DYING ROW
The leading cause of death, a federal prison authority is being quoted as saying recently when speaking of “Death Row” inmates, is old age.
I don't know that such a statement would strike anyone as much of a surprise today with the growing “Death Row” population growing ever larger as the kaleidoscopic system of appeal, potential pardons, unfair trials, confessions, mistakes on all sides and other such niceties such as DNA evidence we didn't know about that long ago – continue endlessly.
The good warden's comment answers two sides of a question equally well. Those y citizen who hold that capital punishment is a good thing ad should,be kept in place for capital crimes, as well as those who oppose it who usually fade away a bit before election times and pipe up loudly when they can't find anything else to advocate. I often wonder just how sincere either side might be. Too often ,the capital punishment idea is just the stone they used to put a sharp edge on any other weapons they have at hand and hope to use, perhaps often, for unrelated causes. Budget balancers used to point out some years ago that it costs at least $32,000 a year just to keep a DR cell current occupant alive and in fair health. That price has probably gone up a bit, just as the cost of expanding old prisons or building new ones to house newcomers has taken a billion dollar bound or two. The Chair or lethal injections are a better money-wise choice. And, of course both sides still talk about cruel and inhuman ways to kill people as if there was some other way.
Some would contend that the entire concept of Capital Punishment has become a political football. Let's see now, Canada does not have it; England does not have it. Who does ? Or, does it make any difference as long as a large number of government on Earth in recent, current and future times have not, do not, and will not offer any real choices.
Recent murder trials, far too numerous to mention here, have run far too long, been extended, dramatized, delayed, moved about, modified or started over again so much that a middle aged murder-”ers” or “eese” might be drawing security payments by the time a judgement is made as to his or her final place.
I remember when “Capital Punishment - Yea or Nay” used to be among the main topics for High School Debate Teams to mouth about.
We didn't decide a thing with all our talking, and continued talk today makes about the same amount of progress toward either goal. Our basic religious nature opposes Capital Punishment, but not always. I doubt if we will ever decide one way or the other. In the meantime, dying from Old Age will continue to be the way to go if the “Death Row” name says you've got to do so.
A.L.M. December 18, 2004 [c502wds]
