tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post113312930467798202..comments2024-03-22T22:27:57.474-04:00Comments on Inside the Hotdog Factory: "I am going to send you to a better place than this. God bless you."Whetam Gnauckweirsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06038247522187261808noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133847677034266162005-12-06T00:41:00.000-05:002005-12-06T00:41:00.000-05:00When in Rome...I too will not cry over this smuggl...When in Rome...I too will not cry over this smuggler. He was stupid, and will pay for it. I also didn't get too upset when quite a few years ago some Americans(two guys old enough to know better) decided to try to spread graffiti in Singapore. They were arrested and caned. A lot of people were outraged at Singapore's punishment, I thought it was pretty appropiate. Americans were extemely upset over Singapore's audacity to actually enforce the law against a foreigner, especially an American. I mean, these guys were in their 20s...and they spray painted cars and buildings. It wasn't like they just acidentally stumbled past a 'keep off the grass' sign or were punished for chewing bubble gum(which is illegal in Singapore). As for me, I have no problem with Singapore passing their laws, and enforcing them. I disagree with the death sentance because I disagree with capital punishment in general, regardless of the country that carries it out, or the reason used to justify it. <BR/>On a side note, my father visited Singapore once, the capital city. He said it was the cleanest city he had ever been to(he also threw away a pack of gum as soon as he got off the plane, after being informed that it was contraband).Ascendantlivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13935500609993327660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133540528937477112005-12-02T11:22:00.000-05:002005-12-02T11:22:00.000-05:00A few years ago I worked in a hotel while living i...A few years ago I worked in a hotel while living in Ireland. When checking in guests from North America, among the many questions they would ask, they always got around to "When do the pubs close?" To their disappointment I would inform them, "Eleven-thirty in the summer, and eleven o'clock at night in the winter." They would respond with, "Well, back where I come from the bars stay open until two o'clock in the morning." Which may well have been true. The thing was, they weren't at home. You abide by the law of the land, whatever land you might be in. I once got delayed in Mexico because I hadn't paid a departure tax. What was I going to say? "Hey, they don't charge me that in Florida!" No, I grudgingly paid the tax and got on my way.<BR/><BR/>These are all very poor analogies for capital punishment. No human being can say that another <I>deserves</I> to die. Sure, I hope Saddam Hussein is strung up by his balls, for instance. But this ill-fated drug smuggler in Singapore? He paid the piper, that's all. Singapore's not about to change their laws -- among them, $1,000 fine for not flushing a urinal -- and I think pleas for them to change their laws are inappropriate for other countries to make. You fuck around in Singapore, there is a hell of a hefty price to pay. With the way I live and carry on, I would be arrested and caned within an hour of landing in Singapore, so I plan to stay well away.<BR/><BR/>Don't forget, North Americans come from what <I>Playboy</I> magazine once called "the blameless culture." No one's to blame for anything in North America. We all have excuses, all have lawyers, all have gripes, all have potential lawsuits. What we don't have is people taking responsibility for themselves in any great number.<BR/><BR/>I'm not saying this drug smuggler deserved to die, but for him I will weep not.Whetam Gnauckweirsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06038247522187261808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133539773456547682005-12-02T11:09:00.000-05:002005-12-02T11:09:00.000-05:00Matt you're correct that this smuggler certainly d...Matt you're correct that this smuggler certainly did something very stupid. I'm sure he was not a 'nice guy', as they probably don't last long in the international heroin trade. But killing him, even if he knew the penalty beforehand, is far too extreme. I think that the death penality is far more vengeance than justice. <BR/>As for the writers and artists their are people trying to get them freed. It's just not considered news worthy.Ascendantlivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13935500609993327660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133532593945781252005-12-02T09:09:00.000-05:002005-12-02T09:09:00.000-05:00Great post, Dave! I had no idea about the exagger...Great post, Dave! I had no idea about the exaggeration of what the Aussie drug smuggler brought into the country. For me, of all the executions in the world to protest, protesting against the hanging of a drug smuggler is not time well spent.