An eye for an eye in Iowa?
Last week, a group of Iowans whose children have been abducted or murdered met with Governor Terry Branstad. They urged him and legislators to reinstate the death penalty, which they feel will deter future crimes against children.
Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965 and, as far as I can remember, there have been a couple efforts to reinstate it. The Mustache is a supporter of capital punishment — though thankfully not one of those hellfire, “eye for an eye” advocates — and it was a prominent campaign issue in the nineties. I even think the legislature debated a reinstatement bill at one point. (One plan proposed broadcasting executions live on Iowa Public Television — which obviously raised a couple eyebrows. Mister Rodgers’ Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, and lethal injections.) Things have been pretty quiet on the death penalty front for a while so the state media went gaga over last week’s meeting with the governor. It was reported ad nauseam on Iowa Public Radio for two days and the discussion has hit the opinion pages in the form of editorials and columns (most of which, as far as I have seen, oppose reinstatement). I am not sure if this has registered with regular Iowans, and whether or not it has become a subject around the water cooler and in small town coffee klatches, but it has at least been placed in the statewide spotlight once again.
Despite the fact it is one of those classic, hot button American issues, I had not given much thought about where I stood on the death penalty — at least not while I have been an adult. However, the parents’ plea to the governor got me thinking: Is this a good idea? Do I want the state executing criminals? Do I, a citizen of Iowa, sanction the killing of killers? Not really.
At one point in my life I felt differently, though. Back in junior high, I went through a phase when I was a pretty devout Lutheran. I was taking catechism classes (though not voluntarily, I may add) and attending church and Sunday school almost every week. I was young and impressionable. The church got to me. At some point we must have discussed the Bible’s guidelines regarding capital punishment because I vividly remember supporting the death penalty in my eighth grade American Studies class. Since our national motto is “In God We Trust,” I reasoned, and the Bible states that “those who kill by the sword shall die by the sword,” then the death penalty is justifiable and ethical. (Others, I recall, argued it was too expensive. That argument was way over my head; I could not understand why and think I said something along the lines of, “Well, how expensive can one bullet be?”) It has since become one of those regrettable and embarrassing moments of my past.
I have changed and grown a lot since then and no longer feel that state-sanctioned execution (which is essentially court-ordered revenge) is a productive punishment. My gut feeling is that it is hypocritical and does not serve as a deterrent. Taking another life does not bring back the lives of those who have already been taken. From what I have seen and read, it seems to offer little closure to the family and friends of victims.
Iowa already imprisons its worst criminals for life, which is a de facto death penalty. I think that is adequate. I sympathize with the parents who met the governor, but feel the legislature has better things to do this next session than debate whether or not we should all become executioners by proxy.
Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965 and, as far as I can remember, there have been a couple efforts to reinstate it. The Mustache is a supporter of capital punishment — though thankfully not one of those hellfire, “eye for an eye” advocates — and it was a prominent campaign issue in the nineties. I even think the legislature debated a reinstatement bill at one point. (One plan proposed broadcasting executions live on Iowa Public Television — which obviously raised a couple eyebrows. Mister Rodgers’ Neighborhood, Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, and lethal injections.) Things have been pretty quiet on the death penalty front for a while so the state media went gaga over last week’s meeting with the governor. It was reported ad nauseam on Iowa Public Radio for two days and the discussion has hit the opinion pages in the form of editorials and columns (most of which, as far as I have seen, oppose reinstatement). I am not sure if this has registered with regular Iowans, and whether or not it has become a subject around the water cooler and in small town coffee klatches, but it has at least been placed in the statewide spotlight once again.
Despite the fact it is one of those classic, hot button American issues, I had not given much thought about where I stood on the death penalty — at least not while I have been an adult. However, the parents’ plea to the governor got me thinking: Is this a good idea? Do I want the state executing criminals? Do I, a citizen of Iowa, sanction the killing of killers? Not really.
At one point in my life I felt differently, though. Back in junior high, I went through a phase when I was a pretty devout Lutheran. I was taking catechism classes (though not voluntarily, I may add) and attending church and Sunday school almost every week. I was young and impressionable. The church got to me. At some point we must have discussed the Bible’s guidelines regarding capital punishment because I vividly remember supporting the death penalty in my eighth grade American Studies class. Since our national motto is “In God We Trust,” I reasoned, and the Bible states that “those who kill by the sword shall die by the sword,” then the death penalty is justifiable and ethical. (Others, I recall, argued it was too expensive. That argument was way over my head; I could not understand why and think I said something along the lines of, “Well, how expensive can one bullet be?”) It has since become one of those regrettable and embarrassing moments of my past.
I have changed and grown a lot since then and no longer feel that state-sanctioned execution (which is essentially court-ordered revenge) is a productive punishment. My gut feeling is that it is hypocritical and does not serve as a deterrent. Taking another life does not bring back the lives of those who have already been taken. From what I have seen and read, it seems to offer little closure to the family and friends of victims.
Iowa already imprisons its worst criminals for life, which is a de facto death penalty. I think that is adequate. I sympathize with the parents who met the governor, but feel the legislature has better things to do this next session than debate whether or not we should all become executioners by proxy.
