An eye for an eye and we're all blind...

The plight of that poor bastard on death row in Singapore has been on my mind almost constantly as the date approaches. At 5pm this arvo his last visitor will depart, leaving him in that Changi cell with nothing but his last thoughts reverberating around his as-yet still properly connected head. Tomorrow he will think no more. And the state of Singapore will be responsible for that.

I have thought for a long time about writing a post about the death penalty for drug-related (or any) crime. But there is nothing to say about it other than it is barbaric in ANY form it takes; it should be abolished in every state that employs it as a method of so-called deterrence/control; and I feel sickened at the hypocrisy of those who call for it - cheer even - one minute, and half-arsedly ask for clemency the next. It should never be an option. Not for serial killers and no, not even for terrorists. Still less drug mules...

And on that note I'm just a tad sick of hearing from various concerned types about how "one of those hits could've killed my daughter". What... just as ciggies, torrents of booze and quite possibly an unnatural appetite for Maccas could, if your daughter didn't have the backbone not to let that happen? You can't double dip, and blame both the mule AND the drug taker (as most capital punishment advocates inevitably do anyway). It's not as if Van Nguyen is there, tapping the air out of that needle while she pulls the tourniqué taut with her teeth.

Come to that, your average drug dealer is no better or worse than any other free market capitalist. After all, when he thought it was worth strapping all that junk to his body for cash, he was just a microcosm of a society that "responds to market realities", which operates by exploiting the Market For Just About Anything and thrives by allowing private companies to keep fresh water and other vital services at a premium (not to mention prescription pharmaceuticals).

Every time I open my Inbox I'm inundated with SPAM flogging everything from the unnecessary (penis enlargements and fake Rolexes) to the downright unhealthy (all manner of uppers and downers; lifters and deflaters) to the dodgy, illegal, sickmaking and depressing (Harvard degrees; animals, kids and your garden variety woman caught in the odd unsavoury act). In this world where products are literally shoved down your throat at every turn by the big guys, I admit it's tough to resist (especially that pirated copy of Dodgeball) - but if I manage it, surely "your daughter" can, Angry of Noble Park.