The accused Jordan Brown stands in the dock looking a little bewildered, he is chained hand and feet as he is charged, the charge is the heinous murder of his father's fiancé who was 2 weeks away from giving birth at the time of the killing making the charge one of double murder. He faces life in prison without parole: the death penalty is not an option in this case despite that fact that this is Pennsylvania USA where there is an insatiable appetite for practicing such barbarism. The American 'justice' system is so enthusiastic about putting people to death that they offer no less than 5 different methods of doing the deed: gas chamber; electric chair; firing squad; chemical injection and good old fashioned hanging for the 'good ole boys' who are traditionalists, say what you like about America but you can't accuse them of not offering choice and variety.
The person standing chained in that dock Jordan Brown was 11 years of age at the time hence no death penalty as the USA have recently banned it for under 18's. He is now 13 and has been sentenced to life without parole and an appeal is taking place now to challenge the sentence, only in America eh? He shot the victim in the back of the head with a rifle: his very own rifle especially made and suitable for use by an 11 year old and needless to say in America it is perfectly legal: it's a godsend when you have run out of ideas for a Christmas present for your all American kid.
If the appeal fails he will be the youngest ever American to get such a sentence and the youngest in the world according to Amnesty International but hey! this is America right, Innovation and can do remember? 2,400 are already in prison doing this sentence and 450 are in Pennsylvania to their shame. A week or so ago I watched with growing anger and frustration as President Obama hypocritically lectured the Chinese delegation to Washington on human rights. I thought about America's Guantanamo Bay Prison where prisoners have been held for 6/7 years without trial let alone sentence and that was before I heard about this case. Having ruled that life without parole can apply to any murderer, (there is no age qualification that I can find) they still seem to think that they are in a position to lecture the world about how to treat their citizens, it beggars belief and it must be a huge embarrassment to many Americans who are progressive democratic people.
It reminds me of what a great man once said when asked what he thought of Western Civilisation, he replied "I think it would be a great idea" (Mahatma Gandhi) I wonder how many Americans have ever heard of him?
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