To execute or not: A question of cost? - Columbia Missourian

To execute or not: A question of cost? - Columbia Missourian:

"After decades of moral arguments reaching biblical proportions, after long, twisted journeys to the nation's highest court and back, the death penalty may be abandoned by several states for a reason having nothing to do with right or wrong: Money.

Turns out, it is cheaper to imprison killers for life than to execute them, according to a series of recent surveys. Tens of millions of dollars cheaper, politicians are learning, during a tumbling recession when nearly every state faces job cuts and massive deficits. ..."

When you do the right thing for the wrong reasons, it still boils down to doing the right thing. What concerns me is what happens when the economy improves? Revenge or retribution, if you will, is not only a powerful driving force for many people, it seems to play all too well in the voting booth.

Nearly 2000 years ago a weak-willed political appointee bowed to the will of the masses and had a man crucified whom he knew was innocent of the charges laid against him. ...

AP News | The Columbia Daily Tribune

AP News | The Columbia Daily Tribune:

"WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) -- For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses.

The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench.

In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers. ..."

This was not a case of judges meting out harsh justice. It was nothing more than greed and kickbacks from two privately-run juvenile detention facilities, which received fees based on the numbers of incarcerated juveniles. One victim of this corruption was sentenced to three months for lampooning an assistant principal on her MySpace account.

According to this article, the two former judges made a plea bargain that calls for more than seven years behind bars. That seems a little lenient considering the nature of the crime.

Zimbabwe: The Nightmare Must End - TCS Daily

Zimbabwe: The Nightmare Must End - TCS Daily:

"It must end. Zimbabwe is a land devastated by disease, deprivation and despair. Once southern Africa's breadbasket, today it is a basket case. Robert Mugabe led the freedom movement against white minority rule. After coming to power in (1981) he was hailed by his people and neighbors as a liberator. But Mugabe's affection for privilege, position and power has driven him to cling to his presidency through brutal repression. ..."

Ambassador Richard Williamson, who is currently serving as a special envoy to Sudan gives us a sobering reminder that, even though Zimbabwe is off the front pages, the problems continue to mount in that country.

It's Primetime in Iran | Christianity Today

It's Primetime in Iran | Christianity Today:

"The TV studio hums just a few feet from his church office in northern California, but pastor Hormoz Shariat is still a last-minute arrival to his own show. Behind the scenes are teams of phone counselors and hip young producers.

Waiting behind an Islamic veil 7,000 miles away is an exploding house-church movement in Iran, whose compatriots eavesdrop on the illegal satellite programs produced daily by Pastor Shariat's Iranian Christian Church (ICC).

If there is a budding missional community of Muslim-background believers in America, it is the Iranians. These believers' passion is to reach Muslims worldwide, and they are being energized not by the now-grown children of the Islamic Revolution, but by their bicultural kids longing to discover their Persian roots. ..."

I hadn't really thought about what happened to the Iranians that found it necessary to become expatriates following the bloody revolution of the late 1970s.

This article is about a subset of those expatriates -- Christians -- and how they cope with maintaining their identity in a culture that is quite different than that in which they grew up. Along with that, this community is dealing with their children who are drawn to churches other than the ones their parents attend.

The Iranian Christians are also using video technology to help maintain ties with the congregations they left behind in Iran, which often need to operate clandestinely.

There is much in this story to ponder.

AP News | The Columbia Daily Tribune: Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn dies at 89

AP News | The Columbia Daily Tribune: Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn dies at 89:

"MOSCOW (AP) -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author whose books chronicled the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, has died of heart failure, his son said Monday. He was 89.

Stepan Solzhenitsyn told The Associated Press his father died late Sunday, but declined further comment.

Solzhenitsyn's unflinching accounts of torment and survival in the Soviet Union's slave labor camps riveted his countrymen, whose secret history he exposed. They earned him 20 years of bitter exile, but international renown. ..."

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a courageous man, and the world is diminished with his departure.

