Been stewing about this for a couple weeks. It is a bit outside of my comfort zone whenever I feel a need to expound on national topics. But also important when it is part of our culture and character.
Of the many things in this world I do not understand, the tolerance of capital punishment in our republic remains one of the biggest mysteries.
Of this I have opined before and questioned again (as a digression) in an essay earlier this year regarding the abortion debate — that proponents of not allowing abortion in any circumstance, citing the sanctity of life, will also equally advocate for the taking of a life in the name of justice.
It comes to the head of my topics list this week after watching the parents’ statements at the sentencing hearing of the Parkland, Fla., school assassin who killed 17 people. I cannot even pretend to understand and appreciate the grief these people are experiencing. The parents and a number of commentators felt that justice was not done because the perpetrator received a life sentence with no possibility of parole as opposed to the death penalty which the prosecution had sought. I was particularly puzzled by a news analyst’s comment that the verdict “tells others that you can shoot up a bunch of kids and still live.” That makes the unfathomable assumption that others contemplating such a horrendous crime have the capacity and state of mind to even consider the consequences, other than to gain some degree of notoriety.
Also in the news in the past month: A report that no one in Indiana has been executed for 13 years with at least four men on death row having exhausted all appeals years ago. The problem, the report stated, is that the state does not have the necessary medications and cannot find a manufacturer to fill the order. “It brings negative attention (the companies) don’t want,” the story reported.
While other states have found the medications needed, Indiana, it appears, has not made that effort which leads one to conclude that it may not be a high priority. Would the credit — some would say the “blame” — for that go to the very top? To Gov. Eric Holcomb? If so, kudos to him.
It has always, for me, boiled down to the immorality of taking — no matter the circumstances — what we are supposed to consider most sacred: a life. Will taking the life of the Parkland shooter bring any of those children back? Do we only do it on the pretense of appeasing the aggrieved? Does having the death penalty option deter anyone who contemplates any such heinous crimes?
Were I in the Parkland parents’ shoes, would I have also advocated for the death penalty? Fair question. Impossible to say. A daily prayer in that regard. Personally, I would find it more just for someone who has such egregiously harmed my loved ones to be dealing with the vagaries of prison day after day with no prospect of relief, contemplating what they’d done for the rest of their lives.
If you are looking for Biblical justification, you will find plenty in the Old Testament, including the death penalty for adulterers and those who “dishonor” their parents. Jesus’ only reference was to instruct a mob: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
“If anyone ever was a better candidate for the death penalty it is (the Parkland shooter),” wrote our syndicated columnist Cal Thomas. Having established some sort of relationship with Mr. Thomas last year when I interviewed him for a story, I sent him a message with my thoughts, hoping to spark a conversation. Have not yet heard back.
I have also read a full chapter justifying the death penalty in an otherwise highly agreeable memoir by former Attorney General William Barr. His faith played a major role in how he approached his duties. I would treasure the opportunity to have a chat with him as well.
So, two minds sharper than mine with whom I will have to agree to disagree. History, I believe, will see capital punishment as a barbaric remnant in what was otherwise purported to be a civilized society.
A side note: Every study ever made on the costs of seeking and implementing the death penalty has found that this option is more expensive than housing a convicted killer for life. Hence, the more moral choice is also the more practical. Who would argue with that?
Will this voice in the wilderness make any difference? Probably not, but if that proverbial magic wand were in my hand, Indiana’s legislature would commute the sentences of those on Indiana’s death row to life in prison without parole and join the 23 other states that do not have the death penalty.
Still stewing.
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CORRECTION: In last week’s column regarding TIF districts, I reported that the Premier Flats apartment complex utilized the residential TIF option. In fact, residential TIFs are limited to single-family housing projects. A “normal” commercial TIF District was established as part of that project.
miller@news-banner.com
