But no, unfortunately, he only got life in prison. In his case, that's fitting. A man who thinks he will be going on to 70 unfortunate virgins will only be rewarded by death.
Usually, I am very pro the death penalty. The only reason it's generally ineffective now is that we drag on the final process forever, caught up in a court system of appeals. The way to streamline the sentencing is to limit the appeals process. When people see a direct correlation between a horrible crime and the death penalty, then it could make a difference. Right now, the death penalty is so far removed from the actual sentencing that many prisoners die a natural death (or at the hands of another prisoner) before they see the needle or the chair.
The other argument for the death penalty is that the victims get a small piece of justice (or revenge, call it what you will). Sadly, this was taken away from the families in Zacarias Moussaoui's case. But when they think it over, they may come to the same conclusion I did: Better to send him limping to the finish line.
Here is a picture that is in one of our local magazines this month. CitiLife felt it was perfectly appropriate, even though there is continual tension between the St. Petersburg police and the black community. Apparently the police chief okayed the concept without ever seeing the final product.I am usually sensitive to such politics, but in this case I didn't gasp when I saw the photo (although I understand why people are upset about it). The only things that struck me were "EEK! Afros are back!" and "Dude looks like a lady!" They must have gone to the St. Petersburg Suncoast Resort and hired a female impersonator for the shoot.
28 comments:
Reverberate, you said it! They weren't attractive the first time out. Now, I think short cropped hair is VERY attractive. I just don't like to poofy look.
I'm wondering...how many people on death row are not convicted murders? I can't imagine there are too many so why should Moussaoui be one of them? I've never understood how the prosecution thought they even had a case for it and it turned out that I was right because they even admitted that they didn't after the trial was over. I think he got what he deserved and I am now going to exercise my patriotic duty and promptly forget about him.
Ed, you're correct: Moussaoui wasn't shown to have much, if any, real knowlege of 9/11. Additionally, he was a two-bit player. A case could be made that ANY help would've contributed to the deaths of 9/11 but it wasn't a strong case.
I too am pro-death penalty, though I have no problem with the appeals process. There's too much bad policing and prosecution out there to eliminate the long appeals, though I might agree to it if there was a provision to charge police or prosecutors with murder/manslaughter (or attempted) should their cases be shown to have been bogus, or trumped up, or just plain negligently shoddy.
As for being a deterent, I doubt it seriously. We're talking about a country where people cant even connect high gas prices with heavy usage. How do you expect people who can no longer wait 24 hours for a set of prints to connect this killing today with that execution next year?
As for afros, well, some people look good in them, but like any fashion, only some.
Oh, and Moussaoui's an asshole. I got two words for him: prison bitch.
What was the magazine article about anyway? What were they hoping to accomplish with this photo? If it were about anything besides the racist tendencies of the police, then the picture is just inflammatory.
Ialso think anyone who approves a publishable photo without seeing it is an idiot.
I agree with what you said-- if someone who believes he is getting 70 virgins-the death penalty wouldnt be as much of a punishment as a reward. So i am ok with him rotting in jail for the rest of his life. I used to be very pro-death penalty, but now i am sort of in the middle again. I am unsure where i stand at this point. Not sure what caused the change in my convictions, but oh well.
I think that it was wise that he was not given the death penalty. That would have just made him into a martyr and that would not have been a good thing in any way.
Scott
In white liberal almost communist college, they taught us the death penalty (or any punishment) wasn't really effective because most criminals believe they won't get caught. They claimed the way to make punishment a deterrent would be to make it swift, certain, and to advertise both. They also said (due mainly to the unlimited appeals) that it cost more to execute somebody than to feed and house them for life. I'm against the death penalty for the cost and because the scumbags don't suffer after they're dead, which is why I'm glad Moussaoui gets to spend the rest of his life being the virgin in a lot of prison lovin'.
If Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced to wear a gold lame swimsuit in prison for the rest of his life... now that would be JUSTICE!!!
Everyone, for those of you that think Moussaoui will be in general pop, think again. He'll be kept isolated. So no, he won't be anyone's bitch. Sadly.
LZ yes, it would! AND put him in general pop, of course.
Grant, I've seen studies that indicate it's a helluva lot cheaper to execute a criminal. But if executions were swifter, it would be cheaper than THAT. It costs roughly $35K a year per crook to house and feed them.
Scott, yes, I agree with you.
KristiD, sometimes our viewpoints simply change, not due to one discernible event but perhaps a series of them. I am still pro death penalty, but would prefer it to be a swifter "reward" than it currently is.
