8
O The Battalion
PINION
Death penalty serves to protect, not to deter
D arkness closes in. It becomes
difficult to breathe. The heart
beats furiously, trying to
keep the darkness at bay, but, final
ly, the darkness wins. Alone and
afraid, an innocent dies. And the
killer smiles. This happens every
day, and there seems to be little that
anyone can do to stop it.
The innocent victims can be men
or women, adults or children and
any race, religion or socioeconomic
group. It could be you or your mother. There is
only one thing these victims have in common
— some animal decided to snuff out their lives.
No one knows why these animals, who so de
ceptively walk upright, commit these acts, so
there is no real way to prevent them from hap
pening. But there is a way to keep these kinds of
crimes from happening again. No murderer
who has been put to death has ever killed again.
An animal that bites a human is automatical
ly “destroyed” because it is a dangerous creature
that does not know, or care, right from wrong. A
human who takes another person’s life is no bet
ter than a rabid dog—disregarding the concept
of right and wrong when it becomes inconve
nient. Such a person is no less dangerous than a
rabid animal and should be “put down.”
Many people feel that capital punishment is
wrong. Some claim that it is no less murder
than what was done to the criminal’s victim.
Some claim that murderers are a product of
this society, and society certainly
cannot kill a man for being what it
taught him. Both groups claim that
the death penalty is not a deterrent.
On the last point, both groups are
right — as it has been applied, the
death penalty is not an effective de
terrent. It serves another important
role though: protection.
Those who oppose capital punish
ment believe that life in prison is a
perfectly good form of punishment. If
our prisons were, say, in orbit around
Pluto, that would be true. Instead, though,
American prisons offer criminals better lifestyles
than many college students enjoy. The worst
part of a life sentence, however, is that a living
criminal can escape. “It can’t happen,” many say.
Charles Everitt would disagree with them.
According to the Houston Chronicle,
Everitt was sentenced to life in prison for the
1987 murder of a Houston man. In Decernber
of 1996, he escaped. He was in good compa
ny. Lance Brown, who was sentenced to 40
years for murder, also got bored and left his
jail cell in 1996.
And more escapes happen every day. If es
capees were not bad enough, there have even
been instances of criminals being “accidental
ly” paroled. Jails cannot keep the criminals in,
so they cannot keep irmocent people safe.
When society is blamed for the existence of
criminals, poverty and lack of education are
usually pegged as the culprits. In 1932,10 mil
lion people were unemployed. Millions went
hungry. This Great Depression was a time of
unmatched poverty. During this time, as well as
afterward, it was not at all uncommon for chil
dren to quit school after only a few years to go
to work, hi short, this was a time of great pover
ty and a lack of education. And yet no one
killed another person for his new tennis shoes.
No one went around eating young men, either.
There is no reason to blame poverty or edu
cation for crime. Right and wrong are not de
pendent on education. No one has to go to
school to learn that killing is wrong. Absolutely
no one needs a $1500 computer in class or de
signer jeans at home to know that killing is
wrong. People commit crimes because they are
evil, not because they cannot read.
If every person who murdered another per
son was put to death, if everyone knew that to
commit murder was to ask for a guaranteed
one-way trip to the chair, it would be an effec
tive deterrent. As things are, though, executing
murderers is the only way to be. absolutely cer
tain that a murderer will not kill again. If it be
came physically impossible to escape from
prison, capital punishment would lose one
more supporter. Until that time, though, soci
ety must say to the criminals, “Kill us and die.”
Any less is putting everyone at risk.
Killing killers is not murder. It is the only
way to keep the darkness from closing in on us
one by one.
Columnist
Chris Brooks
Senior physics major
J
Mail Call
Equal punishment for
Drill Team deserved
Congratulations to the Corps of
Cadets and this university on mak
ing the decision to disband the
Fish Drill Team next year. It is sim
ply about time the University held
the Corps and the fraternities to
the same standard. Earlier this
year an entire fraternity was pun
ished for the misguided and ill-ad
vised actions of a few members.
The same happened in the case
of the Fish Drill Team very recent
ly. Given the history of judgment
and punishment of fraternities, it
is only fair and just that the Fish
Drill Team be suspended.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not
out to crucify the FDT. It is sad
and unfortunate that the FDT was
suspended, but one needs to keep
in mind the men from the sus
pended fraternity as well. I won-
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Thursday • August 7, ]
tier if anyone will mourn
loss as well?
The point is that bothorgs
zations broke the lawandbotf
were punished on an equal,fi
and just level. Equal punish
ment is something this univtj
ty has not seen in a long time
and I’m very happy to seethe!
ginning of of the endofthedo
ble standard that was so long
held here in Aggieland.
MarkMcBi
Class
Racist thoughts
inferred too ofti
Racism has been a problem
this country for centuries and,
we have not ridded ourselves
yet. However, not everything? ^
there has a racist meaning.
When I saw the MSC Oper
House advertisement inthete
talion, I saw a man with golfta
in his mouth. So he’s black. M^ en
we infer racist thoughts outoi
everything we see?
I’ll admit that I didn’t liked'
ad because it was so odd.
was my personal preference,is
sure the makers of the ad mean
no harm. So the guy willingtojfice
golf balls in his mouth wasblaa ) p
What if he had been Hispanic:: id|
'even white? I doubt anyonews
have complained.
Many in the black commur:
need to get the chips off their
shoulders. Everyone is not race
and those who are shouldbedi m,
missed. The racists are fools,If
Cod be their judge.
Carino(i
Classnj
Criminals relinquis
rights with actio
/// response to Mandy Caters,
gust 5 column:
We citizens of the United
States and Texas have chosen!’
live free, with all the rightsgna
anteed to us by the Constituffl||/
of the United States and Texas
However, there are those amort g|-
us who choose to go againsttln
laws in place and commitcrims ne\|
that put our families andour- en
selves in mortal danger.Tta il a,
crimes are tdififying, ho®
and will not be toleratedb|goo«
citizens of our state.
Cater fails to recognizeihai
these criminals are not United
States citizens and are no longs
a part of our society. Yet, sheis
very sympathetic to thesecrit
nals; she feels these murderers
deserve the same rightsasoui-
selves. The United States strippf
them of their rights when thep
were convicted of their crime,
Cater fails to recognize that
these criminals are not citizens
nor are they Texans. Theyare
criminals who no longer area
part of our society. Cater states
“this is not an issue thatasocie
has the right to make.’’ Ifthisis
true then we, as citizens, havec Iect |
choice as to who can beaparto ^
our society.
I feel it is our moral dutyto
stop and deter crimes from oc
curring. I am proud that Texas
leads the nation in executions
is time for the citizens to speat
up against crime and get tough
I say these criminals don!
deserve to be a part of ourna’
tion and state. I want them|
derers and disgusting creeps! 11 ]
die. They have caused sucli
pain to their victims andfai
that neither I nor Ms. Cater
ever understand.
I say to Cater until you expf!
ence such pain do not judgeth
anger and sadness. Perhaps
are not God, but under Godwc
live and make laws as citizens ^
AmyM.Bauft ^
Class of Tie:
of
leB
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