Granados Column: On execution

WARNING: This column contains a graphic description of an execution.

With the executions of D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad and Larry Elliott, the Prince William County area has had its share of blood in recent weeks.

And while I’m not a very vocal anti-death penalty kind of guy, I do lean in that direction. And these deaths, coming so close to home, have only made me bend further.

It makes me uncomfortable that the government has the right to kill its citizens. It disturbs me for many reasons, one of which is the fact that I just plain believe that the government shouldn’t be allowed
to execute its citizens.

Another problem I have is with the fallibility of the law. There is no 100-percent perfect way to determine guilt or innocence, so there is always room for error, but when it comes to killing people, there
should be none.

It bothers me that, in the case of Elliot, one day after his execution, the father of one of the victims came forward and said he thinks the wrong man was executed. Not that the father’s statements in any
way mitigates the finding of a jury, but when the father of one of the murdered can’t even get behind an execution, it’s troublesome.

Also, I question the purpose of the death penalty. It doesn’t seem to deter people from murder. It may or may not give closure and/or justice to victims’ families — both terms are subjective and depend on
the perception of the people who are supposed to feel that justice has been done or that they have achieved closure.

Finally, I don’t think the government should be in the revenge business, and I don’t see why life in prison isn’t good enough. It takes a dangerous person off the streets, which, in the end, is supposed to
be the point, right?

Being pro-death penalty is a position most often associated with people who are politically conservative. But I see a disconnect in conservative voices on the subject.

Conservatives are by historic definition wary of government. They distrust it. They want it smaller, and they don’t want it to intrude into their lives. And yet they are OK with their government killing their
fellow citizens.

This disconnect is most evident in the recent decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his four co-conspirators in a federal civilian trial in New York.

Conservative commentator Cal Thomas basically said in a recently published column that the American justice system isn’t good enough to try Mohammed. He thinks a military tribunal would have been
a better way to go.

He asserts that innocent people go to jail. He explains about how our system is skewed in such a way that Mohammed and his fellows could very well not be convicted. His contempt for the efficacy of
our court systems is clear. But, assuming he takes the typical conservative stance on the death penalty, I would ask him this question: Is it OK for that same court system, which you distrust to
prosecute Mohammed, to try, find guilty and execute a man?

It seems contradictory, but I’m sure some of my readers can set me straight. In fact, I encourage you to post a comment to this story or e-mail me at agranados@insidenova and do just that

Regardless of my philosophical ramblings about the death penalty, there is one more thing that makes me squeamish about it: It can be horrific.

News & Messenger reporter Uriah Kiser attended the recent execution of Elliot. He described in our newspaper the process by which the man was killed, but he left some details out in consideration for
the sensitivities of our readers. I will do no such thing.

Elliot’s execution was not a serene affair. A large blister, about the size of a lemon, formed on his leg near his knee as a result of the electricity surging through his body. Smoke rose from his cooked
flesh. His hands turned red, his feet swelled, he foamed at the mouth and drooled all over himself.

Pretty gruesome, huh?

And I know, the murders for which he was convicted were gruesome too.

But aren’t we, the people, supposed to be better than that?

Editorial page editor Alex Granados can be reached by e-mail at agranados@insidenova.com or phone at 703-878-8069.