Wil's Rant

The gallows are ready and his death is expected within days. I can't say I feel sorry for the man, even if I don't believe in the concept of capital punishment. By all reports, the man is a monster. I don't believe in capital punishment for one reason above all. If it's wrong to kill other than in self-defense, then it's wrong for the state to do the same. My main problem with the whole Saddam execution is the trial he underwent. According to pretty much every international lawyer in the world, the trial was patently unfair and the U.S. has acted outside International law. This sets a significantly bad precedent which will very likely further undermine American credibility worldwide, not that they have much left. Seems to me that he could have been convicted easily enough had his rights been upheld and he be allowed a fair trial with an adequate defense. Alas, twas not the case. So the world may be rid of yet one more monster among many, but the negative effects of the manner in which it has been accomplished will be felt for years to come.

On a related note: American dollars spent on the war in Iraq $300 Billion
Number of WMDs found 0

It has been suggested frequently that the Iranians have been involved in the ongoing insurgency in Iraq. It appears that the accusations have been correct. Iranian Military members have been arrested in Iraq. The Iraqi President is saying they were there at his request, which further complicates the mess that is Iraq.

I find this quite interesting. Pot is now the number one U.S. crop. This is quite amazing considering all the Bush accusations about Canada being the great supplier of pot in the U.S. because of our soft drug laws. There are far to many drug users sitting in jail in both our countries while violet criminals are being released for lack of space. The U.S. is now the world leader in the number of it's citizens who are behind bars. The a percentage of people that I am referring to. More than China, more than Russia, more than anyone. Now what was that about freedom? Freedom and democracy is not championed by poverty, imprisonment, crime, ignorance, and lack of faith. The U.S. must address all these failures before it can be a true bastion of democracy and freedom. There is still time. Start in the schools. Pay attention to what the rest of the world teaches it's kids in history class for one. It is a far different course that what's in the American history books which often more resemble fiction that fact. Is it any wonder that America has so little understanding of the views of everyone else.

At least one judge has ruled that insurance has to cover the losses from the flooding in New Orleans. It's obvious that such a flood was going to happen considering the history of the city and the feds lack of taking the proper steps to prevent the disaster. This was not just a case of an Act of God. Negligence played a big part of it. Of course, the insurers can now sue the government for the levee failure. In any case, the building of New Orleans in the manner in which it was can only be described as irresponsible. It was a recipe for disaster as soon as they started to reclaim the swamps and develope them. To now rebuild it in the same fashion ensures that such a disaster will come again.

We seem to have this foolish habit of thinking only in the near future which has led mankind and our environment to the state it now is. We must start thinking of the future if we will be able to save anything worth saving.

Now there's one solution. That is to sue the people responsible for the pollution problem in the first place. Thirteen U.S. states are suing the EPA over its failure to follow the advice of it's own scientists in setting soot emissions standards. They say that these emissions are directly responsible for thousands of deaths in the US every year. We might take note here in Canada, although we are, as a whole, much less sue happy. If our leaders fail to listen to the outpouring of concern for our environment, then they might pay a whole lot more attention to an avalanche of lawsuits over their failure to respect their mandated task of taking reasonable precautions and steps to protect our safety.

So a cracker ( hacker) has gotten into the UCLA computer database. Disturbing enough, for the people whose information has now been stolen, but it gets worse. The fine folks at UCLA are dealing with it by notifying those involved and giving them information on how to prevent identity theft. Too Late! The best way to prevent identity theft is to make sure your social security number doesn't end up on databases such as this!

This one seems to be a no-brainer. He's caught stealing, threatens that he has a gun when caught by security, and still feels he should be a cop. That alone is one reason why he shouldn't be. He obviously doesn't appreciate the fact that cops need the public trust and must hold themselves above reproach. He can have neither. The excuses he gives for his actions are almost laughable if the case wasn't so serious. Those stated reasons might be enough to get him psychiatric assistance but should never allow him to keep his job.

The suicides, and attempted suicides, continue. Is it any wonder why so many women in Afghanistan try to escape their suffering by attempting suicide. The mere thought of freedom can get them killed much less speaking out. Hopefully, at some point, the men of Afghanistan will find enough value in these women to treat them as humans, with respect and dignity. The result will be a better country for all. These women should be cherished, supported, defended, and honored. Anything less is a disgrace.

Afghanistan has a long history of developing strong warriors. That's only one of the reasons that the Taliban's actions are so reprehensible. Once again they have chosen to target women. One might think that such a strong warrior tradition would prevent the attacks against the defenseless, if for no other reason than because of the shame resulting from such an action. Do they not feel that shame or embarrassment over the fact that mere words uttered from these women would instill such fear that they would kill them? The fear of ideas, freedom, change, and women's rights is what drives these murders, and murder is what it is. I challenge the freedom fighters of Afghanistan to stand up in strength and challenge these cowardly attackers. Show the courage and leadership that the Afghani men have so long been known for. Do not let the actions of a few cowards bring shame down on all the men of Afghanistan, for shameful is what these acts are, nothing less.

The vast majority of the world's wealth remains in the hands of a very select few. I world have hoped that this would have begun to change before now, but alas it has not. Capitalist democracies survive by perpetuating the myth and dream that this vast wealth is somehow attainable by everyone. This is quite simply not the truth. By far the majority of the world is far more concerned with basic survival than the pursuit of this wealth. While this situation remains, so will the basic causes of world strife and conflict as more and more people live with this disillusionment and must fight for their very right just to live.

China has made some gains along the lines of free speech and true justice in the last couple of years but this case shows they still have far to go. While an activist is being tried inside, his wife is being arrested outside. Yup, a long way still to go.