Restoration 10:10

Prince William is to fight in the war against South American drug barons in the Caribbean. Not because they are his personal enemies but because the future heir to the throne must be seen playing his part in the armed forces. If that’s the case why not send William to Iraq or Afghanistan? Of course that would be too dangerous. In the Middle East William would be an easier target for al-Qaeda. But ‘the Caribbean on a Royal Navy warship is an ideal tour as it has operational potential and it works diplomatically’ said a senior military source. No soldier is one hundred percent safe in any conflict. The senior military source sounds complacent if not condescending. It will be a total waste of a Royal and a greater shame should our Prince be taken out by mere drugs cartels. History teaches us that you can’t hide a king safely in any battle. Whether King Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow or cut down by Norman Cavalry in 1066 makes no difference. It was a fateful day for the English and the Royal Family. Other royals have perished in armed conflicts too. Lord Mountbatten, a World War 2 hero died unexpectedly in 1979. Thirty four years after the war. The Earl thought he was safe when he holidayed in his summer home in County Sligo. He went sailing in a thirty-foot wooden boat. No one knew that the IRA had fitted it with a radio controlled fifty-pound bomb which was detonated before the boat reached Donegal Bay. Take heed William. Death often stabs people in the back whilst they are facing their enemy.

A ghostly little boy resides in the Victorian surroundings of Wormwood Scrubs. ‘He looks like Casper the ghost’ said a prison warden. But it’s not. It’s wishy-washy looking musician Pete Doherty. The former babyshambles singer is serving a 14 week stretch for breaching his bail terms. The 29 year old star was transferred to a segregated unit for his own protection after it was discovered that inmates had hatched a plot to attack him. But even though Pete’s in solitary confinement, he’s still at risk. In fact he’s in grave danger. No the inmates can’t get to him. But the drugs can. The Sun has revealed this week that Doherty has been injecting smack which had been smuggled into the jail. Pete must get his act together. If not we’ll be reading in the newspapers about his death. His body will be mysteriously found in some dark curtained room. Was it suicide? Or was it murder? Most probably it will be death by miss adventure after overdosing on drugs. Some folks are having a moan about the easy life Doherty has in the slammer. But don’t you believe it. A physical compulsion and a mental obsession to take drugs is a soul destroying demon. But it can be cast out. Pete’s life can be turned around. But he’s not going to manage things on his own. He’ll need a good life recovery programme and the support of his family. But more importantly he has to turn his destiny over to a power greater than himself. I’ve convened the funeral service of middle aged man who took a drug overdose. He was found dead in a park. His mother asked me to talk some sense into his friends. I didn’t want to criticize, I wanted to offer hope. I read out a quote from a junkie who turned to God for help.

“About five in the morning I couldn’t sleep. I had a strange feeling come from my head and through my body. Someone was telling me through my own voice, that I wouldn’t need drugs or alcohol again. The withdrawals stopped and tears were running down my face. They were tears of joy. I felt stronger than the pain that had been in me and I knew I had a chance of new life”. He said that Jesus gave him the strength to overcome his addiction.

Early one morning just as the sun was rising…. in the town of Bolton UK . An angry looking police officer wielded a big sledgehammer. He hurled it at the front door window of a house. The glass shattered instantly and a hole appeared. Within seconds seven burly riot clad policemen piled into the premises. ‘POLICE’ they shouted. The drug dealers had no means of escaping justice. But unfortunately the dawn police raid was carried out on the wrong house. The officers had accidentally targeted the home of an innocent woman in her 50’s.  A statement from Greater Manchester Police read: "As part of an ongoing operation to target drug-related crime in Bolton , officers entered the wrong house. GMP has apologised to the occupant and will ensure that the damage to the property is repaired. Officers will be reviewing what went wrong in order to make sure this doesn't happen again”.  I don’t think the raid highlights a catalogue of police abuse. Neither does it fall into the area of wrongly targeting civilians, especially as other related raids were successful. Police arrested 21 people, seized cash, two cars, an imitation firearm and a quantity of drugs. Nevertheless it sure was a ham-fisted operation. But who of us is there that’s not been clumsy at some point? We might ourselves have waded in wrongly accusing folks of stuff.  So and so, said this.  Thingy bob did that. But all the time they were innocent.

English pop star Pete Doherty has been jailed for 14 weeks for breaching his probation order. The musician has committed a series of drug and driving offences. One paper columnist says that he has zero sympathy for Doherty. Ex supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss says she doesn’t care. His famous friend Amy Winehouse just laughed when she heard that Pete had been jailed. His family have also struggled with his obsessive behaviour. Pete’s dad didn’t make contact with him for three years because he wouldn’t do rehab. Even his loyal fans are turning their backs on him. “How could Pete be so selfish as to let down hundreds of people? F***ing fuming. Pete Doherty is a ....” Addicts are so annoying they make folks swear don’t they? They also drain people’s emotions and patience. Nevertheless addicts need someone to be there for them all the time if they are to recover. No of course they don’t deserve unconditional help. People don’t have the tolerance or recourses to provide constant support. But it’s the bottom line solution. Addicts need someone to repeatedly believe in them when they repeatedly fail. They need someone to trust them again when they tell a lie. They need someone to employ them when they get the sack from their job. Addicts need someone to bring them hope every time they mess up. But hey Pete’s had plenty chances right? Yeah that’s why he’s been sent to prison. Addicts are a menace to society. They will always face the consequences of their actions. But I for one will be rooting for Pete to come through. He can get his life together and make new friends. He can overcome his craving for drugs. He can entertain people at concerts and write better songs when he comes out of prison. But what happens if he falls short of the challenge? Well a Jewish proverb says ‘There’s a friend who sticks closer than a brother’. That sounds like a true friend to me.