I find it interesting that the right is so gung ho for the death penalty as applied in the U.S., including to the retarded and the teenaged (plus a certain salivation for the return of public executions...) but they get really, really exercised about the way it's practiced abroad. (There are, of course, a few righties who at least feel conflicted about it as they note that beheadings count... BTW Dr. R, two words on the 'what to do with child molesters situation: general population... two more: no parole...) But for the most part, it's kill 'em first and sort out the wrongly convicted from the guilty later.
That said, the potential execution of a man in Afghanistan -- that's U.S.-liberated Afghanistan to you -- for apostasy (he converted from Islam to Christianity) is an horrific case (there's now talk that he may be declared insane -- a face saving move for the land of Karzai to be sure...) Those of us who consistently oppose the death penalty should join the inconsistent righties in trumpeting the injustice of this case.
As for Bush, he's troubled by the goings-on in our newly minted democracy.
Updates: The Germans are riveted by the Abdul Rahman case, and their development minister says that country "will do anything to help" him stay alive (Germany and other European countries totally oppose, and have outlawed, the death penalty). Says a German paper:
The case has sparked alarm in Germany, the US and Italy -- all NATO countries with peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan. German politicians weighed into the debate this week which has increasingly drawn the battle lines between religious conservatives in Afghanistan and western diplomats pushing a reformist agenda.
"We will do everything possible to save the life of Abdul Rahman," German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul told the Bild newspaper.
Christoph Strässer, spokesman on human rights for the Social Democrats, part of Germany's governing coalition, said it was no surprise that the issue had inflamed passions in Germany, a country which is deeply involved in Afghanistan's postwar reconstruction and peacekeeping and currently has 2,700 soldiers deployed there.
"For one, Germany is fundamentally against the death sentence, independent of whether it's sanctioned by different cultures," Strässer said. "And secondly, religious freedom is extremely precious to us and should be respected by an Islamic society too."
The Australians, who have been gripped by their own Muslim death penalty drama with the Schapelle Corby case (she faced the death penalty in Indonesia for marijuana smuggling, but after a huge uproar in Australia, ultimately was sentenced to 20 years in prison), are also offering help, which is more than you can say for Hamid Karzai's patrons in Washington... Bush, who just visited the preeminent narco-stateto show support for Karzai's shaky government, should in theory be able to wield considerable influence, which he, as a supposedly devout man, might use to press the Afghan government to intervene on Mr. Rahman's behalf.
But then, that would mean offending conservative Muslim groups in the country, which could put Karzai's hold on power in jeopardy. The Afghan government sitll doesn't really govern the lawless countryside, and there are still plenty of Taliban and al-Qaida types running around.
That and we've been saying Afghanistan is a model of democracy for the Muslim world. What to do...
Update 2: The Danes weigh in... and they're not playing LEGOs... a sample:
Spokesman on Foreign Issues, Naser Khader, Social Liberals, Jyllands-Posten, March 21:The government must act on this matter and show that Denmark is at the forefront in the fight for Human Rights and international rule of law. That is why we are in Afghanistan. If necessary, the Danish forces in country must liberate Abdul Rahman and offer him asylum in Denmark. This case underlines the need for Sharia law to be fought wherever it is found.”
Spokesman on Foreign Issues, Søren Espersen, Danish People’s Party, Jyllands-Posten, March 21:“I don’t give a damn what laws they think they have. We are sort of an authority in Afghanistan and the President must prevent an execution, or we’ll give it to him good. If the Americans, the British and the Danes weren’t there, President Hamid Karzai would be butcher’s meat in the roadside before long. He knows the stakes and he better do what the Allies say in this matter.”
Well they're not subtle. I'm starting to see where that cartoon business came from...
<%
dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
