Clarification
Crikey writes: Re. “Media Watch watch: Should targets get a right of reply?“. (Friday). Crikey’s reporter described Stuart Littlemore early on as: “a retired journalist who before hosting the show was working as a barrister in Sydney”. This may have given the indication Littlemore was “retired” as a journalist. But Littlemore was nowhere near retirement — he’s still working to this day. In his mid-thirties he took up a law degree while working full-time as a journalist, and once he graduated, he focussed on the law. This didn’t really change while he hosted Media Watch — he kept up his law gig the whole nine years.
On Abbott and the frontbench
Andrew Haughton writes: Re. “After another rotten week for Abbott, change can’t come soon enough“. (Friday). I note that should Tony Abbott be deposed. Then the conservative ministers would prefer Julie Bishop to Malcolm Turnbull as the new leader because she is “more in tune with Conservative values”. What they mean is that Kevin Andrews , George Brandis , Bronwyn Bishop et al have a better chance of keeping their jobs. I don’t know that Julie Bishop would feel favourably disposed to the Attorney General because as his voice in the Lower House, she has been required to carry his steaming chamber pot into Question Time too many times.
The death penalty and Indonesia
Gil May writes: Re. “Indonesia selective on capital punishment (and that’s very bad for Chan and Sukumaran)” (February 24). The death penalty was never meant to be a deterrent. It is to remove those who are of no value to society, who denigrate society by breaching laws committing unacceptable crimes. It cost about $2 million to keep a prisoner in jail for 20 years. Worker’s compensation in no-fault accidental loss of life value that life at about $300,000. Life and every part of your body has a value. Those who oppose the death penalty must be prepared to pay the jail costs, by paying greatly increased tax of 40%. We live in a user pays society — someone has to pay this money and build new jails.
Time and targets
Andre Swenson writes: Re. “Media Watch watch: should targets get the right of reply?” (Friday). There’s also the under resourced rural/ local press for whom Media Watch provides the only critique, as head office cannot be bothered. This includes Fairfax.
Jobs for cadets
Tim Bainbridge writes: Re. “Thanks but no thanks: no ongoing work for Hun cadets” (Thursday). I understood as I believe many people do that NewsPapers are recruiting cadets from creative writing domain as their prime objective is to “create” rather than “report” the news.
Gil May,
Of course capital punishment is a deterrent. Whether it’s a greater deterrent than a very lengthy imprisonment is a moot point.
There are many individuals in society who are of no value. They cost more than they produce, so that they’re a net loss. Care to find a method of finding these people and eliminating them?
Given the needlessly gruesome forms capital punishment has taken historically, trying to argue it “was never meant to be a deterrent” doesn’t even pass the laugh test.
Even today with our more “civilised” methods, it is still considered by most to be primarily a deterrent. Very little evidence shows that it functions as one, however.
The fundamental problems with capital punishment are the implicit assumption of an infallible legal process, and no opportunity to the convicted criminal for rehabilitation.
I’m curious where this “greatly increased tax of 40%” comes from, as well, and what it refers to. Marginal rate ? Average rate ? Additional to existing taxes ?
Gil, I look forward to your extension of this idea of costing human life to such areas as disability and aged care. The Germans had a similar policy in the 1930s that could serve as a template.
Gil might be troubled to find out that taxes already get used to build gaols. Crazy, huh?
Yes, exactly Draco. In Australia, we don’t have the death penalty Gil, so it wouldn’t cost us one red cent in extra tax.
And we could happily stump up the $2m as a one-off gift to Indonesia to cover the cost of Chan and Sukumaran for the rest of their days.
I am yet to hear a cogent argument in favour of the death penalty, but I’ve read a million non-sequiturs.