Word: fayed
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...disciplined nation of Singapore seems to be the newest whipping-boy of our righteous press. As we've all heard ad nauseam, an 18-year old American named Michael Fay has been condemned by Singapore's highest court to four months in prison a $2,600 fine and six lashes with a moistened rattan cane--all for the rather petty crime of vandalizing some automobiles...
There is little hope at this point for spearing Fay, who has lost all appeals, and can only tremble at his fate. Despite the personal intervention of President the Bill Clinton, Singapore appears unmoved and perhaps rightly so; the status of being American or being ignorant of the nation's laws should furnish Fay no excuse...
Recognizing this, Amnesty International and the national press have moved beyond the specifics of Fay's case to a broader criticism of the inhumanity of corporal punishment. A comparison of our two justice systems, however suggests that it may be ours that is less humane...
...confinement to prison generates hate as much as any whipping. And public opinion, at least in the Fay case, has clearly supported corporal punishment. A regulated use of corporal punishment, such as that in Singapore, would address the constitutional concerns of the court...
Some Americans are outraged at the cruel punishment Fay will receive for what seems like a rather insignificant crime. Others congratulate the Singaporean government on its impending human pinata-fest. More than one stodgy middle class American who has had the antenna ripped off his car has said, "All I know, Geraldo, is that Fay kid sure won't be picking up any spray-paint cans any time soon...