hope
Hope is a glorious thing. It keeps people going, it keeps people alive and it also keeps people fighting for something that might seem impossible. Hope is what kept thousands of Jewish people in the concentration camps alive during the holocaust. Hope that somewhere, someone would help them out and they would rise out of the persecution and death that they faced. Hope is what will help keep a soldier alive during war time. Hope that the next bullet fired wont be entering his body and ending his life in a horrible and tragic way. Hope doesnt even have to be about life and death, but simply about happiness. Many people hope that they find that special someone that they can be with for the rest of their life. This hope is what spurs them on, and helps them get through many countless horrible dates, bad relationships and broken hearts. It could be said that Don Quixote had great hope to such a degree that he would go out and dream the impossible dream, to fight the impossible foe, to dare where the bravest dont go. Hope that behind the next corner there might be something better. Hey, even Dr. Samuel Beckett had hope, leaping from life time to life time, hoping that the next leap, will be the leap home. Ok, so I watch a little bit too much TV back in the late 80's, early 90's...but you get the drift right?
but, at what point must a person give up hope and just leave it be. At what point should David sit down and think "I hope that I win the battle against Goliath, but I know I wont so why bother?" When does the impossible dream, the unfightable foe and the place where the bravest dont go become a reality? When should a person lay down their arms, curl up and admit defeat? or when should a person look and honestly say "this is an unbeatable fight, we must divert our resources somewhere else and try to save someone else and leave this one alone" After all, if you are fighting 20 fights simultaniously, isnt it logical that they are not all going to get the attention they deserve, and a few might be lost that could have been won had the attention to a few unbeatable fights not be diverted?
One such battle that I am wondering about is for the life of Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, who is currently awaiting his execution in Singapore on a drug related charge. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwuchukwu_Amara_Tochi) Singapore, if you do not know, is known for their strict laws, harsh punishments and 'progressive and advancing economy'. My personal favorite quote to describe Singapore is "..it is like Disneyland, with the death penalty." It has been reported that they have the highest execution rate per capita in the world. However, this can not be confirmed as fact since the Singaporean Gov't does not release (or keep, not really sure on this one) records concerning executions because, as the old prime Minister Goh once was reported as saying "I have better things to do with my time".
According to the reports I have read and heard, it has been proven that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the accused knew that the pills he was carrying contained drugs that were prohibited in Singapore and would eventually get the man killed. However, this does not stop the gov't from proceding with the death sentence by rejecting the appeal and clemency plea. However, this really is not new to me considering having followed the Took murder case just recently that ended with his execution. Granted, I do admit that my information is a little sketchy and not complete, considering that (unlike here in Canada where they pretty much put all information about a trial and sentence in the papers) Singapore really doesnt like to publish any information that would be considered bad and only likes to fill their papers with glorious accounts of the gov't successes. Though, according to one of their television shows that I caught concerning the Took case, I was shocked to discover that it is not only the act of murder that will get you executed, but the act of assault and improper disposal/indignity towards human remains, that will get you executed. Since, according to the program, Took only admitted to tieing up the young girls legs, hitting her once and then disposing of the body when he discovered that she had died due to a seizure/fit that she had. It was even reported that one of the three appelant judges admitted that there wasnt sufficient evidence to prove that the girl died by actions of Took but could have died due to the seizure and Took had nothing to do with it. However, lucky for Singapore justice, it doesnt matter what a judge thinks individually, there is always a few other judges around to help set them straight and keep the wheels of justice going.
Just as in this case with Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, where the ruling judge actually states that there wasnt enough evidence to prove that the accused knew what the drug was and that he did not know he was being given an illegal substance to bring into Singapore. But, again, lucky for Singapore justice and well being, the law steps in and says that is irrelevant. You have the drug, you must be guilty due to quite simple logic. If you have the drug you will be executed, therefore if you are found with the drug, you will obviously lie on the stand to save your life, therefore all people caught with the drug will lie to save their life, therefore never trust a person carrying drugs. Following this argument, obviously Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi knew what the drug was, is obviously lieing and therefore must be executed for the good of Singapore and the world since Singapore is not a country based on rehabilitation and second chances, but on punishment and avoidance. After all, you trust this drug mule that he didnt know, then you must trust them all, and then you have to actually question the validity of killing all those other drug mules in the past. Which could actually put some ideas in Singaporeans heads that perhaps their laws are flawed, the leaders are flawed and their system might not be working...Egads...
