And now he's being given a spectacular opportunity to show off his beliefs in grand drama. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft allowed the telecast to accommodate survivors and relatives who want to watch McVeigh die, so their thirst for revenge will be satisfied. Instead of giving McVeigh this special spotlight, it would be better if he were locked away in forgotten silence, like Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan and other murderous nuts. When state or federal governments kill prisoners, justice becomes grisly theater. It reduces government to the same level that the accused employed - the level of killing.
Society is brutalized when the government kills people.
Most other advanced democracies have abandoned the death penalty. Those countries see America as crude and barbaric. By retaining the death penalty, America puts itself in company with a few ugly places such as Afghanistan, China, Iran and the like. The only thing worse than killing prisoners is to turn their executions into publicity extravaganzas, as is happening with McVeigh. Write a letter to the editor .