The Cauldron of Vengeance and Deathmaker

In memory of Larry Fitzgerald, Texas Dept of Criminal Justice spokesman


First, I 'think' I am still a supporter of capital punishment. I have spent years on death penalty forums arguing in favour of it, rolled out many blog posts and even created a website that gathers records of executions that happened here in Wales hundreds of years ago. I'm a tad on the ghoulish side, I openly admit this but allow me to get back to the 'think' part of my opening.
Nobody on earth can be 100% either way regarding killing in pursuit of justice. I have met many (via forums) who claim to be fully pro death or anti and yet often it only takes a minor detail to push someone the other way. Might be the inmate on death row has murdered a child, a crime so heinous to make even the more liberal of folk wave a noose in anger. Perhaps a wretched soul has had their innocence come to light after their appointment with the deathmaker (famous, historic cases shows us this has been so), and is a potent force in stopping the fry circus get more supporters into its camp.
Pro and anti are as common and varied as flower petals, and much like petals, it can take only the gentlest of wind to change direction. I myself am in constant struggle to find where justice sits with me, and to wear the shrouded hood of death with at least a pinch of grace and honesty, one must answer the question: are we a civilised race?

And the depressing truth of it all is, that I do not think we are. Not by a long shot. Heck by looking at humanity through ragged, bloody history we are able to see slivers of the soul in all naked savagery. Stripped down, laid bare, the barbed folds of life complete. Twisted mechanics o in all its suicidal, craven glory. We are not purehearts, or saints by nature.
Certainly we like to think ourselves as kind, generous, loving, open minded race but life will cure one from that thinking all too soon. giving way to uncomfortable fact. Humans are a selfish, cruel, greedy bunch. Self obsessed to the point of indifference toward others. And this isn't entirely wicked, indeed its vital for self preservation because a honest to God, pure pacifist wouldn't be long for the world (especially this world) if they were uncompromising in his or her pacifism. So a little cold is good for the soul, and I wish folk would recognise it.

The March of the Purehearts


Listen, im not saying humans are damned to hell and locked into a terrible future. Corruption and bad intentions do not dominate every waking heart and neither do I believe this planet lost to hope. If we were swamped by a ocean of never ending evil, the world would have eaten itself long ago. There is a future, there is change for the better but there are more thorns than saints (afterall saints need courage and that seems to be in short supply these days), and the world is never going to turn into some kind of utopia where sh!t tastes like sugar and nobody hunts unicorns.

Second Chance Saloon

So footballer Ched Evans is freed from prison after serving half of a five year sentence for rape. You read that right: rape. And due to the nonsense from his teams fans, his victim has had to get a new identity and move away. Now I like to think I'm a fair man, people screw up and they deserve a second chance. But there exists a group of crimes so heinous and vile, that allowing for a second chance is is something not easily given.
And sexual offences are among the. Evans hasn't even acknowledged his crime and carries on as if nothing happened. He'll just go back to his thousands of pounds a week job while the victim has had to change her life completely. Football, indeed most sport, are funny old things. If you bang in the goals and bring home those trophies, you can get away with anything. And this isn't jealousy over his mega wage, the guy is now a convicted rapist and if I was a supporter of his club, I wouldn't want him playing again. But then I wouldn't put anything past knuckle dragging supporters, success is all, despite having a rapist in the team.
How Evans can even show his face again is beyond me. If it were me, I'd lock myself in my home and never show my face again. The thought of appearing in front of a stadium filled with thousands of people wouldn't cross my mind. But then people like murderers and rapists aren't like us. There's not a shred of remorse or decency in their bones.
Supporters who are standing by him ought to be ashamed of themselves.

