Greetings comrades,

I've decided to start this blog as as I've notice that no truly left-wing candidate at the moment has one. Prominent young-ndp politician Adam Schnieder has confirmed his parties status as a moderate organization in titling his blog out in left-centre field. Personally I don't know what he's doing there. In baseball its often the center-field who commands the outfield and thus it is truly the CENTRE fielder and not the LEFT fielder who commands left centre field. I can assure you all I am a passionate LEFT-fielder (this does not make me Barry Bonds).

So should I end the dumb baseball metaphors-well how about one more quick one- Canadians you like staying off the disabled list, so lets convince Americans that the steroid (insurance) companies are not serving all of them, and for those that they are serving, they are hiding their bad side effects- (yes Rush Limbaugh your testicles will shrink if you don't endorse Universal health care-if there's anything left to shrink).

Sorry about that image

My sense is that most Canadians support American healthcare reform (the only death-panels Canadians should worry about facing are those in foreign countries that the Harper government does nothing about!)

Instead I will bring up a controversial issue (and by controversial I don't just mean controversial by Fox News standards).

Two years ago Michael Vick was sentenced to an 18 month jail term for hosting dogfights. Now Vick has returned displaying what at least seems to be a friendly, hopeful and cautious personality. Nonetheless many have protested Vick's forgiveness from the Philadelphia Eagles. As a vegetarian I see PETA as an important organization, campaigning for animal rights when many don't bother. That said it angers me greatly that an organization that values compassion does not value forgiveness.

PETA is not the only group that does not value forgiveness. Recently when the Scottish government decided to release Lockerbie bombing convict Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, Megrahi's victim's families did not understand that eight years is quite a long time to be in prison and that terminal cancer is a miserable punishment in itself. I see Prison as a source of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is useless for one who will shortly die. The problem is that two many people don't care if someone is rehabilitated in prison- what these people want is revenge.

Lets put this desire for revenge into perspective. Mummar al-Gadaffi a radical, charismatic individual grows up with the understanding (and evidence to back up this understanding) that the Western powers have exploited the world. Because of his passionate feelings Gadaffi builds up a group of followers (like Megrahi) who are willing to punish the west. Naturally when you have an ambitious, passionate leader this punishment results in people dying miserable deaths.

In other words Megrahi's crime (if we assume he is guilty) is revenge.

What is forcing someone to stay in prison when they can not be usefully rehabilitated any further and they are not a threat to society ? I believe that is revenge.

One could say that forcing someone to die in jail may not be as bad as forcing someone to die in an explosion (we'd need an expert on levels of pain to offer an opinion on this one). If one were to argue from this perspective however, one would still have to realize that there are all kinds of crime and some kinds indeed aren't as serious as others. Robbery is not as serious as murder for instance, but it is still a crime.

So what can we do to eliminate this revenge mindset. For starters we can change our attitudes to how we gain comfort after a crime has been committed against us. If a friend is murdered don't wait for the courts to bring your friend justice-you give your friend justice. Instead join an organization that helps prevent crime (an anti-gun group or a group that helps at-risk youth). In addition to this, if the criminal in your friends (theoretical) murder is indeed convicted, why not visit them in prison, see if there's anyway you can help in changing there attitude.

Please comment as I know this will spark debate!
I look forward to writing on youth parliament issue as the path towards the election in early 2010 starts to unfold. I am also considering a political youtube show. If you have any political insight for me to do a show with we can do an interview via Skype and I can put it in as part of the show. If you simply have questions you can email me at zrdm@rogers.com

In Solidarity,

Z-Morg