By the same token does it not set a bad precedent once you allow one group to put on mask and mete out justice according to their own will and whim? Do you not open the door for anyone to do that?
I'm not sure which point this is responding to. By which same token are you talking about? And what re you suggesting would be done exactly?
And really, how do you know who is under the mask at any given time?
What stopping Erbert the Pervert from puttign on a Spidey costume and luring young children away? Or YOU placing your trust in someone you thought was a hero, only to find out the hard way that anyone can don a costum and put on an act?
How do you know that anyone is anyone? All those other forms of registration have the same problem, with all forms of fraud. And I'm not sure what relevance the pervert example has... are you saying that costumes entirely should be outlawed? Because I'm pretty sure Halloween would have a problem with that, as would most of those of us geeks who frequently attend comic shows in costumes... but I'm still not sure what that has to do with it... couldn't "Erbert the Pervert" just lure the child away anyways? I mean heck, the real Spider-Man could do just the same thing... how does registration solve that problem (or superheroes cause that problem?)? Plus, hopefully it isn't like the public gets this information anyways... just on principle they'd get tons of stalkers and murderers out to get a name for themselves, large common criminal elements like HYDRA even aside.
If THEY can regularly hide their identites, kick down doors, and smash peoples faces in for acts THEY perceive to be wrong, then so can you or me or anyone.
Uh... we are allowed to hide our identities. And we are allowed to make citizens arrests, which is the tame version of what you are saying. Do superheroes regularly kick down doors? Because I can't remember these occasions that they were doing this. And they don't just walk up to people and smash them in the face, there a re usually circumstances around that. So there pretty much isn't a double standard, barring extremist examples.
If they can walk about casually with the destructive power of a nuke a mere whim of their will away, then whats the big deal about me owning or carrying or using an assualt rifle whenever I please or stock piling weapons ...
Because they're human beings. Alternative solutions must be sought. But to regulate them as if they are the weapons themselves dehumanizes them, and leads to pointless encarcerations because there appears to be no alternatives. (Plus, we as human beings already possess the power to kill one another, even in great numbers. We have laws that make murder a crime for that reason. Once a crime has been committed, they should then be subject to that law. Innocent until proven guilty still stands, so if an individual hasn't committed a crime, why should they suddenly be subject to laws that make their living a crime?)
then the so-called heroes need to get with the same programm all of us are held to and begin sending the RIGHT message and operating on the RIGHT side .... that of the people and state/s they claim to care about and want to protect, as opposed to their own side.
And those that don't want to participate? Those that don't want to be subject to the whim of the government? What if they don't think that the 'RIGHT' message that you're claiming would be in place is in fact right? What then?
One of the big probmes I see with having a database of identities is the possibility of it falling into the wrong hands. How often have organizations like AIM, or HYDRA stolen governemt information? And look, they nearly totally destroyed SHIELD at on point! Many of those who secret thier identities are for the sake of the ones they love. If it becomes known who and where these super-powered people are, thier families are instantly at risk.
Also, who gets this information? Who regulates it? Who decides what punishments are necesarry and what the propoer means of going about prosecuting vioators should be? How far does it reach? Should this information be available to just the highest ups in government or the local police? Should it be provided to citizens' rights groups who are worried that they might have such powered individuals in their neighborhoods that might subsequently endager their lives? And if so, what is to stop this list from circulating widely on places like the net that then sets up addresses and personal information for people to kill these individuals. Heck, its happened with abortion doctors in the real world. Imagine what you'd get with the opportunity to stalk or kill a superhero.
True, but at this stage of the game do you think the premier policing organization SHIELD would not already have dossiers on just about every known hero and villain already? Storywise it makes perfect sense to me that Nick Fury would have been doing this over the years whether it was out of a sense of being prepared for any eventuality (as with the Xavier Files in the X-men) or just plain paranoia on the part of his superiors.
I absolutely agree, except for the fact that I think the registration is an attempt to force these individuals to come forward to the government and subject themselves to other forms of regulation, such as perhaps tracking or bugging, and service to the government. Just knowing who these people are and making them responsbile for their actions (which to be honest I've always assumed has been in place in the first place), makes no difference.
So, I guess if those are the terms, I must oppose the Act. However, if that detail were amended to something more... realistic, then I'd continue to support the idea.
Realistic as in optional opportunity to continue their work in service of SHIELD or realistic as in those that do qualify as of military value should be forced?
She couldn't have fallen back, let him think he was getting away, and then nailed him at a better time and place? She couldn't at least have grabbed him and gone soaring high into the sky with him.. making an attempt to place those children out of harms way? If she had been properly trained and prepared, she would have and all of those children wouldn't be dead. And all of their living friends and relatives wouldn't be crushed with anguish.
But they aren't proposing training. And accidents do happen. The girl was obviously not aware as to the power that her opponent had and didn't understand the risk. The same could happen in a real world scenario, and oftentimes civilian lives are lost despite all of the training given to them anways. Now this still isn't a support of the New Warriors.
If a super powered person breaks a law or commits a crime then I see no problem with his details being recorded, much like comvicted criminals have their DNA profile recorded. How would you feel however, if you were told that a record of your DNA was required, because you came from a demographic that may one day commit a crime?
Again, a beautiful articulation that I could never hope to match...