<BR/><BR/><B>From Yahoo! News</B>:<BR/><BR/><I>The hanging follows weeks of campaigning by his family and civil rights groups to stop the execution.</I><BR/><BR/>Where was the man's family when he went in to the drugs trade for a living?<BR/><BR/><I>"I hope the strongest message that comes out of this ... is to the young of Australia. Don't have anything to do with drugs, don't use them, don't touch them, don't carry them, don't traffic in them," Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.</I><BR/><BR/>This is precisely the message the Singaporean government was sending all along, before and after this drug smuggler.<BR/><BR/>I've never been within 10,000 miles of Singapore, and yet I am aware of their insanely harsh penalties for even the smallest infractions. Never in my life would I consider smuggling drugs into any country, least of all Singapore.<BR/><BR/>More imporantly, with all of the <A HREF="http://mattamand.blogspot.com/2005/09/yang-yahoo-hot-lead-enemas-do-i-as-ive.html" REL="nofollow">writers</A> and artists imprisoned around the world, where is the outcry and tolling bells for them?Whetam Gnauckweirsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06038247522187261808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133508715235921032005-12-02T02:31:00.000-05:002005-12-02T02:31:00.000-05:00Socially, exaggeration is often whimsical. But whe...Socially, exaggeration is often whimsical. But when a government dramatically inflates numbers to help justify a death sentence, the integrity of both the trial and its governing body becomes questionable. In this case, the government is Singapore, the trial was for Van Tuong Nguyen, and the bloated number is 26,000.<BR/><BR/>Press from around the world quotes Abdullah Tarmugi, the Speaker of Singapore Parliament, in writing about the potential consequences of Van's actions, "almost 400 grams of pure heroin, enough for more than 26,000 doses."<BR/><BR/>But how was 26,000 doses (or "hits") derived?<BR/><BR/>It turns out that what constitutes a hit of heroin is not an easy thing to count. There are dozens of factors to consider; contact your local Needle Exchange for a comprehensive list. However, after collecting statistics from over a dozen sources (including police reports, narcotics web sites, health information, and workers from needle exchanges), the number of hits from a gram of pure heroin averages out to little more than 14.<BR/><BR/>Van Tuong Nguyen trafficked 396.2 grams of heroin into Singapore. This is approximately 5,600 doses.<BR/><BR/>The numbers 5,600 and 26,000 are obviously incongruous, as are reports that 400 grams of heroin would "ruin 26,000 lives". In fact, 400 grams of heroin would not come close to ruining even 5,600 lives. Rather, the heroin would most likely supply people already abusing it. With a little more research, we can estimate how many lives would be adversely affected by 400 grams of heroin during one year:<BR/><BR/> As many as 67, and as few as 6.<BR/><BR/>Van Tuong Nguyen would not have sent 26,000 people to their deaths from 400 grams of heroin. Nor would the lives of 26,000 people have been ruined. Far more likely is that six people would get a year's worth of hits. And for this he was executed?<BR/><BR/>Call it dreadful, call it dense, call it incomprehensible ... but do not call it justice.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05698509609724680662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133281398741389512005-11-29T11:23:00.000-05:002005-11-29T11:23:00.000-05:00I believe it was in 18th century England they star...I believe it was in 18th century England they started hanging thieves. They hung people for stealing food, horses, whatever they stole it was a death sentence. Thing is, the crime rate never went down, they had public executions in the middle of London. It didn't make any difference. Simply punishing the crime, regardless of how severe the penalty, doesn't help a whole lot when the underlying social reasons for the crime are ignored. As long as there is money in the drug trade, the trade will continue; regardless of how severe the penalty. Slaughtering people is not going to stop it.Ascendantlivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13935500609993327660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000498.post-1133167576586166992005-11-28T03:46:00.000-05:002005-11-28T03:46:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.tempo duluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06618932526762430218noreply@blogger.com