In a trouble world of deceit and treachery when everything is all about self and money, two good pieces of news came out yesterday. The first, Obama has decided to go bombing the IS in Iraq and Syria all over again. Now why is this good news? To the Americans they have found a way to spend their weapons and probably getting someone to pay for it. Or if not, the defence industry would be getting the American citizens to pay for the rounds fired and the soldiers doing the bombing, not killing of the innocents. And this would keep the Americans in Washington very busy and got no time to cause mischief in other parts of the world.
The pivot to Asia can take a break and China would have some breathing space. So did North Korea.
Hopefully Putin would increase the stakes in Syria and Ukraine to keep the Americans busy busy. Sorry Arabs and Ukrainians, your troubles are a sacrifice for peace elsewhere. I hope the silly Asian and SE Asian countries learn a lesson or two from what is happening in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and don’t invite trouble into the region. And when trouble offers itself, they must be smart enough not to welcome trouble here.
The second piece of good news is the growing tolerance and acceptance of drugs in the West and in Latin America. They are raising the white flag. They are claiming that even countries like Singapore and Malaysia with death penalties could not wipe out this scourge. The conclusion, might as well live with it, live with the drug menace. Oops, the new drugs are not that dangerous anymore. A little drug can be quite an acceptable lifestyle choice. They are quite fanciful and with nice names and very good looking too. Many celebrities are using them too. It is the new in thing, to replace the damn smelly cigarettes.
Many of these states are going to legalise drug consumption as a new and harmless lifestyle. I said this is good news. Just hope Singapore and Malaysia would not follow suit but increase the penalties for drug abuses. This will become a carrot and stick situation and all the drug addicts and lifestyle choosers would flock to those countries to enjoy their new lifestyles within the law and be very happy. There is no need to risk capital punishment in Singapore and Malaysia. It is a win win solution. Those who love the life style of drug taking can find their safe havens in those countries that legalized drug takings. Those countries that frown on this lifestyle choice would have lesser drug takers in their midst.
Now, isn’t that good news? Nobody’s freedom of choice is curtailed. Everyone is happy.
Chua Chin Leng AKA Redbean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/