A Tribute to Victims

With the shocking killing of Leeds teacher Ann Maguire, who was stabbed to death in her classroom and reports of another botched execution in America (step forward Oklahoma), this is a week which proves (as if needed) that murder is never far away. Naturally it rekindles the age old debate about what society should do with its murderers.
Regular readers of the Dai Jakes blog will know that in the past I have favoured capital punishment and in my heart I can see reason why I do, but alas my head is slowly turning toward the belief that a life sentence is more appropriate ('life' in bold because I mean a full life tariff as opposed to free in fifteen to twenty years). And while some suggest a memorial for Drummer Lee Rigby, I cannot imagine a more fitting tribute than making life in jail mandatory for all murderers. Nothing against stone memorials to honour victims, I just feel that tough and fair Justice is more useful and benefits society whole. A force to help crush the bloody hand of murder, making everyone safer.
Indeed the more I think about it, the better idea it sounds. In Britain we only have around 50 or 60 murderers serving life without parole, which is a very poor show. Murder is a most heinous, wicked crime, destroying not just victims but loved ones also and to have the majority of killers walk free after serving fifteen years, sticks in my throat a tad. More than a tad if I'm honest, it fairly makes my blood boil.
Capital punishment, whilst delivering justice to one particular thug, doesn't 'treat' the rest of them. And not everyone agrees with the death penalty. A mandatory life sentence for all however would (and while there are those who disagree with even full tariffs, their reasoning behind those beliefs are weak and anyway those types don't exist in particularly high numbers). Of course we could simply send the entire rotten bunch to the gallows but im afraid that in these 'enlightened' times of 21st century (and I am still searching for evidence of this enlightenment), that won't fly. Reality won't allow for mass executions, it takes a different kind of world for that to happen and however much people say they would hang all killers, I suspect the truth when it came to it would be different.
I think life without parole for all murderers is a wonderful idea, I absolutely believe in it 100% and think it a perfect tribute for murder victims and families. And like I say, would benefit society in general too. Marble memorials and flowery displays are all well and good but were I Jakes I, King of Great Britain (and I can dream hehe) I would create a more lasting tribute to victims of violent crime and set in law that if you commit murder in this country then the remainder of your 'mortal liberty' is forfeit. Down you shall go for life. Justice for the slain, and protection for the rest of us.

We deserve at least this, and victims certainly do.

Grand Theft Holiday

Roll on 6pm

Unless you live on Mars (and even then you will probably have heard about it), you will be aware that Grand Theft Auto V has been released today. One of the most expensive videogames ever made at £170m, more than many Hollywood blockbusters, we can be assured that games have grown up (youngsters really have no business playing this and shame on parents who buy it for wee Jimmy.) As a huge videogame fan, and not ashamed to admit it, my copy of the game is still sealed but I can almost feel it burning a hole through that packaging. Excited much? Oh yes, its like being eight years old on Christmas eve.
Now I understand that there will be readers who the last game they played was Pac-Man in the 1980s, and explaining the appeal of a game like Grand Theft Auto is difficult but I shall endeavour to try. By and large, the majority of us lead boring old lives. We do, admit it. Living on the edge for most of us means a cheeky sleeve of ginger (beer) at lunchtime, or chancing it by not buying a car park ticket. And this is fine, we enjoy the peace (and liberty) that living a law abiding life brings. But occasionally its nice to let off some steam and cause mayhem, to kick back at the world when on the skids, and because prison doesn't sound like a good plan and nobody (sane) wants to create real grief, the best way to go is to load up a copy of GTA. They are like little stress balls, only more fun.
Fancy robbing a liquor store? Go right ahead. Carjacking (even plane hijack)? Certainly sir, what vehicle takes your fancy? Cop giving you the funny eye? Why you oughta go right over and teach him a (painful) lesson. Its not even restricted to crime, there are a ton of things to get up to in Los Santos (Rockstar's reimagined Los Angeles) from golf, tennis, mountain climbing to unwinding in casinos and better still, strip clubs! Even walking along Santa Monica beach and taking in the sights is a good way to pass time, especially if you happen to be in cloudy old Britain as the nights begin to draw in. See the attraction yet? Its a holiday without the need of passports or awkwardly asking strangers for directions.
Videogames have come a long way since the time when gorillas hurled flaming barrels at fat Italian plumbers, or two white lines and a moving square represented tennis. Now we have 'sandbox' games, open worlds where the player can immerse themselves completely and and 'live another life', and nobody does it better than Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series. Ive been a fan since the humble top down beginnings of the original game in 1997, they have gotten better with every 'episode'. (I think of them more as a violent soap opera with hefty doses of satire and comedy.) Its an escape. Some get it through books and movies (im an avid reader myself) but for those of us who need that little extra, to make us feel more involved, games are perfect. Why watch someone blow up a car in film when you can do it yourself?
Like I said, most of us lead very boring lives. But not today, not if you have Grand Theft Auto V.

Lenient Sentences and Sicker Paragraphs

The story about 29 year old Gemma McCluskie, an actress whose headless body was found in London is terribly sad, and my thoughts go out to her family and friends. Nobody should have to meet death in such a grusome way and so young. One would think most people would feel the same and no doubt the saner ones do (I haven't lost ALL hope yet) but there are also twisted individuals who think this tragedy is comical. They are merrily creating sick 'jokes' and posting them all over the internet, on joke sites and in news comments and frighteningly very few have pulled these creeps up on their vile antics.
Who killed compassion? When did it wither on the vine and dry with the sand? Some folk have totally and utterly lost any thread of humanity. Why on earth has a brutal murder become the subject of such hilarity? Are we so desensitised to violence and horrors that it has become acceptable to poke fun at the headless body of a young woman?


