Opposing The Death Penalty
Taking this course has made me ponder on many issues which I never deemed worthy of my
thoughts. I always considered the death penalty one of those things 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 those plans either. Secondly, I've never been
conscious or concerned with the likes 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 chose 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 opposition 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...not
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 raped 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 so 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 the 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.
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