Monday, November 28, 2005
His name's Nguyen Van Thuong...
That's the guy who's going to get executed this fri, i think.... (not sure on the date)
Glad you're still so in touch with our tiny island's ongoings bro :p
Anw, I'm not gonna try answering jesse here... sorry bro, but that's gonna take me 3 pages and possibly a hell lotta time....
But just to put things a little into perspective...AND to prove my mediocre lawyerly worth....
It's not really as simple and as black-and-white as the guys at Amnesty International would have you believe ppl... I believe the most suitable way to analyse the MDA (Misuse of Drugs Act) is to use what is known as the Finnis approach (by a legal philosopher called John Finnis). Basically it means having an ideal (in this case that would be no death penalty: can also mean equality of sexes ie gays lesbians and all, no caning, TOTAL freedom of religion.... yada yada yada...btw if anyone actually thinks S'pore has total freedom of religion, think JW), then judging this ideal in the particular social and political context that the jurisdiction is subject to.... and look at the results. Suffice to say our society runs very differently from the Whites/angmohs/majority of human rights activists....
I guess my point is: don't be too quick to believe all the rhetoric from the Aussies...
and all the talk abt utilitarianism and retributive/deterrent functions..... i just dun think this is the time and place for that :)
and i used to think white ppl were genuinely sincere abt human rights and humanity and all that "save-the-world-and-humankind" crap... until i started reading The End of Poverty (Jeffrey Sachs; courtesy of Alexander Wong, who was kind enough to lend me the book). And i'm pretty sure a lot more dirt exists out there tht we dunno abt.... but of cos thats not to say that there aren't any nice angmohs out there, just not as many as i thought
We can talk abt it when we meet up tho.... until then, take care and see u guys soon!
And oh yes ppl: Law Bash this sat, Dec 3rd at Newsroom Bar, R & B whole night, 12 bucks each, 15 at the door, 1 free drink... I'm supposed to sell 20 tics, and so far i've only sold a fraction of that...sigh. Anyone interested? Pls call me (I'm sure you have my no, i hope: hasn't changed) or email at hzhenliang@yahoo.com
BTW, I waznt thinking of posting this actually, but since i'm alr at it....
I'M SAD, AND PISSED, that 2 Man Utd greats have left in a week ( in entirely different ways)
Thanks George Best for all the moments... though I didn't live in your time, I'm sure my dad, uncles, friends' uncles and all will remember you for who you were and will always be... a legend
And of cos, the effervescent Keane, ever so true and honest...it was individuals like you who made Man Utd of the 90s what they were.... damn the glazers and the current man utd management
As if what u said wasn't true. Rio Ferdinand. Pooi. Darren Flectcher. Who?
I'll miss ya... all Red Devils will
Glad you're still so in touch with our tiny island's ongoings bro :p
Anw, I'm not gonna try answering jesse here... sorry bro, but that's gonna take me 3 pages and possibly a hell lotta time....
But just to put things a little into perspective...AND to prove my mediocre lawyerly worth....
It's not really as simple and as black-and-white as the guys at Amnesty International would have you believe ppl... I believe the most suitable way to analyse the MDA (Misuse of Drugs Act) is to use what is known as the Finnis approach (by a legal philosopher called John Finnis). Basically it means having an ideal (in this case that would be no death penalty: can also mean equality of sexes ie gays lesbians and all, no caning, TOTAL freedom of religion.... yada yada yada...btw if anyone actually thinks S'pore has total freedom of religion, think JW), then judging this ideal in the particular social and political context that the jurisdiction is subject to.... and look at the results. Suffice to say our society runs very differently from the Whites/angmohs/majority of human rights activists....
I guess my point is: don't be too quick to believe all the rhetoric from the Aussies...
and all the talk abt utilitarianism and retributive/deterrent functions..... i just dun think this is the time and place for that :)
and i used to think white ppl were genuinely sincere abt human rights and humanity and all that "save-the-world-and-humankind" crap... until i started reading The End of Poverty (Jeffrey Sachs; courtesy of Alexander Wong, who was kind enough to lend me the book). And i'm pretty sure a lot more dirt exists out there tht we dunno abt.... but of cos thats not to say that there aren't any nice angmohs out there, just not as many as i thought
We can talk abt it when we meet up tho.... until then, take care and see u guys soon!
And oh yes ppl: Law Bash this sat, Dec 3rd at Newsroom Bar, R & B whole night, 12 bucks each, 15 at the door, 1 free drink... I'm supposed to sell 20 tics, and so far i've only sold a fraction of that...sigh. Anyone interested? Pls call me (I'm sure you have my no, i hope: hasn't changed) or email at hzhenliang@yahoo.com
BTW, I waznt thinking of posting this actually, but since i'm alr at it....
