Making a nation democratic (was: Why Do They Hate Us?)

[Chuck Murcko]

That's why competent law enforcement calls in snipers. They can usually 
circumvent this issue if necessary.

On Wednesday, October 31, 2001, at 09:12 AM, Russell Turpin wrote:

> Gary Lawrence Murphy writes:
>> I've been wondering: Say there's a foiled bank robbery, the police 
>> arrive and surround the bank, and the robber grabs a teller as a 
>> hostage.  Under these new rules of police action, when they step out 
>> on to the street, do we now just shoot the hostage along with the 
>> robber? ..
>
> If the robber continues to present a danger to others
> who are not hostage, then current law justifies doing
> so. Defensive action is allowed even when it involves
> harming the innocent, for example, in the case of human
> shields. As a legal principle, this goes back centuries.
>
Chuck