IOC agrees to Internet blocking at the Games - International Herald Tribune

IOC agrees to Internet blocking at the Games - International Herald Tribune:

"BEIJING: The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday what journalists arriving at the lavishly outfitted media center here had suspected: Contrary to previous assurances by Olympic and government officials, the Internet would be censored during the upcoming games.

Since the Olympic Village press center opened Friday, reporters have been unable to access scores of Web pages - politically sensitive ones that discuss Tibetan succession, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square and the sites of Amnesty International, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse.

On Wednesday - two weeks after its most recent proclamation of an uncensored Internet during the Summer Games - the International Olympic Committee quietly agreed to some of the limitations, according to Kevan Gosper, chairman of the IOC press commission, Reuters reported. ..."

This is a shocking development. Why couldn't the IOC simply have refused to acquiesce in this? The Chinese government will do what it will, but there is absolutely no reason to "agree" to what will be imposed in any case.

The internet has been for most people a source of freedom. Information, ideas, discussions, blogging have all "flattened" the world (as Thomas Friedman would put it) -- but there is a large part of the world where such concepts are repressed. This is ironic to see in a nation which has embraced state-of-the-art networking technology and has a network infrastructure that is significantly ahead of the US and Europe.

Google has cooperated in filtering content into China. Yahoo has provided identifying information that has resulted in at least one internet user going to jail. This is not that the Internet is about.

I have mixed feelings about the Olympics this year. I remember the tit-for-tat boycotts of the Olympics by the USA and USSR in 1980 and 1984 and thinking that it did nothing but use the athletes as proxies in the Cold War. It's a little late to do anything for the 2008 Olympics, but there really need to be clear understandings about what is required when a nation undertakes to host the Olympic Games -- and clear repercussions for failure to deliver.

Sudanese president charged with genocide - CNN.com

Sudanese president charged with genocide - CNN.com:

"(CNN) -- The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has filed genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for a five-year campaign of violence in Darfur.
About 1,000 Sudanese rallied in Khartoum Sunday against the possible charges.

They include masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in the war-torn region with a campaign of murder, rape and deportation.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo presented his evidence against al-Bashir to the judges at the Hague in the Netherlands on Monday. ..."

The International Criminal Court is not under the authority of the United Nations, but they do accept referrals, as in this case. This is a hopeful sign that the international community is taking the Darfur situation seriously enough, but the ICC apparently lacks the authority to execute an arrest warrant (once one is actually issued), relying on the accused's country of residence to handle arrest and extradition.

So unless the UN decides to do what it was designed to do, and impose an end to the genocide in Sudan, this action may have little more than a symbolic effect.

U.S. Military Forced to Abort Burma Aid Mission - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Military Forced to Abort Burma Aid Mission - washingtonpost.com:

"BANGKOK, June 4 -- Cyclone survivors in Burma's devastated Irrawaddy Delta could require food aid for as long as a year, U.N. officials said Wednesday, even as the U.S. military aborted a mission to use helicopters and small boats to deliver aid because Burma's government ignored repeated offers of assistance.

The United States had planned to use the helicopters and small boats aboard the USS Essex to deliver much-needed aid to cyclone survivors, but Burma's ruling military junta rebuffed repeated offers to help with the disaster relief effort, despite the severity of the damage to the region's rice production.

International aid agencies are still struggling to increase their food delivery capacity in the delta, a complex network of rivers and islands, many of which are only accessible by small boats. Doctors Without Borders (Médicins San Frontièrs), the aid agency, said the flow of supplies into the stricken region is still inadequate, and survivors in many remote villages have yet to receive any outside assistance. ..."

A large number of victims are located in areas inaccessible by road. Those helicopters would have been a boon to the relief efforts. Unfortunately the government of Myanmar has refused not only US military helicopters, but those of its surrounding neighbors.

It isn't anti-American attitudes here; the Myanmar government has been highly suspicious of outsiders for years, and they show no signs of easing their xenophobia.

Are we seeing a slow genocide in progress? Or is this a simple case of neglect and incompetence? Either way, what little aid is getting into Myanmar is inadequate. How long will it be before the nations who have been waiting offshore simply start flying the helicopters and getting the aid into the areas which need it the most? What about the UN? They reserve the right to act when a government can't or won't do what is required. What is holding them back?

