I know what people say about capital punishment. My support of it – with several conditions – doesn’t come from the religious “eye for an eye”. Opponents say the ultimate punishment is wrong because it’s an act of vengeance. To that I say, yeah, so what?
Canadian Ronald Smith is on death row in Montana and is expected to plead for his life this week. Now 54, Smith was sentenced to die after he and a buddy marched two men into the woods 30 years ago and shot them both in the head. Smith and his pal were stealing the mens’ car but he also admitted he was high on drugs and wanted to know what it was like to kill someone.
The Harper government wasn’t going to intervene until a Federal Court said it must. Even so, the feds sent a weak letter asking for clemency which the state appears to be ignoring. Like so many murderers before him, Smith now claims to be a changed man.
I. Don’t. Care. Smith’s victims’ lives were taken in cold blood for no reason at all. For the past 30 years they have been dead. They have not had the opportunity to do something great, screw up their lives, make mistakes and muddle through like the rest of us. If Smith is spared, those two men’s lives are left meaningless and I don’t believe they were.
Are you comfortable with Terri-Lynn McClintic breathing our air for the next few decades after confessing to killing Tori Stafford with a hammer? Does it feel right that Paul Bernardo has safe quarters and three square meals a day even though he tortured and killed (or was an accomplice to the killing of) three teenage girls? (Everyone seems to forget Karla Homolka’s little sister died when she was drugged so he could rape her.) Does Robert Pickton deserve to breathe and feel comfort and enjoy food and learn and read and watch movies despite taking the lives of dozens of women?
In my view, not taking these peoples’ lives amounts to accepting their actions. Smith may very well be a changed person but that doesn’t give his victims a second chance. It’s not okay that the world ended for these people at the hands of others and in these cases I don’t believe it makes us barbaric to mete out the ultimate punishment. I’d pull the switch myself. Vengeance? Indeed.
So agree with you Lisa! I also have questioned why these people can also obtain a University degree….quite the punishment now isn’t it.
“Thou shalt not kill”
I am sickened by all of the crimes you have mentioned but this does not give us the right to kill . In doing so we have just made ourselves into them. Perhaps a better solution would be to subject these people to a life long intensive pyscological study to try and find out what caused them to do this and possibly figure out how to prevent it. Killing another person will not do anything. We are not barbarians. We must evolve. Do we not bear some responsibility as a society as to how we perhaps failed these people ? I am a follower of Jesus’ teachings and do believe that we are from love. Does love kill ?This system does not work.Could you really pull the switch ?
Solutions will not come from the same mindset that created them in the first place and a belief that KILLING anyone is just that. You suggest that unless we kill these people we are accepting their actions ??? Wow !
Love and blessings to you.
No Jeff – I only make a suggestion regarding MY perspective. You choose for yourself! Besides, capital punishment will never be allowed in this country again so the whole thing is a moot point anyway.
Lisa, I’m with you but my conditions might surprise you. This is only acceptable if the penalties for misconduct by police, prosecutors and judges are equally harsh. We have had too many examples of convictions based on lies, fabricated evidence, coercion of witnesses. If you’ve never read the Kauffman Report on the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin you should. (http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/morin/) If you’re short on time, just read the executive summary. It’s a fascinating tale of police and prosecutorial misconduct and forensic incompetence and I’ve never been able to understand why nobody ever went to jail over it.
So, yes… hang ’em high but when egregious misconduct is proven on the part of the state there should be should be some prosecutors/police/”expert witnesses” hanging as well.
Works for me!
Lisa,
You already did make it VERY clear that YOU would kill them.
i am very not confused about your stance.
I wonder what would be in your heart or mind as you pulled the switch ? Love ? Hate ? or something else.
..and you are right (unless Harper gets his way). Thank God the majority of Canadians disagree with you !
It’s only an opinion Jeff! One borne of absorbing the worst side of humanity day in and out. The stuff we report on is the sanitized version of what we actually know. I don’t have an ounce of hate in my body. It’s another perspective that we can agree to disagree on!
While it’s true that capital punishment does almost nothing to deter others from committing murder, it brings the rate of recidivism waaaaay down!
I’m in support of the death penalty but only if I get to choose who deserves it and who doesn’t. While we’re at it why don’t we get rid of bad drivers too? Just the really bad ones though. Again, I get to pick and choose. I saw at least 3 worthy candidates today alone!