Relative Justice

Scott Peterson has been sentenced to death. Strangers outside the courtroom cheered. I am opposed to the death penalty but I was relieved he got it. This is because I hate racism, and if this young, white, professional male had snaked out of getting the punishment that is so often disporportionately dealt to those who kill men, but rarely women, whites but not so much black victims, I would have been disappointed. But this is wrong. I'm making my principles relative to the current justice system--practical, but not principled.

So I cried as I heard those strangers' cheers. The death penalty is a disgusting thing that is shared by our culture and our conciousnesses. There is zippo evidence that it has any bearing on crime. But we get to cheer with vindictive, judgemental hatred.

In reality, with the death penalty, we simply grant the government G_d's power to take away life (many wish to grant the government rights to "give" life by forcing women to endure unwilled pregnancies).

How can we cheer for that?

Update 2:20pm

Wow, CNN just interviewed a citizen of Modesto (where the Peterson's lived). She was clutching a copy of the New Testament and they introduced her saying that people in Modesto, "Were not eager to see more death." This woman said she mourned Laci and would now pray for Scott's life--that only G_d should take life.