Should the Boston Bomber Receive the Death Penalty?
Read Time:2 Minute, 23 Second
Now the infamous Boston Bombers are done with their ‘work.’ Four people are dead, five if you count the older of the two bombers, and more than two hundred people injured. The surviving bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is in custody and is recovering from his injuries and the question now arises, what to do with him.
It’s clear that Tsarnaev is facing such a large range of charges that he’s looking at spending the rest of his life in prison, at the least. The most, of course, is that the United States has the option of seeking the death penalty. A Washington Post/ABC poll taken on April 30th finds that 70% of people want him executed with 27% opposing it. The interesting part is that generally polls show that people prefer life without parole to the death penalty. This leads one to wonder if these statistics will hold when the trial actually begins.
I personally oppose the death penalty, and have been opposed to it for a long time. I think the death penalty accomplishes absolutely nothing. It does not deter anyone from and, in fact, in this case, may even make the bomber a martyr to the radical Islamic cause. In my experience with death cases, it doesn’t bring closure to the victim’s families. The victims are still dead and are still maimed. That damage is never undone.
Yet the call for revenge is still there from a large number of people. I have serious doubts whether most of the families of the Oklahoma City bombing felt much relief when Timothy McVeigh was executed. I imagine most still long for their loved ones and I suspect the same will happen should we execute Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
There is one positive thing that can come out of this incident. If, instead of executing Tsarnaev, he is sentenced to life in prison without parole, it will show the world that the United States is a humane and just society. It shows those who are labeling us the Great Satan we are anything but.
On the more practical side, it’s also less expensive to sentence him to life without parole because it cuts down on the number of appeals he will be able to file.
My purpose for bringing this issue up is to give others the opportunity to express their views. A major part of mine on the death penalty is that it demonstrates society’s view of the cheapness of life, and contributes to the level of violence we already have in this country. Compared to other industrialized countries we have one of the highest, if not the highest level of violence. We are the only Western nation that uses the death penalty.
So, friends and readers of MadMike’sAmerica, what do you say?
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Can’t get it wrong Norman. You got that.
A dead terrorist can’t commit any other terrorist atrocities.
If we have a ‘death penalty’ we have to always ensure that the ‘guilty’ party is indeed the ‘guilty’ party.
As long as we can do that and get it right then ‘crack on’ and execute.
Never get it wrong mind – a ‘posthumous pardon’ means fuck all to the deceased.
Death Penalty? Definitely – but don’t dare EVER get it wrong eh?
Deaths too quick. Lock him up in an 8×10 atill he dies.
Which is the most likely scenario General Lee. The he and most all of the other terrorists will disappear from the headlines never to be heard from again.
LOL LOL LOL! Sorry Jim. You started it with the Ennio Morricone theme 🙂
Off with his head!
“Off with his head?” Are you admitting you’re a Red Queen?
Suspicions confirmed! 😀
How did we get to Alice and who has the damn pills any way? Boy I would love to have this bunch in a seminar. It would be great. Bunch of weird sick minds. 🙂 🙂
Guilty!
Wouldn’t we corrupt your real seminar attendees though? You don’t want that to happen in case they never send anyone else your way. Oh and what kind of seminar exactly and will you provide luncheon choices for those of us not into flesh eating. I’m asking for a friend.
Jess, since Mad Mike has been in a couple of my seminars I will let him talk about the seminars, but after the seminars, WOW! I take my students to some really wild and crazy places. That’s where the real learning takes place. :):)
I’m innocent, I tells ya!
Ha!! (in my best Chris Matthews impression) So was I at one point in my life but those days have long since passed. I think it is the influence of the internetz machine thingy that has corrupted me. I used to be such a good girl 😉
I just wanted to blame you Jim, but just look at Mike and James, they want to hang you and cut off yer head. I would find new internet friends coz that is not nice, plus you won’t be able to think with no head.
“Won’t be able to think with no head?” How do we know? This calls for empirical data. Off with his head! Then we shall see if there is a discernible difference.
Is anyone going to make book either way?
What the hell happened to this thread??? I turn my back for one minute, and there’s talk of gambling, sousaphones, banjos and Laurel and Hardy! We are out of control! TGIF.
