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Thou Shalt Not Kill
Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing; or committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, any arson, escape, murder, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery; or perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children; or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree. — 18 U.S. Code § 1111
Thou Shalt Not Kill — Exodus 20:13
Unless your own life is threatened
Unless you perceive your life to be threatened
Unless you plan to eat the creature you slaughter
Unless the creature is a pest
Unless the subject doesn’t comply immediately
— hands up —
Unless you’re on the brink of a breakdown
Unless the body in question is brown
Unless that brown body is accused of a crime against a white body or, worse yet, against capitalism
Unless you’re imposing state-sanctioned murder
Unless the subject does not have a DNR
Unless the patient presents with a complaint and has documented drug-seeking behavior
Unless the subject is not worthy of life
Write this down: worthy is just like you
Unless the subject is addicted to danger
Unless the subject is suspected to have a weapon
Unless the subject is wearing a hoodie
out for a run that looks like a sprint
not listening when you tell them
stop
right
there
Unless there is land at stake
Unless it’s yourself
Unless you have children and can’t be bothered to lock up your guns
Unless the death serves some utilitarian purpose
Unless you can ignore murder
rationalize
or make meaning of it
Unless you can tell the bereaved parents
“another angel up in heaven”
or
“God has a reason for everything”
Unless you are the bullet
Unless you are holding a smoking gun
