Sunday, April 26, 2015

What is the right punishment?

Indonesia is set to execute ten people by firing squad next week. The nine foreigners and one national were given their 72 hour notice in preparation for their executions. The governments of the people set to be executed are all protesting, and France is threatening diplomatic and economic sanctions. What? No cheese and whine for Indonesia? Oh the humanity.
Is the death penalty the right punishment for drug smuggling? Drug addiction destroys lives, and some times ends them. I don't lump pot in with coke, meth or heroin. How many people have died from use of pot? That depends on how you count. Most of the murders in Mexico and our border states are from pot smugglers. I have no problem with legalizing it, I would still block importation though.
What would happen if we started executing the drug smugglers and king pins we catch? I don't think it would stop the importation, but it would raise the stakes for law enforcement. It would also thin the herd and permanently remove a lot of thieves and ner-do-wells from society. Most people who abuse hard drugs do not lead productive lives. They are leeches who steal, or are prostitutes. I would estimate that 70% of crime is conducted by the sphere of people who abuse drugs other than pot.
If we executed more criminals, we would need less policing, and might see fewer police abuses. I support Indonesia's decision to execute the drug smugglers. As for France, Well, I don't need an accordion either.

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