I always considered the death penalty as an issue which I never had to concern myself with. First of all I’m not planning to commit any vial crimes, and I don’t think anyone I care about has evil plans either. Secondly, I’ve never been conscious or concerned with the lives of criminals. When we began speaking on the subject, I thought we were only going to talk about the institution of racism in capital punishment, and was quite unaware of the feeling this subject would arouse in me. Needless to say, I have formed some opinions on the issue which confused even me.
I always considered myself pro-capital punishment. I was of the mind that if someone killed me, I would like my death avenged, but pondering on the issue of cultural differences has made me doubt my prior convictions. First of all, I am against the use of the lethal injection. I understand that it is cleaner, but if the law wants to inflict death as a punishment, it must understand that death is not a pretty thing. Criminals are painlessly put to sleep, and die in the same manner that Dr. Kavorkian’s patients choose.
Personally, if I was faced with the option of living the remainder of my life in isolation, perpetually haunted by pain and images of terror, I would absolutely hose to die by lethal injection. There is no true punishment in this method, except the fear of going to hell, which I strongly doubt is of much concern to most convicts on death row. Assuming that the judicial processes which convict these individuals are legitimate, the only common bond within this group is that they are all mortal, and hold no respect for human life.
These delinquents are on death row, because they have committed a crime of such ghastly proportions, that society has deemed them unfit to live. They deliberately and nonchalantly depraved another human of their life. They emphatically partook in reprehensible malice of inhuman dimensions, never bothered by their conscience. They are sick and vile individuals who do not acknowledge social conventions such as religion and the law. They have broken the law, and in leaving it they removed themselves from the protection of the law.
The 8th Amendment should no longer apply to these sick dements who deserve none of my compassion. Yet, the bleeding hearts continue to defend them and oppose capital punishment because it is too cruel. In an article in the Chicago Tribune, the Roman Catholic church vented its pposition to capital punishment by affirming that “human life is sacred” and that “a truly just and humane society” is compelled “to protect and enhance” all human lives at every degree of development, “the bishop concluded in the statement that execution are “an inappropriate response on moral and practical grounds.
But what this argument refuses to acknowledge is that these individuals ceased to be human when they renounced their humanity through murder. They do not recognize morality or the principles of humanity. They have chosen to go against the laws of every religion and society known to civilization. They have belittled themselves to the stature of animals, and as so, renounce their conscience. Many of them, like those who belong to gangs in LA, don’t even consider death a punishment. Dying is a part of life, and “you can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the Grim Reaper. (Robert Alton Harris-gassed April 21, 1992)
These individuals are so warped, that the death penalty would be among the most pleasant punishments they could receive. They have very little they care about, if they cared they wouldn’t have put themselves in this situation, and they are departing this life for the next. Very few of them believe in religion, so they have no hell to fear. More than anything they are being freed from their present dismal situation.
The death sentence would only serve as punishment for moral, religious (Christians, Jews, Muslims… ot Buddhist of Hindus) individuals who respect human life and have something to live for; in reality, these are not the people on death row. I therefore believe capital punishment too lenient a penalty for these fiend, but at least when they were fried they felt a few minutes of pain to recompense for their victim’s suffering. Please forgive my vindictive reaction, but a dear relative of mine was aped and murdered by one of these beasts; he is still at large. Needless to say, I believe a harsher form of punishment should be placed on their lives.
I have therefore devised a more austere discipline which, conveyed in the form of fear, would severely downsize heinous crimes, and would also be cheaper. Instead of simply killing them why don’t we just maim them to the point where they are no longer a threat to society. First you amputate their legs from the knee down, so they can no longer walk. Then you cut off their arms so they can no longer shoot, strangle, hit or stab anyone. Then you cut out their tongues o they no longer speak their ideas of hate. Then you burn their faces till they are so ugly to look at that they are ashamed to be alive.
Then you castrate them to make sure they can no longer partake in pleasure. In this disheveled state you throw them out to the streets so they can see and hear the pain, agony and injustice that they so freely bestowed on their victims. They will truly suffer for their crimes. They will be the new example for future criminals. No longer will the villain be worshipped by the mass media, or by the youngsters on the streets. The gangster will then cease to exist, and only he mentally retarded will perpetuate their heinous crimes.
Isn’t it sad that our situation has become so grave that we must actually look to these alternatives to solve the problem. I think everyone knows that the only way to help ourselves to a better life is through education, but politicians continue to withdraw funding for schools. We are going about the solution in the wrong way. If we teach people to value themselves and accept others, and therefore dissolve economic and class differences, we will truly begin to put an end to crime. Till then we will have to accept our reality.
