h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes It is very important to have independant news.
That makes for an easy interpetaion in pictures. I have been reading about it for a long time.

Thanks clzoomer I will pass that on!

War isn't always declared. (well obviously legal definitions require the declaration of war for it to be called such, however reality and legalism each work far more efficiently kept completly seperate )

Independent news is a fiction, someone is paying for the production of news, and as such has influence over it, this is always direct orders of; don't say that, or do say this. It is still influence if you only keep in mind where the money comes from and that harming that source of income may reduce budget and hence wages... Government funded reporting is another kettle of fish entirly...


Math

A bit of clarification on the Christian theological "Just War Theory".

Thomas Aquinas and his contemporaries (~1300CE) laid out 3 factors in determining if a war was just.

1) The war must be on the authority of a sovereign.
2) The cause of the war must be just.
3) The combatants must have the right intentions (desire to do good and avoid evil.

About 150 years later Francisco de Vitoria added a fourth factor.

4) A war must be conducted in the proper way. This efectively means not harming non-combatants and trreating the enemy as a human being.

This fourth factor is what makes weapons of mass destruction and instant violation of just war theory. These weapons are designed to kill noncombatants and combatants alike.

Math, as for your point about self defense being a factor, that is currently taught as being part of the second factor. When Aquinas lays it out in depth he effectively says that an offensive war is never just.

Oh, the fun of working in a library with 3 floors of theology books.

During the last Gulf war, I was a big fan of the BBC World Service news. It was so refreshing to find a news service that didn't colour the coverage with emotive terms like "Our boys" or "The enemy". It was always "British forces", "American forces" or "Iraqi forces", with no perceivable emphasis. Wonderful.

Well, my last post was a bit off topic, but Math got me thinking so, oh well.

I do believe there is independent media. It's small, and few an far between, but it's there. It may only be a small community access radio station or newspaper, but it's there. It may be that you REALLY have to look for it.

I DO uunderstand Math about the newsy shows and the approved stories and *ratings*...

Has the news ALWAYS gotten share *ratings* just like the simpsons and 60 mins and movie of the week?
hugs

You DO have to really search it out. Stay away from the top 6 whenever possible. You do want to read some opposing media to *know thyne enemy*
The internet helps a lot in sorting through sources.

It was mentioned in the main media today; more people are searching out other news sources by way of the internet.

I would reccomend the BBC, CBC, and in the US the PBS. If you can read other languages, there are lots of other places to look as well.

You might want to try some Blogging, actually. I get a big part of my news from there. You just have to consider the ultimate source though.

PBS TV news is a must in the US!

Where the Current Unpleasantness fails to qualify Raukodraug, I think, is on point 2,3 and 4.

There is an entry and discussion on the front page about the Saint *A* and the rules of *W* if you are interested. There are lots of posts.
Maybe you have been there in which caseexcuse me please.

Entry ID: A644672

Thanks for the heads-up, it seems like a very interesting discussion!

*in response to earlier accusatory post*

No. Not being controversial. Just telling the truth. We live in a world that is somehow able to justify murder on one hand, and then condemn it as the greatest evil on the other!

Charlie Manson - bad. Evil man. Must be locked up under high security well into his sixties...despite not actually having been convicted of murder. God forbid someone make an independant decision to rid the world of someone that they don't like.

But when a government makes a Big Important Decision to attack a minority of people inside a country, and send out whole armies of murderers...well that's OK, isn't it? Because Important People said so.

There are very few things in life that can NEVER be justified. Murder - be it sanctioned by a government and a full time job, or an independant decision by someone who may or may not be mentally ill - is never right.

Good murderers vs Bad murderers, eh?

*nods to Bob the Farmer*

I was listening to "Killing in the Name of" on the way home. Nearly forgotten about Zach...

Utter nonsense. Of course you can justify murder. That's why it's called *justifiable homicide*. A mother protecting her baby from a killer and rapist- is that not justifiable?

That's not murder, you daft twit. That's self defence.

Homicide is still murder under law. Look it up.

Not to mention assisted suicides. The list goes on.

See, now you are just being pedantic.