The Editor, Sir:

At the risk of being charged with plagiarism, I'm going to borrow Gwynne Dyer's article ('Pirates of the Horn' Gleaner, November 27) and claim it as my own, of course, with a few modifications.

I'll put 'Jamaican murderers' in place of "Somali pirates", 'hang' in place of "sink", 'streets of Jamaica' for "Horn of Africa" and 'Government of Jamaica' for "navies".

Add a few other minute cosmetic changes and you begin to get the picture. Our bleeding-heart human rights crusaders (editor of this newspaper included) need to get this clear.

If you speak to a person in a language they do not understand, you will never communicate effectively. Our murderers do not understand terms such as 'sanctity of life', 'right of existence', 'mercy', and they probably think 'clemency' is a rival don or a new deejay.

As Mr Dyer's article says, "... They [should] be [hanged] without further discussion. Do that a couple of times and the [murder] threat drops away."

There are very few murders that take place without witnesses. However, if the murderer is likely to be on the streets again, in short order, or in prison co-ordinating his gang's activities, there will be few witnesses willing to come forward.

Try this. Hang the eight currently on death row. Hang new convicts, as soon as their cases are decided. If the clear-up rate doesn't rise and/or the murder rate fall in 12 months, abolish the death penalty.

As a scientist, I believe every theory should be tested for proof or disproof. We have already proven that suspending the death penalty will not decrease crime.

Now, let's try, not just retaining the death penalty but actually carrying out the executions.

I am, etc.,

CLAUDE B. MANNING

godsondis@yahoo.com