UN chief says junta to let aid workers into Myanmar - International Herald Tribune

UN chief says junta to let aid workers into Myanmar - International Herald Tribune:

"BANGKOK: In what he said appeared to be a breakthrough after three weeks of obstructionism, the United Nations general secretary, Ban Ki-moon, said Friday that the leader of Myanmar's military junta had promised to allow into the country 'all aid workers' of any nationality.

But Ban gave no indication when the Myanmar government would allow aid workers to enter the country and whether they would be allowed to travel to the badly-hit Irrawaddy Delta.

The statement was met with surprise and wariness by relief officials, including some affiliated with the United Nations, who have been struggling since the cyclone against the intransigence of the Myanmar authorities to let in aid workers."

I heard a more optimistic story on NPR this morning which indicated that the aid could come in on civilian ships and small boats. I guess we will have to wait and see what will actually happen.

U.N. Suspends Myanmar Aid After Supplies Seized by Junta - New York Times

U.N. Suspends Myanmar Aid After Supplies Seized by Junta - New York Times:

"BANGKOK — The United Nations suspended relief supplies to Myanmar on Friday after the military government seized the food and equipment it had already sent into the country.

Earlier, in a statement, Myanmar’s military junta said it was willing to receive disaster relief from the outside world but would not welcome outside relief workers, a key demand of aid agencies who want to coordinate and control their own aid. ..."

One flight was forced to return to its origin because in addition to relief supplies, it had a team of disaster assessment experts on board along with some journalists.

It's a tough call here -- does the UN acquiesce to the Myanmar ruling junta's restrictions, no matter how ridiculous they may be? Or do they go with the doctrine that where a government is unable or unwilling to help their people, the UN can step in unilaterally?

Time is running out, and the UN needs to summon the moral courage to put the Burmese people ahead of a suspicious, xenophobic government.

There is not much that Christians can do at this point except pray, and prepare for a time when aid workers are permitted to do what they are best qualified to do.

FOXNews.com - Myanmar Clears First Airlift Carrying Aid, U.S. Planes Still Blocked - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europ

FOXNews.com - Myanmar Clears First Airlift Carrying Aid, U.S. Planes Still Blocked - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News:

"YANGON, Myanmar — Relief supplies from the United Nations began arriving in Myanmar Thursday, but U.S. military planes loaded with aid were still denied access by the country's isolationist regime five days after a devastating cyclone.

The military junta also continued to stall on visas for U.N. teams seeking entry to ensure the aid is delivered to the victims amid fears that lack of safe food and drinking water could push the death toll above 100,000. ..."

This really strains my credulity. I realize that the UN feels the need to be cautious, but only one plane has been allowed to land, and visas for relief personnel are being processed at a snail's pace.

France has proposed landing planes without the ruling junta's permission, but the European Union executive says no.

As of mid-day Thursday, only one UN plane had landed, although approval for a second plane was granted.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has an information page outlining what is being done, and what the needs are, but mch depends on the Myanmar government allowing planes to land and people to assist.

Let's keep this on the prayer list.

South Koreans leave Afghanistan after hostage ordeal | Reuters

South Koreans leave Afghanistan after hostage ordeal | Reuters:

"KABUL (Reuters) - Nineteen newly-freed South Korean hostages flew out of the Afghan capital on Friday after a six-week kidnap drama following a deal with Taliban insurgents critics fear could spur more abductions.

The South Korean Christian volunteers, part of a group of 23 missionaries kidnapped in southeast Afghanistan in mid-July, left Kabul on a chartered United Nations plane bound for Dubai en route to Seoul, a Korean embassy official said."

We can rejoice with the former hostages and their families, and mourn with them for the two men murdered early in this chain of events.

I fear that the Taliban, having gotten away with terror, will continue these tactics. This Reuters dispatch notes that the South Korean government is denying Afghan claims that a ransom was paid. It's bad enough negotiating with kidnappers and murders, but adding financial gain to the mix can only aggravate things.

