What should happen as a result--if the law was broken?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071015/wl_afp/usintelligencejusticeinternet

Should we do what is required when anyone breaks laws?, or should we shrug our shoulders, wink, it say it was broken for a good reason and move on?

Answer 1

There are sometimes valid reasons to violate the law -- these are called affirmative defenses, and have been part of the legal system since trials began. Necessity and self defense being two common examples of such exceptions.

However, the govt should not be allowed to break its own laws just because it feels like it -- if they want to create specific exceptions, then they should do so when drafting the law.

Creating a law that doesn't include such exceptions -- and then breaking it -- is inexcusable. It's a direct constitutional violation, and a violation of the basic fundamental trust that was placed in the govt -- that it would follow its own laws.

When the govt is able to break the laws at will -- we have ceased to be a nation of laws, and have become a dictatorship. Many argue that we are well on our way toward that, with all the govt has done over the past 5+ years.