The Death Penalty

In my opinion, there are only two reasons to vote for the death penalty. One, you want revenge for a horrible crime. I get it, but revenge in itself is a horrible thing and tends to perpetuate a cycle of violence. Whomever you seek revenge against probably has loved ones who will, in turn, seek their own revenge; it's a viscous cycle.

The other reason for want to kill them is probably based in religion. Those who are religious believe in heaven and hell and are convinced that if you kill a horrible person, they will burn in hell for eternity. In my opinion, and let me remind every one that I am an Atheist, heaven and hell, along with a lot of other "mysteries" of religion are mythology. By definition, mythology, or a myth is:

1a : a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon creation myths

b : parable, allegory Moral responsibility is the motif of Plato's myths.

2a : a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone especially : one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society seduced by the American myth of individualism

b : an unfounded or false notion

Please know that I understand how much religion means to many people, but the fact is that there isn't an iota of evidence that either heaven or hell exist. On the other hand, what I do know exists is prison, a real place and that sentencing someone to life in prison without any chance of parole sentences them to a life of isolation and deprivation that I know for a fact is going to make their life a living hell.

Nikolas Cruz, the man who shot and killed 14 students and three staff members at the Parkland school on Valentine's Day in 2018, received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, October 12, 2022. While I understand the desire by the parents and loved ones of the victims to see this cretin die, I believe he will spend the next, perhaps 60 years in prison; he's 24 now, and if he survives into his 80s, that's where he will rot.

I will add that I want people like Cruz to spend their time in near isolation. I don't want inhumane treatment, but I don't want them watching Dancing With The Stars on TV, or shooting pool, or any other crap like that. I want them in a cell, by themselves with maybe one hour a day out for exercise. Sort of like the way we treated the 9/11 terrorists; he is a terrorist after all.

And one other thing I would advocate for is the posting of his victims pictures outside his cell so that he could see them every day for the next 60 years, or however long he lives. He needs to suffer for the rest of his life and be reminded of why he's where he is.

In my opinion, death is the easy way out for someone like Cruz. Living with the memory of what he did is hell, in my opinion.