Update – 4/30/15: The latest reports indicate that Mary Jane Veloso’s execution was not repealed. Instead what she got was a reprieve – a postponement of her execution.
In other words, Mary Jane Veloso, will still be executed under a tyrannical drug law (possibly similar to the one being proposed by defacto “Senator” Tito Sotto – and imposed as street justice in southern Philippines, possibly using COA exempt funds as bounty money).
It is really really bad that Mary Jane is in these dire straits. It is even worse that her predicament is being used to distract attention from the ongoing criminal activity of an unlawful defacto Aquino regime.
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Update – 4/29/15: There are reports that Mary Jane Veloso was spared from execution after an offer to turn her into a state witness was made. Certainly there is joy that if Mary Jane’s life is spared – but it should not make us forget the other people who will be executed just the same. Their lives are not any less valuable than Mary Jane Veloso.
I am not surprised that the defacto Aquino regime will make a desperate attempt to have Mary Jane’s execution aborted – or it could be the proverbial last matchstick thrown onto the tinderbox consisting of plundered pork barrel funds, fraudulent electoral returns, and the sacrificial murders in Mamasapano.
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Another non-violent person would have been executed today. Her crime? Being a courier – one who carries the goods that were DEMANDED by Indonesians who want to consume the goods she was carrying.
As more Filipinos demand clemency for Mary Jane Veloso – I wonder where this puts the likes of Tito Sotto, or the Dabawenyos who mete street justice on drug couriers. Surely, if Filipinos can demand clemency for the life of Mary Jane Veloso – why aren’t they demanding the same for other Filipinos who are facing the same bleak outlook in the Philippines?
Here is another instance of a law that divides persons between being “pro-drug” or “anti-drug”.
The conventional wisdom is that is if you are “anti-drug” you should support government efforts to clamp down on the use of drugs.
The conventional wisdom is also that if you are “pro-drug” you are irresponsible and are a harm to society and the public at large.
This “conventional” wisdom really needs to be re-examined – specially now that more and more Filipinos are getting the hangmans’s noose in the different countries which have extremely punitive drug laws – Singapore, China, and Indonesia.
Apparently, the Filipinos have yet to encounter the drug laws of Portugal – where drug possession has been DECRIMINALIZED – and is treated more as a health issue than a criminal issue. Even better, and instead of getting jail time for a felony – sentencing has been reduced to a misdemeanor – roughly approaching that of a parking ticket violation.
In an article by George Murkin on Transform – a charitable think tank that campaigns for the legal regulation of drugs both in the UK and internationally showed the outcomes of Portugal’s drug decriminalization are spectacular on many counts.
- Levels of drug use are below the European average
- Drug use has declined among those aged 15-24, the population most at risk of initiating drug use
- Lifetime drug use among the general population has increased slightly, in line with trends in comparable nearby countries. However, lifetime use is widely considered to be the least accurate measure of a country’s current drug use situation
- Rates of past-year and past-month drug use among the general population – which are seen as the best indicators of evolving drug use trends – have decreased
- Between 2000 and 2005 (the most recent years for which data are available) rates of problematic drug use and injecting drug use decreased
- Drug use among adolescents decreased for several years following decriminalisation, but has since risen to around 2003 levels
- Rates of continuation of drug use (i.e. the proportion of the population that have ever used an illicit drug and continue to do so) have decreased
Overall, this suggests that removing criminal penalties for personal drug possession did not cause an increase in levels of drug use.This tallies with a significant body of evidence from around the world that shows the enforcement of criminal drug laws has, at best, a marginal impact in deterring people from using drugs.17 18 19 There is essentially no relationship between the punitiveness of a country’s drug laws and its rates of drug use. Instead, drug use tends to rise and fall in line with broader cultural, social or economic trends.
The outcomes of drug decriminalization in Portugal are consistent with the outcomes of dismantling marijuana prohibition policies in states such as Colorado, Washington State, Alaska, and Oregon – where use of marijuana for recreation purposes has been legalized.