I'M SAD, AND PISSED, that 2 Man Utd greats have left in a week ( in entirely different ways)
Thanks George Best for all the moments... though I didn't live in your time, I'm sure my dad, uncles, friends' uncles and all will remember you for who you were and will always be... a legend
And of cos, the effervescent Keane, ever so true and honest...it was individuals like you who made Man Utd of the 90s what they were.... damn the glazers and the current man utd management
As if what u said wasn't true. Rio Ferdinand. Pooi. Darren Flectcher. Who?
I'll miss ya... all Red Devils will
# posted by ZL @ 11:29 PM 
Comments:
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i don't mind reading 3 pages.
comments:
1. under mda, burden of proof is on defense. i don't like how someone could plant drugs on me and i'll have a shit hard time trying to prove i didn't do it.
2. rhetoric is one thing, but i don't think anyone who questions should be labelled a white bleeding heart liberal or a traitor. in any case, perhaps i am a white bleeding heart liberal, as well as most of the teachers who've taught me. this is a very slippery slope.
3. social and political context is a fantastically nebulous term when nobody has any hard facts as to how society feels, given the lack of debate. too much debate stymies society, but too little allows me to wave my magic wand and speak on your behalf.
4. i am concerned because i am also wondering about a possible future role in the civil service, and the fact the public perception that most civil servants have their hands tied is turning many of the brightest away from it. because news like this affects overseas singaporeans, it causes them to shake their head and look for a career elsewhere.
5. how can you lump white hypocrisy and human rights activists together? the hypocrites are a certain group of people, the human rights activists are just mildly annoying enthusiasts. they are different, the only thing they have in common is their whiteness.
6. i guess this is not the time and place. who do i write to to want to change the law?
7. we are indeed succesful in fighting drugs, but i am questioning the cost it comes at.
8. i argue that the death penalty is expedient because it reduces the cost of maintaining the prisoner. which is a sell-out, really, which is why i believe it is 1. disproportionate as a retribution, 2. hopelessly utilitarian.
comments:
1. under mda, burden of proof is on defense. i don't like how someone could plant drugs on me and i'll have a shit hard time trying to prove i didn't do it.
2. rhetoric is one thing, but i don't think anyone who questions should be labelled a white bleeding heart liberal or a traitor. in any case, perhaps i am a white bleeding heart liberal, as well as most of the teachers who've taught me. this is a very slippery slope.
3. social and political context is a fantastically nebulous term when nobody has any hard facts as to how society feels, given the lack of debate. too much debate stymies society, but too little allows me to wave my magic wand and speak on your behalf.
4. i am concerned because i am also wondering about a possible future role in the civil service, and the fact the public perception that most civil servants have their hands tied is turning many of the brightest away from it. because news like this affects overseas singaporeans, it causes them to shake their head and look for a career elsewhere.
5. how can you lump white hypocrisy and human rights activists together? the hypocrites are a certain group of people, the human rights activists are just mildly annoying enthusiasts. they are different, the only thing they have in common is their whiteness.
6. i guess this is not the time and place. who do i write to to want to change the law?
7. we are indeed succesful in fighting drugs, but i am questioning the cost it comes at.
8. i argue that the death penalty is expedient because it reduces the cost of maintaining the prisoner. which is a sell-out, really, which is why i believe it is 1. disproportionate as a retribution, 2. hopelessly utilitarian.
i had the opportunity too to listen to jeffrey sachs. the makepovertyhistory campaign has to continually defend itself against assertions that it is a hippy campaign. i mean, how is sending 1 sms going to change the world?
if the white world is responsible for the mess of the world that it is in, it is clear that some members of it are making an effort to assuage their guilty consciences. they are a long way from the days of when cecil rhodes arrogantly said(rhodes scholarship, founder of rhodesia):
"to be born a white man in britain is to win first prize in the lottery of life"
i am going to old trafford on wednesday for man utd vs wba, want anything?
if the white world is responsible for the mess of the world that it is in, it is clear that some members of it are making an effort to assuage their guilty consciences. they are a long way from the days of when cecil rhodes arrogantly said(rhodes scholarship, founder of rhodesia):
"to be born a white man in britain is to win first prize in the lottery of life"
i am going to old trafford on wednesday for man utd vs wba, want anything?
also feel a certain injustice that usually the criminal masterminds prop their feet up somewhere while pawns they have blackmailed or tempted with greed are sent to their doom
one last word on amnesty international. (people like insa would never let that pass).
maybe it has evolved into a behemoth which has overstretched itself. the story of how it was founded is certainly not a case of that. peter benenson, a british lawyer, was outraged that 2 portuguese students were jailed for 7 years for raising a toast to freedom. now, argue whatever you like about social and political contexts, i do not think you would like to be on the side of the proposition "people should be jailed for raising their glass to freedom." being a passive reader of The Observer, frustrated at being a lawyer but not being able to change Portuguese laws, he simply asked readers of the paper to write letters in support of the students.
