Scott Peterson...or some excuse for me to talk about capital punishment
Wow...where do I begin? If you're in the US, I'm sure you've already heard that the penalty phase of his trial ended with the jury deciding on the death sentence. This could be overturned by the judge in favour of life in prison without parole.
I really don't know what to think about Scott Peterson. He looks like a nice enough guy. But the way he's come across in the media is like a grade-A asshole. I realise that being a jerk doesn't automatically make one a murderer. But the evidence certainly doesn't seem to indicate that someone else did it. Admittedly, I haven't seen or heard all the evidence that was presented to the jury during the course of the trial.
There's a part of me that would like to think that he's innocent, because what kind of monster kills a pregnant woman, particularly if that monster is the husband of that woman and the father of the child that she carries? If he did it, then who's to say that there wouldn't or couldn't be someone else who does the same thing? And what if that was me?
But the rational part of me that has considered all the facts and evidence that I've seen knows that he did it. There's really no other way that I can find to explain it.
I don't know that I agree with the death penalty in this case, but then again, I really don't agree with the death penalty in general. I can almost guarantee that I'll never sit on a jury in a murder case. I don't think it's my duty to judge someone else, and I don't think that we as a society should kill someone. How is putting someone to death any different than the act that garnered the death penalty to begin with? Other than the fact that it's okay according to the government? Lots of things are happening around the world that are much worse than someone being executed by lethal injection, I know. But really, the same people who are pro-capital punishment are the same people saying that abortion should be illegal because it's taking a life. Make up your minds, how is it okay in one instance and not the other? Why do people cheer when the death penalty is announced, or when someone is executed? It's not an occasion to be happy about. Someone has been killed, or knows that they will be killed. I know that my views are very different from a lot of people, and from American society in general. But here you have them.
I really don't know what to think about Scott Peterson. He looks like a nice enough guy. But the way he's come across in the media is like a grade-A asshole. I realise that being a jerk doesn't automatically make one a murderer. But the evidence certainly doesn't seem to indicate that someone else did it. Admittedly, I haven't seen or heard all the evidence that was presented to the jury during the course of the trial.
There's a part of me that would like to think that he's innocent, because what kind of monster kills a pregnant woman, particularly if that monster is the husband of that woman and the father of the child that she carries? If he did it, then who's to say that there wouldn't or couldn't be someone else who does the same thing? And what if that was me?
But the rational part of me that has considered all the facts and evidence that I've seen knows that he did it. There's really no other way that I can find to explain it.
I don't know that I agree with the death penalty in this case, but then again, I really don't agree with the death penalty in general. I can almost guarantee that I'll never sit on a jury in a murder case. I don't think it's my duty to judge someone else, and I don't think that we as a society should kill someone. How is putting someone to death any different than the act that garnered the death penalty to begin with? Other than the fact that it's okay according to the government? Lots of things are happening around the world that are much worse than someone being executed by lethal injection, I know. But really, the same people who are pro-capital punishment are the same people saying that abortion should be illegal because it's taking a life. Make up your minds, how is it okay in one instance and not the other? Why do people cheer when the death penalty is announced, or when someone is executed? It's not an occasion to be happy about. Someone has been killed, or knows that they will be killed. I know that my views are very different from a lot of people, and from American society in general. But here you have them.
posted by carrie at 12/13/2004 04:30:00 p.m.
3 Comments:
Does insanity keep one from serving on a jury? I think I definitely qualify for that.
Gee, thanks. That sounds so much better.
I'm waiting to hear that one on TV...in some trial where some guy kills a whole slew of people...no, you can't convict him, he's legally logically challenged.
I can believe that you never heard of Scott Peterson. The case has been all over the news here forever, but I don't know that it's worthy of international headlines.
I really didn't follow the case much until I started having these weird dreams about it. Then I voraciously found everything I could about the case. I was like obsessed. It was strange, but then again, waking up in the middle of the night after just having dreamt of a man smothering his pregnant wife and wrapping her in a tarp is strange too. I didn't know the details of the case until after I had these dreams. It was freaky, to say the least. Haven't really told anyone until now.
Publicar un comentario
<< Home