Scottish Law

I would like to begin by pointing out that when people travel to foreign countries they are expected to follow the laws of that country. Here in the US we hold our foreign visitors to our laws just as we are held to the laws of their country when we travel there. With this established, I would like to next point out that in the US legal system people imprisoned for most crimes are eligible to receive parole and early release for things such as good behavior. For that matter there is a special group of people who deal with these cases.

Now to the issue at hand. Under Scottish law if you are terminally ill you can receive a compassionate release from prison. This law, very much like our own parole system, has recently taken center stage on the world scene. The Scots recently gave a compassionate release to Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the infamous Lockerbie Bomber.

While there are rumors that the release of al-Megrahi was connected to threats by the Libyan government to freeze British assets in it's oil rich country, the facts remain. Under Scottish Law al-Megrahi, recently diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, is eligible for compassionate release from prison. His release did not come until doctors declared that he has less then three months to live, a diagnosis that was confirmed by several physicians.

Much of the anger being expressed here in the US and around the world is at the fact that a know terrorist, sentenced to life in prison, has been releases and that he now poses a threat to the rest of the world. If al-Megrahi is to be any real threat to the world it is as an example. How long before other countries are pressured to strike deals with terrorist nations to protect financial interests.

For their sake I am hoping that the rumors of this release having anything to do with a $900 million development deal between BP and the Libyan government. BP and the rest of the world needs to stop and realise something, they need to realise that there are several other nations around the world with the same resources that would gladly have their business. Libya is not the only country in the world with oil and natural gas resources. I'm sure any one of the under developed countries of the world such as Venezuela or even Britain's powerful neighbor to the East Russia would gladly accept offers to help their countries failing economies and industries.

But the core problem as I see it is that we here in the US have for to long held to the idea that we know what is best for the world. This pompous attitude would be bad enough alone, but you often here people us rhetoric such as, "We are the last superpower so the world should do what we want."

We can not use our position as a superpower to dictate laws to sovereign nations, we must use our position to make sure that financial and political blackmail is not a tool used by other nations to get what they want. If the Scottish government was coerced into this release, the terrorist win they greatest victory, they managed to get another country to do their will, and divided the rest of the world at the same time.

Remember, united we stand, divided we fall.

Charlie