Lincolnite: Lincoln's Online Community

First ever Lincolnite.com international law hypo! Woohoo!

April 12, 2005 at 7:25pm By: Mr. T Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

I would like to gather some input on the following hypotheticals for a little side project I am working on. By the way, this is based on a real series of cases issued by an international court recently! (to be disclosed later)

Hypo 1:

Country A invades Country B. For purposes of helping to visualize this hypo, lets say Country A is the USA and County B is Canada. The US unlawfully invades Canada but only takes over Quebec, where they set up an unlawful US colony. The rest of Canada continues to be governed by the Canadian national govt. The US begins committing human rights violations in Quebec against Quebecois, but the Canadian govt can do nothing to stop them because of the presence of superior US military forces in occupied Quebec. Instead, after brief fighting, Canada “gives up,” concedes to the US, and tries to negotiate with the US to normalize relations. Legally, who should be responsible for the human rights violations in Quebec?

A) The US, for invading Quebec and committing human rights violations
B) Canada, because by NOT finding them liable, leads to bad intl human rights policy because all nations should always do their utmost to use whatever means necessary to stop human rights abuses and Canada did not try hard enough
C) both US and Canada, for both reasons above

Why?

Hypo 2:

The US invades Quebec and sets up an unlawful US colony. The rest of Canada continues to be governed by the Canadian national govt. The US begins committing human rights violations in Quebec against people living in Quebec which the Canadian govt does nothing to stop, even though it could attempt to do so. The Canadian govt does nothing to stop the human rights violations because the majority Canadian govt wanted to eradicate the minority Quebecois people anyway. Legally, who should be responsible for the human rights violations in Quebec?

A) The US, for
invading Quebec and committing human rights violations
B) Canada, because by not doing anything to prevent the human rights violations by the US, basically acquiesced and allowed it to happen.
C) both US and Canada, for both reasons above

Why?

Hypo 3:

The Quebecois revolt against Canadian rule and set up an unlawful separatist nation. This new government then begins persecuting its residents and the government of Canada does nothing
to stop it. Who is liable for these human rights violations?

A) Canada because the “separatist Quebecois” are not a distinct entity but still lawfully Canadian, and Canada has failed to protect its own citizens
B) Both Canada and the new separate nation of Quebec
C) Only the new govt of Quebec - if they can be apprehended - for committing human rights violations against Canadians in Quebec
D) No one, because Canada is not responsible for crimes committed by the separatist Quebec nation and Quebec is an unlawful entity

Why?

Hypo 4:

The Quebecois revolt against Canadian rule and set up an unlawful separatist nation. This new government then begins persecuting its residents and the government of Canada tries to stop it but cannot because the separatist forces are too strong. Instead, after brief fighting, Canada “gives up,” concedes to Quebec, and tries to negotiate with the Quebec to normalize relations. Who is liable for these human rights violations?

A) Canada because the “separatist Quebecois” are not a distinct entity but still lawfully Canadian, and Canada has failed to protect its own citizens
B) Both Canada and the new separate nation of Quebec
C) Only the new govt of Quebec - if they can be apprehended - for committing human rights violations against Canadians in Quebec
D) No one, because Canada is not responsible for crimes committed by the separatist Quebec nation and Quebec is an unlawful entity
E) Canada, because by NOT finding them liable, leads to bad intl human rights policy because all nations should always do their utmost to use whatever means necessary to stop human rights abuses and Canada did not try hard enough

Why?

Hypo 5:

The govt of Canada and separatist Quebecois begin bloody fighting on the physical territory of the province of Quebec after Quebec declared its independence, with numerous human rights violations committed by both sides and absolute chaos in Quebec. Who is liable for these human rights violations?

A) Canada because the “separatist Quebecois” are not a distinct entity but still lawfully Canadian, and Canada has failed to protect its own citizens
B) Both Canada and the new separate nation of Quebec
C) No one, because the fighting has rendered the territory of Quebec “lawless”

Why?

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News flash!

April 11, 2005 at 8:45am By: Mr. Wilson Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Salk had help developing polio vaccine

In other breaking news:

• World War II ends
• Abraham Lincoln shot, killed
• Ogg, son of Grogg, invents “wheel”

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Be afraid. Be very afraid.

April 5, 2005 at 4:26pm By: Mr. T Posted in The Lincolnite Blog

Chancellor Harvey Perlman of UNL sent this announcement out today to all UNL faculty and staff (abridged version):

Yet, we continue to face a significant challenge caused by our enrollment
decline this year and the tuition shortfall that decline precipitated.  The
shortfall could be as high as $6 million dollars. This means we will not have
sufficient dollars to fund this year’s budget and unless enrollment increases
rapidly for fall, we cannot sustain next year’s level of expenditures either.
I am afraid this means that we will have to begin looking at very real changes
in how we manage our resources and, yes, some reductions in current
budgets.

I believe the enrollment decline is in large part a lingering product of
the budget cuts and the significant increases in tuition rates over the
last four years.

Because this shortfall has been
created by enrollment declines, one of the factors that should be
considered in making reductions will be patterns of enrollment within
academic departments.

HMMMMMM. This could be Perl-speak for “departments with low enrollment rates might get axed.” Let the rumors, finger-pointing, and hysteria begin. 

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