On this date, November 5, 2009, a
mass murder occurred at Fort Hood, Texas where 13 people were shot dead. The
Comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP will offer our most sincere condolences and
heartfelt sympathy for the 12 fallen soldiers and the 1 civilian killed in the
mass murder. We honor you all like fallen soldiers and treat you like martyrs
in this terrorist attack.
Unit 1012 will post quotes from the
victims’ families, homicide survivors and also from a prosecutor who are all in
favor of the death sentence for Nidal Hassan. We will write a rebuttal essay to
Diann Rust-Tierney.
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QUOTE: Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven
times, understands that Hasan's goal is to be viewed as "a fighter for his
people - as if he's a god."
If
he gets the death penalty, potential martyrdom is "a cost that comes with
that," Lunsford said. "But I can live with
that cost. I can live with that cost because that's how our system of
government works, and that's how our justice system works."
QUOTE: Howard Ray, a retired staff sergeant
who said he was just inches from several of Hasan's bullets, said no matter how
or when Hasan dies, some will view him as a martyr.
"Does it happen now or in 40 to 50 years when he dies in
prison? Once he dies in 50 years, it's going to be the same. He still died for
the cause," Ray
said. "There's justice that has to be met, and I
think the way it can be met is through the death penalty."
QUOTE: After the sentencing, victims'
relatives consoled one another. The mother of a soldier killed in the attack,
29-year-old Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger, wiped away tears. Some spoke of their
relief.
"This has been a very long and exhausting process. We are
tired. We are hurt. We are resolved: Justice has been served," said Keely Vanacker, daughter of
Michael Cahill, 62, the lone civilian killed in the shooting.
QUOTE: One victim's mother questioned
Hasan's professed motive: protecting the Taliban as a Muslim guerrilla fighter.
"Anyone who would use their religion to commit acts of
terrorism serves no God except their own hatred and self-interest," said Gale Hunt during a briefing at
the Army post, adding that, "as a Christian, I
cannot say I wish anyone dead for crimes against me or my family, but that
doesn't mean that I'm opposed to the death penalty."
QUOTE: A military prosecutor insisted in
closing arguments Wednesday that a death sentence is not martyrdom.
"He is not now and will never be a martyr," said the prosecutor, Col.
Michael Mulligan. "Do not be fooled. He is not
giving his life — we are taking his life. This is not his gift to God. He is a
criminal, a cold-blooded murderer."
Unit 1012 will explain why we
strongly disagree with Diann Rust-Tierney, the Executive Director of the NCADP
on her article, ‘Death Sentence in Case of Fort Hood Shooter Out of Step’. We will rebut her with examples from
history.
From the perspective of someone who opposes all executions,
this is a good thing. However, we all should be troubled by a system of justice
that is increasingly arbitrary and unpredictable in meeting out the most
fearsome of punishments.
We have always had a delicate and uncomfortable relationship
with the death penalty as part of our judicial system. Despite its longevity,
it doesn't quite fit. We do the best we can as human beings to craft systems
and institutions that are unbiased and mete out justice accurately and fairly.
But we fall short.
REBUTTAL: No way,
for Nidal Hassan’s case, he is guilty beyond any doubt. The death sentence
handed to him was fair and just and even accurate.
We give it our best approximation. We rely on the adversarial
process. We consider aggravating and mitigating circumstances. But deep down
inside, even those who support this practice admit that it's not easy to get it
right.
There are things that we can get right. We can focus our
energies and attention on determining why someone we would not suspect of
harming others would wreak such havoc on a community. What signs might we watch
for? What interventions might we apply that could prevent or limit the harm
from occurring in the first place? What additional systems might we put in
place to help people and communities heal? Questions we don't seem to get
around to asking, let alone finding the time, energy and resources to answer
when our focus is on death sentences and executions.
REBUTTAL: Unit 1012
knows that even with or without the death penalty, you can also participate in
researching on preventing crime. Unless there are no murders or any crimes, the
State still needs the time, energy and resources for help. The Death Penalty
does not distract investigators, it is the Abolitionist that are the problem.
It might seem easier to simply label some conduct as monstrous
and designate its perpetrator to be dispatched from this life. But deep down we
know that the label is simplistic. And the solution is inadequate to prevent
another tragedy from occurring. We know too that we are paying too little
attention to the people who have lost loved ones to murder and their need for
our tangible support towards healing.
REBUTTAL: << We know too that we are
paying too little attention to the people who have lost loved ones to murder
and their need for our tangible support towards healing.>> Not at all,
many victims’ family members want to see justice done for their loved ones
killers. It is the fault of the abolitionists who wants the public to pay
attention to the welfare of the murderers. Unit 1012 supports victims’ families
who want to see justice done.
That is why, even in the face of tragedies that test our resolve
to move forward to find better ways of identifying and addressing the root
causes of violence and serving the needs of people who are harmed by violence,
the use of the death penalty must end.
REBUTTAL: Ending
the death penalty will do nothing to serve the needs of people who are harmed
by violence, justice must be served. As George Orwell said:
SOURCE: http://izquotes.com/quote/139782
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Perhaps, Diann Rust-Tierney
should learn from the following history about executing killers who are guilty
beyond any doubt:
We, the Comrades of Unit 1012, prefer
the justice system in pre-World War II era, where they
can execute those guilty in a swift and sure manner. We got this information
from Lester Jackson’s article: ‘The
Modern Elite Ruling Class Notion of Justice: Cruel and Unusual Punishment of
Victims’.
President William McKinley died on Sept. 14, 1901, eight days after being shot by Leon Czolgosz, who was caught in the act and confessed. On Sept. 23, Czolgosz went on trial and was sentenced to death three days later. He was executed on Oct. 29, 53 days after the crime and 47 after the president’s death.
Leon Czolgosz shoots President McKinley with a concealed revolver. Clipping of a wash drawing by T. Dart Walker. |
Unable to get near his first choice (75), President
Herbert Hoover, Giuseppe Zangara settled on President-elect Franklin Roosevelt.
On Feb. 15, 1933, Zangara’s errant shot hit Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who
died on March 6. Caught in the act and having confessed, Zangara was executed
on March 20, 1933 after 10 days on death row and 14 days after his victim died.
On July 2, 1881, Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield, who died on Sept. 19. Immediately caught, Guiteau boasted of
his deed. He was placed on trial for murder on Nov. 14 and found guilty on Jan.
25, 1882. After an appeal rejected May 22 and a denied request for an orchestra
to play at his hanging, Guiteau was executed on June 30, 1882, nine months
after his victim died.
Another capital case which had a swift and sure
execution was that of Rashid al Rashidi, which the execution took place on 1
year and two months from the murder.
Do you notice that this
terrorist in Egypt was executed 9 months after being sentenced to death and 1
year and 9 months after the murders, swift and sure!
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