Now of course, the anti-drug lobby will claim that Mary Jane Veloso carried hard drugs and therefore should be punished – a line that would be carried by the anti-drug proponents – and not surprisingly, the Indonesian president Widodo.
The problem with this isn’t whether drug use is bad or good. Like anything else, practice moderation. Too much of everything can have undesired outcomes.
Having too much water can drown you. Having too much air can hyperventilate you. Should we then make water illegal because it can drown you? Obviously, we don’t. What we do is personally regulate our water intake – we don’t have a water intake police watching/punishing/ticketing us when we take or not take water.
The problem is whether the state (this group of individuals who claim superiority over the rest) – should be allowed to interfere and punish – the individuals who pay for the state’s operations – for the reason that these individuals do not share the same views on drugs as the self-appointed “protectors of the general welfar” – when these individuals are not stealing from anyone, not physically assaulting anyone, nor destroying anyone’s property. Personally, I say NO. The individuals who comprise “the state” – should not have any authority above and beyond the rest of us.
You don’t impose your own view – using others incomes (aka taxes) – on the rest of humanity – much less, restrict their freedoms, or have have their lives taken away because their way of entertainment or recreation involves the use of psychedelic or narcotic substances. That’s how Mary Jane Veloso’s end up getting executed.
At this point in time, you should be reading up and learning on how alcohol prohibition turned out. All it did was:
- a) expand organized crime (Sale prices were high due to supply restrictions – the huge profit margin attracted organized crime – the only entity that can match the government’s ruthlessness)
- b) expand corruption in government (enforcement officers got paid to look away)
- c) overloaded the courts and prisons with nonviolent persons (the enforcers and organized crime benefited – we, the people, went to jail)
Clearly, the lessons of prohibition have yet to be learned in Asia – the hard way, in terms of executed mothers and orphaned children. This has got to stop.
In effect, if you are against drugs – you can make your stance known by not taking drugs yourself – not by creating more Mary Jane Velosos.
Do not support any more killings and jailings. SPREAD THE LOVE. STOP THE HATE. END THE PHONEY DRUG WAR.
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The other nagging question that people should be asking is – why are there Mary Jane Veloso’s in the first place? Why are there OFWs in the first place?
And why does the Philippine government perpetuate the policy of deploying OFWs?
This topic is something that the local media still shies away from. You know why? Because the local media – which is owned by the oligarchs – does not want people to start asking these questions which have very disturbing results if Filipinos understood what was being done to them by their “elite”.
Frankly, I can’t for the life of me understand how these people can be called the “elite” if the only way they can generate revenue is thru their connections with government. As far as am concerned they aren’t “elite” at all – rather, they are bloodsucking parasites that feed off on our creativity, innovation, and productivity.
Folks, we have the likes of Mary Jane Veloso because the Philippine constitution keeps the jobs out – and restricts job creation activities to Filipino or Filipino majority owned firms only.
The thing is if the Philippines were to rely solely on the employment provided by the protected Filipino crony firms – then there will not be enough jobs openings in all the crony firms – and we can end up with a a ridiculous situation where the Dep of Labor – slashes a regular 8 hour into 2 4-hour shifts then claim a reduction in unemployment – never mind that the previous employees now have to work shorter shifts and have to find alternative jobs just to make ends meet.
So where does that bring breadwinners except to leave the Philippine shores – and find employment in a 100% foreign household.
Now isn’t that something else – we restrict the entry of 100% owned foreign employers in the Philippines so we can go overseas to work for a 100% foreign household or company. There is obviously something missing here – a humongous white elephant in the bed room – which is still invisible to the common Filipino, it’s as if there was a veil placed on their eyes and they have been rendered blind to the economic chains that bind them.
What am saying is – there will be more Mary Jane Velosos to come for as long as:
1) we keep the good paying employers out
2) we punish success and productivity with taxation
3) we keep on with the belief that we should the state’s coercive power to impose our beliefs on everyone else.
Frankly, I have had enough of all the hate and the stupidity. Let us spread enlightenment, love, compassion, tolerance, and freedom to pursue our noblest dreams.
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