Murders in Ipswich

For those who haven't been following British news recently, there seems to be a serial killer at work in the quiet and prosperous town of Ipswich. Over the last 10 days, 5 prostitutes have been found murdered... ref - BBC News

Quick tip for the police - check out the journalists. They're the ones making a profit out of it. In particular, check out ITN - they had people on the scene when one of the bodies was found and got an interview with one of the victims a couple of days before they were killed.

Part of the problem, of course, is drugs. The UK has a welfare state, so women don't need to work as prostitutes to survive - they only do it to get drugs money. Predictably, the Daily Telegraph makes this connection and half-seriously suggests killing a large number of drug dealers to combat the problem. And yes, it might work. As usual for the Telegraph, it spots the problem and isn't afraid to name it. Also predictably for the Telegraph, it doesn't seem to understand the people who do it.

As I understand it, a large part of the reason people turn to drugs in the first place is because their lives are so boring and dull they need to be escaped from. Due to impoverished horizons and social outlook, they see drugs as the easiest way out. Yes, making drugs harder to get would be one solution to that. Others would be providing youth clubs (except the goverment don't do that any more - it's pretty much just the churches) or improving their education so that they can earn enough money to fund a drug (or computer game) habit without resorting to prostitution. Lets face it, that's the modern middle class solution.

Or a really radical solution - how about helping them to see that life without drugs is worth living? How about showing them that the God who made the whole universe cares about them and wants them to know him personally? How about helping them to see that it's worth living a life if it's for the one who made life? Or don't we do that these days?