The Bright Side

Finally, the age-old riddle, debated and pondered by mystery writers, readers, and homicidal maniacs, has been answered!

What would constitute the Ultimate Perfect Murder?

Well now we know!

It's ingenious! It sure beats the old "no jury would ever convict me!" defense, by getting the courts to not only approve, but to order it !

Gee, wonder what they should do now about this guy:

US Soldier Convicted in Court-Martial
Capt. Rogelio "Roger" Maynulet was found guilty of assault with intent to commit voluntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
...
They chased the vehicle and fired at it, wounding both the passenger, who fled and was later apprehended, and the driver [who was working for al-Sadr].

Maynulet maintained that he shot the gravely wounded Iraqi to end his suffering.

The killing was taped by a U.S. drone surveillance aircraft.

In closing arguments earlier Thursday, prosecutor Maj. John Rothwell said that Maynulet "played God" when he shot the wounded driver.

He argued that Maynulet, who was trained in first aid, should not have relied on a medic who said the man was beyond saving and told him "there's nothing I can do."

His defense attorney, Capt. Will Helixon, argued that conflicting testimony from neurosurgeons about whether the Iraqi was still alive at the time of the shooting required that Maynulet be acquitted.

So let's see, it's wrong to "play God" when you're in combat, on a battlefield, and someone is clearly suffering and about to die; and you have some medical opinion to that effect; and the subject may not be merely "brain damaged", but may already be actually dead.

And yet somehow pulling the trigger is STILL WRONG.

Yet Terri Schiavo gets less judicial protection. Why?

Because the "husband" has life-and-death power? You mean the man who already has a common law wife in someone else and is thus guilty of bigamy and thus being considered to have any legal guardianship as the "husband" is an absolute farce?

How does this happen?

It happens when a judge decides it's just fine and dandy for himself to "play God."

Who Watches the Watchmen?

SYNCHRONICITY UPDATE: I just got back from reading a delightful Ann Coulter piece, pointed to at The Washhouse -- and discovered to my surprise it both opens and closes the exact same why this posting does: with "The Bright Side" and comparisons of Judge Greer to God...Weird!