Consenting Adults: Responding to a Cannibal

BreakPoint with Charles Colson ^ | 19 March 04 | Charles Colson

[monday]

"Why is he headed to jail?"

Hopefully headed to jail. Probably a mental institution though. He is going because he is clearly an insane cannibal. Insane cannibals are a menace to society whither their victims want to be eaten or not. Killing and eating another human under normal circumstances is far enough outside the bounds of acceptable behavior as to be declared insane.

[William Terrell]

Blackstone, in response to the notion that a man can sell himself into slavery, said, "Every sale implies a price, a quid pro quo, an equivalent given to the seller in lieu of what he transfers to the buyer; but what equivalent can be given for the life and liberty, both of which, in absolute slavery, are held to be in the master's disposal? His property also, the very price he seems to receive, devolves ipso facto to his master the instant he becomes a slave. In this case the buyer gives nothing, and the seller receives nothing. Of what validity, then, can a sale be which destroys the very principles upon which all sales are founded?"

[Mr. Silverback]

Killing and eating another human under normal circumstances is far enough outside the bounds of acceptable behavior as to be declared insane.

You must be a fundamentalist to make such a judgemental statement based on your own self-righteous, intolerant opinion. :-)

BTW, homosexuality used to be considered a mental illness, but then it became just a matter for two consenting adults...

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Unless Armin has video tape showing Brandes stating his wish to be eaten and a couple of psychiatrists who had examined Brandes and found him to be of sound mind, what Armin says Brandes wanted shouldn't matter.

I believe that was the exact defense used in court. There were several videotapes, several self-declarations of intent to be killed and eaten by Brandes, and the filming of the act itself.

There are people who kill themselves, and have flown to Holland and Switzerland to be assisted in killing themselves, for things such as "chronic depression" and this has been validated as legitmate reason for ending your own life.

Brandes was of clear mind when he answered the ad, was of clear mind when he made his statements on video, and was crystal clear in giving consent. This case is a choice of society deciding what two consenting adults wish to do is not acceptable.

For those who hate society (because they view it as "socialism"), this is an indication that Germany does not share their "What anyone wants to do is OK as long as consenting adults are doing it" idea of Utopia.