Oh yes Misch, I certainly read about the doh! decap - ahaha. Among so many ways to be executed by the state, hanging is a tried and true, but not without surprises, apparently. And like your typical politician, our president acts as if he's appalled. And in the newspaper certain writers also feign indignity, but it's fake. What if it was my body dropped to the fucking ground? Thump! I hate the idea personally. But objectively speaking, what is the difference what happens to your body once the spirit has been forcibly severed? Death, the great mystery. I also read that the executed men exhibited fear, unlike haughty Saddam. Would I exhibit fear? It's hard to say.
One question with regard to justice is always how severely a criminal (or sinner) deserves to be punished. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" was actually devised as a way to make sure punishments were NOT too extreme, contrary to common understanding of that expression. But I wonder, if a man deserves to hang, why not decapitation also? If one deserves the death penalty, why not the most violent and painful one possible? Why do people care about how much a person suffers in that context? I often wonder this for convicts executed here in America also. If someone tortured, raped, and killed a family, or cops, prostitutes or teenages, children, whomever, don't they actually deserve to receive the same treatment? Why do they get the relaxing lethal injection? "Regular" people don't even usually get to die so peacefully.
Then the even greater question is whether anyone is completely innocent or guilty. Well that's not the question, because the answer is no. But most people think of themselves as fairly innocent, deserving good, nice things, and never deserving pain or brutality (in the worst case scenario). But consider this: obviously Saddam and company deserve death for killing Iraqi people (Kurds) with deadly gas aka "crimes against humanity". Then clearly the US government and all governments also deserve to suffer and die because they start and conduct wars that kill people, and also implement policies that hurt and indirectly kill people. And then the entire American people deserve it, simply for consistent, willfull blindness and selfishness and indifference with regard to treatment of the earth and entire contents of animal, plant, and human beings, plus financial advancement and benefit at the expense of everything and anyone, and for having depraved values (money and power). Then when I consider the "innocent people" killed in the twin towers, I think they were actually punished quite justly for crimes as accused by militant Muslims, who are right in their own way. Of course the "terrorists" and extreme religious "fanatics" aren't innocent either. So like the biblical quote in the title states, we all, including myself, deserve to die. On a rope? In a tower? On the street? While being robbed? .... no tears, no sympathy.
Sin lives in the heart and mind, and is manifest daily in actions and decisions made and not made. And the ten commandments actually do encompass every shade and gradation of sin, beginning with number one, God should come first in your life. If you consider God as including everyone and everything other than self, as the most detatched but inclusive form of LOVE, then this is the greatest definition of goodness and it is easy to see where each "regular" person falls short and deserves to be punished. Yes, the truth hurts. We all deserve to hang, and drop. Thump!
Christianity teaches that Jesus is/was God, born as a human being in order to die for our guilt, thereby absolving us of it. And he was executed by the state, of course, his death being the most famous historical example of the death penalty. Then by rising from the dead, he is said to have wiped the slate clean for each individual, and if we accept this truth we will be saved from the death sentence we deserve.
I'm not sure what to do with this information anymore. Sometimes I feel God uses me to punish other people, in very subtle ways, because I am relatively pure. Then I wish I was a real, technical virgin because I would have even more power of vengeance. Well, also because the sins I'm most interested in punishing in others are sexual sins. Then I think I should be like Jesus and accept punishment for others, and I allow myself to be abused. These are mostly fantasies.
I have to leave off on this subject for now. I have invoices to process, and other office tasks to complete. Here's a picture of Mischa, to cheer me up. My angel also has a divine sense of justice, even with no religious background, and that is one reason why I trust and respect her.
moreso than how 'severely' one should be punished for their crimes, i think its a matter of the applied rationale... is the punishment purely punitive? or based in a rehabilitative model? or handed down to preserve and save the general population? (just to name a few)... well well well, at last, the day may have come , in that ive picked up on a point of disagreement, although it may in all honesty be in part the product of my being hyper-alert to looking for one... anywho, i dont think all american people can or should be held responsible or deemed guilty, for being born where they were and by therefore indirectly contributing to this or that. specifically, i dont think i, nor you, deserve to die. i may also not be following your definitions of innocent and guilty, which like most labels, are relative. i don't think it's just to have the indirectly guilty lumped into the same category as the directly guilty.. i see a grave difference between not having the means to save this or that person or people, and being the one calling the shots to have this or that harmed or killed. then again, this is all a very slippery slope, so who really knows where the line blurs... but the only one i want hanging me is you. which reminds me - similar to having the family of the victim being the one to kill the death row inmate, ive always thought it'd make even more sense to at least offer the job to the family of the inmate.. ya think?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely the family should do the hang. But wait, the most interesting a disturbing thing you wrote is that you'd want me to hang you!! hahaha why?? that's so wrong Misch. Besides youre so skinny it wouldn't even break your neck. You'd probably just float, you're an angel.
ReplyDeleteDirectly or indirectly guilty ... I stick to Romans 3:23, so YES WE DISAGREE!!! Furthermore I think there is NOTHING but personal responsibility.
Regarding punative vs rehabilitative, the main problem is that you cannot make someone sorry for what they did. And if they are not sorry, they must be punished punitively. If they are sorry, rehabilitative punishment is somewhat unnecessary.
This is a very confusing subject, because then I start to think about hell on earth and karma etc....which used to resolve some of my problems, but then I realized the most evil people have no consciences and therefore really do not suffer, but their victims do. And as I said above, you cannot make them sorry, you can only try to make them suffer, but what is physical suffering compared to a guilty conscience and remorse? God has to do it. There has to be a God. If this is all there is and there's no real justice....nihilism again. Then I must go on the rampage I'm constantly considering giving up my life for, which might impinge on my plans for domestic bliss with you.