We (actually, our Philosophy prof freshman year of college) posed this poll question a long time ago:Is stealing bread to feed your starving family wrong?
We thought the answer would be obvious: of course it is. All wrongs aren't equal, but a justifiable wrong is still a wrong, right?
Surprisingly not! The majority of readers (60 percent) said no, as did the expert we consulted, Rabbi Alan Yuter of the B'nai Israel Congregation on the West side. (We also put in calls to the Maryland Catholic Conference and the Islamic Center of Maryland, but Rabbi Yuter was the only one to return the call!) Said the rabbi,
"I can’t give a straight answer because every case is different. In Jewish law we distinguish between assaults on person and assaults on property. Stealing is not generally an option, but you’re allowed to commit a minor sin to avoid suicide. We believe that life is more important than property, but you can’t give a formulaic answer in my view."The best answer, though, has got to be the one (maybe) doled out by Fiorello La Guardia ... the law makes no exceptions, but we should all be fined for living in such a crapulent society.
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There was another murder early Monday morning. Cops found the victim on the 2500 block of Garrett Ave around 12:30 AM. That brings us up to 107 for the year according to the Sun, and I believe 111 according to the Baltimore Crime Blog.
yay, they fixed the dallas street address. too bad they fucked up their murder number by counting that guy twice. even fox 45's website has 106 (aka the "correct" number).
also, i know they really want to show how relevant their barclay/midway expose last week is, but that doesn't mean you can reach out into other neighborhoods to claim murder victims for midway. according to the city department of planning, 25th street is the border between midway and CHuM.
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