p thoughts and notices

While paraphernalia agrees that drug traffickers might not be the nicest people around (being a drug lord looks like a pretty tough job given that you often have to oppose the all-mighty power of Leviathan), it does seems that the treatment reserved to small cogs in the chain appears disproportionate to the crime they commit. Surely, shedding innocent blood must be worse than being a financially desperate mule making the decision to "take a chance" for what is often small change. Alas, as Maria learnt the hard way, the world is not so Full of Grace after all. Before you decide to be a drug mule for a few bucks, paraphernalia would like to point out more lucrative, and less dangerous, career choices:

Be A Mastermind Terrorist: Well, it is a fashionable topic. Surely, being the mastermind or otherwise having played a major role in a terrorist bombing that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, is a bad thing. Indeed, an Indonesian High Court recently reconfirmed a verdict of "evil conspiracy" against Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (AKA Darth Vader). The sentence? A whopping 36 months in jail! Not bad, but maybe a tad generous. After all, Indonesians prosecuting Australian Schapelle Corby for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of pot to Bali are asking for life in jail. Of course, it could have been worse. Anti-drugs activists from GRANAT (whatever that is) are demanding her death, with a real nice person called Adhyana stating that: "judges must send a strong message to Australia about Indonesia's war on drug trafficking." Well, paraphernalia might have a better idea. Maybe GRANAT should campaign to free the Bali 9. After all, they wanted to smuggle drugs OUT of Indonesia and INTO Australia. Surely, this should result in some sort of leniency!

Become a Killer Maid: Is killing an infant considered worse than carrying drugs? Saving the children is what the War on Drugs is about right? Not so in Singapore, where Indonesian maid Sumyati Kariyo Dikromo, was put behind bars for four years last year for stuffing a handkerchief in the mouth of a bawling two-year-old and suffocating him in the process. Meanwhile, former army veteran and ski champion Shanmugam Murugesu was executed for trafficking one kilo of marijuana last week. No doubt Mr. Murugesu’s children feel well protected now….

Enroll as A GVT-sponsored murderer: Murder used to be considered quite bad in the old days. Not so in our modern world. As per press reports, the Marine Corps is likely to drop murder charges against a lieutenant who fatally shot two Iraqi detainees during a search for a terrorist hideout. On the other hand, it seems military personnel involved in drug trafficking have more problems escaping the long, if somewhat selective, arm of justice, and are bound to face significant jail time.

Confused yet? Well, surely not as much as Tracy Wilkinson, who carried prescribed medicine in her body, prompting the United Arab Emirates to jail her for a few months, while enjoying a bit of torture too (hey, the fun should not only be for American prison guards right?)

Full of Grace indeed………