>>>>
You say it is<<<<
wrong for Russians to spy on us, but it is ok for us to spy on them. You
claimed the reason was that we (USA) were "morally superior" without
clarification.
Actually, I have said no such thing.
All I did was *ask* if spying would be justified by a nation that *is* holier-than-thou, because (surprisingly) I did not yet have an opinion on the issue.
You then immediately shot back, that nobody is morall superior than another, and even if they were morally superior - the morally superior are hypocritical in claiming that some actions are justifiable for them, and them alone. Quote: "To assume oneself to be morally superior, and to
declare that, because you claim moral superiority, that things you say are
wrong for others to do, are ok for you to do is hypocracy, plain and simple.
In my opinion, there is no greater sin than hypocracy."
I have proceeded to debunk this above claim of yours - there *are* cases where certain individuals are morally superior to others, and this moral superiority gives them justification for certain actions.
>>>>
When pinned on this, you used your SWAT team example. This<<<<
implies that you think there are circumstances underwhich spying is justified
(just as there are circumstances underwhich killing is justified).
True. If there are some cases where the morally superior are justified in killing, this suggests that there should be cases when the morally superior are justified in spying as well. Of course - you won't even admit to the first point (regarding killing), let alone the second (regarding spying.) Hence, my emphasis on the first point.
>>>>
My point,spying.
that you so conveniently snipped out of my post, was that if there are
circumstances underwhich our spying is justified, then if the Russians are
presented with those same circumstances, then *they too* are justified in
<<<<
And this is what I tried to debunk with my revised example. If the SWAT Team Officer and the terrorist meet face to face in a dark alley, and faced with imminent death, seek to kill the other - then the SWAT team is justified in making the kill, while the terrorist is not.
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"The point of living in a Republic after all, is that we do not live by
majority rule. We live by laws and a variety of isntitutions designed
to check each other." -Andrew Sullivan 01/29/01
