[Rjina]

Just wanted to name a few things, then step back a bit.
Okay, since there's more than one, I want to lay down some simple rules :
Before discussing the topic, please label which question (#) you're addressing for clarity. Thanks! Don't mean to be a bother.

1. The police shot down Matt during his brief feature in the Death Note series. Is this police brutality? Please keep in mind that they were working in the interest of their uniform beliefs (the supremacy of Kira)

2. Light died by the pen of Ryuk, who wrote his name down in the Death Note. In the anime, Light dies away from the watching eyes of his decieved fellow investigators. In the manga, he falls before them. The police will never truly 100% understand the presence of Ryuk. Does this take away the glory from Light's death, or does it enhance it?

3. If Misa hadn't been a famous girl, would her interest in the cult cause her to find Light anyway? What if it was the other way around, and she was famous, but uninterested in the cult? What if she was neither? Based on these deductions, what does this say about human nature?

4. L's idealistic methods vs. Near's bullet-point method. What is their perception of justice, and which was more appropriate (regardless of results)?

[MikamiTeru]

I'm going to address #1

That isnt necessarily police brutality because those werent the police. They were Takada's personal body guards.
However, it was also self-defense because Matt had a concealed gun. Nevertheless, all 13 of those bodyguards broke the law in a few ways.
for starters, the Japanese public are not allowed to possess firearms.

[Rjina]

Oh, I see...
Thank you for the very technical explanation--the whole bodyguard thing totally flew over my mind when I typed this (I was at my school library sitting across from a friend of mine. He was asking me something personal and I got sidetracked).

But I feel that I've asked my question in the wrong way (maybe it's the fact that Matt's death reminded me of this type of situation). I meant to ask, "If police forces stop a young man and suppress him, what does this mean if they are acting according to belief?"

To put bluntly: "When does religion cross with politics and the law?"
Sorry, I wasn't so clear before.

[MikamiTeru]

Ohh that matter is even more interesting.
I'm not a very religious person myself, but I have my beliefs.

Police work might very well be considered justice. And when justice collides with belief, justice should prevail.
But... in a sense, justice is a belief. It may be considered the crossing of two beliefs, and that makes it much more conflicting.

Seeing how Justice is so much more than a belief... and religion is as well. Infact, in beliefs, Religion and Justice may be the two most sacred.

Yet in my own thinking, Justice would come first. I'm sure that even Religion would warrant that.

[Rjina]

Yes, what you're saying accurately depicts my feelings as well... I believe that there is a fuzzy distinction between justice and belief... that justice is a sort of belief. But like you, I choose the side of justice, because it seems more 'logical' than religious influences/ideals.

But that's my perspective.

And perspective, as we all have discussed, is null and man-made... yet what inspires me is that people continue to put faith in their perspectives despite all that is working against them.

[MikamiTeru]

Rjina?
Did you purposely put that smily there?

[Rjina]

Which smiley, exactly?

[MikamiTeru]

the last one...

[Rjina]

A kiss for you all

[MikamiTeru]

Sweet