Posted by George Morrison

Net shopping is becoming popular. It has not taken long for drug dealers to catch on to this method of trading. It provides vendors with a relatively safe distribution system with few of the usual problems of gang warfare.

In fact the dark-net, as it has been named, caters for other commodities. There is a whole inventory of items to be purchased. In addition to drugs and chemicals some of the headings are weapons, gold and digital products both in the software and malware categories. If you click on a heading the drop-down box reveals a wide choice and price range.
Traders have their own recommendations received from satisfied clients all of whom remain anonymous thanks to layers of protection and encryption. Of course the address for delivery must be known but it need not be the client’s home. The parcel can be delivered to a PO Box No. or to a locker in a “Parcel Hotel” which cater for this trade.

Payment is made in Bitcoin, the virtual on-line currency. Bitcoin can be bought on the web with a credit card. You can avoid having your purchase of Bitcoin linked to you by another procedure which is on offer.
With all these possibilities we can expect to see an uptake of computer courses specialising on the internet by those looking for a safer alternative than the street corner trader.
Laptops and tablets will be popular items for the junkie’s stockings this Christmas!

The Garda will have to up their level of computer literacy if they are to keep abreast of their felons. At present their best detection weapon is the sniffer dog! She will need to produce lots of sniffer puppies to keep up with the demand!!

There have always been secret societies operating out of sight and destabilising society. It was no different in Jesus day. There was a guerrilla band operating around Jerusalem one of whose number called Barabbas had been captured. He was sentenced to death at the same time as Jesus and Pilot, the Roman Governor, in a crowd pleasing tactic offered one of the two prisoners’ release. Only one could live. The other would die instead.

The crowd chose Barabbas’s release! (St Matthew chapter 27 verses 15 – 18.
Barabbas was the first man who could say Jesus died in my place!
His name is distinctive. It translates as “son of the father”. But we are all sons or daughters of our father. We might call him “Mr Everyman”. And Mr Everyman could say with the hymn-writer “In my place condemned He stood”.

But the hymn-writer had a deeper meaning which becomes true for every repentant sinner.
It comes out in the next line of the hymn “Sealed my pardon with his blood”. Jesus death purchased redemption by his death and resurrection (Romans chapter 4 verse 25).

You don’t need the dark-net. Salvation is preached openly and received freely by every believing junkie today as it was for me many years ago.