For Once We Get It Right

The 'Lockerbie bomber' Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was released from prison and allowed back home to Libya today to die. (If you've been living under a rock he has terminal cancer and his remaining life expectancy is likely to be measured in weeks).
The USAsian gubbinsment has been putting lots of pressure on the Scottish Justice Minister. They didn't believe that Al-Megrahi should ever be released, and if he died in a Scottish prison, far from his family, so much the better. Hillary Clinton was very much bumping her gums about how he should not be released.
My thoughts? To be frank, how very dare they?
In this country, our penal system is supposed to be as much about the rehabilitation of prisoners as much as the punishment for the crime. And as tempting as the whole 'eye for an eye' philosophy may be, that's just not how we do things in blighty. The man is going to meet his maker for crying out loud. No matter what he may or may not have done, it won't make the pain and the grief any less real for his family when he dies, and they should be able to spend some time together before he dies. They're hardly likely to get shipped over here to see him are they? Whatever would the Daily Wail readers have to say about shipping the relatives of a convicted terrist over business class and being put up in a swanky hotel at taxpayers' expense to come see him in his last days?

Of course, all of this is completely without consideration for the fact that Al-Megrahi has consistently denied any part in this crime, and until yesterday was appealing against his conviction. Added to that the growing feeling that further evidence was hidden until after his trial which made it unlikely that he had any part to play in the crime at all. Let's face it, he was probably a sacrificial lamb for the re-integration of Gaddafi into diplomatic circles.

And as for Hillary Clinton basically telling us what to do? Well for once our politicians have done us proud and stuck 2 fingers up to what they want. Well done Mr MacAskill, we are not the 51st state.
It's very interesting to see the polarisation of the relatives' opinion has split along each side of the Atlantic. Most of the American relatives are baying for blood and are 'disgusted' by our legal system. Whereas many of the British relatives are much more temperate, believe that compassion should be shown, and perhaps even believe that al-Megrahi was not responsible for their loss.
Of course, the USAsian relatives have been exposed to a culture of corporal punishment, the like of which is not familiar to most of us Brits. But what I don't understand is how that can put aside this:
what many people who have experienced loss feel, is that they would give their right arm, or worse, to spend a few more moments with their loved ones. This probably extends to our fellow human beings who have committed (or not) atrocities in the name of religion, or ideology.

Today, I'm proud to be a Scot.

(apologies for rantyness but I needed to get that off my chest)

Lolcat of the day