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Execution of Sentence for a Killer
Two loud bangs end 25 years on death row for Gardner
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 06/18/2010 08:03:55 AM MDT
Draper » Five shots.
Four bullets.
With two loud bangs in quick succession, Ronnie Lee Gardner's quarter century on Utah's death row ended. . .
. . . read more, http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15325197?source=rv
In the Reader Comments forum following the article, between the redneck 'git 'er done' crowd, and the hand-wringing opponents of the death penalty - those arguing for final justice, and those asking who are we to judge - there was a decided appeal to the will of the almighty on both sides.
I submitted these observations myself:
UnfaithfulServant: 6/18/2010 10:15:00 AM
My 1st thought: Maybe they should've let the doctor position the target - the heart is in the middle of the chest.
My second thought: It's tragic that anyone's life should come to this. But actions based on the rule of law, and moral judgement, are two different things.
If you believe that "Judgement is mine sayeth . . .", then it ought to be possible to defer moral judgment to gawdalmighty, while at the same time sending him on to said imagined deity for judgment. And even if you don't, you can see the warrant of execution carried out, without all the moralizing.
An afterthought: As Clint said in the latest remake of The Unforgiven, " We've all got it coming, kid."
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Life is sometimes complicated and messy. How do the rest of you feel about this?
Tags: closure, death, execution, judgement, justice, moralizing, murder, retribution, revenge, sanctioned
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by D R Hosie on -
All the appeals, wrangling, change of attorneys . . .
I'm sure the legal costs alone (apart from housing him) were astronomical.
I'm guessing well over a million - maybe several millions - of dollars. -
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Permalink Reply by Hugh Kramer on -
I oppose capital punishment but I have no sympathy for Gardner.
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Permalink Reply by D R Hosie on
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Hugh,
Thanks for responding - I particularly respect your opinion.
I am not for the death penalty. But I particularly hate the bombastic moralizing, by both it's supporters and it's detractors - and that both attempt to play on peoples fear of death.
That said, I'm always surprised when the takers of life are so often fearful of loosing their own. I guess they can probably thank their own idea of god for that.
Life is indeed precious, but I don't think death is anything we need to personally abhor. -
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanko on -
You are already assuming guilt. Not everyone who is executed is actually guilty.
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Permalink Reply by D R Hosie on
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I don't know what happened, but I've lost the link to my own post here.
The little matter of unquestionable quilt, also raises the specter of the many innocent people that have, no doubt, died at the hands of state officials, due to sentencing based on less than conclusive evidence.
How do you restore a man's honor - let alone his life - once it has already been taken by the state?
That I feel it is simply a choice that we, as a society, have to make, I also feel it is one that is largely based on emotional, rather than any empirical need.
However, once decided, and except for making all possible assurances that it is not abused, we - as a society - need to collectively shoulder the responsibility for having decided the issue, and stop moralizing over our 'right to play god.' -
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