Blood Lust in America

News came today of the commencement of the trial of the second defendant in the wretchedly grisly rape/murders of a mother and two daughters along with the beating of the father that took place in Connecticut back in 2007. The first defendant has already been tried, convicted and has been sentenced to death. Now before I tell you what bothers me about this, let me make it clear that I have no sympathy for the dysfunctional sociopaths that committed these horrific crimes. They both deserve whatever they get and, my feelings about the death penalty aside, I’ll shed no tear when they no longer draw a breath.

What bothers me about this is the absolute blood lust and willingness to dispense with a trial of some reader comments to the story:

“No need to put this guy in jail. Lock him in a wooden box and set it on fire” “Naw, hit him over the head with a bat. When he wakes and is fully conscious, hit him again and repeat the cycle until he doesn't wake up.” “This POS doesn't even deserve a trial, an eye for an eye for the both of them. “ “why are they wasting tax payer money? Tie and chain them in a house set for destruction pour gas all over and set it ablaze. a life for a life. Send them to hell.”

Now I realize that often people who post on reader comment boards feel very brave as they are “anonymous” but really folks? Really?

Let’s do away with the right to trial by jury if we all “know” the person is guilty! That always worked so well. We just went to the jail, forcefully removed them, strung them from a tree or post and had a little party. It was called lynching and occurred in the U.S. up until the 1960s. Being black wasn’t a requirement for this but it certainly helped make the case a person was “guilty.” Who needs trials when we all “know” who is guilty? Why bother with due process when we can readily identify the culprit?

Let’s bring back burning and beating the condemned to death! I mean, hey, they stone folks to death in Iran and if it’s good enough for them, it ought to be good enough here in the US of A! But why stop there? Public decapitation in stadiums is de rigueur in Saudi Arabia and hey, they are certainly a society we would want to emulate. Some of the comments talked about burning the accused alive; North Korea executed a number of generals in the late 1990s by burning them alive. There’s a country we should be like!

So why don’t we do these things? Because due process is what protects individuals from the state. Because we live in a country where the Rule of Law is something that sets us apart from third world, tinpot dictatorships. Because cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by the 8th Amendment to the US Constitution. Because innocent people get executed without a fair trial (and perhaps with a fair trial).

But most importantly, because we are better than that.

Mourning on 9/11/11

Looking back to that dark, painful day ten years ago, I was reminded of things I've forgotten. After work on 9/11/01, with the shock of the day still fresh, I made my way home and thought it would be a good idea to get some gas. There was none. At all. If the attack of the day turned into something that lasted longer, the gas in my tank would have to do. I remember that caused me further anxiety, further uneasiness, further clarification that what I'd seen on TV all day was so very real.

I also recall that for many days after the attacks, everyone I encountered at a store or in public was extraordinarily kind. People seemed to go out of their way to be nice to strangers. There was a sense of unity, of shared loss, of commonality. There was no blue states/red states foolishness. We were just Americans and we'd been viciously attacked. It was a huge opportunity for a leader to keep us united, and to ask us all to sacrifice as we went to war with a nebulous enemy. Unfortunately, there was no such leader.

Flash forward to 2011, we were never asked to pay for either of the two wars we've engaged in since that history changing day. The only habits we've had to change are those that relate to traveling through airports. The wealthy were given a “temporary” tax cut that has since been extended. The economy tanked after the money changers were deregulated and we've hardly begun to pull out of the crash. One of those most responsible for taking the opportunity in the days after 9/11 and trashing it is on a book tour saying he has no regrets. Sniping between those of different political stripes is vicious and constant. We don't seem to bat an eyelash at mass killings; they hardly rate a day's worth of news coverage. Lindsay Lohan gets more news coverage than the heroes overseas of whom we now count over 33,000 dead and wounded in Iraq alone. Afghanistan drags on with no real end in sight and ever mounting casualties.

Yes, I'm feeling a sense of loss this day, both for how our world has changed and for the opportunities lost.