail like the Ripper. But yip, there has to be a consequence. Anyway, I suppose your conscience would be tortured... unlike that of  a psychopath 

[The Iceman]

It's a pity the rest of us can't live in the same world you boys live in if you think killing is never justified or necessary. 

It's a good job others were around to do the fighting for yous or God knows what sort of a society or country we'd have, we'd probably be speaking German for a start.

Just because I believe killing is never justified doesn't mean I can't make the decision to kill.  I just have to live with the consequences.
In fact I think its better to understand what you are doing and what the consequences are than being foolish about the whole thing and thinking you'll be grand when you meet your maker.
95% of soldiers can't handle the killings after any war.
5% can

I wonder are those 5% the guys that understand what they are doing and understand the consequences before they go into war
i wonder are those 95% the guys that thought what they were doing was justified and then realized what the consequences were regardless of this justification........

[winsamsoon]

Black and white to me lads. While the means may in some minds justify the actually process of the killing it is still Murder/Killing/taking ones life. we would all have different views on what is acceptable in society. We may even agree with euthanasia but we must still acknowledge it as murder. If someone in my family was that ill that they wanted to die i couldn't put a pillow over their head that would stick with me for life if i made that decision. I guess a similar situation is where a nurse asks you to turn off or stop giving a elderly parent the drugs to keep them alive because there is medically no hope in their professional mind. Part of me would always wonder what if, our faith is based on hope and thus we can never make the decision to take anothers life as there is always supposed to be hope. It's a tough one to deal with and people will have many different views.

[pintsofguinness]

It's a pity the rest of us can't live in the same world you boys live in if you think killing is never justified or necessary. 

It's a good job others were around to do the fighting for yous or God knows what sort of a society or country we'd have, we'd probably be speaking German for a start.

You know something, passive resistance works better than violence ever could, think of the rent and rates strike here or the american civil rights movement.  Violence doesn't have to be the answer

I tell you what, you name me passive resistance's victories - I can think of two - Ghandi and the american civil right movement (and that only worked because they'd a government sending in people to protect their peaceful protests)  and voilence's victories.
Apart from rare circumstances violence is the only answer. For example any of the major democracies in the world were built of the back of violence and the world went to war twice in the last century to protect them.
We've freedoms today because of violence, you can practice your religion and marry a woman of a different race because people killed to protect those rights!

[pintsofguinness]

It's a pity the rest of us can't live in the same world you boys live in if you think killing is never justified or necessary. 

It's a good job others were around to do the fighting for yous or God knows what sort of a society or country we'd have, we'd probably be speaking German for a start.

Just because I believe killing is never justified doesn't mean I can't make the decision to kill.  I just have to live with the consequences.
In fact I think its better to understand what you are doing and what the consequences are than being foolish about the whole thing and thinking you'll be grand when you meet your maker.
95% of soldiers can't handle the killings after any war.
5% can

I wonder are those 5% the guys that understand what they are doing and understand the consequences before they go into war
i wonder are those 95% the guys that thought what they were doing was justified and then realized what the consequences were regardless of this justification........

Have you any proof to back up those stats or did you make them up?

[Zapatista]

I tell you what, you name me passive resistance's victories - I can think of two - Ghandi and the american civil right movement (and that only worked because they'd a government sending in people to protect their peaceful protests)  and voilence's victories.
Apart from rare circumstances violence is the only answer. For example any of the major democracies in the world were built of the back of violence and the world went to war twice in the last century to protect them.
We've freedoms today because of violence, you can practice your religion and marry a woman of a different race because people killed to protect those rights!

Violence is continuously used to protect these democracies too. There is war against those who hate the freedom to live ipeace in Iraq and those who hate the freedom to marry people from another race in afganistan to protect our democracy and love of freedom.