Musings on a Slow Day

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know by now that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried in New York for his role in planning 9/11. He’ll get his day in court with every legal protection to which he is entitled, but at the end of the day he will almost certainly be convicted and sentenced to death. Even if he wasn’t unrepentant, It seems unlikely that he will find much sympathy from a jury of New Yorkers.

I’m not alone in anticipating what seems to be inevitable; President Obama said much the same during an interview while on his Asia trip. Obama was quick to backpedal, reminding everyone that KSM is entitled to a trial and not just summary execution, but let’s get real here – it’s a done deal.

I am a staunch opponent of capital punishment. I can cite all the usual arguments, rational, logical and emotional, but I’m not here to convert anyone to my way of thinking. As an opponent of the death penalty, I’ve always said that you have to make the argument in the hard cases, and this is a hard case. It’s easy to stand on principles from a distance. And yet, I can’t do it. I simply can’t conceive of any good reason that this man should be allowed to go on living.

Anyone want to take a stab at convincing me I’m wrong?