No Death for Him

Last week, Major Nidal Hasan, the Ft Hood shooter, was found guilty by a military tribunal consisting of officers his  rank or higher. These same 13 men and women began on Monday to hear evidence and witnesses to determine if he lives or dies. He is expected to take a more proactive role in the sentencing phase, than he did during the trial phase of his court martial.

The last time the United States military sentenced and put to death a soldier was on April 13, 1961 when Army Private John Bennett was hanged for attempted murder and rape. Presently, five men sit on death row in Ft Leavenworth, KS. These people are Ronald Gray, Dwight Loving, Hasan Akbar, Andrew Witt and Timothy Hennis.

If found to be eligible for the death sentence,  Major Hasan will sit, probably for years, awaiting his execution. The appeals process is cumbersome, making certain all rights for the condemned are protected and exhausted before the sentence is carried out, even though he cared not for the rights of his victims. In addition, this case is complicated by the fact that Hasan, by virtue of his execution, would be considered a martyr to the Islamic cause by him and those who believed his actions were justified.

I have written previously on matters related to the death penalty in Sins of the Eldest, Death... or Revenge, What is a Life Worth and other commentaries  where I may have touched on this topic.  Those of you who have read my articles or who know me understand that I am not a believer in the death penalty. Instead, I believe the convict should get to sit in solitary confinement with virtually no human interaction, so that he gets to ponder his deed until the day he dies. That is the best revenge.

I believe Hasan should be able to revisit his deed again and again until it drives him insane. He should not be permitted to be allowed to become a martyr to some hideous cause that has no relationship to true Islam. Islam's roots come from the Judeo-Christian tradition of the great western religions and has no resemblance to the hatred Islamists profess. It is a religion of peace, much like Judaism and Christianity.

So, members of the court-martial, allow him to live in the dank basement of Ft Leavenworth with the rats that he is. There he will be with those who are as slimy and as evil as we perceive him to be. He is a disgusting example of a human being and does not deserve the honor and decency to be treated as one.

With apologies to rats and human beings everywhere.