I watched the PBS Lehrer Report piece about the Supreme Court hearing arguments for and against a particular method of execution in Kansas, brought by death row inmates in that state. The basis of the challenge hinges on whether or not the combination of three drugs which are administered to the condemned person constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
Hello? Are you aware? Are you paying attention?
Why are we discussing how to kill people? Why are we discussing what is or is not torture?
Justice, and I use the term lightly, Scalia, argued recently that all of these challenges were postponing the executions of those who are sentenced to die.
I have a very bad time addressing him as Your Honor, when he, a member of the Supreme Court of our land is more concerned about finishing the job of killing someone than considering points of view of those who ask the court to listen to any and all arguments against any aspect of the death penalty.
What I find curious is that we hear from so many who believe and insist that this country was founded by New Testament Christians, yet they profess and prefer having our so -called justice system reflect the eye for an eye view form of justice found throughout the Old Testament.
Tell me, if you can, how and why I should accept, feel reconciled with, and support those who profess to be saved by Jesus, whose message was about mercy, but who live as though his message was about revenge. Tell me how I should become comfortable with what seems to me to be conflicting views of the sanctity of life: being against abortion as a taking of life, but being for capital punishment, the taking of life. Is being both an Old Testament believer and a New Testament believer the equivalent of having your cake and eating it too?
Leanderthal
Lighthouse Keeper
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