So, with a gov't this strong, this powerful, and obviously this blind to interpretation of laws but rather a strict following ("A could be B or C depending on circumstance D and then we must think of E" but strict following of "A leads to B to C"),shouldnt the people of the world just back down from the fight? why fight an unfightable foe like that? when the cards are stacked against you walking into the legal battle in Singapore, you cant just play a different game. Why not actually look to a battle in a country that will actually listen to thoughts and ideas instead of pounding out black and white from a book written by elites? Why not leave them to their own little world and just send out education to other countries saying "dont go to Singapore, let them play in their end of the yard and do something different". After all, isnt it easier to try to direct the flies away from the spiders web than to pull the fly out once it is caught? I just hope that the people of the world will learn from the mistakes of hundreds that have been caught and killed in Singapore in the last 40 years and go somewhere else. Cause, honestly, this Disneyland aint worth your life. But, hey, that is just the opinion of someone with waaaay too much free time on their hands.
but, at what point must a person give up hope and just leave it be. At what point should David sit down and think "I hope that I win the battle against Goliath, but I know I wont so why bother?" When does the impossible dream, the unfightable foe and the place where the bravest dont go become a reality? When should a person lay down their arms, curl up and admit defeat? or when should a person look and honestly say "this is an unbeatable fight, we must divert our resources somewhere else and try to save someone else and leave this one alone" After all, if you are fighting 20 fights simultaniously, isnt it logical that they are not all going to get the attention they deserve, and a few might be lost that could have been won had the attention to a few unbeatable fights not be diverted?
One such battle that I am wondering about is for the life of Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, who is currently awaiting his execution in Singapore on a drug related charge. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwuchukwu_Amara_Tochi) Singapore, if you do not know, is known for their strict laws, harsh punishments and 'progressive and advancing economy'. My personal favorite quote to describe Singapore is "..it is like Disneyland, with the death penalty." It has been reported that they have the highest execution rate per capita in the world. However, this can not be confirmed as fact since the Singaporean Gov't does not release (or keep, not really sure on this one) records concerning executions because, as the old prime Minister Goh once was reported as saying "I have better things to do with my time".
According to the reports I have read and heard, it has been proven that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the accused knew that the pills he was carrying contained drugs that were prohibited in Singapore and would eventually get the man killed. However, this does not stop the gov't from proceding with the death sentence by rejecting the appeal and clemency plea. However, this really is not new to me considering having followed the Took murder case just recently that ended with his execution. Granted, I do admit that my information is a little sketchy and not complete, considering that (unlike here in Canada where they pretty much put all information about a trial and sentence in the papers) Singapore really doesnt like to publish any information that would be considered bad and only likes to fill their papers with glorious accounts of the gov't successes. Though, according to one of their television shows that I caught concerning the Took case, I was shocked to discover that it is not only the act of murder that will get you executed, but the act of assault and improper disposal/indignity towards human remains, that will get you executed. Since, according to the program, Took only admitted to tieing up the young girls legs, hitting her once and then disposing of the body when he discovered that she had died due to a seizure/fit that she had. It was even reported that one of the three appelant judges admitted that there wasnt sufficient evidence to prove that the girl died by actions of Took but could have died due to the seizure and Took had nothing to do with it. However, lucky for Singapore justice, it doesnt matter what a judge thinks individually, there is always a few other judges around to help set them straight and keep the wheels of justice going.
Just as in this case with Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, where the ruling judge actually states that there wasnt enough evidence to prove that the accused knew what the drug was and that he did not know he was being given an illegal substance to bring into Singapore. But, again, lucky for Singapore justice and well being, the law steps in and says that is irrelevant. You have the drug, you must be guilty due to quite simple logic. If you have the drug you will be executed, therefore if you are found with the drug, you will obviously lie on the stand to save your life, therefore all people caught with the drug will lie to save their life, therefore never trust a person carrying drugs. Following this argument, obviously Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi knew what the drug was, is obviously lieing and therefore must be executed for the good of Singapore and the world since Singapore is not a country based on rehabilitation and second chances, but on punishment and avoidance. After all, you trust this drug mule that he didnt know, then you must trust them all, and then you have to actually question the validity of killing all those other drug mules in the past. Which could actually put some ideas in Singaporeans heads that perhaps their laws are flawed, the leaders are flawed and their system might not be working...Egads...
So, with a gov't this strong, this powerful, and obviously this blind to interpretation of laws but rather a strict following ("A could be B or C depending on circumstance D and then we must think of E" but strict following of "A leads to B to C"),shouldnt the people of the world just back down from the fight? why fight an unfightable foe like that? when the cards are stacked against you walking into the legal battle in Singapore, you cant just play a different game. Why not actually look to a battle in a country that will actually listen to thoughts and ideas instead of pounding out black and white from a book written by elites? Why not leave them to their own little world and just send out education to other countries saying "dont go to Singapore, let them play in their end of the yard and do something different". After all, isnt it easier to try to direct the flies away from the spiders web than to pull the fly out once it is caught? I just hope that the people of the world will learn from the mistakes of hundreds that have been caught and killed in Singapore in the last 40 years and go somewhere else. Cause, honestly, this Disneyland aint worth your life. But, hey, that is just the opinion of someone with waaaay too much free time on their hands.
posted by Capt_Canuck at 2:39 PM
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