We must not hesitate to execute terrorists

New York Daily News ^ | November 21, 2003 | A.M. Rosenthal

[sarcasm]

The hideous war of the world's terrorists against the countries that yearn for peace for themselves, their people and their people's children may end sooner than we have thought.

But achieving this goal will require an essential step by sovereign nations, whether or not they are members of the United Nations: the execution of all who are caught, tried and found guilty of murder by terrorism.

The death penalty would be imposed as fairly as possible, but also as swiftly as possible.

Let's say that after a high-level jury - composed of judges who have sworn by their nation and their God to do justice - finds the terrorists to be guilty that the executions should be carried out within three weeks.

I know, I know. Almost anybody who sees or hears this suggestion will be revolted by it - except maybe people who live in states terrorized by Al Qaeda and similar murderous clans.

I think that the legal execution of a terrorist whose business is murder is the efficient way to prevent more outright murders of civilians.

I also think the majority of people would be for the proposal that terrorism should be defined under the law by its consequences. That is to say, the wholesale murder - or attempted murder - of victims selected for who and what they are equals terrorism.

Terrorists pick their murder victims. They select those whose politics or religion or clan they consider detestable.

Take, for example, the wildly mad Muslim militants who slaughtered at least 27 people and wounded hundreds more yesterday in Turkey, a nation of mostly moderate Muslims.

The motive was to inject terror into the entire Turkish population. And to send a message to President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair that the terrorists' war against them will continue indefinitely. And, of course, the murders were like a brand of fire meant to terrify not only Turks, but Muslims everywhere who may sympathize with America and Britain.

It must be especially frightening to Turks to know that the murdered people were slaughtered by a combination of foreign Al Qaeda operatives and terrorists of their own nation - and that all these killers are members of their own religion.

In my heart and mind, I believe that when it comes to killers who live by murdering fellow countrymen or co-religionists, the right response is execution.

But I have some hesitations. How about terrorists who kill from the air? Are pilots and bombardiers to be convicted as terrorists? I think so, if the crew of the plane has any idea that the bombs contain poison gas or nuclear material - and you are fooling yourself if you don't believe such material has been stashed away by rogue states.

I can think of many people who would refuse to join a jury empowered with the right of voting for capital punishment. Would I vote, without being racked by doubt, for the execution of torturers whose victims lie in their graves? How could I not?

A few days ago I met a man from the Middle East, a brave man. I was sure that one day he will be tortured or murdered, so great are the chances he takes. Would I help as he screamed his agony? Would I walk away?

Not one of us from any part of the world can tell when the war against terrorism will come to an end.

But we do know that to win with any rapidity we will have to use all our manpower and armor and intelligence and resources to locate and destroy the terrorists and their leaders.

One of our resources is the death penalty. There is no other way.

[jwh_Denver]

This from a New York paper? I fully believe that once a fair trial has happened and if there is a guilty verdict the "perp" should have to go through a 1/4 mile guantlet of tasers, ball bats, brass knucks, the works. If he falls down and can't get up? A bullet to the head and the body left for pigeons to eat.

[donmeaker]

How about requireing all members of the militia (See Title 10, Section 311 in the US Code) to carry a pistol in a military caliber (.45 or 9mm). That way the death penalty, enacted after judicial process would be the least of the terrorists worries.

Oh, it would put too many lawyers out of work. Never mind.

[livius]

I think he's right, although, of course, it's never going to happen. Can you imagine France even saying "non" to a terrorist, let alone executing one?

The Daily News, btw, used to be fairly conservative years ago and then it turned into the NY Times with a somewhat reduced vocabulary, just another left-wing rag. But it seems to be swinging back again, oddly enough.

As for A.M. Rosenthal, he's about the only Times-associated person that I find worth respecting. It's interesting that he's now writing in the Daily News.

[primatreat]

if quilty..... 1 gram of C4 taped to the belly button activated by a 60 second timer. Result---- watch your guts drool out and suffer for about 5 minutes.. gives them time to pick their virgins!

[DEPUTYMAYTAG]

Hang them, disenbowel them , wrap them in pig skin and bury them upsidedown, and let the world know this will be our policy.

[verity]

composed of judges who have sworn by their nation and their God to do justice

Pipedream. Law and Justice are not mutually inclusive concepts.

[ConservativeMan55]

Did somebody say PigSkin???





A Turducken [is made by] taking the bones out of a chicken and a duck and a turkey, stuffing the chicken with stuffing, stuffing the stuffed chicken into a similarly stuffed duck, and stuffing all that, along with a third kind of stuffing, into the turkey. The result cannot be criticized for lacking complexity . . .” Calvin Trillin, The New Yorker, January 28, 2002.

[vladog]

Hang them on the court house lawns all across the US. Make puling the 'trap' a good paying job. See if the 'job stealers' export that job!

[Chu Gary]

"..the executions should be carried out within three weeks."

I vote for three hours vs. three weeks, then bury them with the entrails of pigs from a slaughterhouse. Heck, throw in some bacon in case they get hongry on their way to meet their 72 virgins!

[c-b 1]

Unless pigskin is used, there's no sense in executing them. It's just giving them what they want.

Exactly!

[Do Be]

Sometimes it is a good idea to give people what they want.

[jocon307]

"But [the Daily News] seems to be swinging back again, oddly enough."

Yes, they've been very good against the terrorists. I think they are a pretty good old group of hard core types over there. I think they know good from evil. I think they get it.

I found this thread while searching before posting this piece. Rosenthal is right, we've GOT to start executing people. The fact that the original bombers of the WTC were permitted to live shows the error of our ways. The fact that Johnny bin-Lindh (whatever his name was) was allowed to plead out shows it also.

We must hope that sniper Mohammed is given death by the jury, and (God forgive me) that his little trigger-pulling side-kick is too. That will be start.