The Birth of Jesus and the Slaughter of the Innocents

That the birth of Jesus Christ upset and troubled not a few political leaders of the Roman Empire is a perspective that has current significance in Philippine politics. The number of persons killed under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not certain. Similarly, the number of children who were ordered killed by Herod is also not certain. Some sources estimated that as many as 64,000 boys were killed, although modern writers have reduced this number to twenty or so. Some human rights groups in the Philippines claim that nearly 800 people, who have denounced the policies of Malacanang, have been executed since 2004. Some sources say the number is lower than thirty.

The number of persons killed, regrettably, is not the core issue. One death that is sanctioned by any instrumentality of the State is enough to render a judgment on the moral significance of the action. The State's instrumentality cannot kill any citizen on whatever ground outside the rule of law. Thus, any instrumentality of the State that is responsible for any form of extra-judicial killing is legally and morally accountable to the State. Failure on the part of the government to go after the perpetrators of such crimes and mete out the appropriate penalty is a sign of moral and legal indifference. That effectively makes the policy of the administration to defer the implementation of the death penalty law an empty rhetoric.

Picture is taken from http://images.google.com