Eight South Korean hostages freed - CNN.com

Eight South Korean hostages freed - CNN.com:

"SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Taliban militants released eight South Korean hostages in Afghanistan after more than a month of captivity.

Earlier on Wednesday three women, identified as Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jung-ran, 33, and 34-year-old Han Ji-young, were handed over to representatives of the Red Cross.

Hours later five more hostages -- four women and one man -- were freed by their Taliban captors in Afghanistan, according to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent."

While this is great news, we need to keep the remaining 11 hostages in our prayers.

The South Korean government agreed to continue with their already-announce plans to withdraw their 200 troops by the end of 2007, and not to send evangelists to Afghanistan. What is not clear to me is how these particular hostages fit into that category. While they were openly Christian, their duties did not include converting Muslims to Christianity. They were humanitarian aid workers whose motivation was to serve the Lord by serving those in need.

As I indicated in yesterday's posting, this may be less about religion and more about preventing the rebuilding of the Afghan infrastructure, as that might be seen as supporting the successors to the Taliban.

Taliban to release Korean hostages - CNN.com

Taliban to release Korean hostages - CNN.com:

"SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean negotiators in Afghanistan have reached a deal with Taliban militants holding 19 South Korean Christian aid workers for over a month, a presidential spokesman in Seoul said Tuesday.

The group of South Koreans was kidnapped in Ghazni province on July 19. Seoul welcomes the deal, but spokesman Cheon Ho-sun cautioned that many details must still be worked out and the aid workers will not be released immediately.

Under the terms of the agreement, South Korea agreed to stick by its previous decision to withdraw its 200 non-combat troops from Afghanistan, which work mostly in an engineering and medical capacity."

I am pretty conflicted over this. On one hand I am happy that this hostage crisis may be nearing an end, without further murders on the part of their kidnappers. On the other hand, I cannot see how this can have any other effect but to embolden the kidnappers, and I suspect there will be more such kidnappings.

Other reports indicate that South Korea has agreed not to send missionaries in the future to Afghanistan. It needs to be noted that this group did not go to evangelize; they went to work in a medical facility. The 200 Korean troops were engaged in rebuilding infrastructure as well as medical work.

The kidnappers' strategy seems to target humanitarian efforts as much as anything else. Why, I can only speculate, but it has been said that the war on terror cannot be won militarily. It can only be won by helping to alleviate the causes of unrest and by improving the lives of the people. I suspect the terrorists know this, and that, in part, is why humanitarian groups are targeted.

I hope these Korean church workers find ways to show Christ's love by loving others. It would be a shame to see the Korean church withdraw insides its own borders.

Female Korean Hostage Forfeited Freedom for Colleague

Female Korean Hostage Forfeited Freedom for Colleague:

"A Taliban militant said Wednesday that one of the hostages had foregone her chance of freedom to allow another captive who was more ill to be released.

The spokesman for Taliban commander Abdullah Jan, who only identified himself as Masoom, said he was unable to recall the name of the woman who sacrificed her freedom.

“Their names are very difficult to remember,” said Masoom to The Korea Times. “All names are alike with the difference of a few characters,” he said. “This is why we can’t remember them.” ..."

I have to wonder what Masoom must feel as he reflects on this act of selflessness. I hope and pray that this brave woman will be released soon, with the remainder of the hostages.

Costly Commitment | Christianity Today

Costly Commitment | Christianity Today:

"South Korea's missions movement received a growing amount of criticism after a group of 23 church volunteers were abducted in July while traveling in Afghanistan on a medical-aid trip.

Shortly after the group was taken hostage, several Korean newspapers published editorials questioning the Christians' decision to travel to a dangerous country. One of South Korea's widely circulated newspapers, The Chosun Ilbo, chastised Christians, saying they were taking unnecessary risks abroad.

'It is simply futile for Koreans to engage in missionary or other religious activities in a country like Afghanistan,' the July 23 editorial stated. 'Religious groups should realize once and for all that dangerous missionary and volunteer activities in Islamic countries including Afghanistan not only harm Korea's national objectives, but also put other Koreans under a tremendous amount of duress.'..."

