Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Powerfully Backward
Today Stanley "Tookie" Williams was executed by lethal injection at a San Francisan jail (read the story here) and the US is again in the spotlight over its use of the death penalty. And rightly so...
It scares me to know that the country that most consider to be the most powerful in the world still condones such a backward, parochial, narrow-minded and irreversible practice. (Can you tell what side of the debate I stand on?) I don't give a rat's ass what he did - the big lad could have been a modern day Hitler - but in no way is the US justified in executing him... or anyone for that matter.
Justice means fairness for all citizens. Tell me how executing someone is fair?! Have not the US, in fact, denied Tookie justice today by executing him? Have not the US thumbed their nose at justice? Yes, victims and their families have rights, but so does the perpetrator. Both victim and perpetrator are human beings. "'Vengence is mine,' says the Lord." No one elses!
It really does astound me that the US is, apparently, so powerful. Given that it sees nothing wrong with execution, it is one of the world's biggest polluters, and it is able to invade and capture countries (breaking international law) for the sake of its own national security, it seems to me that something is amiss. It makes me so angry that this country plays such a big role in the running of the world.
If the rest of the world doesn't wise up and hold the US to account... God help us all.
Obviously, when I say "US" I am being very general. I know there are those citizens in the US who campaign to abolish the death penalty, who campaign for the environment and who were opposed to the unlawful invasion of Iraq. I support those citizens in their efforts and pray that God, if it is His will, would bless those groups with success. My comments are directed to all others. (Isn't it sad that I am writing a disclaimer?)
It scares me to know that the country that most consider to be the most powerful in the world still condones such a backward, parochial, narrow-minded and irreversible practice. (Can you tell what side of the debate I stand on?) I don't give a rat's ass what he did - the big lad could have been a modern day Hitler - but in no way is the US justified in executing him... or anyone for that matter.
Justice means fairness for all citizens. Tell me how executing someone is fair?! Have not the US, in fact, denied Tookie justice today by executing him? Have not the US thumbed their nose at justice? Yes, victims and their families have rights, but so does the perpetrator. Both victim and perpetrator are human beings. "'Vengence is mine,' says the Lord." No one elses!
It really does astound me that the US is, apparently, so powerful. Given that it sees nothing wrong with execution, it is one of the world's biggest polluters, and it is able to invade and capture countries (breaking international law) for the sake of its own national security, it seems to me that something is amiss. It makes me so angry that this country plays such a big role in the running of the world.
If the rest of the world doesn't wise up and hold the US to account... God help us all.
Obviously, when I say "US" I am being very general. I know there are those citizens in the US who campaign to abolish the death penalty, who campaign for the environment and who were opposed to the unlawful invasion of Iraq. I support those citizens in their efforts and pray that God, if it is His will, would bless those groups with success. My comments are directed to all others. (Isn't it sad that I am writing a disclaimer?)
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You'd be amazed at how many Americans agree with what their politicians decide simply because they are their politicians. And often it isn't because they agree with what they say, they don't change their views to match the politicians, they just don't disagree because they feel it isn't what a good patriot should do. It's almost like affording them the respect and blind trust a young child would show their parents when they make decisions, the kind of respect and trust we need to show God, not our governments. When something is not right we should be standing up for it, preferably with our (insert 3 pound signs here, no pound sign on american keyboard I am using...) and vote, but also with our voice when we talk, even among each other.
Just so you know I am not saying that we shouldn't respect people in positions of authority, afterall it is us as the public who have put them there. But there is a different kind of respect to be shown here. A respect that says we recognise your position, we recognise your authority, but we don't want to misplace our confidence. So please do it right.
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