You Want Someone To Throw The Switch?
Call me
Bishop George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Helena, Montana, has come out firmly against the upcoming execution of one David Thomas Dawson. His Excellency refers to said execution as "state sponsored suicide".
The good bishop cited 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “IF non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means. ...” (emphasis mine).
Umm... that's a mighty big "IF". Just what IF non-lethal mean AREN'T sufficient to defend and protect the public?
The good bishop also fails to cite some other interesting passages from the catechism... such as 2266: Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense.
Did anyone else notice the word "proportionate"? Lemme see - if I take an innocent person's life... that means that most certainly can have my... well, I'm sure you can see the obvious here. I don't think I have to spell it out.
Also, the good bishop left out an interesting part of 2267, the very first paragraph: Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. By the way, that "traditional teaching" has been around for.... oh, I don't know... oh, yeah - 2,000 years!
If you or I or Bishop Thomas or anyone else personally agrees or disagrees with the execution of one David Thomas Dawson, that's irrelevant... The Church has already stated that a "legitimate public authority" has deemed such just and acceptable.
With all that said, if Bishop Thomas is desirous of pleading for the life of one David Thomas Dawson, then so be it. Just spare me the cheap theatrics of calling his just execution "state sponsored suicide".
If Bishop Thomas really wants to do something for Dawson... then care for his soul. Bishop Thomas, go to the prison, Baptize Dawson (if needed) hear his confession, give Last Rites. How much you want to bet nothing of the sort happened?
Oh, by the way, just a minor footnote.... Dawson kidnapped David and Monica Rodstein and their children, 11-year-old Andrew and Amy, then 15, from a Billings motel.
Dawson forced his way into their room and, at gunpoint, moved them to his adjacent room. He bound and gagged the four, took their money and during the two-day ordeal strangled one at a time the parents and then the boy with a telephone cord. Each family member watched the murders take place... and the one who were still alive, knew they were next.
Dawson held the daughter captive until police, searching for the family after they failed to arrive at relatives in Nebraska, rescued her and arrested Dawson at the motel.
Like I said at the beginning of this post... if you want someone to throw the switch, call me.
Call me
Bishop George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Helena, Montana, has come out firmly against the upcoming execution of one David Thomas Dawson. His Excellency refers to said execution as "state sponsored suicide".
The good bishop cited 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “IF non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means. ...” (emphasis mine).
Umm... that's a mighty big "IF". Just what IF non-lethal mean AREN'T sufficient to defend and protect the public?
The good bishop also fails to cite some other interesting passages from the catechism... such as 2266: Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense.
Did anyone else notice the word "proportionate"? Lemme see - if I take an innocent person's life... that means that most certainly can have my... well, I'm sure you can see the obvious here. I don't think I have to spell it out.
Also, the good bishop left out an interesting part of 2267, the very first paragraph: Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. By the way, that "traditional teaching" has been around for.... oh, I don't know... oh, yeah - 2,000 years!
If you or I or Bishop Thomas or anyone else personally agrees or disagrees with the execution of one David Thomas Dawson, that's irrelevant... The Church has already stated that a "legitimate public authority" has deemed such just and acceptable.
With all that said, if Bishop Thomas is desirous of pleading for the life of one David Thomas Dawson, then so be it. Just spare me the cheap theatrics of calling his just execution "state sponsored suicide".
If Bishop Thomas really wants to do something for Dawson... then care for his soul. Bishop Thomas, go to the prison, Baptize Dawson (if needed) hear his confession, give Last Rites. How much you want to bet nothing of the sort happened?
Oh, by the way, just a minor footnote.... Dawson kidnapped David and Monica Rodstein and their children, 11-year-old Andrew and Amy, then 15, from a Billings motel.
Dawson forced his way into their room and, at gunpoint, moved them to his adjacent room. He bound and gagged the four, took their money and during the two-day ordeal strangled one at a time the parents and then the boy with a telephone cord. Each family member watched the murders take place... and the one who were still alive, knew they were next.
Dawson held the daughter captive until police, searching for the family after they failed to arrive at relatives in Nebraska, rescued her and arrested Dawson at the motel.
Like I said at the beginning of this post... if you want someone to throw the switch, call me.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
4:53 PM
3 Comments:
I must disagree with the prudential judgment of this bishop in particular and the bishops in general when it comes to the death penalty. This man obviously deserves death.
Also, I don't think it occurs to them that even in prision for life capital criminals are still a danger to the guards and other inmates.
Do I hope they repent before they are sent to judgment? Most certainly. But, that shouldn't prevent us from carrying out judgment.
Damn straight, Padre!
I wonder how many Masses the bishop has offered for the souls of this slaughtered family and for the healing of the surviving daughter.
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