Don't Be Grillin' Our Chillun'

"In a 5-4 Supreme Court decision [last week], the United States removed itself from the axis of evil nations that execute juveniles. ... Until [this] majority opinion...the U.S. was part of an exclusive club -- the others are China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia -- that are known to have formally executed kids since 1990." --The Village Voice

Yes, because it's for the children.

Please.

First off, I think it's debatable whether someone who murders another person in cold blood should be viewed as a child in a court of law. Then there's the whole appeals process, which frequently ends with the killer gumming his food, wearing Depends, and going for a ride in Ol' Sparky after hobbling down the long hall with the aid of a walker. How many of these people still can be classified as "kids," by the time sentencing is carried out?

As for the moral equivalency argument, let's execute that in its tracks. China is a communist country. I know we've been led to believe that China's our big ol' cuddly trading partner, and that the American economy will sink like a gangster with a new pair of concrete boots without their porcelain knicknacks and other trinkets; but economic considerations aside, the rulers of China are monsters. People are executed for fraud, political dissent, drug abuse, and other non-violent crimes. Organs are harvested from the slain. The Congo is a backward, chaotic place. Iran is an Islamic theocratic dystopia. Pakistan has large areas that are out of control. Yemen is a place that persecutes Christians and tortures people for adultery--sometimes to the death. Nigeria's a failed state, where corruption is an art form. Saudi Arabia is a Sharia wonderland, where people are snuffed out for apostasy from the "religion of peace." In addition, it is one of the worst terrorist spawning grounds in the world.

Lumping the U.S. in with cesspools like these is disingenuous and idiotic. In fact, it's evil, because it shows no clarity of thought on what terms like "good" and "evil" even mean.

I realize some are concerned about any government having the power to execute criminals, since opportunities for corruption abound, and the human systems are inherently flawed. We can have a respectful debate on that. But notice that most of the outrage and horror directed at capital punishment ignores such reasoning. Rather, it oozes from a morally relativistic mentality, in which no one should be put to death for any reason, anywhere, anytime. I also think it's worth pointing out that most people whom I've run into who "think" like this have no problem with the wanton murder of unborn children, or the termination of patients with brain injuries; but I suppose that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

One final open question: If it really is "for the children," how many children will we save by ending these vicious killers' death sprees with a nice lethal injection, a necktie party, or by sending them on a magic lightning ride?