A Prayer for Peace and an End to Senseless Violence

What a horrible weekend with the news of the carnage in Tucson, Arizona. Again and again, the talking heads filled the TV screen with reports of the murders of innocents, from a nine year old child to three or four seniors in their mid-seventies. I say three or four, as the mind recoils from truly learning all the ghoulish details of lives ended in the flash of a madman's gun. A few aspects of the tragedy give us slivers of comfort - heroes abound, most surely the brave souls who disarmed and restrained the shooter, the first responders and medical personnel who stabilized the victims, saving many more lives, and most significantly, the Doctors at the hospital that have so far kept everyone who made it to the emergency room alive.

I do not know anywhere nearly enuff facts about the murderer to draw any conclusions about the wider societal implications of this event, if any, despite characterizing him as a "madman". I did so w/o. any regards to the prosecution of this individual as to the possible validity of his asserting an insanity defense. In common parlance, his murderous rampage can have no possible rational justification, whether or not he knows right from wrong in the context of a criminal trial.

Nonetheless, I will offer one national policy insight on this matter, irrespective of the prior disclaimer. Absent a proven insanity defense, I would consider this Stone Cold Killer a good candidate for the death penalty, definitely not to exact revenge or equivalent justice, however. I now believe that the execution of this murderer must be seriously considered to protect all other innocents who would be put into jeopardy, including prison employees, by keeping him alive. Somebody so evil that he executes six total strangers, who have never even said a cross word to him, will certainly be a grave risk to society to kill again. Not on my watch.