What’s sad about the death penalty is that they do take forever to get from point A. to point B. And the torture that these people have—just to wait is punishment enough sometimes! Then they become ‘born again Christians’ and then other people feel bad for them. Yes, forgiveness is huge, but after a period of 20 yrs waiting on death row, it seems almost ridiculous to kill them now.
And the photo? Umm…it’s too comical to even get your shorts up in a bunch! And how did he/she know that there was a camera way on top of some phone pole?
I posted on Moussaoui yesterday adn its very existence on my blog made me so crazy all day that I went back and unposted. I'm so disgusted with the whole thing. Forget making a point or making him a martyr or any of that stuff. Not one more dollar nor one more minute should be spent on this idiot. He needs to be crushed like a bug. He should have been marched straight from the courtroom to the injection table. Or the electric chair. With a dimmer switch.
What a joke. WHAT A JOKE.
But I digress ...
Regarding that picture ... what in the WORLD??? Female impersonator is right ... I clicked on your link and every chick on that site looked like a drag queen. (shrug) oh well ...
Moussaoui may not be anybody's bitch, but he will live out his life with a TV set that only plays "anger management" and "religious" tapes/ shows.
Sweet justice would be if they left the TV on full time, and kept the remote.
Miss C, I think they were just being inflammatory. But the chief is definately an idiot. You'd think they'd learn in St. Pete! The city council recently approved having a movie shot on The Bounty (docked at the Pier) and only found out later it was a porno!
Daveawayfromhome, true enough, the American public has a VERY short attention span!
Ellen, what a fitting punishment that would be!
Clew, yeah, if they made the punishment immediate, it would definately send a message. The problem is that our system allows for appeals. Additionally, he was (at best) a minor player in the whole thing and they couldn't make the ties strong enough to damn him as being a true AlQaida terrorist... :P
Deb, it's a campy hoot, isn't it??? I don't think I'd ever be able to take it seriously.
Mindless Dribbler, Yeah, we agree.
Yeah yeah yeah, I know ... stupid appeals ... but if someone up and says yeah I did it! I fully admit it! Well allow me to escort you directly to your final moment. Buh bye.
>;P
The picture looks like a promo for the newest blaxplotation film. I can't imagine anyone OKing that for a police department.
I've always thought we should have an appeals court just for captial punishment cases. You have a year to do what you're going to do, it gets fast tracked through the system and then you're done.
I don't understand the appeals court anyway. You're truly only supposed to be able to appeal if you have just cause - misreprentation, witness or evidence tampering, new evidence. Nowadays, every since case is appealed. It's a joke
Clew, I agree with you completely!
Heather, The picture looks like a promo for the newest blaxplotation film. Yes!!! That thought crossed my mind, too. And I agree with you completely about the appeals process. Those would be the right changes. I don't get it, either!
ok, first off....why can't people take a joke? If it were a white woman would it be offensive, yes? but it would probably never get another look....
I agree on the death penalty thing. 2 appeals MAX. If 2/3 isn't good enough....Sheesh. Just off em. I think that would detour people alot more and if it didn't...we'd be rid of a bunch of losers. ICK! Who wants to hang with murderers and child molesters. 3 strikes you're out baby!
was that Beyonce in the picture? I can't tell.... it looks just like her in Austin Powers.
Saur,
I find it refreshing that a black woman is trying to find her African roots through her hair style. So many black females these days are trying to act white by having a conk.
I truly believe that the Duke Lacrosse brouhaha could have been avoided had the stripper had a fro.
If the New Black Panther Party really cared about their women they would start a grassroots initiative to return to the fro.
It's funny how sometimes people overlook the obvious solution.
Mr. Gator, :D
Some Random Girl, well... definately not Beyonce. IMHO, Beyonce's much better looking... But you're right, it was a joke, or at least we can say it wasn't intended to be taken so seriously!
I am SO with you on the death penalty. If justice were swift, I think the death penatly would be more of a deterrant. Right now, they wait aprrox 20 years before they execute them (in CA that is).
Scott Petersen will not be put to death for probably 25 years. Lacy's parents may very well be dead by then.
The big fro must go.
You have a wicked sense of humour, saur!
Let us hope we do not see Mr. M. with an Afro now as well.
Personally, I think it is more fitting to have someone who hates the United States so much have to live out the rest of his life inside one of our prisions!
I agree with you on the death penalty.
Go check out sweetnsaur, you have a post from Dani over there.
I love the afro, and am glad that I could have one if I ever had the guts to let it grow out.
I will get an ebony hair pic.
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