Of course, any two people should have the same rights to be free from the threat of assault or murder. But if one person waves a gun at the other's head, their rights are somewhat diminished, and the more likely they are to use it, the more their rights diminish to zero.

Regardless of whether such a person is a terrorist, a madman, someone grief-stricken over losing custody of their children, or [insert your own excuse here], their hostage also has rights and her/his life matters, frankly, more than the perpetrator's, once he/she has taken that action - in a sense, an action against the world.

After all, even in the Koran, Surah 5: 32 (I think) declares that 'he who saves the life of one person, is as if he has saved all of humanity; but he who takes on innocent life, is as if he has murdered all of humanity.'

[Then it spoils it by going on in Surah 5: 33, about cutting off the right arm and left leg of unbelievers. You can't win them all.]

Joe

"What we must not loose sight of is we live in a civilized society governed by the rule of law. To do anything else is playing into the hands of terrorists, people who do not respect our civilized way of life or the rule of law.
He had the same rights as anyone else. A knee jerk reaction of 'shoot first, ask questions later' may be satisfying for some, but in the long run it would be our undoing". So says our bleeding heart, or is it terrorist sympathiser Paul. They always come up with this bit of garbage, don't they.

So lets make sure there is no knee jerk reaction. Lets decide the rights of anyone who is unlawfully taking the rights of others in an immediately dangerous way.

Great done. The decision, they have the right to a bullet between the eyes, & no other right shall supersede this.

Now Paul & other sympathisers, lets get on with making our country our safe country again.

Hi there TTBN...

I understand completely your sentiments concerning this vile creature, but the copper who made the statement, enunciating that Man MANIS also had rights, was in a very difficult position indeed. If you were to take him aside privately, and ask what he'd do if he could, he'd most likely respond by saying, take the slug around a corner and flog him 'til he bled, then shoot him !

It's so easy to come adrift, either in Court, in front of the media, or in the presence of the public, to make some unguarded, intemperate remark, and all hell breaks loose, requiring you to tap a typewriter forever and a day !

Fortunately in the Lindt Cafe hostage situation we had trained police officers in command of the situation. Not some presumptuous fool like Hasbeen.
Hasbeen given charge of the situation with your blind gung-ho ignorance would have ensured the deaths of all inside the cafe, and half of those on the outside. With your stupidity of knowing nothing, but believing you know it all, you are potentially a bigger terrorist than Man Monis himself. ISIS love people like you in the west, you act exactly how they would want you to... stupidly! Hasbeen with you in charge of a Sunday School picnic, it would be terrifying!

As a lay person, I would say there is a vast difference between the traditional siege (circle and negotiate) and a terrorist incident that necessitates a different response and different rules of engagement.

Weren't there contact rules stated simply and emphatically, in place and police trained in expectation?

The only correct action where a terrorist is concerned is to act immediately, which must allow for individual, subjective discretion and action where command is not in place and active.

FMD, how would the NSW police command and the political direction that must be interfering behind the scenes have responded to a truck mowing down pedestrians during the Gay Pride parade?

Would they gather and bite their nails hoping that someone might take the decision out of the hands, or the problem might go away? "This is so difficult, identified victim group gays being killed in dozens by identified multicult Islamists, also with certified PC victimhood (Ms Triggs is watching). Islamists who are due added, extreme sensitivity (easily offended). In accord with the prevailing political correctness affecting multiculturals groups, "Gosh sakes, this fellow is a 'discriminated against Muslim!' and the victims are?"...."Yeah disposable Skips, but fortunately gays, but even they don't have the victim cache of Muslims".

It is the deliberate greyness of the very deep and widespread, SYSTEMIC political correctness that renders even set contact drills vague and cause police and public officials to sit on their hands, as happened in the hundreds of reported cases of sex trafficking of schoolchildren in the UK.

There remains the question why the police command refused out of hand any support from the highly skilled military experts (SAS, Commandos) who train continuously for such events and allegedly immediately responded with plans and training once the Lindt terrorism was reported.

At some juncture the good men and women in politics, in the police FORCE, in government administration generally and in the community must take a helicopter view of what went wrong and have the courage to say so and propose change.

Dear Foxy,

It is a mistake to assume that we have some "right" to live without being maimed, bombed, taken hostage or killed.
Instead, the case is that we want the above very much and so we fight for it, regardless whether it's our right or otherwise.

Terrorists should not be judged, certainly not under a legal frame they never accepted. Instead they should be killed - and they should be killed as enemy combatants rather than as criminals, not because they break your laws, but because you strongly desire to live without being maimed, bombed, taken hostage or killed and killing them in turn is practically the only way you can have that.

The legal framework protects you from nothing - it's the police and other security forces which do.
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 20 July 2016 12:57:57 AM

Amen to this post.......but add family law lawyers/solicitors/barristors as the money hungry soulless filth are guilty of terrorrism against kids & denying them their rights to grow up loving 2 parents......all in the name of "best interests of the child."
Bah...Humbug ! Wonder who'll be P.M saying sorry to the next lot of "stolen generations kids" ?