'America, you lost; I won!'
Incredibly, a Federal jury has set the penalty for 9/11 conspiritor Zacharias Moussaoui at life in prison.
It is not clear whether this was the decision of a majority of the the jury, or whether it was simply unable to reach unanimity on the death penalty.
Moussaoui, in any case, clapped his hands and gloated, "America, you lost; I won!," as he was lead away from the courtroom.
Moussaoui freely admitted his role in the 9/11 bombings, even claiming that he and "shoe bomber" Richard Reed were supposed to have hijacked a fourth plane that day and flown it into the White House. He taunted both the United States and the families of 9/11 victims throughout his trial, stating that he wished the victims had suffered more.
HT: Drudge
Comments
"you shall not kill;" the word that is used excludes capital punishment and war). Similarly, they distort church history on the subject; there has never been a time since the Ascension when opposition to capital punishment was the majority view of the Christian church, and Paul's use of the term "the sword" in Romans 13 clearly shows that he had no problems with it).
It does fall disproportionately on minorities, and the possibility of making a mistake gives me pause. That has simply happened too often.
Having said that, Moussaoui confessed and even bragged about what he did. And if there was ever a crime that cried out for the death penalty, it's this one.
I've never been impressed with the "you'll only make him a martyr" argument. The purpose of capital punishment is not finally to deter, nor is it to score some sort of rhetorical points. It is justice; it is what the crime demands. In the Kingdom of the Left Hand, that is the primary concern. Vengeance is a motive unworthy of Christians, but quite in line with God's purposes for the State; again, see Romans 13.
I do not exclude the legitimacy of taking extenuating circumstances into account. But it's hard to see what those might be in this case.
I our government has an obligation to send the following message to Osama and all his ilk: "If you are eager for martyrdom, we will accomodate you gladly. If you think you will go to heaven, enjoy the fantasy while it lasts. But understand quite well that if you kill Americans, we will not concern ourselves with your religious delusions either way; we will hunt you down and kill you."
That's the only way, in the last analysis, to deal with barbarians.