Post by sclcookie on Jun 5, 2006 0:24:31 GMT -5
Death penalty reflects Ohio's blood thirst
I am bemused by the many deep thoughts being offered by Ohioans on the
practice of executing criminals who have committed horrible crimes. I am a
citizen and resident of Ohio and have been for about 20 years. However, my
first 30 years were spent in Michigan, which never has had the death
penalty. So I am still a Michigander in spirit; I do not share the blood
thirst which seems to motivate so many Ohioans. I also have Christian
reasons for being against the death penalty.
If the State of Ohio did not have the death penalty, we would not have to
go through all these "agonizing reappraisals," such as Dr. Jonathan
Groner's May 27 Saturday Essay.
Lethal injection is supposed to be less inhumane than the electric chair
or hanging, both of which have been used in Ohio. Governments have used
the firing squad and the guillotine. The use of any of these historic
techniques would eliminate the need for physicians, except to act as
coroner.
Of course, one way to eliminate the problem Dr. Groner refers to would be
to discontinue the practice of the death penalty. But, in order to do
that, Ohioans would have to give up their blood thirst. Ohioans voted
overwhelmingly a decade ago to support a constitutional amendment to
curtail the appeal process so that murderers could not postpone their just
fate. Or is it just the Republicans who need to see blood? They seem to be
the loudest proponents of the death penalty.
CHARLES H. KAMP--Archbold, Ohio
(source: Letter to the Editor, Toledo Blade)
I am bemused by the many deep thoughts being offered by Ohioans on the
practice of executing criminals who have committed horrible crimes. I am a
citizen and resident of Ohio and have been for about 20 years. However, my
first 30 years were spent in Michigan, which never has had the death
penalty. So I am still a Michigander in spirit; I do not share the blood
thirst which seems to motivate so many Ohioans. I also have Christian
reasons for being against the death penalty.
If the State of Ohio did not have the death penalty, we would not have to
go through all these "agonizing reappraisals," such as Dr. Jonathan
Groner's May 27 Saturday Essay.
Lethal injection is supposed to be less inhumane than the electric chair
or hanging, both of which have been used in Ohio. Governments have used
the firing squad and the guillotine. The use of any of these historic
techniques would eliminate the need for physicians, except to act as
coroner.
Of course, one way to eliminate the problem Dr. Groner refers to would be
to discontinue the practice of the death penalty. But, in order to do
that, Ohioans would have to give up their blood thirst. Ohioans voted
overwhelmingly a decade ago to support a constitutional amendment to
curtail the appeal process so that murderers could not postpone their just
fate. Or is it just the Republicans who need to see blood? They seem to be
the loudest proponents of the death penalty.
CHARLES H. KAMP--Archbold, Ohio
(source: Letter to the Editor, Toledo Blade)