She started it! Did so!
Jim Moore started it with his innocent posting of the good bad and the ugly theme. Let’s just blame him like he isn’t here, since he is trying the whole oh I didn’t do it routine, like he is so very innocent of starting it and trying to pretend he is new here or something something, argle bargle 🙂 Shameful behavior.
Good idea. He’s guilty. Get a rope!
Gulp!
So if it’s gonna be that way…I’m goin’ out with a flourish.
This will take patience, but worth it:
Cue appropriate theme music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQGGQ-FCe_w
I was expecting “Dueling Banjos” but good choice! 😀
If you like Dueling Banjos, you’ll love this.
Having played the Sousaphone at one time, I can verify that the one commenter was correct. He was not really playing it. Nor could he with that mustache.
Nonetheless, that was entertaining.
Back in the mid 1970s, I worked in one the city’s best pizza joints and we had a jukebox that had this on it (the flip side was the 2001 Polka). Sometimes on a busy night one of the staff would put a quarter in the box, punch up Dueling Tubas and we’d have the customers laughing so hard they’d start to choke.
You can find something even better from Mr. Mull at this link.
I raise you this. BOOYAH!!!!!!!!!!
I call and raise Laurel and Hardy
Alright show off. Now it’s on 🙂 Here ya go. If you are not a fan of Family Guy don’t even open it, you know how Seth McFarlane is disgusting, well this is also, too you betcha!!!
If you insist upon abusing people, be advised that you’re playing against the big leagues now. 🙂
After 2 or 4 months playing again, this is what happens. You start thinking you can do it again.
http://s1181.photobucket.com/user/slrman/media/FolsomPr.mp4.html?sort=3&o=8
Now see, you’re talking about me abusing people. Why you have made it so my ears will never unhear what they just heard ;). You win this time Mr Smith, but just wait, I’ll get you and your little dog too.
Hah! I have TWO little dogs. So you’re out of your depth there, too. Speaking of that, I’ll keep a bucket of water handy.
Munchkins LIVE!
LOL! Good choice Jim. One of my all time favorite themes by the way 🙂
I am actually trying to learn to play that. Not having a banjo any more is making it more difficult though. Considering my faltering skills, that might turn out to be a good thing. 😉
Anonymous…troll….why is it so many of you fuckers don’t seem to understand the language? “Musliems?” Ha Ha Ha…
But.. but.. rowdy, they killed white Americans, that should be enough right there. They are an endangered species and so very oppressed, those white Americans. Why do you hate white Americans and America 😉
The bible says an eye for an eye and thats whats gotto happen. The musliems killed white american people and they needs to die. Its in the bible which is the gos[el of our lord.
Hey now, an eye for an eye tooth for a tooth thing will just leave the world blind and toothless, which is really not an attractive look at all, the toothless part anyway. While this may work in some parts of Dumbfukistan and Jesusstan, many of the rest of us are not okay with this, because dental is not covered by Obamacare and you guys would just get to having your knickers in knots about having to pay for the toothless, blind people among us. Really, is it worth it to you to have to pay for someone with no teeth and blind to get the care they need with your hard earned tax dollars? It’s not worth it to the rest of us, that will have to hear you all bitching and moaning about dental care takeovers like we did for health care. Yeah, you didn’t think that one through to its logical conclusion did you? Yeah, didn’t think so.
Those Muslims were American citizens just like Timothy McVeigh who was a Christian so what the difference, By the way, long before the eye for an eye stuff God had already established bot using capital punishment for murder when he did not use it on Cain when he killed able.
Boy I have loved this. I started off talking about the death penalty and we are now a musical instruments, comedy teams, and lopping off someones head. What a great group! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Some people would say that it takes a sick mind to start with a serious topic like the bombings and the death penalty and end up with Laurel and Hardy and Alice in Wonderland.
I say that it takes a sick mind to take to the internet and use it to build bombs.
I much prefer our kind of sick minds.
Me too E.A. Me too…
I embrace my own sick mind, I think everyone else should, also too, you betcha.
