First thing we do, let’s kill all the doctors

I guess it would make the War On Some Drugs more consistent if we were to criminalise tobacco.

That’s pretty much the only thing to be said for it. We’re not talking banning smoking in public places, or even in private places with public access, for which there are some decent arguments – this is a “fags will be as illegal as coke” deal. Yey with the Prohibition, yey with the utter violation of any sensible theory of rights.

One needs to be quite intelligent to become a medical doctor, both to get on the course and to stick through it; this rules out the possibility that the Lancet and Dr Astrid James are advocating such a policy through sheer stupidity. As a result, I can only conclude that they are objectively pro-evil.

More measuredly, why does society pay attention to what doctors have to say on issues of individual rights? They never, ever have anything sensible to contribute to the discussion.

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Freedom to trade? Not here, mate

Not the greatest scoop, admittedly… but for the last 25 years, the US government has been imposing financial and/or criminal penalties on any American trader who boycotts Israel.

While boycotting Israel is a silly thing to be doing, there doesn’t appear to be a sensible argument that it ought to be illegal. I’d be grateful for one…

In its absence, maybe the civilised world should impose similar restrictions to prevent trade with people who boycott Cuba (Israel more liberal/democratic but Cuba less land-stealing – the two are about equal in the World Pariah Superleague, I reckon).

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World service

I wonder, did any of my loyal readers manage to catch me on BBC World Service TV today at 0630GMT? I was the tired looking one in the black suit and white linen shirt, talking about the Cardhu whisky scandal.

One of the reliable aspects of my job is that whenever I’ve got a convival evening’s entertainment planned during the week, I seem to end up having to talk about alcoholic drinks at some ungodly hour the following day. I’ve become extremely good at not retching under the media glare.

Still, at least there’s still some glamour and coolth to making a media appearance as a Consumer Expert. The really unpleasant hangover experience is dealing with angry clients who actually know more about the industry than me…

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Wrong ‘racist’ sacked

An employment tribunal in the UK is currently hearing the case of a prison guard who was sacked because he made mean comments about Osama bin Laden in front of some Muslim visitors.

It’s clear from the story that there was an extremely unpleasant racist working in Blundeston Prison on the relevant day. However, it’s also pretty clear that it wasn’t Mr Rose… rather, it was the guy who disciplined him, Andrew Rogers.

Osama bin Laden is a vile man, and only the most crazy, blinkered lunatic could deny this. Most British Muslims, correctly and unsurprisingly, agree that he’s an evil murderer who ought to be despised. To say that nasty comments about him would offend Muslims is an insult to Muslims everywhere.

Recasting this for the benefit of white readers – would you rather work for a black boss who regularly spouted off about how much he hated the BNP thugs, or a black boss who was very careful not to criticise the BNP in your presence because he thought you’d probably support it?

Update: James Taranto agrees with me. Ugh, I feel all dirty…

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Consent and cannibalism

…and other rejected Jane Austen titles.

A man named Armin Meiwes is currently on trial in Germany for killing and eating another man. This isn’t entirely unprecedented behaviour, as cinemagoers everywhere will testify – nice Chianti, anyone? However, the case does have one key unsettling aspect, beyond the obvious.

The consumee, Bernd-Jurgen Brandes, replied to an advert that Mr Meiwes placed on the web (well, where else?) asking for a willing victim to be cooked. The entire killing and eating thing was consensual.

For people with views tending towards the authoritarian, this case is doubtless great evidence that basing morality on consent doesn’t work – and therefore that it’s right to lock people up for their private sexual proclivities, to ban books to stop them from depraving people, to censor the Internet, and so on.

Still, in the absence of a god, consent is one of the very few consistent ways to build a moral system – it’d be a shame to throw it out and return to theocratic and/or facist nastyness. In which case, I guess I ought to be championing the right of people to meet up over the Internet and be cooked. So, err, best of luck Mr Meiwes, hope I never meet you…

Final point – note that the consumee’s first name is Bernd. Hurray for bad puns!

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