Good.
There are good and thoughtful people who favor the death penalty. I don't think they are bloodthirsty vengeance minded cretins. I can't think that. I live with one, and my sister's family whom I love very much is another.
But I'm glad this man will not be executed.
One of the people quoted in the New York Times today said "there are just some people who cannot be rehabilitated."
That is exactly why I oppose the death penalty: I must believe, to save my sanity, in the irrational idea of redemption. Without believing in the power of redemption, at the hand of self, or of God, the world is a bleak and frightening place, at the mercy of the strong, the hateful, the bitterly human.
I have to believe that evil can be overcome by salvation. I have to believe that even those beyond our human power to influence or rehabilitate are not beyond the reach of God.
I'm glad this man is alive, and will stay alive because as long as he is alive, there is a chance for his salvation. He would probably laugh in my face to hear me say that. He laughed at the pain of the people who lost loved ones in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Good. The bigger the obstacle, the more powerful the evidence of change.
9 comments:
I feel exactly the same way. It strikes me as bizarre that many Christians, by being in favor of the death penalty, in effect wish to deny God's mercy to the very people who need it most. Sure, the condemned have the chance to find Him before their executions, but God's timeline isn't the same as ours. What if the Death Row prisoner was really meant to find Him the day before his natural death?
The death penalty is nothing more than an act of vengeance. By denying others the chance of salvation, those who support it also deny themselves the chance to learn forgiveness and mercy. It's sad, it really is.
From a humanist point of view, I'm glad he was sentenced to life as well. His testimony on the stand made me think he wanted to be a martyr. He's been denied that. Perhaps now he will live long enough to feel some remorse and compassion for those who died.
Responding to this terrorist with mercy felt like the old America that I remember, and it felt good.
Your take on Moussaui is admirable. However, I think of all the money that will be spent to support this man for the rest of his life, and how much that money could benefit the poor and disadvantaged. I am a liberal in most areas, but I believe those who commit heinous acts against humanity should suffer the consequences. I wonder, is the salvation you spoke of for him or for those who fight with their conscience over the death penalty?
As a believer in God and the death penalty, I found your comments thought-provoking. I admit I am not 100% sure if the death penalty is "right" or not. But I do know that we all must face the consequences of our society and God can work salvation out for us, even if the death penalty is imposed, if it is meant to be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you are right that we can't go wrong with mercy.
Like you, I celebrated the verdict. While I am ambivalent about the death penalty, in this case, I believed a life sentence was the more appropriate punishment. I had concerns as to the defendant's mental stability.
The fact that he immediately wanted to change his plea said to me that he was not happy with the life sentence; he'd been anticipating his role as a martyr.
Like mlr, I've had moments of feeling the America of my youth is no more. Tolerance and good will seem to have been replaced with smug self-satisfaction and cultural intolerance.
I was proud of that jury. The fact that one juror dictated the ultimate decision did not change my pride in it.
9/11 shook the confidence of this nation. I hope it will not shake the foundation on which this country was built.
I guess what irks me about this is the fact that Timothy McVeigh was tried, found guilty and so quickly executed for the OKC bombing, while this man will sit in prison for life, fed, clothed, and housed with our tax dollars.
Maybe it's the cynic in me but it's smacks of political machinations.
Would it surprise you to know that housing him for thirty years is still cheaper than the cost of all the court appeals stretched out over twenty years?
At least it was when I did a thesis on it some years ago. Don't know if that's still the case.
We should not be able to choose when a human life will end. Murder, death penalty, same thing.
Hell, if we want to really punish people, bring back flogging. That ought to deter at least a few would-be criminals.
I'm with you, Janet -- sort of. :-)
anon said:
However, I think of all the money that will be spent to support this man for the rest of his life, and how much that money could benefit the poor and disadvantaged.
The facts:
The average (AVERAGE, NOT HIGH END) cost to put someone to death in the United States (not appeals, just the actual cost of physically ending the inmate's life) is in excess of $6-million. Yes, the number six with six zeros after it. The average cost to keep someone of his age alive until he dies: somewhere between $250,000 and $750,000 (varies so widely because of possible illnesses and treatments thereof).
Just doing the math makes it clear that the death penalty penalizes tax payers far more than the accused.
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