One thing that should be noted is that the Presbyterian church that sent these health workers has a reputation for humanitarian work, as do many of the churches in South Korea.

This is not the first time Korean aid workers have paid the cost of discipleship with their lives, yet they continue to look for ways of serving around the world.

While is is entirely understandable that many churches in South Korea are reevaluating their methods, I cannot support those who "blame the victim" for all of this, especially in view of the fact that these courageous men and women are trying to make a positive difference in a part of the world that so desperately needs to experience compassion.

Two female Korean hostages freed - CNN.com

Two female Korean hostages freed - CNN.com:

"(CNN) -- Two female South Korean hostages were set free Monday by a group of Taliban militants who kidnapped them and 21 others more than three weeks ago in Afghanistan, an Afghan official told CNN.

The governor of Ghazni province, Mirajudin Patan, said the two female hostages, who have been reported to be seriously ill, were freed Monday, 25 days after they were first taken by militants."

This is good news, at least for two of the hostages. We need to keep the remaining hostages in our prayers.

Taliban: South Korean hostage dead - CNN.com

Taliban: South Korean hostage dead - CNN.com:

"GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) -- Afghanistan's Taliban killed one of the 23 South Korean hostages on Wednesday after Kabul failed to free Taliban prisoners, a spokesman for the group said, adding insurgents would kill more if their demands were not met.

'Since Kabul's administration did not listen to our demand and did not free our prisoners, the Taliban shot dead a male Korean hostage,' Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by phone from an unknown location. CNN was unable to confirm the report."

I hope that this is a bluff.

We all need to pray for the Korean Presbyterian humanitarian workers and that this crisis can be ended without loss of life.

Military forces surround Taliban holding South Korean hostages | Guardian Unlimited

Military forces surround Taliban holding South Korean hostages | Guardian Unlimited:

"American and Afghan soldiers surrounded a district in central Afghanistan where 23 South Korean Christian aid workers were being held hostage last night as their Taliban captors extended a deadline for their demands by 24 hours.

The insurgents, who snatched the South Koreans from a bus at gunpoint on Thursday, have threatened to start executing the group unless an equal number of imprisoned fighters are freed.

Intensive negotiations involving President Hamid Karzai, Korean hostage negotiators and local tribal elders were under way last night as tearful relatives held a candlelight vigil outside the aid workers' church in Seoul."

With the happy news of the release of the Bulgarian medics from their death sentence in Libya, another hostage crisis is coming to a head in Afghanistan.

One thing that is not mentioned very frequently is that these 23 hostages, mostly women, are Presbyterian. The Presbyterian Church in Korea is perhaps 125 years old, but they are heavily involved in service around the world. This particular case involves a group that was traveling to a medical facility in the southern part of Afghanistan. It sounds like a short-term mission work trip, but so few of the stories seem to cover the motivations of these workers.

We can only hope and pray that the hostages are released without the need for force, which would in all likelihood result the deaths of many of the hostages.

Medics freed after Libya-EU deal - CNN.com

Medics freed after Libya-EU deal - CNN.com:

"(CNN) -- Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were pardoned by President Georgi Parvanov upon their arrival in Sofia on Tuesday after spending eight-and-a-half years in prison in Libya.

The medics, who were sentenced to life in prison for contaminating children with the AIDS virus but now maintain their innocence, arrived on board a French presidential plane after the EU agreed a deal with Libya on medical aid and political ties.

The round of negotiations that freed the medics began over the weekend and involved European Union commissioner for foreign affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, chief French presidential aide Claude Gueant and French first lady Cecilia Sarkozy."

This is a happy ending to a situation than never should have happened. It still smacks of extortion, considering the amount of money paid out incidental to the release, but at least the medical personnel are home and safe.

I certainly don't want to minimize the horror that the AIDS-infected children are enduring, but it seems pretty clear to most neutral observers that the conditions leading to the infections were in place well before the Bulgarian medics came to work, and that they had nothing to do with causing the infections. They spent over eight years under sentence of death, though. With this situation, and other hostages being taken in other places, it is chilling to consider how this has become "business as usual".