Capital Punishment and Singapore

Remind me to never visit or support Singapore. Up until a few years ago, I had no opinion on the death penalty. At some point I weighed the arguments, thought about it, and came to the conclusion that I'm against the death penalty. As the US prepares to execute its 1000th person in the last 30 years and Singapore executes a young man for a non-violent, victim-less crime, I felt it was time to talk about executions.

I'm against capital punishment because it is very final and there is always some amount of uncertainty in the conviction. The danger of false positives is just too great to justify any capital punishment. If just one innocent person is executed, a travesty of justice has occurred.

Singapore is a nanny-state taken to the extreme. Being jailed for a non-violent drug offense is unethical and unjust, but being executed for the same offense is a human rights violation. I find Singapore's behavior unacceptable. I realize Singapore is a sovereign nation, but there must be limits to punishment. For his non-violent behavior, at the worst, he should have been jailed, forced to do community service, and/or banished from the country. I'm afraid most politicians in Europe and the United States would be satisfied if their country gained increasing nanny-state tendencies, and moved in the direction of Singapore. The future should bring more personal responsibility and individual rights, not governments getting involved in people's personal lives and invading privacy.

Next time your government tries to control your life or protect you from yourself, take a stand. Here in liberal Seattle, the city council banned lap dances. You'd be hard pressed to find a citizen that agrees with the legislation. If I want a lap dance, that is my right and my decision; those who don't want one shouldn't enter a strip club. The city council and mayor are on some kind of power trip that puts all of us in danger.