Of Crime and Punishment - Why Do Our Laws Stand In The Way of Justice?
It is amazing that we call ourselves a society of laws and justice, but when it comes to the enforcing of justice, we often make laws which get in our own way, impede the process, and prevent resolution.
If our rule of law is not honored, or if it is prostituted into submission by nonsensical procedures then what good is it? Laws are intended to punish, but also prevent crime.
We can't prevent crime if those very laws prevent justice.
Okay so let's talk about this shall we? There was an interesting piece on NBC News on August 16, 2012 titled; "Nidal Hasan barred from pleading guilty to murder in 2009 Fort Hood shooting" By Kari Huus, NBC News which stated that; "Major Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of carrying out the November 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas, sought to plead guilty Wednesday to 13 counts of premeditated murder but the judge said he could not accept the plea, the Temple Daily Telegram reported.
Under military law, Hasan is not allowed to plead guilty because the premeditated murder charges carry death as the maximum sentence and the government is pursuing the death penalty in Hasan's case.
" If this individual, now deemed as a homegrown terrorist, created a terrorist act, and wishes to admit his guilt, then he should be allowed to, he should also be allowed to pay the ultimate price for his crimes, especially if he did them in a premeditated fashion which appears to be the case, and he fully admits it.
Justice should be served, and the accused has the right to plead guilty if he chooses.
We seem to be concerned with everyone's rights, and he is an American citizen, but we are refusing to allow him his right to plead guilty.
I ask why? If the individual wishes to plead guilty he may be marched out of the back of the courtroom and faces punishment after the judge renders it.
There's nothing wrong with that, as that is swift and fair justice.
Isn't that what we stand for as Americans? Shouldn't he be allowed to stand in front of the firing squad and pay for his crimes, crimes he wishes to admit to, and crimes which have been fully documented that he indeed pulled the trigger and killed those soldiers? Now some could say it isn't right because he will die a martyr which is exactly what he wants.
However if that is the case, as per his Islamic viewpoint, there are other things in Islam which would prevent him from being rewarded in the next life, these could also be part of the justice, to make it fair, for instance the blood of a certain hoofed animal might be filled up in his boots before the execution, so we could solve the martyrdom issue very simply.
It's unfortunate that in the United States we don't seem to walk the talk when it comes to crime and punishment.
If we fail to do this correctly then we are subjugating and prostituting the entire process.
Yes, I understand this is a philosophical debate, but the laws are quite clear, and the rights of a soldier under military law are clear, and so too is the common sense that everyone agrees to live under when it comes to justice, justice must be served, the sooner the better for the victim's families and for our nation.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
If our rule of law is not honored, or if it is prostituted into submission by nonsensical procedures then what good is it? Laws are intended to punish, but also prevent crime.
We can't prevent crime if those very laws prevent justice.
Okay so let's talk about this shall we? There was an interesting piece on NBC News on August 16, 2012 titled; "Nidal Hasan barred from pleading guilty to murder in 2009 Fort Hood shooting" By Kari Huus, NBC News which stated that; "Major Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of carrying out the November 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood in Texas, sought to plead guilty Wednesday to 13 counts of premeditated murder but the judge said he could not accept the plea, the Temple Daily Telegram reported.
Under military law, Hasan is not allowed to plead guilty because the premeditated murder charges carry death as the maximum sentence and the government is pursuing the death penalty in Hasan's case.
" If this individual, now deemed as a homegrown terrorist, created a terrorist act, and wishes to admit his guilt, then he should be allowed to, he should also be allowed to pay the ultimate price for his crimes, especially if he did them in a premeditated fashion which appears to be the case, and he fully admits it.
Justice should be served, and the accused has the right to plead guilty if he chooses.
We seem to be concerned with everyone's rights, and he is an American citizen, but we are refusing to allow him his right to plead guilty.
I ask why? If the individual wishes to plead guilty he may be marched out of the back of the courtroom and faces punishment after the judge renders it.
There's nothing wrong with that, as that is swift and fair justice.
Isn't that what we stand for as Americans? Shouldn't he be allowed to stand in front of the firing squad and pay for his crimes, crimes he wishes to admit to, and crimes which have been fully documented that he indeed pulled the trigger and killed those soldiers? Now some could say it isn't right because he will die a martyr which is exactly what he wants.
However if that is the case, as per his Islamic viewpoint, there are other things in Islam which would prevent him from being rewarded in the next life, these could also be part of the justice, to make it fair, for instance the blood of a certain hoofed animal might be filled up in his boots before the execution, so we could solve the martyrdom issue very simply.
It's unfortunate that in the United States we don't seem to walk the talk when it comes to crime and punishment.
If we fail to do this correctly then we are subjugating and prostituting the entire process.
Yes, I understand this is a philosophical debate, but the laws are quite clear, and the rights of a soldier under military law are clear, and so too is the common sense that everyone agrees to live under when it comes to justice, justice must be served, the sooner the better for the victim's families and for our nation.
Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.