RLJ (Red Light Jumping). (The definitive bikeradar thread)

Yes I would drive at 60 in that case as the law would only be changed to 60 if it made sense to do so.

So using DJ's example - racism was all fine and dandy in the past since the law had not been changed to make it illegal therefore there was no sense in racism being illegal?
Your argument presupposes that those in charge of legislation will always make a decision that is correct and makes sense. While this is often true (most laws actually do make sense) it is not true all of the time. If you use the letter of the law as your moral compass (as you seem to advocate) then you WILL find yourself in a situation where the law permits action which is neither sensible nor 'morally correct' (I use this term loosely - moral correctness is very much subjective). If you want to follow the letter of the law simply because it is the letter of the law - that is fine. However, don't be surprised that some people follow the law because it falls in line with their moral values - and that they will break it when it does not.

Of course the law decides what actions are good or bad as it goes hand in hand with the punishment/penalty. You only punish for doing something which is seen as bad don't you so the fact it is bad has already been decided.

Two situations. In the first, a cyclist arrives at a pedestrian crossing signalled by traffic lights. The lights are red but apart from the cyclist, both the roads and pavements are completely deserted. After looking around to check, the cyclist jumps the red light. This is illegal - therefore what the cyclist has done is bad.

In the second, a car speedily approaches a busy crossroads and pedestrian intersection. The lights turn amber for the car, and pedestrians start to cross before the man turns green. The car is rather close to the intersection, so rather than slow down and stop for the amber he speeds up in hopes of making it across, beeping and tooting his horn to get people crossing out of the way - and narrowly misses hitting them. This is not illegal (as far as I am aware? please correct)

• therefore what the motorist has done is good.
  
  

I don't condone breaking the law - mostly it is there for good reason. However, if you read the above two situations and don't think there is anything wrong with them, then you are clearly rather screwed up. Whatever you may say, you cannot classify someone's actions as bad or good just because the law says those actions are permitted or not. Just because DJ jumps red lights does not mean he is any less 'good' than the truck driving granny who has stopped at every single red light she encountered for the past 80 years.