Or, if he feels no remorse, to stew in his cesspool of bile in a living hell on earth, until he faces a condemnation and vengeance far harsher than any we can imagine. If King is executed, we will have paid tribute to the power of death. 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.