Death Penalty is STUPID (and manipulative)

A tribute to Pastor Andrew Chan & Artist Myuran Sukumaran.

It is no secret that I am pro-Rehabilitation and anti-Death Penalty. Some have distanced themselves, some unleashed hate towards me, because of my stance on Death Penalty.

I respect their right to their own perspective and stance however it does not change the fact that — Death Penalty is STUPID.

There I said it!

Before you get on your high-horse and start lecturing that I am making light of a very heavy topic — I am not! Instead, I want you to understand how ‘the system’ fools us into believing ‘life for life’ is the solution to solving and reducing crime. It is a farce!

One — Mailman dies, Drug lord laughs: Every time a drug-mule is executed to send a strong message to the ‘dealers’, we ignore that the dealer already knows what may happen and is manipulating people to become their pony. There is a reason the term ‘drug-mule’ is in play … they are nothing but a worthless mule to both the dealer and the system. No one stops to ask, ‘What forced a human being into putting their lives on the line knowing the very possible drastic end?’. No one certainly asks, how these people are manipulated into these situations by the dealers. Because no one wants to address the poverty, lack of education, lack of resources and downright failing public support system.

The actual culprit, both the dealers and lackadaisical ‘system’ are given free hand to continue their patterns, the very patterns that are the root cause of the problem at hand. Because accountability is unpleasant and unwanted by ‘the system’ itself.

Two — Political ambition, sponsored by the taxpayer: Death Penalty or Capital Punishment is state sponsored revenge to further an individual or group’s personal political career and some show of power to the weaker group — yes, the citizens!

The citizens only have the power once in several years to vote a person in the government and then the power center shifts back to the politically ambitious eccentric entity. It is an expensive personal ambition that not only costs life of the condemned but also a big hole in the pocket of the taxpayer, however indirectly. What never gets addressed is, ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘Where are we going?’. The day we addressed these two questions, the political class, the corporate brass, and the criminal pals of ‘the system’ will be outed, and that ‘the system’ can’t have!

Three — All the expense, for NOTHING: Irony is while Death Penalty costs a whole lot more than life imprisonment to an individual — the former still does not deliver any positive outcome. Logic is given that Death Penalty will deter crime and criminals.

Fact is that it only frees the criminal of his actions super quick with the real punishment only meted out to those who are left behind, in the families of both the criminal and the victim.

To the contrary, the ‘power hungry’ and the ‘revenge driven’ punishment is evasive step shying away from taking responsible action in changing the circumstances that creates these crimes leading to Death Penalty.

Death is final, with NO possibility of an outcome — a dead end. So, all that taxpayer’s money wasted on the execution is for nothing and no valuable change in society and/or crime activities.

Four — Cowardly, running away from facing the real threat/cause: Of course, only a court of law can issue a death penalty sentence and only a head of state can decline clemency. But ‘the system’ is in fact shying away from facing the real threat to the society: Poor public system support to change the circumstances on the ground.

It is clearly a very cowardly way finding a pawn to shift the blame and showing the execution as a ‘trophy’ of triumph over a problem that no one really wants to tackle. In essence we leave the real culprits untouched, be it mafia or circumstances, we refuse to address.

Five — Reformed person can be an asset: If a convict is kept imprisoned, and alive — they have a chance at realization, counselling, rehabilitation, and reforming as a person that can shock everyone in an incredibly positive way.

If not, they can remain imprisoned in facilities that do not cost as much in life-term imprisonment as much one execution costs. We also cannot forget, a reformed person is a living example that people can change, for better and can become a role model for those who feel lost, confused, or tempted to tread on the wrong path of life.

Such a person is living example of why people become criminals and how they feel once they realize their actions sincerely and get their act together reforming themselves into a new and better human.

To waste such an opportunity and END a life is certainly plain STUPID.

It is possible that this ‘stupidity’ continues to prevail because ‘the system’ prefers it this way.

Rehabilitation is smart, death penalty is counter-intuitive, cowardly, manipulative, and plain STUPID!

(Or ‘We The People’ are being taken for a ride, we do not even realize!)