Tookie met his end this week. Death didn't come quickly, either in terms of the 20 years he spent on death row, or in the last minutes of his death, when the doctors tried to insert a needle in his muscular arm. I expect that he was tense, and tighten up his arm in response. Too bad - I really didn't want him to suffer. That may seem contradictory, but I would feel the same about a pitt bull who was being put down - the animal would be to dangerous to live, but I would derive no pleasure from seeing the animal tortured.
However, I was not the family of Tookie's victims. They might have wished for all the pain that could legally be delivered. I hope not - I'd like to think they could demonstrate a greater mercy than that. And, in general, that's the kind of response that most crime victims exhibit. I'm kind of amazed by that - I have a vengeful streak, and I can be somewhat unforgiving. Fortunately, most people are better than that.
Tags = News and Politics and Crime and Punishment
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