Well then, a confession of sorts and look Ma, we didn’t even need to use the rack we brought up from the basement. We can stop blaming Jim Moore, calling for his head and place the blame directly where it should be, it’s your fault it all started.
Hang the bastards!
Don’t spare us our feelings Nick. Tell it like it is. Thanks for stopping by.
Since hanging is no longer legal, wouldn’t that be “lynch?”
You are so correct Mr. Moore. There is a subtle difference indeed between hanging and lynching. The former action was reserved for the state, while the latter action was/is reserved for the people…bad people. There is little doubt that vigilante justice hasn’t yet seen its sun set.
Ah, for that to be a proper lynching Jim we would have to take the lad down to Virginia to the origin of the term, aka, Lynchburg. There would be a proper lynching of the culprit.
Very good my friend!!
So we have a plan. What’s the next step?
I bought my ticket to Lynchburg…see ya all there.
One word answer girl. No!!!!!!!!! The death penalty is inhumane and barbaric. Look at the countries we align with when we do this. Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Libya, North Korea, Sudan. 80%+ of the world’s countries do not use the death penalty and it should be more in my opinion.
Very well put Jess.
I not only believe the death penalty is pointless and barbaric – an act of revenge that has no effect on deterring crime – I also believe that we feed the primitive instincts of ‘terrorists’ and those who support them when we make martyrs of those convicted of ‘terrorism.’ Clearly, these guys weren’t looking to die, but they certainly considered the possibility. And many who strap on bomb vests intend to die with their victims.
A valid criminal justice system has a number of goals:
~ deterrence;
~ protection of citizens;
~ a sense of closure and justice for victims.
We can achieve all three goals without also becoming murderers ourselves. In this case, I believe ‘terrorists’ are more deterred by a long, drawn out trial and a lifetime in prison than by martyrdom.
Well said Jim. You could teach one of my CJ classes. Thanks 🙂
Very good points Jim.
The only problem I have with the death penalty is there’s too much death and not enough penalty. I think people who commit acts of terror, and serial murder, should be hung ‘almost’ to death, several times, and then gutted slowly, just like in Victorian times. I also think it should be done quickly and publicly. That, I wager, would be a deterrent. So there.
P.S. Drawing and quartering is nice as well.
Interesting idea Rachel, however it is an old one. In England where the idea of “drawing and quartering” offenders and hanging matches began for crimes as small as theft they were largely one of the favorite entertainment in the 17th and 18th centuries. In fact, when one Johnathan Wild was to be hung there was a reported crowd of over 100,000 people that turned out to watch him be hung at the hanging matches at Tyburn. The ironic part was that pick pockets were very adept at working the crowds at the spectacles where their brethren were hanged. It has proven time and again that the death penalty has never deterred people from committing any crime.
There are millions of people who think prison is some sort of “country club.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Even the most modern are places filled with fear and loathing, where the most elementary freedom is regulated. The older prisons are even worse, but only with respect to the structure itself. The fear is all pervasive, and the noise is tantamount to a constant “din,” not to mention the smell of sweat. Everywhere you go there is that “smell,” and it’s one you will never forget. That’s the kind of punishment the bomber deserves, and he deserves it for life and a day. And yes…it’s about vengeance.
Holy cow Mike. Your description makes me feel like I was actually there. I also think those involved should be sentenced to life without possibility of parole, and it’s also about vengeance, and justice. Perhaps the two are interchangeable?
Right on point Mike. I am still in and out of them on occasion Mike and there is something very scary about those doors slamming shut behind you even when you know you are coming right back out.
Oooh! Way to pick at a scab, Bill. I agree with you. I also agree with MadMike, that life without IS a worse punishment than death. Especially since we did away with good old Ol’ Sparky and now perform executions in a manner much similar to putting down the family dog.
Back in the day, when they’d suit you up in a rubber diaper and stick a horse-bit in your mouth – then fry you like bacon, on the single most horrific and draconian device ever invented… well, let’s just say things have changed.
