It is routinely applied in a manner that discriminates against racial minorities, against the poor, the uneducated. African Americans are sentenced to death in disproportionate numbers. We must rise above it. Pain abounds in Jasper, Texas. My heart weeps for the innocent man who have been slain, and for those who must struggle with their grief.
Justice demands that the guilty be punished harshly.
But justice is not served by taking another life, even that of the twisted man who committed this heinous crime. The horror of this murderous act is best served by respect for life. Pain abounds, but only moral strength can heal it. Our spiritual challenge is to turn pain into the power to save, to temper vengeance with mercy, and to pay our respect for life, even as we punish those who had no respect for it.