Where's the justice...?

I went for a short run tonight and despite the muggy weather and a rather lardy legged and panting effort on my part, I suffered no soreness with my hip. For that I was pleased but I honestly didn't give it much thought because my mind had drifted to some sad news I got today about the death of someone I worked with.

I didn't work in the same department as him and I really didn't know him that well but the news was crushing because he was such a nice guy; he always smiled and he always said hello. In fact he made a point of being polite and friendly, always asking how I was. He was in his early twenties and I'm told he died from an asthma attack on the weekend. Such sad news.

I couldn't then help thinking about the current campaign supported by political blogger, Guido Fawkes, to get capital punishment reviewed by Parliament. The Telegraph reports that the movement, called Restore Justice, which is hosted on Guido's blog, "has signed up to the Government’s new e-petitions site. Any petitions containing 100,000 signatures will be eligible for debate in the Commons and, judging by his recent posts, Guido Fawkes is optimistic they will reach this target soon." His ultimate aim is "to restore the death penalty for the murder of children and police officers when killed in the line of duty."

But let's face it, taking someones life is not about justice; it may be about revenge and retribution but it is not about justice. So far, three MPs have come out in favour, with The Sun reporting Tory MP Philip Davies as saying, "I'd go further and restore it for all murderers." I'm informed that capital punishment is not lawful under EU legislation and so I'm hoping that this campaign will die a quiet and natural death itself.

And so my head was filled with these thoughts as I ran tonight. And no matter which way I cut it, I keep coming back to: Human life is precious and no-one has the right to to destroy it.