malcolm xx said this in post #47 : your God creates culture; you create law. I think you are confused.
God (in whatever form anyone thinks God is) doesn't create culture. Culture is not something anyone is born with. Culture is created by man.
Although if you belive that God created man and man created culture, then indirectly God is responsible for creating culture, but that also make God responsible for anything else created by man (nuclear bombs, guns, whatever).
While I understand that this country has the right to its own set of rules and punishments, I agree that it is extreme. I don't believe that a person should take the argument that "If the country says it's illegal, just don't do it and there's no problem". For this case, sure, it fits. But can you imagine other circumstances that one can use this for? For example, the (alleged) killings of homosexuals in Iran because of their sexual orientation. I know I'm using an extreme example, though.
"Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."
"Judge not, let you be judged yourself."
I live my life highly accordingly to these two quotes, and pray I'm never wronged to the point of forgetting them.
I think we have to tak e each and every law and weigh them up as we see fit I guess. The thing is though when I go abroad I abide by the laws of that country and I would hope that when people come here they abide by the laws of this country thats all you can do really.
Interesting thought Amsterdam has a liberal approach to drugs and Singapore has a hardline policy on drugs yet they both have some of the lowest rates of drug dependency in the world yet countries that try to take the middle ground i.e US and UK have very high rates of drug dependency.
The solution is always somewhere in the middle. With regard to the drug trade there are several mitigating factors, most of which the general public is unaware, I assume. Same goes with Big Oil, healthcare and most other problems.
First thing to the Aussies; I was in Darwin back in 2000, and I absolutely loved Australia. I was staying on the RAAF base out there. Truely some of the most hospitable people I've ever met in my life. Also very patient with some of my more... bone headed associates that I was on the trip with.
Interestingly enough, we were also in Singapore on that same trip, and it too was a beautiful country, with wonderful people. I'm in the U.S. Marine Corps, and this was all on a scheduled deployment. Just before we were allowed off of ship for liberty, every Marine and Sailor had to sign one of those forms. As they say in the Marine Corps, there's always that ten percent. Well, one of the Marines did not heed the information on the form and did some dumb stuff and was arrested. The ship left port without him and if I remember correctly, he may still be there.
If I tell my kid that if she does something she's not supposed to there will be disciplinary consequences, what am I to expect from her or any of my other kids if I don't follow through with the punishment?
Death penalty for drug trafficing
Translation: We really, REALLY don't want drugs in our country. So much so that we'll execute you if you bring them here. We understand that it's a harsh punishment, but we're trying to convey to you how much we don't want drugs in our country. Don't test us on this, because if we catch you...
There's really nothing to be alarmed about. Harsh or not, there are rules and there are penalties for breaking the rules. This applies in every country.
As far as the question that was posed about Amsterdam being liberal towards drugs, Singapore obviously not hold that same stance, and the similar crime rates. It seems that both outcomes are benevolent to the structure. Amsterdam has, from what I understand, really relaxed drug policies, so if lighting up isn't a crime, there's no due process. However, on the other side of the coin, if Singapore executes everyone who breaks this law, then it stands to reason that fewer and fewer people are likely to take that risk. Basically, when you have a firm stance rather than straddle the fence, it seems things work out for the good more often than not. Where as in America, you get a second and third, and fourth chance sometimes as many as you can live through. Our system provides plenty of outs for criminals.
Death penalty for rape? I think there are times when it would be appropriate. Especially since when dealing with sex offenders the vast majority are repeat offenders. Of course you have nonsensical charges at times like the poor kid in I believe Georgia who is in prison for consentual sexual acts from his girlfriend who was two years his junior. So maybe that's the line. Maybe statutory rape is the lesser of evils in the scope of rape, as it's really in the purest definition of rape, not rape. But someone who overpowers through force and violence another into sexual acts... how could anyone besides an offender themselves, NOT at least consider the death penalty for that?
So, all in all, death penalty for drugs is harsh, but not as much when the criminal is warned before hand of the consequences. The death penalty is not always appropriate, but in some instances, it seems to me that it is.
And WillJ, the fact of the matter really is that if it's illegal in a foreign country, don't do it, and there's no problem. Execution due to sexual orientation is unacceptable, there's no denying that. That would seem to me to fall into the crimes against humanity category, and should not be tolerated by the international community.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
01-23-2006 05:52 AM
but this isn't the religion forum, now, is it?
