In Reply to: Harming others posted by Miguel on August 28, 2003 at 12:21:54:
Miguel, while I agree that some things are a matter of one's individual conscience, there are international standards for human rights that form the basis of what I believe should be the standard for evaluating where to draw the line.
The use of weapons of mass destruction against a civilian population specficially contravenes the Geneva Convention. For such collateral causalties to occur now would not be acceptable to the international community, and the perpetrators would and should be tried as war criminals. This is not a individual choice.
I agree that society has a responsibility to protect children within even the most isolated communities within it's jurisdiction. However, according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the best interests of the children must be the primary consideration in matters regarding them, and children have the right to be raised in the religion of their parents and to live with their parents as long as it is not detrimental to their well being.
I support those who wish to publish the faces and names of their own abusers and have put myself out on a bit of a limb to enable this to occur on MovingOn. However, "hurting the innocent" is what I thought people were so angry with the Family for doing in the first place. As Daniel so eloquently said, how can one judge the Family for their human rights violations and then claim that intentional violations are acceptable collateral damage when "fighting" the Family?
IMO, there are similarities within the North American indigneous populations. The incidents of child and spousal abuse on native reservations are much higher than society. However, reform in such closed and insular societies must be conducted in a culturally sensitive manner to have any chance of success. Every corporation, organization and government needs checks and balances and accountability to protect the rights of individuals. I believe that this is a much more effective route to prevention of abuse than a call for disbandment.
This is why I believe knowing what the goal is and what actually constiutes "success" is vital if one wishes to be active in bringing about social change in any society. If you don't know where you are going, how do you know if you are heading in the right direction?