maybe it has evolved into a behemoth which has overstretched itself. the story of how it was founded is certainly not a case of that. peter benenson, a british lawyer, was outraged that 2 portuguese students were jailed for 7 years for raising a toast to freedom. now, argue whatever you like about social and political contexts, i do not think you would like to be on the side of the proposition "people should be jailed for raising their glass to freedom." being a passive reader of The Observer, frustrated at being a lawyer but not being able to change Portuguese laws, he simply asked readers of the paper to write letters in support of the students.
To be honest Jesse, I'm against the death penalty too... in fact, that was my stand all along, from the law interview to my recent exam essay...what I was trying to say is that there really are a myriad of issues to cover, and that it's overly-simplistic to see it purely as a "White ppl fighting for yellow ppl against yellow ppl" situation... but again, I dun think I want to turn this class blog into an online Parliament debate/forum... neither do I have the patience to publish a 3-page post :)
(Not to mention these days u shld watch what you say on blogs...)
Of cos I'm not gonna lump all the hypocrites and the HR activists tgt... my pt is that most 1st world govts engage in too much hot air most of the time...again, note my disclaimer: NOT saying that there aren't any nice whites
It's ok, i dont think i want anything as of now. Thanks for offering nonetheless.
(Not to mention these days u shld watch what you say on blogs...)
Of cos I'm not gonna lump all the hypocrites and the HR activists tgt... my pt is that most 1st world govts engage in too much hot air most of the time...again, note my disclaimer: NOT saying that there aren't any nice whites
It's ok, i dont think i want anything as of now. Thanks for offering nonetheless.
since my name was mentioned in this post (for my altruism perhaps) i think i should post something as well.
i'd just like to say that the demise of george best has a huge impact on britain and the talk of the town, simply because he represented the pinnacle of british football, and probably ranks as one of the nmost gifted footballers to have ever lived. and though he never got over his alchoholism and his liver never got better, that doesnt make him a bad man judging from the amount of happiness that he has given to people watching him play football.
i got a lecture to catch, shall update later.
i'd just like to say that the demise of george best has a huge impact on britain and the talk of the town, simply because he represented the pinnacle of british football, and probably ranks as one of the nmost gifted footballers to have ever lived. and though he never got over his alchoholism and his liver never got better, that doesnt make him a bad man judging from the amount of happiness that he has given to people watching him play football.
i got a lecture to catch, shall update later.
george best actually received a 2nd liver, which is far more than what anyone could ask for.
that i will observe the minute's silence for him tomorrow is out of respect for the nostalgia most people have for their idols, and the constant reminder that we are getting older as people pass away. they were thinking of a minute's applause, so that the people who don't agree that he was a good man are free not to join in the ritual.
he played football because he was good at it. that it gave people enjoyment was probably an afterthought. because he did leave the game early, and would turn up sopping drunk at his commentary posts (if he turned up at all). but genius demands excusing, and we have no right to make demands on him as a person.
i think roy keane leaving the club is a fantastic move too. guess he's always been a blood and guts person and this will probably let his legend live on in the minds of utd fans rather than let his reputation be tarnished by a club in decline.
that i will observe the minute's silence for him tomorrow is out of respect for the nostalgia most people have for their idols, and the constant reminder that we are getting older as people pass away. they were thinking of a minute's applause, so that the people who don't agree that he was a good man are free not to join in the ritual.
he played football because he was good at it. that it gave people enjoyment was probably an afterthought. because he did leave the game early, and would turn up sopping drunk at his commentary posts (if he turned up at all). but genius demands excusing, and we have no right to make demands on him as a person.
i think roy keane leaving the club is a fantastic move too. guess he's always been a blood and guts person and this will probably let his legend live on in the minds of utd fans rather than let his reputation be tarnished by a club in decline.
Sorry i hate to had to this but i think I have to defend myself for the unfortunate white pple defending yellow pple thing. I didnt mean it as in white pple are better but that yellow pple should be doing their share of defending and opposing laws they know are unfair. Just becos someone is a hypocrite doesnt make what they are saying wrong. And besides who really buys the arguement that we need the tough laws to keep drugs out. HK and KL dont hang quite as many pple but they are not falling apart as i can tell and just as easily accessible by plane. the fact that every argument that stems from foreign initiation is doomed as traitorous or hippified is just not helpful. The only reason the criticisms start overseas is cos no one at home is going to voice them first. Liberalism is about as foreign owned as Christianity but singaporeans seem to fear the former a lot more. -younoewho
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# posted by 
: 6:49 AM
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