01/29/03
by Mike B
When someone ask me if I agree with the death penalty, my first response is usually "no." The death penalty? Good gosh no! No, just the thought of strapping someone to a table and injecting them with deadly drugs makes my stomach turn. No, I don't want the responsibility of saying who should live and who should die, (Lord knows, I can't even make up my mind as to what I want for breakfast!) Nope, I think death is something that only nature and the good Lord above should decide.
Of course, that's not to say that I don't think that we should give nature a little push in that particular direction. Especially when it comes to violent criminals.
Like most people, I feel that setting violent criminals free or giving them a "cushy" life in prison that is funded by decent, law abiding, taxpayers is just wrong. However, lethal injection is far to insipid for my taste. I think we could -and should- be a little more "creative" in our methods of punishment. If for nothing else, a stronger deterrent to future would-be criminals.
Torture, for instance, has always been high on my list.
Out of respect for you, I'll not go into the different forms of torture that I would use, just suffice it to say that I am not opposed to the use of a branding iron. It is not my intention to describe, anyway. (Not to mention, I'm sure you have all kinds of perfectly good ideas of your own.) My intention is to point out the fact that, technically, you're not taking a life as punishment, but you're sure as hell gonna be avenging the victim. And if by some miracle they survive, then let Divine Intervention play its part and let them go on their marry way.
Unfortunately, I happen to be living in the "real world" where any type of unusually cruel punishment will never happen. However, there's always the tried and tested lesser forms of torture. I ask you, what ever happened to the olden days of the chain gang? What ever happen to public beatings? Those still seem to work pretty well for other nations and for the life of me, I don't understand why they were outlawed here in the USA. I suppose someone along the way decided it was too inhumane for a civilized society and cleverly devised a better, more humane way to deal with the problem of punishing violent criminals. I'm also assuming that this person did not have a loved one brutally murdered by some deranged lunatic (or worse, a perfectly coherant, perfectly sane person), either.
Think I'm beginning to sound a little too sadistic? Maybe so, but the thought of having your arms fed to a meat grinder may make you think twice before shaking a crying baby to death just because you had a bad day at the office, wouldn't it? And just think of what we could do with the millions of dollars spent on tracking child molesters, if we could just brand it to their foreheads.
I understand, everyone makes mistakes occassionally and I'm no exception. I am by no means perfect. There have been times when I would really like to beat the guy that cut me off in traffic to a bloody pulp. There have been times when I've let my anger get the best of me and I've said and done things that I'm not very proud of. But I have never, ever, been violent towards another human being (or animal for that matter).
Why?
Well for starters, I don't want to end up being Bubba's "girl" in prison. I also don't want to risk losing my home or other possessions in a lawsuit just because I lost my temper. Most importantly, I don't want to lose my family. I love them very much and the thought of being seperated from them scares the hell out me. Literally. That is all the deterrent I need. To me, that would be torture. I believe the same is true for a majority of the population, as well.
But, what's to stop someone who feels they have nothing? Someone that has been brought up thinking that the world owes them something just for being alive and has the right to act any way they choose when the world doesn't cough it up? Obviously, the lose of freedom and/or life is not enough to deterrent them from committing these acts, so we need to come up with a better plan.
Quite simply, we need a punishment that is severe enough to outweigh any benefit the crime may have.
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