Humans, demons, and jurisdiction

[Jason Rune <winter_herald@xxxxxxxxx>]

Something's been bugging me lately. Actually, a lot
of things have been bugging me lately, but this one
gets its own post.

So, Buffy considers herself to have jurisdiction and a
license to kill in the demon world, but no such thing
among humans. Right? That's what the conversation in
"Villains" would seem to indicate.

Unfortunately, the borders aren't all nice and
straight...

The Mayor. He became a demon, but before that he was
a souped-up human with (probably) dozens of demonic
pacts and bargains. If Buffy had found a way to get
past his invulnerability, would she have been
justified in offing him? Or should she have left him
to some sort of federal investigation?

The Knights of Byzantium. Buffy killed at least a few
of them. Of course, it was immediate self-defense
against armed opponents, and even normal citizens can
kill in self-defense against armed opponents in most
places I know of. But it was never mentioned once on
the show as far as I know.

Anya. She's a demon now, though it may be hard to
believe as her personality really hasn't changed a
whit. Apparently, a vengeance demon is just a human
with some granted powers. Does Buffy have the
authority (never mind whether she could actually get
past their magic) to kill a human with granted powers
used to disembowel, maim and torture?

Rack. If, theoretically, Buffy were in a position to
kill Rack, would she have the justification? I think
he's at least ostensibly human, but do you really
think that any human system of jurisdiction could
touch him? By genetics he may be human, but by his
actions and affiliations (specifically, his extreme
usage of dark magics) he seems to have declared
membership in the demon community. There's a reason
only demons (and his junkies) can find his lair.

Warren. He's human, and he's not a black magician
like Rack. He's a gadgeteer, and technology is a part
of human society (though his tech was almost magically
advanced in some cases.) What supernatural forces he
used, he got from outside sources, and they had run
out by the time Willow had him. So I can't see any
way out of this one, really. Sorry, Willow.

The list could go on. The way the show is going,
humans and demons don't seem *quite* so far removed
from each other as some would like to think. How well
does Buffy's double standard really work?

Or, to put it another way: Can physically human
people, by using dark magic, remove themselves from
human jurisdiction and place themselves under
demon/slayer jurisdiction?

I remain,

Jason Rune

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