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I am against the proposed change. It is too wordy and talks about about NMX, whom this law does not affect and has little to do with, and also about war crimes, which are not related to this law. Laws should be written to be lasting, and should not mention other factions that may not be around in 5 years or so.
I would ask my opponent on the floor to re-read my proposal and to examine it closely; I not only defined words used in the change, but also did not add anything excessive to it.
What he may think is extra words is not actually part of the change; it is an argument on behalf of it, the actual change is in quotes.
My esteemed colleagues, we are allowing ourselves to become embroiled over details which are better dealt with by the courts. Therefor I propose we move forward on this by going with the following:
1. To prevent sapients from being used as a food source.
Proposal:
1. Add the following to the law: "It is a crime to knowingly and willfully consume the flesh of another sapient being without that person's written consent."
When it comes to the matter of extenuating circumstances which is what all this circular debate has been about. That is a matter we should leave to the courts to decide on a case by case basis.
1. To prevent sapients from being used as a food source.
Proposal:
1. Add the following to the law: "It is a crime to knowingly and willfully consume the flesh of another sapient being without that person's written consent."
2. The convening court shall be entrusted with the decision as to whether or not extenuating circumstances are present, and a is within their purview dismiss charges for the same.
I'd feel more comfortable with it if we had a definition of sapient. I'm still rather troubled that Nashoba can consider dolphins and whales to be sapient.
Well, there's no need to be rude about it. NO. It's so vague that a case could very depend on a judge's definition of the key terms, personal beliefs and interpretation of the law. There's too little defining what they should accept as an exception. The Senate is where we make the laws, not the courts.
"The judiciary (also known as the judicial system) is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state."
The senate may make the law, but it is the courts interpret and apply them.
And the proposal clearly states that courts are responsible for extenuating circumstances. We do not need a laundry list of what those conditions are, common sense applies.
The courts interpret how a given situation fits into the law, and rule based off of those laws, they only make decisions about the meaning of the law where the law is unnecessarily vague. NO.
It is stated within the law that a person must "knowingly and willfully consume the flesh of another sapient." Therefore, in the event that a person consumes the flesh of a being that they were unaware was sapient, they would be exempt from punishment under this current law. The only interpretation required of the court is whether they believe the consumption of sapient flesh was done knowingly. YES.
Hemosynthetic material while on its own is hardly a viable food source however, in times of hardship and with the decommissioning of old model neko bodies, perhaps the usage of the leftovers would be sound and reasonable to feed the masses. Furthermore, in a combat situation, it would be reasonable for users of high-demand, or injured bodies, to consume readily available bio-matter for sustenance.