I think your piece hinges on your use of one word – revenge. The 70% of respondents you speak of, are not searching for justice, they’re searching for vengeance. The fact that a large portion of them are “anti-death penalty” makes that clear. Somehow, this particular crime isn’t about the dead or maimed – it’s about US. This may be the real tragedy behind acts of terrorism, as opposed to your garden variety nut-bar, shooting up a Batman movie. Terrorism is somehow, everybody’s victimization. All of a sudden, we become one giant, 350 million member, victim community. And we immediately lose all perspective in terms of our moral obligation to the perpetrator. An obligation that the Constitution deeded us.
Great perspective David. Well put.
I also agree. For one thing, as the case of Illinois proved, once a person is executed, it’s impossible to correct a mistake and give an executed but innocent prisoner life back. I also agree with those who say that lifetime confinement is worse.
If I were a
Republican…gun nut…sociopath bent on killing for the sake of killing (as opposed to, say, doing in my sister, but that’s personal), I would confine my activities to states that have the death penalties so I wouldn’t end up rotting in a cell.While I am generally in agreement regarding the death penalty, there are some cases where I feel it is warranted. John Wayne Gacy comes to mind. There was nothing “redeemable” about that man. If he had gone into “life no parole” – he would not have suffered, he would not have felt guilt or remorse.
Nature will rid herself of a non-viable fetus (miscarriage) – I think that society needs to RARELY rid itself of non-viable sociopaths.
Would not have suffered? Life in prison is hardly “without suffering” especially as the “lowest of the low”.
As far as John Wayne Gacy, I remember one of his last public statements was that it had been 15 years since he had walked upon grass. When a simple thing like that becomes of importance to a person, he has been reduced to less than human.
Think of the people convicted of pedophilia that do not survive long in prison. Or those like Jeffery Dahmer. Living in fear every day is worse than being executed. Then, all your problems are over.
Yon are right about the miscarriages. From 25 to 50% of all pregnancies end in spontaneous abortions. It makes nature or god, whatever you please, the greatest abortionist of all time.
Having had personal knowledge of Gacy his worst fear was growing old, especially in prison. I am not saying he wanted to die but I truly believe he was more miserable knowing that he was aging every day and could not control it.
You say that giving Tsarnaev life without would show that the US is humane and just. Life without would probably mean ADX in Florence, CO for this 19YO kid, and there is nothing “humane” or “just” about incarceration in such a place. It is torture. We have become so violent towards people with our harsh punishments, our militarized police, our “shock and awe” that there is barely a connection between the cause of a crime and our reaction to it.
What punishment would you suggest for someone that knowingly and with malice aforethought aided in the murder and maiming of innocent people?
I agree that the USA has become enamored of incarceration. With only 5% of the world’s population, we have 25% of the world’s prisoners. That’s the most of any nation in history. Any way you measure it, percentage of residents or total numbers, it still makes it “USA is # 1”
Still, it would be difficult to argue that this man, 19 or not, should ever be free again.
Other civilized countries manage to not torture in their prisons, they sometimes even rehabilitate, why can’t we? Look no further than that haven of socialism Norway, with the Brevik guy that shot up all those kids at the future leaders camp. Many of our prisons here are privatized so they need to keep butts in the cells to get scratch for their shareholders and the greedy that want more than they will ever need in a lifetime.
Wow! Great comment! Really!
Be that as it may be, it is a step away from considering human life disposable, in my opinion. While LWOP in a super max may well be worse it is, for this country a baby step away from violent reprisals for wrong doing.
The parents of the 8 year old that was murdered by terrorists know about torture. The torture that comes from losing a child. A 19 year old is not a boy. He is a young adult who is more than responsible for his actions and he should pay the price for those actions. I disagree that our police have become “militarized” beyond what is necessary to ensure their protection and the protection of those they are sworn to serve.
I agree with both you and Mike and for the same reasons. Life in prison is much worse than the death penalty. In this guy’s case, life might not be all that long if he is in prison with the general population. There will certainly be some lifer that wants to make a name for himself by offing someone more famous than he is.
Appeals won’t amount to much either way. I see no possibility that any judge or jury will let this man off for any reason.
I oppose the death penalty for the reasons you mention Bill, but also because it’s not sufficient punishment. Locked up for life in an 8×10 cell is much better.