Prisoners who are dying....what to do?

I have been discussing the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi who was released from jail as he has terminal prostate cancer with a few friends on Facebook, and like Kenny MacAskill believe giving someone a little compassion and Christian love is the way forward. I have been slated for believing this and saying so publicly.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi in many circles is believed to not even to have been the bomber of the Pan-Am flight but a scape goat for Gaddafi who wanted to enter the world market again. His accomplice was found not guilty and sent home again. The second reason is, I have been in a jail, not as a prisoner but as a teacher. Jails are horrid places at the best of times, inmates are on their guard 24/7. They are under threat of bullying, violence, rape and murder. Most have to share a cell and you don't choose your cell mate. Prison is a place of rehabilitation, a place to change peoples mindsets about life. Hopefully to make people accept society and conform to a way of life that is acceptable to the majority and not the minority. Prison can work, but it is far to overcrowded and people are just banged up and then let out, try as the education and work systems do there isn't enough time and people to make it work, so inmates go in and out most without changing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is dying and has little or nothing to gain from being in prison, he has little time left and is a very long way from his home and his family.

Anyhoo back to the decision to send Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home. In the possible 3 months left in his life what would keeping him in a Scottish jail achieve? I don't think it will achieve anything. He has a short time left and this will not be good for him at best. He will have a lot of pain and will for the most of it be under very heavy sedation. Sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will give him time to think why? if he really did the murders and planted that bomb, he will have to face God very soon.

Showing a little of Compassion and Gods love now and letting him die with dignity will afford him a little comfort in his last days. Lets hope Libya has the palliative care we offer in the UK.

If you want to look at it in another way, sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will save the UK taxpayer a heck of a lot of money, it costs roughly £3000 a day to keep and inmate in jail who is healthy, once they become ill and need to go to hospital that can easily go up to and over£10,000 a day as he will need transportation, 2 permanent guards and his own room at the hospital, plus all of the medications.......

Questions

I am a Christian, I am proud to say I follow Jesus and his teachings, I am really crap at it, but I do try and that is all that is expected really. Over the past few years I have had my faith tested to breaking point on a few occasions, and that is where I am at at the moment. Things happen I don't understand, and I see people hurt so bad that it makes me cry and question why? I know there are no easy answers, I know God has never said we wouldn't suffer, he did say he would be with us in our suffering.

I really don't understand why certain things happen, why people hurt each other or why people are taken early? I don't know why accidents happen or incurable illness's take over peoples bodies....I know at the moment I am again questioning...........

Tesco!!! and V.F.M

Yesterday I popped in to Tesco for provisions, nothing unusual or remarkable about that really I do it a few times a week. Yesterday was slightly different though, I had my clubcard vouchers...all £20 of them, so I went for a little walk first and had a look at the wine...they had a few very nice Spanish reds on offer...so off I go and exchange £20 of vouchers for £40 of wine vouchers...I bought 8 bottles of Spanish red reduced from £10 to £4.99. I also got a discount off that of a further £2 for buying over 6 bottles...if they reduced them anymore they would have had to pay me to take them away!!!!

So I was very pleased with Tesco yesterday, I really felt we had had Value For Money. When I told Mrs EB about how we got all of that good Red wine from our vouchers her answer was "Well I'm having a large Red wine tonight then!!!" She didn't, she had a Mojito hahahaha

London Trip August 2009

We spent 2 days and one night in Kensington London.

We went down on Tuesday the 4th of August, the main reason for going down on the Tuesday we had be bought a food experience and we chose to dine at Peridot at the Bentley Hotel.

The meal was amazing, we both started off with "Maryland crab cake with sweet corn relish and red pepper aioli" these tasted wonderful and was just the right size for a starter. Mrs EB had Confit of duck with pear mash and ginger honey wine with a green side salad. and I had Lamb cutlet served with garlic mash, buttered baby spinach and red wine jus and a mixed side salad. We had a wonderful bottle Rioja Crianza to accompany the meal. Mrs EB then had Warm pear tart tatin with crème brulee ice-cream and I had a Trio of crème brulée with fresh raspberrys. The food was a delight, the service was wonderful, we were the only two people in the resturant for most of the evening.

We then went for a walk around Kensington and Chelsea which was a great way to let the meal go down, on the way back we stoped off at a pub for a swifty and it had to be, we had just settled down with our drinks and they rang the bell and were chasing us out of the pub!!!

Wednesday was my birthday and after we woke up we went to breakfast, I orded two soft poached eggs and Mrs EB went off helped herself to the the breakfast bar buffet...I waited and waited, and then waited some more. I then asked for my poached eggs...they hadn't been ordered!!! anyhoo after another short wait my poached eggs arrived I added some bacon and toast and they went down a treat.

Then we packed, OK Mrs EB packed, then put the luggage into the hotel locker. Then we went on a tourist trip, 1st to the Mac shop....I love that place, then we went to the embankment...that was wonderful. A guy called Bruce was doing a busking act, comedy and juggling, he pulled me out of the crowd I'll add some pictures later, well I laughed and laughed.

After that we made our way slowly to Victoria for the theatre, we went to the pub first then to Maccy D's for a cheese burger. The off to see Wicked....

Wicked

WOW what a show, it was just wonderful, I wont say too much because if you haven't seen and you may see it, then it might take the edge off it if I tell the story. I will say it is the back story of the Witches from The Wizzard of Oz. Setting the scene for the film. The actors and actresses were just amazing and the singing just blew me away. I shed tears with wonderment and joy.

Then we went over to Soho had a beer and then a massive chinese feast, softeshell crab, Seaweed, then Chicken with chili and blackbean and lobster with noodles before heading off to Euson and home. All in all one of the best birthdays ever.