2 posts tagged “stupid people”

I wonder a lot about things, and I analyze things and pick them to pieces in my head, but sometimes I can't but wonder. We have this one prisoner over here in Thousandlakez who I've wondered a lot about, Juha Valjakkala, or, Nikita Joakim Fouganthine, which would be the name he goes by these days. He's a triple murderer and has been serving a life sentence since the late 1980s. Over here, a life sentence is usually about 12-14 year, after which the president grants pardon and the inmate is released. Juha Valjakkala has been doing a lot of time, by finnish standards.

He's also been doing a lot of running away.

We have this newly implemented system where inmates get the possibility to first spend some time in a work-camp prior to their release. Then they change to what is called "open prison". Since we are Nokialand, open prison means the inmate carries a cell-phone with him all the time. He is requiered to either work, study or spend time in rehabilitation to be able to sustain his status in the open prison. He needs to keep the cell-phone with him at all times and he is tracked down through it. Surprise calls, wisits and drug/alcohol tests are part of the program. If all this goes well then the inmate can proceed to the last part: freedom. Breaking any of the rules at the work-camp or in open prison makes the inmate lose his status and he is back in the slammer.

BUT.

His release-date is not pushed back.

So here's the catch we've been working up to. Juha Valjakkala tried to appeal to the president to get out of prison countless times and was denied every time. He ran away from prison 5-7 times and was always caught and brought back to prison. And during the last few years he finally got to live and work at a camp.

And he ran away.

From a facility where the prisoner has his own room and carries the keys to this room. Where family is allowed to meet and greet him and there are no fences. Sounds pretty good, huh?

But no. He made a run for the fence border. And was once again caught. What's the point of escaping an open facility?

Anyhoo.

Finally, working his way up the hierarchy once more, he landed a spot in open prison prior to his release date, which is due this summer if I remember correctly.

And 2 days ago the douchebag ran away again. This time "running away" means left his cellphone in his apartment (which was nowhere near a prison) and left.

And since he's the king of bad escapes, all of Thousandlakez knows what he looks like by heart. His mugshot has been on tv a lot of times during all of his sucky escapes.

So. A day later, yesterday, he is once again caught. By the border. How Stupid does one have to be to run away from a cellphone?! Dude, you're about as free as you can be, what the hell are you running from now?!

People are odd.

Drug time, children!

I have heard the following sentence one too many times:

"medicines that help me quit smoking should be free of charge, it's a disease, you know?!"

It's not.

No matter if you started at age 7 (!) like my future father in-law, or at age 70, nobody else inhaled it for you. You could've quit whenever you put your mind to it, or at the very least, when you were old enough to realize that maybe you should. I know that according to studies nicotine is more addictive than heroine, but I don't really believe it. Because the even newer studies show that so is caffeine. I also know that people with a certain type of genetics are more prone to have an addictive setting in them to begin with, and others don't. That being said, I would like to argue my case why it ain't a disease:

1) You did it to yourself. Very few drug addicts for instance inject themselves in the beginning. Of course even fewer start out by injecting heroin or buprenorphine, which means they all inhaled,snorted, swallowed or whatever something else themselves before. That doesn't clear you.

2) You have access to help. Most drug addicts don't. The nicotine is there, it's not expensive, and you can get even more effective stuff through the doctors.

3) It's expensive? The costliest drugs to help you quit smoking cost less than a pack of cigarrettes a day. And they're meant for people who smoke considerably more, so you're actually saving money. Plus, you only use them for about 6 months. And to compare again to the drug abusers to whom heavy smokers like to compare their addictions: smoking won't cost you your home, relationships or job.

4) Withdrawal's a bitch. Yes, but you might not accidentally die from it like a heavy buprenorphine/heroin user.

I'm not saying people who are trying to quit smoking are losers because they started, not at all. And I'm not saying you're a pussy for whining about withdrawal and the addiction isn't really that bad. Obviously it is, otherwise all the smokers would quit. And apparently we've got it worse since we just learned last year that Thousandlakez was an arena for illegal substance testing in during the 90's. We had unsuspectingly smoked cigarrettes with more tar and nicotine than any law allowed. It's hard, it's rough and it's not always possible.

But don't go comparing yourself to people who might have done it to themselves at first, too, but are really suffering from a disease, and simply cannot get on their feet without society's help. You.Don't.Have.It.That.Bad. And at the very least, don't do this comparing in front of the various people that call themselves health care experts. It's like winning the special olympics: no matter if you win or loose, you're still a retard. (yes, I know, I'm an insensitive prick but I'm very strongly trying to illustrate a point, so let it pass this once, okay?)

In my eyes, it's the equivalent of me comparing myself to a diabetic suffering from severe hypoglycemia every time I get cranky because I'm hungry.