Politically correct or not, criminals should pay for the crimes they commit. In no society do we see no punishment for crimes. Walter Berns notes that Aristotle taught anger is just and those who kill should be held responsible. We do not live in such a politically correct society that executing justice is perceived as wrong. Justice is never wrong and we as a society should never feel guilt or wrong when we feel angry because someone has been murdered. Anger is a "human passion" (Berns qtd. In White 147), states Berns and murderers are "properly the objects of anger," (148). In some cases, anger is healthy and no one can argue that anger over murder is not justified. Berns understands that angry men are also capable of respecting life. Supporting the death penalty does not make one less human it defends life. Defending life and the sanctity of life is a social responsibility and this is a message that must be sent to all potential murders, says Mufti Zubair Bayat. Murder is the "greatest crime, an open violation of the basic human right to life" (Bayat). The penalty must be extreme, he states, and capital punishment is the "the only way of maintaining the harmonious existence of man on earth along with his fellow beings. No human being, no matter who he may be, has the right to deny another human being this basic right to justice" (Bayat). Until we reach a point where murder is no longer an issue, we must handle that issue seriously. Murders know the death penalty is serious business.
Finally, we must take a look at the real reason capital punishment exists. While we can argue about if it works as a deterrent, we must not forget that capital punishment is punishment, after all. We are not arguing if deterrence works because that is not the point. The point is punishment for a horrifying technology allows criminals to be identified without a shadow of a doubt, the argument for executing innocent people grows weaker. This is a blessing because we can move forward with the debate and punish murderers for their crimes. We must never forget in the heat of the argument that, in the end, murderers took the life of another. When this occurs, it should come as not shock that said murderer has forfeited his right to the same type of dignity of life we all deserve. Capital punishment is not a punishment for stealing or trafficking drugs -- it is punishment for murder. The punishment fits the crime and the most reassuring fact about the death penalty is knowing the criminal will be prevented from committing another crimes.
Works Cited
Amsterdam, Anthony. "Capital Punishment." Contemporary Moral Problems. White, James Ed.
New York: West Publishing Company. 1991. Print.
Bayat, Mufti Zubair. "Capital Punishment Maintains Law and Order." 2008. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Resource Center. 27 Feb. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com Web
Berns, Walter. "For Capital Punishment." 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Resource Center. 27 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com Web
Lowe, Wesley. "Consistent and Swift Application of the Death Penalty Reduces Murder Rates."
2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Resource Center. 27 Feb. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com Web
Lowe, Wesley. "Consistent and Swift Application of the Death Penalty Reduces Murder Rates."
2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Resource Center. 27 Feb. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com Web
Shepherd, Joanna M. "Capital Punishment Does in Fact Deter Crime." 2007. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Resource Center. 27 Feb. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com Web
