There's no logical reason why the Left should oppose the death penalty in the case of confessed terrorist and 9/11 contributor Zacarias Moussaoui. Principally, for all the humane reasons: this man has proudly confessed to orchestrating crimes against humanity; he's gleefully prided himself on his "beautiful terrorist mind;" he's thrilled to tell you he is proud of the tears and pain of his victims' loved ones; and, worst of all, he would do it again in a heartbeat. Does this sound like a man who deserves life? Or do we hold justice in such contempt that we give life to those who delight in taking it?
So there are many completely non-partisan reasons why liberals can find it within themselves to give adequate punishment to this contemptible mind. Indeed, I'm sure many on the Left already have found it. But there's another reason, one not so agreeable, which may encourage the Left to end the terror of Moussaoui: this guy is evil.
Wait: didn't we already address that part? Well, yes and no. This is an evil man, certainly; and with every breath he utters, the reality of his sadistic twist is more and more glaring. But that’s not necessarily what galls the far Left in this case. Moussaoui reminds people of real evil. He’s not the caricatured, right-wing Fred Phelps type that liberals love to hold up as the “real agenda” of conservative Christians. He is not the fake, politically driven picture of hate that Americans are now being trained to mark; he’s the real thing.
Liberal pundits, eschewing the "religious right," want America to stay fixated on “Evil-and-Water:” intolerance (meaning anything not embracing philosophical relativism), bigotry (meaning anything that says “You can do wrong”), and injustice (meaning the absence of social welfare). This incredibly watered down evil is a slap in the face to victims of real violence and hate. And that is obvious as long as Moussaoui is alive and reminding us of it.
I worry about folks like Tony Hendra, who, instead of finding time and energy to warn the world of the reality of evil personified in terrorists like Moussaoui , decides that Christophobia hasn't yet lost its originality:
Pseudo-Christians pay lip-service to Christ's forgiveness and mercy but it's only for the pseudo-Christians. It's terror that holds them in line. Fundamentalist terror. Terror of Christ's judgment, the terror Christ will wreak when he comes (which could be as soon as Tuesday) to kill billions of Falwell's and Dobson's and Robertson's enemies, starting with Barney Frank, Susan Sarandon, NPR, every Muslim on earth and all of Huffpost. Their sweetest dream is inconceivable slaughter and pain, they preach on it every Sabbath, the Left Behind books (80 million sold) wallow in oceans of human blood.
Unbelievable: in the face of Iran’s self-titled nuclear “gift from God,” Mr. Hendra still finds time to saddle the “real” sin upon Christians. Is this not unnerving? Has the social left lost all perception of reality? Is this how liberals see the world: in shades of intense black and white, much more so than the people they decry?
Article comments
1 - Chai
I do consider my politics left of center and I dont oppose the death penalty. From what I can see, this guy is a little loony (ie. medically certifiable). And he _wants_ to die. I think a harsher penalty for him, is to let him live in jail, forever. That would be much worse a punishment in this case.
2 - Joey
"Pretty easy question, no?"
No.
What is missing are comments from those who oppose the death penalty on the grounds that it is cruel and painful.
Another point to be made is that really isn't any material evidence. I don't think you can execute without some evidence on hand. At least I would hope not, regardless of the circumstances or the ugliness surrounding the case.
Without jumping to conclusions, I would have to say that Moussaoui is opting for martyrdom.
I hesitate to use the word martyr. Its use is difficult to put it contextually into play regarding terrorists. You see, the word martyr is a transliteration of the Greek word Martyr which actually means “a witness” and according to Webster (1828) “to be a martyr signifies only to witness the truth of Christ” later the definition shifted to include those who died in defense of a cause. Which is what Moussaoui will do, if the courts proceed down an incorrect path, that being the death penalty. If the courts erred and chose to execute Moussaoui, then the execution would be held up indefinitely through the litigation process, costing taxpayers many millions of dollars.
If Moussaoui is executed then he will be held in high esteem by the Muslim world, they PR machine associated with Moussaoui will ensure that his status will rise and that every Muslim ear will hear and every tongue will herald his name. I have no doubt of that. Some ask if we should shirk because of the vast PR that will raise him up to hero status and launch yet another plus up in terrorist recruitment. Just about anything does, but this would be leveraged so heavily by the sympathetic groups, which would go the extra mile in pursuing the advantage of Moussaoui’s execution.
I am really not even sure if he rates life in prison. Seriously. I don’t believe the evidence supports even that. But, we’ll see. In either case justice will be served