Well, I just read the most interesting Star Wars argument ever. On Stardestroyer.net, a member by the username of Lord Hoth is arguing the legal and moral merits of the Galactic Empire; he even goes so far as to be a Tarkin- and Palpatine-apologist and is attempting to justify their actions on moral grounds.
Most of those were addressed.
According to Lord Hoth, Palpatine was justified in executing the Jedi because of their attempted (and illegal) coup to remove him from office. Tarkin was justified in the Ghormaan Massacre because the protesters violated Imperial protocol and swarmed the docking bay; he had no choice. The Xenophobia, he rationalizes, wasn't Imperial policy in general; the Empire can't be blamed. Lastly, the Wookies engaged in open rebellion against the Empire. It was Palpatine's right to forcibly occupy the planet.
Originally posted by GideonThat's legal justification sure, any law can be ratified, theoretically. Moral standpoints, while subjective, do have a considerable standing in a general sense to people (i.e. killing a child is wrong). So morally, no.
Most of those were addressed.According to Lord Hoth, Palpatine was justified in executing the Jedi because of their attempted (and illegal) coup to remove him from office. Tarkin was justified in the Ghormaan Massacre because the protesters violated Imperial protocol and swarmed the docking bay; he had no choice. The Xenophobia, he rationalizes, wasn't Imperial policy in general; the Empire can't be blamed. Lastly, the Wookies engaged in open rebellion against the Empire. It was Palpatine's right to forcibly occupy the planet.
Well, the Soviets executed/exiled/did stuff to whoever spoke against the regime. Sure, it was illegal to speak against the government, but was it morally right to kill a person based on saying something?
This stuff applies to the real world as well. After all, the Empire was influenced by many real-world totalitarian regimes.
Does he remember that governments are controlled and ran by fallible man who are just as morally fallible and potentially corrupt as everyone else? Palpatine is EVIL, flat-out EVIL. He's also the absolute ruler of a totalitarian regime- meaning that he IS law and is able to do whatever the hell he wants, legally speaking. Laws are a set of principles are behavioral norms set by men. Or in this case, a man who is clearly sadistic, evil, and mentally unbalanced. So... every law he makes is moral? WTF?
I bet this guy loves Bush.
As for the Nazi Government, Hitler was the Nazi Government. He created every single law there and had full control over it. The Nazi government is, in itself, not an entity; it's an organization composed of people who endorsed Hitler's ideas and world view. Which we can all agree was immoral.