It may be a hard line, and likely not a particularly popular one. But I come down on the side of not the people who kill people. But the people who are killed by people. I have always been in favor of capital punishment, although I do have a strong belief that the system of carrying out executions needs to be airtight. That is, there can be absolutely no doubt that the person who will be executed is the person who is guilty of murder.
How we carry out those executions is not a concern I have. Whether it be the electric chair, lethal injection, or yes. Even firing squads. The end result is the same, and while I understand the concerns of some people that other methods may be less humane, the fact remains for me that we are not dealing with people who necessarily deserve humane treatment. We are dealing with murderers who, in many cases, are on death row having killed someone who is innocent—and many of those murders are heinous acts with no regard for human life, human suffering, and human pain.
The treatment of the victims, and the method of their death is far from humane. Murderers are not, in my opinion, victims of anything other than their own actions which have caused them to have to die.
Many say that if Utah brings back the firing squad—which is an alternative to lethal injection by the way in the event that lethal injection drugs are not available—this will be a step backwards to the days of the old Wild West.
Maybe so. But again. Why should we have compassion for compassionless people? Does it make us like the murderers? Does it make us monsters of the same kind?
I don't think so. It simply makes us human beings who are dealing with the eradication of monsters who have no right to life, or humane consideration however cold that may sound. I simply have no regard for people who take innocent lives.
