A New Year.... Many New Problems....

When it was the 1st of January 2007, many people actually wanted to forget their problems and brush them under the carpet - under the illusion of a "new year". The end of last year was eventful - the beginning of this year seems like it's going to trump last year in terms of happenings in the world. That is just down right frightening.

I'm not one for politics - but unfortunately, politics does have its impact on society! So, then I have to discuss this particular issue. Capital Punishment.. the debate probably has been going on for decades. When a certain dictator was subject to this on 30th December, the world yet again opened this unfinished chapter. He probably deserved it at the end of the day, but the way things were carried out were not supposedly in the best of interests of all parties involved.

It is very peculiar this - when I thought the US had caught him, they would send him off to The Hague. That's what happened to Slobodan Milosevic. Instead he was tried by a court in his own country, which was inexperienced in dealing with such cases and was sentenced to death. Consistency in law is something every human deserves and I don't know why 2 dictators were dealt with so differently. They both were accused for genocide, weren't they?

Capital punishment still exists in 69 countries. Some countries have imposed a moratorium, some have abolished it altogether. Is it wrong? I don't think so. It should be used in the rarest of rare cases and must be used when a certain individual deserves it no matter what.

Laws are so strange in the sense that a man who has raped a woman and killed her might not be sentenced to death, but a man who has smuggled drugs into a country might be! That was a very very general statement because only a few countries actually do the latter. I remember watching a certain case on TV, where the man had raped and killed 40 odd women and he got a 'plea bargain' and didn't face death. That, in my opinion is the hypocrisy of law itself. Capital punishment should have been used in this case, and it wasn't.

A person should be sentenced to death for 2 things essentially:
1) For the extremity of his/her actions (obviously, against law) and
2) To show others not to try anything of that sort. Those are what I can say as a layman, I'm no lawyer. Abolition of capital punishment unfortunately is impossible. The EU has this rule wherein a country cannot become its member unless it scraps capital punishment. That is rather absurd.

Capital punishment should and probably will exist. The frequency and reasons for which it is used must however be correct. The consistency of the application of law also should be done properly. As far as I'm concerned, capital punishment should exist - but the frequency of its use should be restricted. Human Rights Activists can harp all they want about their facts, but how can a person live in a society which he has caused considerable damage to according to law?

About my title - every new year we make resolutions, resolutions which are supposed to change our lives and our society. We end up not doing anything and within a week feel "Ah, I might do it next year". Violence is on the rise, bloodshed is on the increase. Every time I turn to a news channel I see murders, mass murders and so many things which end up disturbing me. New Year? What New Year?

On an optimistic note though.. I hope everyone's New Year is prosperous. 2007 will be a great year for most of us.. as long as we don't watch the news often!