The Moral Dilemma of, "Murder is Wrong...But..."

First off: murder is wrong. Can we at least agree on that? No? Well it is. I won't get into nuances, but murder is wrong. It's right there in the 10 Commandments...I think.

Jokes aside, this case out of Brainerd has me questioning the absoluteness of "Murder is wrong".

The Murder Trial of Michael LaFlex

Being from the Brainerd area, news of the murder allegations traveled fast. Of course the main focal point of the hearsay was a dad avenging his daughter's domestic abuse by going vigilante and killing the abuser.

Suddenly, a lot of dads in the area were either firmly on LaFlex's side, or repeating the mantra, "I don't agree with what he did...but I understand".

"Murder is wrong...but..."

After opening statements and initial questioning of LaFlex's daughter - who claims that the marks that LaFlex had seen on her body were consensual, not abuse - I'm pumping the brakes on this one.

Murder is Wrong...Period

The fact that I was perilously close to justifying LaFlex's actions bothers me. As a father, the thought of my child being abused by a significant other is...so many emotions.

Anger. How could someone do this to my child?
Sadness. How could my child let someone like this into their life? Have I failed as a father?
More anger. What the hell is wrong with people?
Vengeful. I want justice NOW.

Knee-Jerk Reactions Are For Jerkfaces

Quick to judge without knowing all the facts...and without acknowledging that we - the public - will never know all of the facts because we weren't there...really does go along with the human condition. We can't have things up in the air; we need answers. NOW.

Do we care if they are the correct answers? Or do we only care if they're the first answers?

Please join me in getting a grip on reality.