Moral choices SILVER LINING Dean Ernest Maceda 04/22/2010

Moral choices

SILVER LINING Dean Ernest Maceda 04/22/2010 At the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crimes Trials at the end of World War II, lesser lieutenants employed the defense that “I was only following legal orders” to profess their innocence. As we know, this defense was repudiated by the International Military Tribunals for as long as a moral choice was, in fact, available to the individual. Of course, the International Military Tribunals were established to try and punish the major war criminals from the Axis countries. The situation demanded prompt, resolute action. The judges from the Allied countries did not have the luxury to assess the individual levels of complicity of the accused subordinates and to make distinctions. The situation is different in the electoral politics context. Politics is also war — even the most cursory look into strategies and tactics involved in candidates’ campaigns will yield parallels with the best of Von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. It is even less honorable than war (have you been able to wipe off the LP-NP mud from your eyes?). And there are no laws of politics as there are laws of war. There is no tribunal but your own conscience to remind you about moral choices. And in the end, the only judgment is the people’s vote.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100422com4.html

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