Pawlenty and the Death Penalty 12/5/03 His Excellency, our Governor Tim Pawlenty wants the death penalty. He has chosen this week, to be specific the day after a Hispanic person has been arrested for the kidnapping [and we suspect eventually murder] of a nice-looking [based on pictures being circulated by both local and national media] white woman. We are already hearing the expected discussions -- How can you be pro-life and support capital punishment? Can capital punishment be applied fairly? and who cares? Is capital punishment a deterrent, anyway? Is it too expensive to execute people these days? His Excellency the Governor is a Baptist. The Honorable Attorney General of the United States is a member of the Assemblies of God. Both of these faiths believe both that God can save even the vilest person and that the penalty for the unsaved sinner is eternity in a very nasty place, a place fire and brimstone, of torment and punishment from which there is no escape and in which those confined will spend eternity. [For the non-religious people reading this, this place is usually referred to as "hell"] I would understand if His Excellency wished to place the worst of the criminals we have behind bars someplace for the remainder of their lives. I would understand that from anybody regardless of his/her religious orientation or beliefs. What I cannot comprehend is the utter cruel-hearted attitude which Pawlenty and Ashcroft and any other person who believes in either redemption or hell [let alone both -- although we will leave it to the theologians to decide of redemption and hell can be separated] that would make them wish to ensure that any other person, regardless of what he/she has done reach his/her eternal fate any sooner than necessary. Maybe somebody can enlighten me. RS |