Justice be done. Or we will be...

I believe a lot of blame can be pointed at our lenient sentencing. Afterall if the State thinks a crime warrants a lenient sentence, the public believe the crime to be not too bad. Five years for rape? Tweleve years for murder? Those crimes cant be that heinous then can they? If, as the Anti death penalty mob are fond of saying, a country killing its murderers are simply saying its okay to kill, then surely one handing out soft punishment is doing the same?
And this allows the rot to seep deeper into society because we start to see violent crime as almost trivial. Go back to Victorian times, or even as recent as the 1940/50s. Crime was dealt with much more severly then than it is now and as a consequence of that people respected the law of the land. Id even go so far as suggest folk had sympathy when their fellow man suffered at the hands of thugs and murderers. Why? Because back in those distant days, killing somebody meant you would recieve the full weight of justice. People knew it was a serious offence when they witnessed murderers hang for it.
Fastforward to 2012 and we are seeing killers freed before they've even had time to grow a decent beard! As a result of this, murder doesn't send the same shockwaves through towns and cities anymore so idiots on the internet cannot see the harm in posting tasteless 'jokes'. And there is no use being angry at these trolls, we have done this to ourselves.
The way to save humanity from turning in on itself and getting warped out of recognition is withdrawing the woollen mitten we currently use to punish serious crime, and replace it with something that will actually put a dent in it. Do this and respect will fall into place by its own motion.

Bans Will Never Deter

New figures have shown that more than 58,000 motorists with multiple drink-driving convictions are still repeatedly driving while intoxicated. The bans are not working, and in my humble opinion they never will. You see, it takes a 'special' type of person to drink and drive; a special kind of halfwit with not an ounce of consideration for his fellow man and who will carry on being a menace on the roads no matter what the courts throw at them.
If someone is so wreckless that they would be prepared to risk their own lives and the lives of others by driving after a drinking session, they will be well equipped to ignore any driving bans that come their way. These people are devoid of conscience and posses very little morals. Indeed drunk drivers are selfish and dangerous and they need to be punished properly.
My solution is simple: anyone found guilty of killing somebody after getting behind the steering wheel while drunk would be jailed for life. In fact I would probably go a step further and agree with sending them to the gallows. Murder is murder is murder and if I support executing murderers (which I do) then drink~drivers would obviously be candidates for the scaffold.
Just go along with my idea for a minute. Imagine if Britain did hang drink~drivers. Im willing to bet those 58,000 who stick two fingers up at driving bans would soon see the error of their criminal ways. Some readers will think im being too harsh and maybe they are right but you get my meaning. We need stiff sentences to those who drink~drive, not feeble bans. Bans wwill not deter anyone, least not these cretins.

Its Crime, You Win

I have been around this subject so many times that ive probably covered everything. However anger and frustration spurs me on so here goes.
On May 2nd, just a few weeks ago, the US Navy SEALS ended the life of Osama Bin Laden, the worlds most wanted terrorist and probably the most hated man since mad Adolf. We all know what he did and plotted and you would think the world would be grateful to this elite band of men and to be fair most are. But (ah the gloomy sounding "But") it seems after a good wander around this cyber highway that not all are pleased with Bin Ladens death, indeed certain liberal, hippy type folks believe he was murdered. (I think the stories of him being unarmed and in his underpants have tipped them over the edge of reason.)
So by their wanky logic those SEALS should be clapped in irons and marched off to jail? What the f**k is wrong with people? Have they forgotten about the nearly 3,000 victims and countless of their families and loved ones?


Im Looking At You, Liberal Pukes

Actually I should not be so suprised because it always happens this way. Innocents are robbed, raped and murdered by the scum of society and as soon as the last hymn is sung at the victims funerals, all sympathy it seems gets directed at the perpetrator of the crime. Its true insanity. The only people left grieving are victims family and friends, most others begin obssessing over what now happens to the robber/rapist/killer.
One only needs to visit one of those vile death row penpal sites that are shamefully plastered all over the web to see this. Not an ounce of thought is given to victims, its all about Mr. X suffering (their word not mine) in a tiny cell. Why are the victims so swiftly forgotten about? Oh these people will say they remember the victims but they don't, not really. And its sick.
Everything to the criminal is offered, from health care to leisure time. They even bend over backwards to ensure all the different religions are catered for (literally) by having menus that include 'kosher' meat and so on. How about we feed them bread and water? Surely all faiths accept this simple dish? Good for vegetarians too!
I won't go and on because ive typed out these thoughts so many times, im suprised my computer hasn't learnt to type this article itself. REMEBER THE VICTIM! SCREW THE CONVICT!