After long weekend roundup
Long weekend, much happened:
Saudi Arabia: We're ahead of the US! The Kingdom can celebrate its 136th execution of 2007. For comparison, the United States executed 42 so far this year, all of them for murder. Since Saudi Arabia has roughly 3.7% the population of the US, that means their execution rate is over 87 times higher! Yet, who gets the most blame? You guessed it.
USA: Good Cops. Seems like these days all we see of police in the media these days are stories about brutality and taser deaths. Here's some good news for a change; two policemen in the Bronx, Michael Welsh and Christopher Scott, saved 12 people from two burning buildings. This exactly what "above and beyond the call of duty" means.
ZIMBABWE: Absolutely senseless. Three black rhinos, a species on the very edge of extinction, were shot dead in the Imire Safari Park in Zimbabwe. The rhinos were part of a special breeding program, but unfortunately all three were the park's only females, so the program has come to a crashing halt. One of the females was only days away from giving birth. The animals had already had their horns removed, so there was no value in their killing. In fact, the motive is mysterious, but the results are devastating. This is, in fact, a terrorist attack. The poachers are destroying their own nation, their own heritage, their own economic future with this kind of madness.
UK: Church revising history. The Archbishop of Canterbury announced to a Muslim magazine that the United States was worse than Britain during its imperial heyday. Victor Davis Hanson at NRO rightfully takes him to task here, but I'll add one more thing. The Archbishop seems to have forgotten the fact that his own nation was a full participant of the Iraq war. In fact, he is part of this very war machine he decries; the Archbishop is not only the highest bishop of England's official Church, but has a seat in Parliament as well - a permanent one in the House of Lords.
UK: Don't die here, die there. Speaking of the UK Parliament, did you know that it's actually illegal to die there? The reason is explained here.
UK: How times have changed. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair says that while in office, he was never open about his religious beliefs for fear of being labeled a "nutter". It's pretty sad that in a largely Christian nation, with its own official Church, it's politically unwise to mention said religion...
BRAZIL: Despicable crime. A teenage girl was left in a jail cell with 20 men for nearly a month. I hardly need to tell you what happened as a result. It would be hard to blame this on a chauvanistic culture; the individual in charge of the police station is a woman, a woman judge oversaw the case, and the local governor was also a woman. She was only found after an anonymous tip, and the police are blaming everyone else but themselves. Words fail me in describing this situation; if justice is served, every single official at that jail would go to jail themselves. More background here.
THIRD WORLD: "One laptop per child". Nicolas Negroponte's commendable (but flawed) vision of the $100 laptop for third world countries (the media prefers the term "developing countries", but some of them are not developing) is being hammered by large corporations such as Microsoft and Intel, who were afraid of losing these markets. But this time, the evils of such capitalism might actually be a good thing. Bottom line: more laptops for all.
VENEZUELA: The party's over. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has now ruined his relationship with Columbia, just as he has done already to the US and Spain. How long is this trend going to continue?
FRANCE: Slightly boisterous kids. Riots by more "youths" in Paris. Of course the local reporters don't want to tell you that these are mostly, if not exclusively, immigrant youths rebelling against their adopted country.
UK: Don't tell Michael Jackson. Some skin lighteners are illegal in the UK. Nevertheless, they are very big business there.
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4 comments:
Nice tours!makes me want to go out and learn more.
About the Saudis: at least they don't go around invading countries,, trying to shove their so-called values down others' throats, preaching democracy and the American way and making the world safe for Disney and coca-cola.
It's a dictatorship and everyone expects dictatorships to be cruel and to practice capital punishment.
What's America's excuse?
Blah blah, capital punishment reduces crime. Blah blah, eye for an eye and justice. Blah blah, Supermax prisons. Blah blah, why do you condone rape and murder. Blah blah, abortion. Blah.
To Ian: despite your apples vs. oranges comparison, the Saudis do, in fact, unofficially conduct war in other countries. Everything from financing Palestinian terror groups to exporting fighters in Iraq to events like 9/11.
But back on subject, is capital punishment, by itself, really cruel? Saudis execute people for a whole range of offenses, including premarital sex or homosexuality. The USA executes people for murder and murder only (theoretically it's still on the books for treason and desertion during wartime, but neither have been used in the last 50 years).
I'm actually a mild death penalty opponent, but as long as it is used for murder, I'm not too bent out of shape about it.
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