much respect...
three things prompted me to post this topic.
1) my rereading of the classic book Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver
2) watching 20/20 last night where Barbara Walters discussed the upcoming execution of Timothy McVeigh
3) and the pursuit in seeing if Doggystyle82 and i can agree on two things in a row! (a little bit of a joke...*W*)
So in rereading Soul on Ice for my Civil Rights Movements class, Cleaver discussed the tragedy of the American Penal system and how it relates to black people. At the same time...I was reading this 20/20 came on.
Timothy McVeigh's lawyer is strictly against capital punishment. His argument against it which has been documented is that on the average it is racially biased as it is used more often to execute people of color...in particular black men...than any other group. Which I agreed with. But I questioned the relevance of his statement in regards to Tim McVeigh.
There was also one man who said that he believes in capital punishment because he said that the bible says that man should abide by the law of the land and by Gods laws. *i'm sure Doggystyle can help with the location of this passage*
my questions are these...
-is capital punishment the ultimate vindication for a heinous act? Understand that Tim McVeigh murdered with several well-placed bombs over 168 individuals...many were children. Or would life in prison be a better solution...considering Tim McVeigh wants to die...why give him what he wants...and via the most "humane" way of execution (lethal injection)
-is Tim McVeigh's crime the ultimate act of terrorism against a government who commits acts of terrorism against its own people? (Remember that he did this in response to how poorly the government handled the David Koresh compound where the government also slaughtered innocent children among other incidents of the governments lack of competence in "controlling" dissidents)
-has anyone besides myself noticed that in most of the reports about Tim McVeigh that there is no mention of the fact that he possessed a copy of one of the most racist texts ever written by the leader of the National Alliance? (the book is called
The Turner Diaries by Dr. William Pierce) it has been said that this among other incidents was the catalyst for Tim's bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
Personally, I believe that the government should pay attention. Should Tim die? Yes! Should he die how he wants to? No! The reason why I say the government should pay attention is in the words of Malcolm X a moment of "the chickens coming home to roost". A country so steeped in violence should understand that no longer will it just be contained within the modern day concentration camps we call ghettos that eventually it will spill out to devour its own young. Tim is a victim and perpetrator of this culture.
But Tim will be consistently painted as a "lone nut" and once he is dead we will continue on our own merry ways never realizing that he is just the beginning for what America can and probably will become if we do not begin to eliminate the idea that violence is a "good thing". As long as we are too worried about whats going on in other countries and not whats going on in our own we will continue on this downward spiral.
How can this be fixed? I am not sure. That is part of the reason to post this. So hit me off with what you all think.
Peace
[This message has been edited by lastpoetnsite (edited May 05, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by lastpoetnsite (edited May 05, 2001).]
Capital Punishment...the death of a terrorist
Threaded Mode