Nature’s Commandos

Target Words (Hedef Kelimeler)

1. take the law into one’s own hands: taking action which should be taken by the police or the courts (kendi adaletini sağlamak, intikam almak)
2. have become a law unto oneself: taking action which should be taken by the police or the courts (başına buyruk davranmak, bildiğini okumak, kafasına göre hareket etmek, kanun benim diyerek yaşamak, kanun nizam nedir bilmemek)
3. lay down the law: be very firm and clear about the law, and enforce it (ahkam kesmek, direktif vermek, patronluk taslamak)
4. bend the rules: making special exceptions; letting some people disobey the rules/ laws (göz yummak, kuralları esnetmek, yasayı esnetmek)

Reading Passage (Okuma Parçası)

During the recent demonstrations in the city center, we saw protesters taking the law into their own hands and attacking the offices of the company responsible for the pollution of our beaches.

While I can understand how angry these protesters must feel, it is clear that the most violent group of demonstrators, the so-called “Nature’s Commandos”, have become a law unto themselves and that the police are failing to control the situation.

What we now need is a firm government that is prepared to lay down the law to the big corporations which pollute our environment and to stop bending the rules when it is a question of commercial interests. At the same time, the police must take firm action against the most violent groups. Only in this way can we solve the problems we now face.