Resistance is Phutile

Death too easy?

So shamed former glam rock star Gary Glitter could face the firing squad in Vietnam if found guilty of having sex with a twelve year old girl. By some accounts, the pervert's been hopping from country to country in search of underage 'bed friends' ever since his release from jail in 2000.

There's no doubt he has sexually abused and permanently scarred children, it's just the number of children that is unclear.

Apparently Glitter had previously faced child sex allegations elsewhere in south east Asia, and for some reason decided to set up home in Vietnam, a country which carries a death sentence for child rape. Probably not a good move for someone like Glitter.

Incidentally, it's no wonder he has been heard moaning about his moniker, saying he prefers to be called by his real name Paul Francis Gadd. Glitter states that the stage name has too many unpleasant connotations (I guess he's not really talking about cheesy seventies glam-garbage here) but the real reason is obvious. Who would want to be known by the name which has universally become known as slang for the arse? And that was before his perverted sexual habits came to light. Since then it must have been unbearable.

But I digress.

The thing is, with a monster like Glitter the death penalty would perversely (pun intended) become the tool of the liberal. Only a liberal who usually opposed capital punishment would grant him such an easy escape. There are others who would suggest far worse forms of retribution. Pub debate on the topic last night offered up a variety of tortures that could have been employed in favour of a quick death.

There are governments in the world that would probably have read a transcript of last night's pub debate as though it were a lilly-livered modernisation of their constitution.

Even the good ol' U S of A like to indulge in a little torture, so long as it's never really acknowledged.

So maybe the death penalty wouldn't be so extreme in Glitter's case after all. For the most part I oppose it (I think) but don't really want to get into a detailed look at the pro's and con's here.

I just think perhaps death might be called for when we are talking about the rape of infants, which a twelve year old really is.

posted by Phu @ 12:25 pm