Should he be held responsible?

**cmoy** · 04-01-2011, 06:29 PM

Hi everyone...

I just read an MSN article about the U.N. workers that were killed in Afghanastan. Could be possibly 20 or more.

Should this minister from Florida who burned the KORAN in a mock trial, be held responsible for these deaths?

He wanted to burn the KORAN on 911, and was reprimanded and warned by the government that he should NOT follow through with this plan.

Can he be charged with a crime? ( And, yes, I do believe he should be charged, but do your constitutional freedoms keep him safe? I'm Canadian, and no little about law...)

Many thanks for comments. I cannot believe that any human in their right mind would push these buttons...

carol

**Imarachne** · 04-01-2011, 06:33 PM

If he won't be judged here , he will be in the hereafter.

**Pemberleyan** · 04-01-2011, 06:35 PM

I certainly don't agree with what he did, but he should not be held responsible for those acts.

**Nishu** · 04-01-2011, 07:10 PM

Why is the UN even there? Why are we even there?

**cmoy** · 04-01-2011, 07:14 PM

Pember...

Why? He is the person responsible for these deaths, although he did not physically commit them.

He had been warned by your government to "not go there", but yet he took this stance, and disregarded top officials. Does he feel any remorse for these deaths?

Afghganistan expects an apology from the U.S. government. Do you also think that your government should apologize for this crazy person?

Sorry to be so heated, but innocent people are now DEAD because this "minister"??? took it upon himself to express his disgust and hatred towards another religious belief (right or wrong).

Did he know what would happen? Did he want to be in the news?

I believe YES to both...

carol

**GoodThyming** · 04-01-2011, 07:56 PM

I think what he did was wrong, but I do not think he is responsible for the deaths. The actual murderers are responsible for the deaths.

He is absolutely protected from prosecution in the US by the first amendment.

**cmoy** · 04-01-2011, 08:14 PM

Thanks GoodThyming...

I thought the first amendment might save him.

I just believe that since he knowingly incited a nation with this evil senselessness, that he should be held accountable and responsible for the actions that followed.

carol

**Greebo** · 04-01-2011, 09:21 PM

HE is the person responsible for those deaths?

What about the people who actually did the killings?

Here's what you're saying.

I tell you that I'm offended by your growing roses. If you continue to grow roses, I will kill a dozen puppies.

You grow roses.

I kill a dozen puppies.

By YOUR rationale, the death of the puppies is YOUR fault. I'm not responsible because you were warned what would happen - as if you had a choice but I didn't.

**Dixie** · 04-01-2011, 09:31 PM

I was about to type out a reply, but Greebo and GoodThyming said what I wanted to say.

**Greebo** · 04-01-2011, 09:54 PM

Actually, that first analogy sucks.

Better analogy. Make it something offensive and introduce a neutral third party.

You stand in your front lawn every morning and shout "ALL <racial group of your preference> MUST DIE!!!" And you burn pictures of members of that racial group as well.

Your *neighbor* (neutral 3rd party) tells you that if you don't stop shouting about all the <racial group of your preference> needing to die and burning their pictures, someone will kill a dozen puppies cause they're mad at you.

You don't stop. I kill a dozen puppies. Why? I'm in that racial group.

Clearly that's YOUR fault if those puppies die, right? I mean, what you are doing is hateful, vile, and repulsive, and you were warned that someone might do something like this if you didn't stop. You didn't stop, so puppies died. Cause and effect, you caused the death of those puppies.

That's about right in your world, is it? Me, I'm blameless - I'm a member of that racial group - it's to be expected that I'd do something like that if you good sensible person of some other racial or religious group kept acting like you did. I'm just a savage who has no free will or choice in the matter?

**cmoy** · 04-01-2011, 11:21 PM

I am very sorry that I offended anyone.

I love this site, and I didn't mean to upset the members.

I do hope that you will forgive me............

carol

**GoodThyming** · 04-02-2011, 07:28 AM

I wasn't offended.

I can understand your moral outrage. Certainly if he hadn't burned the Korans, this wouldn't have happened, but that doesn't mean he is responsible for the murderers lack of self-control. The causation here is too attenuated. In the US, the view is not to punish the speaker. If people don't like the speaker, they can ignore or speak against, but they can't go commit crimes and say the person they disagreed with was responsible. From my understanding, the protest in Afghanistan was mostly peaceful.

There are very few, narrow exceptions to the first amendment.

This always gets tested with extreme and hateful speech. Recently, the US Supreme Court found that a group that protests near military funerals with signs like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" was protected under the first amendment. I think most people agree that group is vile scum, but they get to express their views that soldiers are going to hell for all the ways the group thinks US policies go against god.

**Russ** · 04-02-2011, 07:37 AM

What are the odds that one of the family members of the murdered sues the ~~"minister"~~ jerk?.

**Lora88** · 04-02-2011, 07:46 AM

I am a firm believer of when you insult my relegion you insult everyone elses and your own the guys an idiot. However that being said dont think that he is responsible for the actions or in this case reactions of others

**khaski** · 04-02-2011, 08:02 AM

I think what he did was rash and stupid and immensely disrespectful, but no, he shouldn't be 'charged' with anything. He has a right to do that if he wishes- he can burn the Koran, a Bible, or an American flag- it's his right. I support his right to do it, even if I don't agree with what he did.

I wish he would have shown greater respect for the Muslim population who had NOTHING to do with 9/11 or the terrorism against the US, which is the great majority! I doubt you would be asking this ? is it were someone in Afghanistan burning a Christian Bible......