 |
|
|
Capital
Punishment: America's Great Hypocrisy On this particular day, though, the headlines started with a story about a guy named Willie Williams, a prisoner on Ohio's death row who was convicted of murder in the early 1990s. Williams was scheduled to go before the parole board one last time before his scheduled execution date of October 25, where he might be granted clemency, and have his death sentence commuted. I didn't think much about this story when I first heard it, but later that day, out of nowhere, the story just popped up into my mind and wouldn't go away. As I was reflecting on the news, the thought occurred to me that somebody (Williams) was actually about to literally, legally, be murdered! In the past I never paid much attention to the death penalty, perhaps because I've never been faced with the reality of being on death row, but after giving some thought on the matter, I asked myself, how could the United States openly embrace God, and yet simultaneously approve of killing someone through the guise of capital punishment? This was sheer hypocrisy! The United States prints a currency that bears the words, "In God We Trust," yet it sanctions a capital punishment that clearly violates God's commandment that, "Thou shall not kill." The commandment doesn't read, "Thou shall not kill*," with an asterisk referencing an exception to the United States. There is nothing ambiguous about the phrase, "Thou Shall Not Kill." It means what it says, and says what it means. A country cannot be a true follower of God while constantly killing people out of vengeance. Just the other day, I read an article about a renowned TV evangelist (Pat Robertson) who made the suggestion on his nationally televised show that the United States should consider assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez! Unreal! The United States is involved throughout
the world in various affairs in the said interest of promoting humanity
and justice. Billions of dollars have been spent, and thousands
of lives lost, fighting wars for this cause abroad. It seems as
if the United States has zero tolerance for any kind of atrocities.
On its own soil, though, it facilitates them. Any time someone is
allowed to kill out of vengeance, which is exactly what capital
punishment is -- a retaliatory, vengeful, act of murder -- it is
an atrocity. Until the United States abolishes the death penalty,
it will be and shall be seen as the biggest hypocrite in the world…. Jason Goudlock, #284-561 --- |
| Contribute! |
|
If you'd like to
contribute letters, articles, artwork, or educational materials
to this website, please contact us at: Prisonersolidarity.org |