We believe no person has the right to take the life of another human being.
Developments in the Anders Breivik case have impressed upon us the gravity of killing. Breivik is the notorious Norway shooter who killed 77 people at a youth summer camp July 22, 2011.
He claimed he was working to correct the course of multiculturalism set by current European leaders. He's claimed that he is sane and innocent of any crime by using his deranged logic.
We don't know what could drive a man to such depravity. We don't know if there is something inside of Breivik's mind or soul that created his dangerous bloodlust.
We were struck by Norway's maximum sentence--21 years--and how it simply won't do justice to his crime. We don't believe Breivik will ever understand the monstrosity of his actions.
At this point, it would seem like an easy thing to support capital punishment for a murderer of 77 people.
However, we've reached a different conclusion.
Breivik is completely convinced of his righteousness, just as some are convinced capital punishment is a righteous penalty for those who commit heinous crimes.
Coming together and agreeing capital punishment is righteous doesn't make it so. Its longevity as a penalty in our world doesn't make it righteous. Our disgust for vicious crimes doesn't make it righteous.
The death of a person is never just. It's not something we can decide in any courtroom.
What we should instead call for is life in prison without parole.
The problem comes with overcrowded prisons packed with thieves and drug offenders. Our first concern is that these petty criminals thrown into the mix with hardcore criminals often come out of the system worse than when they entered.
Some states even have three-strike laws for car thieves, meaning after their third offense they're locked away forever.
These people don't deserve such lengthy sentences. Shorten their stays and substitute the rest of the time they would have been in prison with probation.
Then there is the cost of keeping a prison running. Some don't wish to feed and clothe murderers, rapists and child molesters. What we suggest is that an ideal prison system be self-sustaining. They raise their own food, make their own clothes and clean their own facilities. If they don't wish to take part in the program, they can go hungry until their minds are changed.
We cannot continue to execute people using a set of standards that change as the culture changes. Death serves no nation or people, and we do not have the power as a people to bring it upon others early.
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